I've had an etrex Vista HCx for a couple of years now, and have
periodically copied to my laptop all the .gpx files saved to the
unit when tracking is turned on. These would be one file per day,
named YYYYMMDD.gpx (e.g., 20110707.gpx). For the last few months,
I only have one file on the unit. Don't think I've changed any
settings, but can anyone offer suggestions?

The change in behavior started about the time I began uploading
tracks to MyGarmin, but today I tried to copy over the .gpx file
from my bicycle ride this morning *before* uploading the new
activity to the Garmin site--nothing was there.

Help!?

--
Theodore (Ted) Heise <(E-Mail Removed)> Bloomington, IN, USA

On 31/07/2011 01:46, Theodore Heise wrote:
> I've had an etrex Vista HCx for a couple of years now, and have
> periodically copied to my laptop all the .gpx files saved to the
> unit when tracking is turned on. These would be one file per day,
> named YYYYMMDD.gpx (e.g., 20110707.gpx). For the last few months,
> I only have one file on the unit. Don't think I've changed any
> settings, but can anyone offer suggestions?
>
> The change in behavior started about the time I began uploading
> tracks to MyGarmin, but today I tried to copy over the .gpx file
> from my bicycle ride this morning *before* uploading the new
> activity to the Garmin site--nothing was there.
>
> Help!?

Go to menu -> Tracks -> Setup -> Data Card Setup, and make sure the
option is ticked for "Log track to data card".

Note this will save the tracks onto the MicroSD card, not the unit
itself. To copy them to your PC, plug in the eTrex then go to menu ->
Setup -> Interface, and choose "USB Mass storage".


--
Craig Wallace
http://craig.neogeo.org.uk
http://www.neogeo.org.uk

On Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:30:12 +0100,
Craig Wallace <craigw84@fast_NOSPAM_mail.fm> wrote:
> On 31/07/2011 01:46, Theodore Heise wrote:

>> ...today I tried to copy over the .gpx file from my bicycle
>> ride this morning *before* uploading the new activity to the
>> Garmin site--nothing was there.

> Go to menu -> Tracks -> Setup -> Data Card Setup, and make sure
> the option is ticked for "Log track to data card".
>
> Note this will save the tracks onto the MicroSD card, not the
> unit itself. To copy them to your PC, plug in the eTrex then go
> to menu -> Setup -> Interface, and choose "USB Mass storage".

Thanks, but this was not the problem--that option has always been
selected, but I was still not getting .gpx files on the card. I
also verified that Setup -> Map -> Tracks was set to AUTO (i.e.,
not OFF) for both Saved Tracks and Track Log. Still no joy.

The card is only about 60% full, but looking around on the web I
found a suggestion that there might also be a limit on the number
of files. I deleted all the .gpx files (roughly three hundred),
and this morning the unit saved a .gpx file from my ride.

Last night I only had a couple unused saved tracks (on the Tracks
page) so I also deleted another six of the saved tracks, but I
doubt this would have made a difference--I think this is internal
memory, not the microSD card.

--
Theodore (Ted) Heise <(E-Mail Removed)> Bloomington, IN, USA

Theodore Heise wrote on Jul 31, 2011:

> On Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:30:12 +0100,
> Craig Wallace <craigw84@fast_NOSPAM_mail.fm> wrote:
>> On 31/07/2011 01:46, Theodore Heise wrote:
>
>>> ...today I tried to copy over the .gpx file from my bicycle
>>> ride this morning *before* uploading the new activity to the
>>> Garmin site--nothing was there.
>
>> Go to menu -> Tracks -> Setup -> Data Card Setup, and make sure
>> the option is ticked for "Log track to data card".
>>
>> Note this will save the tracks onto the MicroSD card, not the
>> unit itself. To copy them to your PC, plug in the eTrex then go
>> to menu -> Setup -> Interface, and choose "USB Mass storage".
>
> Thanks, but this was not the problem--that option has always been
> selected, but I was still not getting .gpx files on the card. I
> also verified that Setup -> Map -> Tracks was set to AUTO (i.e.,
> not OFF) for both Saved Tracks and Track Log. Still no joy.
>
> The card is only about 60% full, but looking around on the web I
> found a suggestion that there might also be a limit on the number
> of files.

