Congratulations to Marq CT1BWW for being the first to discover and make use of the new features in the SMP tracks page!
The tools in this page allow the user to create user-defined tracks or upload GPX tracks exported from a GPS device. These may then be viewed by any user of the SMP in the same page.
Tracks are created for a particular summit, and function as sources of information or general interest, especially for those unfamiliar with the summit or region for which the track(s) have been created. Help dialogs are available to answer the most obvious questions when creating/uploading your tracks.
User-drawn tracks can also have waypoints associated with them, in which images may be embedded - Marq has used this capability in his tracks for CT/BL-027, CT/BL-026 and CT/MN-047.
In the past two days, Marq has created tracks for a dozen summits in the CT/BB, CT/BL, CT/ES and CT/MN Regions - check them out!
In reply to DM1CM:
Great facility Rob, which I look forward to using and contributing to as well.
I’ve uploaded a GPX file to create a track, but before you can save it you need a PIN code.
However, when I try to “apply for a pin code” I complete the web form then when I click “Send me my PIN code” I get a pop up as follows
A long string of text beginning “Que??” and ending “Are you Human?”. I’ve tried several different CAPTCHA codes, wondering if I was getting that wrong.
I am on Windows 7 SP1 64Bit, Chrome Version 27.0.1453.116 m.
In reply to MW0WML: (reposted by MM0FMF due to gremlin issues)
Hmm, yes - I’ve been able to reproduce the error when I disable cookies in my browser. The (server-side) PIN-code script needs you to have enabled cookies in order that the (browser-side) captcha in the tracks page script can be tied, via PHP session variables, uniquely to you the user.
If you’re unhappy with using cookies at all, simply wait until the MT has reprogrammed the tracks scripts to work without cookies. Or just enable cookies in your browser, and away you go…
HTH, 73
Rob
DM1CM
PS - I’ll put a note regarding use of cookies in the help dialog…
Thanks Andy for clearing the gremlins. I was about to add to my above reply that cookies need to be enabled only while you apply for the PIN-Code. Once you have that, and if you really are concerned about security matters as regards the use of cookies, by all means disable them again.
In reply to MM0FMF:
OK, bit further on. I didn’t have cookies disabled, so I wondered if they were corrupt in some way.
I found if I cleared the two cookies for sotamaps.wsstvc.org (geolocation and smpid) and then reloaded the tracks page that I could get past the initial error. When I click the “send me my pincode” button I get a pop up box saying that it has been sent to the email address that I gave. I’ve checked the email very carefully. I’ve then go into my email account (gmail) and checked it isn’t in the inbox or spam folders.
No sign of it I’m afraid.
STET: The emails from my four attempts have all just arrived together. Must just have been stuck in the email outbox somewhere.
I’m not complaining about this by the way, I know it is all voluntary - just providing debugging feedback.
Aahhh, the joys of programming for the Internet! Gerald, I’m sure you’re aware that a programmer can test a script until the cows come home, but give that script to an end-user, and he/she will find a handful of bugs in the first five minutes of use. Guaranteed!
I’ve added two routes for my nearest two hills Moel Famau (GW/NW-044) and Foel Fenlli (GW/NW-051).
Not sure if someone wants to review them for “quality control” before I do any more. They are done from a combination of aerial photography and 1:25K mapping, plotted on Mapyx Quo then exported as GPX. Finally imported into the SOTA Mapping tracks system.
So, these imported GPX tracks don’t come from a GPS device? And therefore haven’t been recorded as you were walking the route (which is what the “Import GPX” tools are primarily for) ?..
In which case, why not simply draw the track on the map in the tracks page with the “Draw track on map” tools provided? You can then also add images in waypoints associated with the track - something which is not possible when importing GPX.
If you’re worried that your tracks won’t be smooth enough, or accurate enough, please bear in mind that these tracks are only to be used by others as references or sources of background information when planning or choosing a route up a hill or mountain with which they may not be familiar, and NOT to be used on the hill as primary navigational aids.
The way I originally foresaw this whole tracks page is that different routes can exist on the same hill, and that different activators would have their own favourite route which they would draw/upload and embellish with an image or two and some constructive comments. Which others could then read and use as they see fit.
Now, I don’t want to steal anybody’s thunder, but Eric KU6J has just come up with a great new idea for the tracks page. He’s uploaded a GPX track which follows the estimated perimeter of the activation zone on W6/NS-138.
In reply to DM1CM:
Ah, understand Rob! I will look at drawing in the SOTA Maps page. I like to use Quo to draw routes because I can overlay 1:25K mapping with semitransparent aerial photographs to make certain I map it properly.
I have a GPX file containing dozens (hundreds?) of those that I’ve plotted for various summits in my area by using ExpertGPS with the USGS topo maps that it downloads. I use them for planning purposes, and also turn them into a map with a transparent background that actually loads into Garmin GPS receivers. The activation zone perimeter estimate lines (and other motorized and hiking routes that I include in my maps) then appear above the standard Garmin topo maps on the GPS screen. I color-code the tracks so that the activation zone boundary appears as a turquoise-and-white dashed line, and the motorized and hiking routes use different colors based on level of difficulty.
I find this to be handy in cases when reaching the actual summit requires climbing skills that I don’t have, and I may not even be able to see the actual summit due to boulders, trees, etc. I simply look at my GPS screen so as to be reasonably certain that I am within the activation zone prior to setting up.
For example, this is how the track lines appear in ExpertGPS:
Everything is the same on the Garmin screen except that the base topo map is from Garmin instead of USGS.
If you like, I can upload a few more of these to Sotamaps.
73,
Eric KU6J
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Free SOTA Spot Monitor Software + RBNGate FAQ: http://www.ku6j.com
OK on your “activation zone perimeter estimate lines” - if you feel these could be of use to others wishing to activate those summits (and I would definitely concur), then by all means upload them to the system.
But you would first have to split out each individual track from your master file and import them one by one. As is mentioned in the “Upload GPX track” Help dialog, there are tools online to help you accomplish this task - try e.g. gpxsplitter at GpxSplitter - SamatsWiki .
It’s becoming increasingly clear to me just how many mapping opportunities there are available online, and just how many of the SOTA community are making use of them. We live in interesting times…
In reply to DM1CM:
WH6LE Pete Here: I uploaded a track perhaps too hastily. I note that my GPX file included both the ascent, activity on summit and the descent. I’d like to delete my entry, edit my GPX file, and reload.
Once uploaded, how does one delete?
Pete, I noticed this about half an hour ago while trawling the SOTA Mapping Project database, and removed the descent part of the track - BEFORE I read your note here. But the to-and fro on the summit was too challenging to remove easily. I’ve now removed the whole track so you can upload again.
We’ll definitely have to think about building in at least a delete function (editing uploaded tracks just gets WAY too complicated!), so users can have a chance to improve on their own work…
