Any .gpx software out there that adds the turn by turn stuff?

I have a new (to me, it’s pretty old) Garmin 800. Not a humble brag, honest.

Was purchased to help me explore a few routes on the road as it did turn by turn stuff and the Jenn ride, sweet.

Created my first gpx route on Garmin Connect, downloaded and turned on ‘turn assist’ or what ever it’s called.

Transpires it’s not that simple. Garmin made a beep if i went of course but no turn by turn.

I would sack off Garmin Connect for a start.

Use something like BikeHike that can export as a tcx. Then just stick the memory card from the 800 into your computer and copy the file over manually. That always worked for me.

EDIT: actually Strava would probably be better, I think that lets you export to tcx as a free option.

I don’t have an 800, but my Garmin Dakota will only do turn warnings on a Route, not on a Track.

I use Garmin Basecamp, so the workaround is to create a Track (or import a GPX) and then create a Route from the track (Basecamp will do this automatically). I then put both the Track and the Route onto the GPS.

I load both, because the Dakota Routes are limited to 250 points, so they are not detailed enough to show every twist in the path or road. The Track shows the detail, and the Route provides a beep at turns.

EDIT: actually Strava would probably be better, I think that lets you export to tcx as a free option.

I don’t think strava outputs the turn by turn information into the file. I used ridewithgps.com – costs a little bit but i like it.

You might be right. I think you can export from Strava & run it through bikehike though as a free way to add the info! (I also used to use ridewithgps when it used to be free to export routes & that worked very well)

I plot routes in rwgps, export as a tcx file to my Garmin 800, and turn by turn works fine. For each route you do need to go into the settings and turn the feature on (when loading the course, go to the spanner icon, turn by turn on, off course warning on, virtual partner off) It’s less successful off road so I just follow the line for that and use the off course warnings.

Cheers all, will have a play tonight.

I use ridewithgps, works at treat.  Plot route on the computer with a map and auto-routing, then download the TCX.  Drop it onto the garmin, sorted.

Turn guidance is calculated by the Garmin based on the information on the map loaded on the device (this is what it’s doing when it says “calculating” after you load a route.  If the map you’re using on the Garmin doesn’t know about the roads you’re using and the junctions between them then it can’t give you turn guidance.  This is why it typically doesn’t work off-road.

What pdw said.

I am not sure of the nomenclature, but there are two different ways of getting turn directions. That ^^^ is one way. The other way is to create a tcx file that includes the turn warning info. I have used the latter to get turn by turn navigation on e.g. an Edge 200, which obviously includes no maps or routing capabilities! I think this is what OP wants, although not sure.

Ah yes, TCX files allow you to put in waypoints that pop up a message when you get near them.  It’s not proper turn-by-turn where it shows you details of the junction you’re approaching, but it’s probably a reasonable workaround.

Think it may be new map time.

Garmin came with OS maps 1:50, would anyone be able to recommend a map software that did have the required course data regards turns?

You can get ‘city navigator’ mapping which is what car satnavs use.  “I’m sure that must work better for give me a route to a destination”.  Probably works better for ‘follow this gpx and give me turn by turn’ but gave up trying to use turn by turn before i’d worked it out.

ridewithgps will embed turn by turn directions into the TCX…

As above, ride with gps is giving you “advance turn notification” in a TCX file, which is not quite the same as proper turn-by-turn.  Garmin 800 can do proper turn-by-turn if it has the right maps (see https://ridewithgps.com/help/export-file-formats#turnnotifications)

I use routable openstreetmap maps, which you can get from http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/

My Garmin came with the OS maps, and I thought that they were routable, but it’s years since I’ve used them.  I prefer the OSM maps as they’re vector maps so you can zoom in further, whereas  the OS 1:50 are bitmap maps, so just get blurrier as you zoom in.

Once you get the right map installed and enabled, I find that the turn-by-turn works really well, at least on road.  It’s really quite brilliant to be able to plan a long route taking in all the fiddly little unsigned back roads in an area that you don’t know and just head and ride it without stopping to look at a map at every junction.

Garmin came with OS maps 1:50, would anyone be able to recommend a map software that did have the required course data regards turns?

I downloaded the OpenCycleMap maps which are fully routable (good guide on DCRainmaker) for my 800. Always found them pretty good. The newer Garmins come with their own maps which (I believe) are based on these.