Have you got a reference for this? I've always assumed that I can leave the
gps collecting daily tracklogs almost indefinitely without any problem. If
there is a limit to the number of files, I'd like to know what it is.

--
Mike Lane
UK North Yorkshire
mike_lane at mac dot com

On Mon, 1 Aug 2011 01:13:36 +0100,
Mike Lane <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Theodore Heise wrote on Jul 31, 2011:

>> Thanks, but this was not the problem--that option has always
>> been selected, but I was still not getting .gpx files on the
>> card. I also verified that Setup -> Map -> Tracks was set to
>> AUTO (i.e., not OFF) for both Saved Tracks and Track Log.
>> Still no joy.
>>
>> The card is only about 60% full, but looking around on the web
>> I found a suggestion that there might also be a limit on the
>> number of files.
>
> Have you got a reference for this? I've always assumed that I
> can leave the gps collecting daily tracklogs almost indefinitely
> without any problem. If there is a limit to the number of files,
> I'd like to know what it is.

Well, either I'm unable to find now what I thought I saw last
night, or I just inferred it from the information at the
following:

http://www.gpsfaqs.org/faqs/garmin/x...cx/tracks.html

Either way, it doesn't seem like several hundred files should be a
problem--but deleting them caused it to start working correctly
again.

--
Theodore (Ted) Heise <(E-Mail Removed)> Bloomington, IN, USA

in 41874 20110801 011336 Mike Lane <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>Theodore Heise wrote on Jul 31, 2011:
>
>> On Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:30:12 +0100,
>> Craig Wallace <craigw84@fast_NOSPAM_mail.fm> wrote:
>>> On 31/07/2011 01:46, Theodore Heise wrote:
>>
>>>> ...today I tried to copy over the .gpx file from my bicycle
>>>> ride this morning *before* uploading the new activity to the
>>>> Garmin site--nothing was there.
>>
>>> Go to menu -> Tracks -> Setup -> Data Card Setup, and make sure
>>> the option is ticked for "Log track to data card".
>>>
>>> Note this will save the tracks onto the MicroSD card, not the
>>> unit itself. To copy them to your PC, plug in the eTrex then go
>>> to menu -> Setup -> Interface, and choose "USB Mass storage".
>>
>> Thanks, but this was not the problem--that option has always been
>> selected, but I was still not getting .gpx files on the card. I
>> also verified that Setup -> Map -> Tracks was set to AUTO (i.e.,
>> not OFF) for both Saved Tracks and Track Log. Still no joy.
>>
>> The card is only about 60% full, but looking around on the web I
>> found a suggestion that there might also be a limit on the number
>> of files.
>
>Have you got a reference for this? I've always assumed that I can leave the
>gps collecting daily tracklogs almost indefinitely without any problem. If
>there is a limit to the number of files, I'd like to know what it is.

There has always been a limit on the number of files in the root directory of
a FAT file system.
(Old PC guys would remember this :-) )

From Wiki:
"The number of root directory entries available for FAT12 and FAT16 is
determined when the volume is formatted, and is stored in a 16-bit field.
For a given number RDE and sector size SS the number RDS of root directory
sectors is RDS=ceil((RDE×32)/SS), and RDE is normally chosen to fill these
sectors, i.e., RDE*32=RDS*SS. FAT12 and FAT16 media typically use 512
root directory entries on non-floppy media."

Bob Martin wrote on Aug 1, 2011:

