rodbailey

Got my first GPS myself this year and it's a 76s too.

The first series of cock-ups involved me having the mindset that on the GPS I would be saving tracks and then later downloading them onto a PC. What actually happens is the GPS runs a constant tracklog when switched on, and when you plug it into a PC you get the whole lot. Using the "Save tracks" on the GPS is a no-go, if you want to do it right, as it's really a "find your way home when lost up the mountains in snow and low cloud" thing.

So...

Get GPSdump from http://www.multinett.no/~stein.sorensen/body_gpsdump.htm
Start it.
Plug in GPS.
Switch on GPS, hit "Page" a couple of times.
Hit "menu", & choose "operate with GPS off", so as not to drain the batteries, while fumbling around with new software, you don't really understand Wink
In GPSdump, hit "Garmin (RS232)".
This will automatically download the entire tracklog.
Wait.
Wait more as serial connections do not live up to the 21st century ideals of I want it, & I want it now.
When the download completes, the GPS will beep & the main screen of GPSdump fills with rows & rows of data.... oooh.
Take a few minutes to find where your flight started, pretty obvious as the rows are date stamped and you can see the altitude start to change, etc.
Click the first row & Shift-Click the last row, to select all the rows of data for the flight.

Now you've got some choices, but I always do:
I'd select File->Save log in IGC format.
Fill in some of the fields, and if you've just broken a world record, are a top pilot, or which to upload to come online OLC's, choose "Save with G Security Record", to prove it's a real flight and you're not lying.
Save file.

You now have a file you can upload to various websites and impress you friends with. To impress myself I then do:

Get GPSbabel software from http://www.gpsbabel.org/ (sourceforge *.zip)
Input:
- select "FAI/IGC Flight Recorder Data Format" from the pull-down menu.
- choose the IGC file you just created with GPSdump (sometimes have to select "all files" to see the file)
Output:
- select "Google Earth (Keyhole...blah)" format from the pull down menu
- choose a filename xxxx.kml

Click "Lets go".
Wait 3 milliseconds.

You now have a file which contains XML data that google earth can interpret. Double click this file and open with google earth and be amazed at how stunning a 20 minute waft can look.....

I always seem to have to:
Right-Click the "GPS Device" in the list on the left and select Properties.
Select Style tab and click "Share..."
Click the newly appeared "Altitude" Tab
Change clamped to ground --> "Absolute"

Marvel...... and also probably realise that your GPS altitude needs to be well calibrated before you takeoff or you can really fly into the ground and out the other side Wink

Hope it helps, although those who have been doing it for years will probably laugh at my methods.