Use Garmin Mapsource to Generate Roll Chart
This is a brief tutorial that will demonstrate how to use Garmin's MapSource program to generate a roll chart for a dual sport ride.
Open the Garmin MapSource program and create a new route. Once you have created the route and saved it enter the route properties window. The route properties window can be found by double clicking the route name in the list of routes or by double clicking the route on the map.
Select the Directions tab in the route properties windows. Select the first turn instruction in the window. While holding the Shift key select the last turn instruction. Now copy the selected turn instructions to the Windows clipboard by holding the CTRL key hit and depressing the C key.
Open MS-Excel and paste the data from the clipboard to the new worksheet. Now you should have your turn instructions in MS-Excel like below.
Now add some headings to make it easier to remember what data we are working with.
Notice that the longitude and latitude heading are in different columns, but the computer pasted the coordinate data into a single column. We need to split this by using the Text to Columns tool in MS-Excel. First highlight all the GPS coordinates and then select the Text to Columns option under the Data main menu heading. Which should open a text parsing wizard seen below.
Hit the next button. MS-Excel will try to guess how to split your data as shown by the vertical lines. Double click any lines you wish to remove and just a single click any where you want to add a line until it looks similar to below, and hit the finish button.
You GPS coordinates should now be split.
The roll chart tool does make use of either the split time and the total elapsed time of the route so these columns can be deleted.
MapSource has a peculiar way of handling Waypoints in its turn instructions. If a route waypoint exists at a turn location, Mapsource will add a turn instruction with only the Waypoint in the direction text while adding a second turn instruction at zero distance from the waypoint to include the turn directions. The Roll Chart Tool uses an additional field for the waypoint. In order to use this field we will have to make some changes. If you look at rows 2 and 3, you will see that the Start is a waypoint and the instruction to drive North on Mile Run Rd is next with no distance between them. I will move or add the "start" Waypoint the the turn instruction on row 3 and then delete row 2.
Moving the waypoint information is completely optional, but it does make the roll chart more readable. Below is the entire example route read to be copied to the Roll chart Template.
Highlight all the data and copy to the "Turn Instructions" worksheet in the Roll Chart Template Excel workbook file. It should look like the screen shot below with your data starting on row 5 under the headings.
Submit the new MS-Excel file on the Roll Chart Tool page and you should be rewarded with a formatted roll chart.
Good Luck and Enjoy!!