> in 41874 20110801 011336 Mike Lane <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> Theodore Heise wrote on Jul 31, 2011:
>>
>>> On Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:30:12 +0100,
>>> Craig Wallace <craigw84@fast_NOSPAM_mail.fm> wrote:
>>>> On 31/07/2011 01:46, Theodore Heise wrote:
>>>
>>>>> ...today I tried to copy over the .gpx file from my bicycle
>>>>> ride this morning *before* uploading the new activity to the
>>>>> Garmin site--nothing was there.
>>>
>>>> Go to menu -> Tracks -> Setup -> Data Card Setup, and make sure
>>>> the option is ticked for "Log track to data card".
>>>>
>>>> Note this will save the tracks onto the MicroSD card, not the
>>>> unit itself. To copy them to your PC, plug in the eTrex then go
>>>> to menu -> Setup -> Interface, and choose "USB Mass storage".
>>>
>>> Thanks, but this was not the problem--that option has always been
>>> selected, but I was still not getting .gpx files on the card. I
>>> also verified that Setup -> Map -> Tracks was set to AUTO (i.e.,
>>> not OFF) for both Saved Tracks and Track Log. Still no joy.
>>>
>>> The card is only about 60% full, but looking around on the web I
>>> found a suggestion that there might also be a limit on the number
>>> of files.
>>
>> Have you got a reference for this? I've always assumed that I can leave the
>> gps collecting daily tracklogs almost indefinitely without any problem. If
>> there is a limit to the number of files, I'd like to know what it is.
>
> There has always been a limit on the number of files in the root directory of
> a FAT file system.
> (Old PC guys would remember this :-) )
>
> From Wiki:
> "The number of root directory entries available for FAT12 and FAT16 is
> determined when the volume is formatted, and is stored in a 16-bit field.
> For a given number RDE and sector size SS the number RDS of root directory
> sectors is RDS=ceil((RDE×32)/SS), and RDE is normally chosen to fill these
> sectors, i.e., RDE*32=RDS*SS. FAT12 and FAT16 media typically use 512
> root directory entries on non-floppy media."

Ah yes of course!
I did know, but I forgot about FAT file limits. It's an age thing :-).

--
Mike Lane
UK North Yorkshire
mike_lane at mac dot com

On Mon, 01 Aug 2011 08:01:57 BST,
Bob Martin <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> in 41874 20110801 011336 Mike Lane <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>Theodore Heise wrote on Jul 31, 2011:

>>> The card is only about 60% full, but looking around on the web
>>> I found a suggestion that there might also be a limit on the
>>> number of files.
>>
>>Have you got a reference for this? I've always assumed that I
>>can leave the gps collecting daily tracklogs almost indefinitely
>>without any problem. If there is a limit to the number of files,
>>I'd like to know what it is.
>
> There has always been a limit on the number of files in the root
> directory of a FAT file system.
>
> (Old PC guys would remember this :-) )

Yes, this factoed into my thinking, but I'm not recalling how that
limit applies to sub-directories. The .gpx files are stored in a
gpx directory on the root. If the limit applies to all files on
the partition, With maps and other various files on the card in
addition to over 300 .gox files, it seems conceivable I could have
hit 512.

--
Theodore (Ted) Heise <(E-Mail Removed)> Bloomington, IN, USA

On Mon, 01 Aug 2011 22:25:42 -0400, Theodore Heise wrote:

> On Mon, 01 Aug 2011 08:01:57 BST,
> Bob Martin <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> in 41874 20110801 011336 Mike Lane <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>>Theodore Heise wrote on Jul 31, 2011:
>
>>>> The card is only about 60% full, but looking around on the web
>>>> I found a suggestion that there might also be a limit on the
>>>> number of files.
>>>
>>>Have you got a reference for this? I've always assumed that I
>>>can leave the gps collecting daily tracklogs almost indefinitely
>>>without any problem. If there is a limit to the number of files,
>>>I'd like to know what it is.
>>
>> There has always been a limit on the number of files in the root
>> directory of a FAT file system.
>>
>> (Old PC guys would remember this :-) )
>
> Yes, this factoed into my thinking, but I'm not recalling how that
> limit applies to sub-directories. The .gpx files are stored in a
> gpx directory on the root. If the limit applies to all files on
> the partition, With maps and other various files on the card in
> addition to over 300 .gox files, it seems conceivable I could have
> hit 512.

IIRC, there is no limit enforced for subdirectories in FAT. They are
analogous to ordinary files, and can be extended.

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

Gene E. Bloch wrote:

> IIRC, there is no limit enforced for subdirectories in FAT. They are
> analogous to ordinary files, and can be extended.

It may well be that trying to exceed the limit in a Garmin device
has such ugly consequences that Garmin's software intervenes to
prevent this happening. And in doing so, doesn't discriminate
between directory levels.

John