Hi Kathy,

I'm far from a tech expert, but I use my Android tablet to do the work, so I don't see why a phone should be any different. Firstly, I have the Garmin app installed on my tablet. I then create a route in cycle.travel and send it to Garmin Connect. Now  I  can see it on the Garmin app. Then, via Bluetooth, I send it from the tablet to my Garmin edge. The entire process is wireless and takes seconds. Hope this helps.

Yes – I find the Bluetooth method so convenient I could never go back to using a wired connection. Unfortunately though I don’t think the Edge 800 has Bluetooth!

There’s a method described on the Cycling UK Forum for how to do it by swapping SD cards, and a few other suggestions in the thread.

However, I have an edge 530, and I think the 800 is somewhat older, so I don't know whether it has Bluetooth. You don't say how you get the route from your laptop to the 800. You say you download directly, but does this mean you paste the file into the 800 or do you do something wirelessly? Anyway, if my first bit of advice doesn't work, perhaps you could give some more information.

Our current method  is to connect  via cable the Garmin 800 to our computer.  We then drag the CT route to the NewFiles in the Garmin. It works. 

Martin I  will  get the Garmin app a d gi e that a try.

Martin,  I  am able to get the CT route into  Garmin App. But I cannot see how to move it to our 800. Since the 800 does not have BT can a cable be used?

Hi Kathy. The honest answer is that I don't know. If you connect the tablet to the Garmin with a cable and then open the course in the app and click send to device does that do the trick?

If the gps unit is not Bluetooth compatible it is possible with an OTG (On-The-Go) cable, available in any phone store.

Then it is a simple matter of connecting the unit to the phone (much the same way as the unit is connected to the computer) and transferring the file(s) using a file manager app.

That is where it can get tricky. Some of the proprietary apps don't allow for this so an additional file transfer app may need to be downloaded.

Given that you should know where to transfer the file to on the unit, that will probably be the trickiest part of the operation.

I would discourage any system that involves regular removal of SD cards. 

So  tried connecting via a cable to my tablet but the Garmin app does not seem to work that way.  Hobbies, how would I  download to my File Manager ?

On your phone open the file on CycleTravel and download it in whatever format you wish to use.

Depending on your phone, the file is now most likely in the Downloads folder.

With an active cable connection between phone and unit it is a matter of copying or moving that file from the Downloads folder (on the phone) to whatever folder you use on the unit.

It has nothing to do with Garmin connect. 

Hobbes,thanks for your assistance! 

Ok,I  see it in the Downloads in File Manager. I have my Garmin attached to the tablet.  But I  cannot see how to  move the route to the Garmin. 

In the downloads folder, highlight the file by pressing on it.

Select "Copy"

Tap on the appropriate folder on the Garmin and select "paste"

Ok, I  will try that when I get home!

Hobbes I  tried it on my phone but it doesn't show up on the Garmin. The Micro SD card that I have does not have an map installed as I just used an empty one. Would this make a difference? 

BTW, on the tablet I  do not even get a way to select Garmin and the sub folder New Files.

Kathy, please try to be clear. There's talk of phones and tablets. And maps. 

You don't need a map to copy a route over, but you will need a map to follow the thing. Also, if the file structure on the SD card is important to the working of the Garmin, using a blank one will not help.

Let's go back to basics:

Have you connected your phone to your Garmin? Yes or no?

What cable are you using to do this?

Can you see your Garmin as an external drive on the File manager app on your phone? Yes or no?

If yes, you should be able to copy and paste the route over as I explained above.

If you cannot see the Garmin as an external drive I'll remind you of this from earlier:

That is where it can get tricky. Some of the proprietary apps don't allow for this so an additional file transfer app may need to be downloaded.

Have you tried downloading a different file manager app?

I use "File Manager +" Depending on your setup (phone brand, version of Android etc.) it may work for you. Available on the PlayStore

You can go through through the exact same steps for your tablet. 

