However, I have found two problems updating journals using a mobile 'phone:
The first is although my SatMap GPS will have recorded the ride I had found no way of getting the GPX file out of the GPS unless I plugged it into a PC and used the SatSync application to download the file from the device. With this model of GPS you can't just plug it into a PC as the computer will not recognise it and only using the correct program works.
The second problem is I could only upload images taken by the camera on my 'phone as again you can't just couple my digital camera to the 'phone - I tried it using a female to female USB converter but as with the GPS the devices do not see each other.
So, as a result, my blogs to date have had to wait until I returned home before I could add the daily routes and upload the better images taken by my digital camera.
Then, reading a CGOAB article by Steve Miller on updating blogs with an Android tablet I had a eureka moment on how to solve both of the above two problems.
Welcome to the wonderful world of micro SD cards and their adaptors!
If you are a little underwhelmed by this story so far, let me explain a bit more...
Both my GPS and camera take full size SD cards, which are like the thing in the picture above with the red label but my mobile phone takes a micro SD card, which is the little card on the left. The two in the picture work together because the micro SD card fits into a slot in the bottom of the adaptor and when fitted together the adaptor acts exactly as if it was a full sized SD card. The downsize is such adaptors are a bit more expensive than standard cards (the above were about £14.00 from Tesco) but compared to the cost of the gizmos you fit them into the difference is not that great.
I will cover the camera problem first as it is the easiest to explain. If I take the current full sized SD card out of my camera and substitute with the adaptor and micro SD card I can take pictures as normal and the files will be stored on the micro SD card. To upload these files I need to get these files into my mobile 'phone.
Step one, switch off 'phone and in the case of mine, remove the battery:
The micro SD card sits in a slot, shown by the red arrow. I removed the card that was already there and replaced it with the micro SD card from the adaptor, which contains the image files. Switching the 'phone back on allows me to see the image files and attach them to an e-mail or upload them using the internet if WiFi is available.
The GPS is a little more involved but the same ideas apply.
My SatMap will allow me to record the GPX file either to its own internal memory or to the SD card which carries the map. I normally let it record to the map card to leave the internal memory free. Wherever you record the file it is possible to copy and move it using the menu options on the SatMap and this is the key to the trick of getting the GPX file out of the GPS. If you have recorded the file onto the map SD card you now need to copy it to the internal memory.
Using the buttons on the GPS you need to select "Routes Menu" then with the joystick select SD Card and navigate to the GPX file you want, this will have a name looking something like this: "2011-10-09_09:29" i.e. a date and a time.
When you have found it select "Edit" and from the new menu which appears select "Copy". Although it doesn't really explain it, what you have actually done is copied the file to the internal memory.
Now switch off GPS and remove the map card and replace it with the micro SD card in its adaptor, as shown below:
Switch on the GPS again and you now need to go back through the menus to find the GPX file you copied to the internal memory. If you select "Edit" again you will now see an option to copy the file to the SD card - which you should now do. Switch everything off again and insert the micro SD card back in the 'phone and the hitherto illusive GPX file is now available to be uploaded.
I use ES File Manage on my Android 'phone to see the files on the card but if you use GMail you can also attach the files directly to an e-mail update.
However, there is one final thing which needs to happen before the above will work best. Currently, CGOAB allows e-mail updates to journals which can have image files appended to the e-mail and these will appear on the page in the order they are attached to the e-mail. GPX files cannot be included in e-mail updates but Neil Gunton, who runs the site, has recently told me this facility is "near the top of my To Do List" so it should become available in due course. Until then, GPX files will need to be uploaded via an internet connection, which ideally means having access to WiFi although it can done using the 'phone service but is expensive in data.
For simplicity, my plan on my next trip will be to have the mico SD card in its adaptor in the camera during the day to record pictures and then I will put it in the GPS at the end of the day to have the GPX file added to the card so I only need to insert the micro SD card once into the 'phone.
The only snag I can see is GPX files can be quite large, over 1 Mb for a day's riding, but providing I have a reasonable connection it should be possible to upload it. Image files can also be large but there are Apps you can get which reduce the files to a smaller size, which is fine as you don't need big image files for displaying on web pages.
With grateful acknowledgements to Steve Miller, whose idea of inserting a camera SD card into an Android tablet gave me the clue as how to do it for the GPS, which had been the main problem I had come across preventing proper updates of daily blogs. Steve's article can be found here. http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1 ... =11607&v=L
