WinGDB3

File converter for Garmin MapSource files

WinGDB3 provides additional powerful features for Garmin’s MapSource. The primary function of WinGDB3 is the conversion of waypoints, routes and tracks, e.g. via points to waypoints, routes to tracks and tracks to routes. It uses the MapSource internal GDB format. GDB versions 1, 2 and 3 are supported. A route or track, manipulated by WinGDB3, is often more useful than the standard MapSource files, for many GPS applications. WinGDB3 is a general applicable program and has not been specialized for a particular type Garmin GPS receiver. Some receivers have no or a limited TracBack function (like e.g. the Quest and Nüvi) and then it can be useful to convert a track to a route. Other receivers (like the GPSMAP 60) will always recalculate routes and then a conversion of a route to a track makes sense. Sometimes it may be useful to make via points invisible to avoid an excess of flags and spoken texts at the receiver (Zumo, Nüvi). Apart from the conversion functions WinGDB3 also has a number of possibilities to adjust the size of the obtained routes and/or tracks to the characteristics of the GPS receiver. This is called filtering. If you specify the maximum number of route- and/or trackpoints your GPS receiver supports WinGDB3 will assure that the route or track always fits. For very big routes there is a possibility to split routes into smaller segments.

Other characteristics of WinGDB3 are:

WinGDB3 is strongly connected to MapSource. All input files and created conversions can be viewed directly in MapSource. That makes it very easy to work up to a desired result. This result can be sent directly from MapSource to the GPS receiver without the necessity of making intermediate files.

Clipboard support:

WinGDB3 is delivered since version 3.55 with 2 startup icons. The first is called WinGDB3 and will give you the known WinGDB3 menu. The second is called WinGDB3-clipboard and will give you the clipboard-menu.

This Clipboard menu works together with MapSource, so if you have a route or track in MapSource and you want to convert this, just cut/copy this route/track to the clipboard.

Press on the push-button "Convert to clipboard" of the WinGDB3 clipboard menu and you can paste the converted result back in MapSource.

Multiple routes/tracks are supported and it is also possible to put the result in a new MapSource window (Convert to MapSource).

You can switch between the 2 menus.

Since version 3.70 clipboard support is integrated in the main menu , so the separate clipboard menu is gone. Most of the WinGDB3 functions are now available with the clipboard.

Support for multiple input files:

Starting with version 3.61 you can specify multiple input files. You can use the function "Browse..." to select the files or you can open a Windows folder, select there multiple files and drag those to the WinGDB3 menu. The WinGDB3 file input field will show the folder from where you selected the files with on the left side the number. WinGDB3 will search these files for tracks (and waypoints) and the result of this search will be placed in an output file or directly in MapSource. You can use the function "Preview..." or one of the conversion options 0 or 21-24.

During all runs a logfile will be produced. This file is in CSV format and can be viewed with an editor or with e.g. Excel. The file shows the selected files with the tracks and possible errors during the conversion proces. WinGDB3 tells you where to find this file.

Export of the BaseCamp database to MapSource:

BaseCamp offers the possibility to export individual tracks and routes. WinGDB3 offers from version 3.63 the possibility to export the complete database of BaseCamp to MapSource. The database of BaseCamp is located in a file with the name AllData.gdb and can be obtained as follows:

Use the backup function of BaseCamp. A file with the name BaseCamp.Backup will be created. This file is a zip archive and can be unpacked with a zip program. In the folder Database\3.1 the file AllData.gdb can be found and this file can be used as input file for WinGDB3.