You may find it helpful to go back to your usual setup of connecting the computer to the unit and doing a few transfers to refamiliarise yourself with the process. Connecting your computer to the unit is the exact same as connecting your phone/tablet to the unit, although it looks a little different.

  To summarise:

You need an OTG (On-the-Go) cable between the Garmin and the phone or Tablet.

You may need a different File Manager.

The process is the same whether using a Computer or Phone/Tablet

Hi Kathy and Hobbes. I think the problem is that your phone/tablet does not recognise the connection to the Garmin. It's easy to check this and I think it should be the first thing that you do. Once you have connected phone/tablet to the Garmin with a cable and turned both of them on, open the Garmin app. At the top of the screen is a picture of a Garmin device in a white circle. If you tap it you will get a message that says either connected or not connected. If it's not connected I'm really not sure what you can do. If it is connected you should be able to copy and paste the file or open the route and click the blue icon with an arrow at the top of the screen which will send the route to the device.

However, I am assuming that you have registered your device with the Garmin Connect website or the app. For example, when I click on the picture of the Garmin device to see if it's connected, it says Edge 530, so it knows what I have. It will say Edge 530 whether or not it's connected. Does it know that you have an 800?

The phone when connected to the Garmin allows me to see the Garmin. When I  copy/move the download to NewFiles on the Garmin, just as I do on the computer,  nothing shows up in the Garmin. 

The cable set up might be the an issue here is a pic. Cannot seem to load a pic.

I will  explore a different File Manager 

This Screenshot is on my tablet. 

If you can see the Garmin on the file manager app on your phone then neither the cable nor the file manager is the problem. Both are working.

Can you navigate through the file structure on the Garmin from your phone? Open different folders?

(If the file has been copied to a folder and that folder is not open you won't see the file until you open the folder.)

If you can do that, it would appear to be a simple case of perfecting the copy/paste methodology. 

I would suggest that you practise copying and pasting a file or two within the phone. (Create a dummy folder such as "Testing" for this). Then you should be able to see files being moved around. Once happy with that, then try with the Garmin.

There is an (outside) possibility that the file has been copied over but is not showing for some reason. It might do no harm to switch off the unit and restart it. This may reveal the "hidden" file. Similarly, connecting to your computer should do the same.

@Martin Fox, the method I am discussing is "outside" the Garmin framework and will work on any unit, irrespective of brand. My experience with Garmin is limited and one of the reasons for that is the unreliability and inconsistency of their software across different models. 

The ability to connect a unit to a phone by cable can be a godsend on long tours in strange places. It's something I'd suggest any long distance biker should master. If nothing else, it teaches us a whole lot about how our units are organised and work. 

Hobbes, I  seem to be able to get the file to this point. It is when I attempt to move them to the Garmin  that nothing happens.  On the computer I  would "drag" the route to NewFiles on the Garmin and they would load but not here on the tablet. 

As you can see the files show up in NewFiles on the Garmin but when I  disconnect the Garmin and look they are not there. 

Kathy, it's been a long, long time since I played with a Garmin.

First, those file names under "New Files" don't look like CT files. Or at least the names don't.

Are you sure that you are copying over the right "type" of file? If it's not in the right format (gpx, tcx) the Garmin won't know what to do with it and it won't show up.

For clarity, can I suggest that:

You rename a file on your phone to be something easy to read and

Open that file on CT on your phone to make sure that it is a proper, gpx/tcx file.

(Alternatively, download a file you know from CT).

Secondly, are you sure that when you paste the new file onto the Garmin that it is going into the appropriate folder (the same one you use when doing it from a computer?) My understanding is that if a "good" file is in the wrong folder it will not show up on the Garmin.

As for "dragging" a file, I never do that on a phone (at least not intentionally). Copy & Paste is the way to go.

I thinking at this stage that the process is working fine, but for whatever reason, the wrong type of file is being copied over.

I just connected to our computer and had no trouble getting this route on to the Garmin.

When I  pick GPX download on CT this is what they look like in the File Manager  Downloads. Not sure how to change that. Dragging  is only on the computer.  Copy &Paste on the android. 

If I open the download  I get this

And the route will show in Osmand

"I just connected to our computer and had no trouble getting this route on to the Garmin."

And does that file show up on the Garmin? Can you open it?

As for the picture with the CT background and the "Open as" window, you don't necessarily want to open this file, just to confirm that it is a "real" gpx file.

That's the file you want to copy over. 

If you have downloaded a working file from CT, in the format you usually use and copied it over to the Garmin and it is in the correct folder, then I don't have anything else. It should work. 

"I just connected to our computer and had no trouble getting this route on to the Garmin."

And does that file show up on the Garmin? Can you open it?

As for the picture with the CT background and the "Open as" window, you don't necessarily want to open this file, just to confirm that it is a "real" gpx file.

That's the file you want to copy over. 

If you have downloaded a working file from CT, in the format you usually use and copied it over to the Garmin and it is in the correct folder, then I don't have anything else. It should work. 

Using the computer to the Garmin everything works as it should. The route shows up on the Garmin. 

Thanks for all your assistance.  It appears that I  may be too tech challenged! 

Sorry, but this is bugging me. 

If it was me I would:

Make a new route on CT on the phone and save it with a unique name.

Download it to my phone.

Transfer it to the garmin by connecting the cable.

Check that it is on the Garmin (via the file file manager app)

Disconnect the Garmin. (Make sure to "eject" in the File Manager, not just unplug it!)

Try to open the route on the Garmin.

If not successful, switch off the Garmin, leave off for a minute then restart and try again to load the route.

If it still doesn't work I would connect the Garmin to the computer.

Using the Computer transfer the file to the Computer.

Open CT on the computer and try to import the file into CT, giving it a new name. 

If this works, it suggests that the issue is with the Garmin, for whatever reason.

If it doesn't work, I would try downloading a new File Manager app (such as the one mentioned above) for the phone and repeating the process.

Sorry that this is bugging!!😁😁😁

I will give it another  go.

You mention "make the route on the phone and then download " I assume that  means  download it to a File Manager. 

Also the Eject process  has been  bugging me.  I see how to do it on the computer  but not on a device. 

You mention "make the route on the phone and then download " I assume that means download it to a File Manager.

Yes. The idea is to keep it completely away from the computer so that we can see if the file opens properly on the computer later without being influenced by what may be on the computer.

Also the Eject process has been bugging me. I see how to do it on the computer but not on a device.

That can vary from app to app but you should be able to tap on "USB storage 1" and select eject.

SUCCESS!

I was able to do it on my phone no problem. Here is a pic of File Manager showing it as a GPX file. It looks like the same FM that is on my tablet.Maybe the tablet is the issue¿

Yaaaaaaay!

I'm curious as to what tablet it was.

Interestingly, my own Tablet (A Samsung - never again!!) was always more difficult to operate despite being more of a "premium" brand than any of my android phones.

It's a long, long thread, but ultimately useful, I think, for anyone who wants the ability to be able to take a file from their phone and sent it to a gpx unit.

CT may not work offline but apps like Osmand do and this can be a real "get out of jail" feature for people far from home.

It is a Samsung! 

Hobbes, 

I got it to work!  It was the browser! I had been using Duck Duck  Go and then I tried Chrome and Bingo!

I'm glad you got it to work.

I'm confused though, as to how the browser can affect what essentially is a File Management activity. Does that browser have issued opening files on CT generally?

However, it does suggest that a bit more clarity and information at the start would have been helpful. I wouldn't have thought of a browser as an issue...... unless I knew it was a less common browser, like DDG.

It just goes to show how complicated these things can be and how what is perfectly normal for one person can cause issues for another.

I'm glad you got it to work.

I'm confused though, as to how the browser can affect what essentially is a File Management activity. Does that browser have issued opening files on CT generally?

However, it does suggest that a bit more clarity and information at the start would have been helpful. I wouldn't have thought of a browser as an issue...... unless I knew it was a less common browser, like DDG.

It just goes to show how complicated these things can be and how what is perfectly normal for one person can cause issues for another.