FAQ-MotionBased
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How is weather determined?
Check out the Weather page.
Why are saved tracks bad (for analysis)?
There are different ways to compress a track to save memory on your device. On the Geko, eTrex, and Foretrex series, you can save a track. On the Forerunner 201, every activity but your current one, that is the one you tracked before hitting the Reset button, will be compressed. In general compressing a track will reduce the information available for MotionBased to analyze your activity. If you can manage it, it's best to upload to MotionBased after every activity to get the best and most accurate analysis.
Why does the distance vary between MotionBased and the GPS device?
At this time, MB does not take the distance calculated by the device. Instead, we get the track information from all GPS devices. We do this because we actually try to clean-up the track data from the GPS with our algorithms. The distance varies between the Inbox and the Digest because we have not run the track information through our algorithms. More often than not, we remove bad or subject track points which often shortens the time and distance. We are constantly refining these algorithms to get the most accurate information. If you go to "Edit Activity", you can turn off Auto-Corrections if you please. In the future, we may display both calculated distance from the Forerunner and from MB. We hope this may alleviate some confusion.
Why is the max speed way off sometimes?
An unrealistic spike in max speed is usually the result of a bad GPS track point or lost signal. MotionBased tries to clean up the data through complex smoothing algorithms. However, we sometimes miss those bad points. We continue to evaluate and refine our algorithms to get you optimal, realistic data.
Why are there abrupt changes in elevation sometimes?
The sharp change in elevation may be due to a few things. One is changing ambient air pressure. This behavior signals the need to recalibrate the altimeter with either a known elevation or the barometric pressure. This also may be due to the unit performing an auto-recalibration that uses GPS elevation to set the altimeter. If the ambient air pressure has been rising over time and the altimeter elevation has climbed, an auto-recalibration based on GPS altitude may result in a sharp decrease in this altimeter elevation value. Otherwise, a sharp change in elevation means you have lost the satellite signal.
Why is "total ascent" and "total descent" different when I do a round trip?
Even when the unit is lying still, it is receiving signals from satellites and continuously calculating a position. In doing so, the unit is adding together small fluctuations in GPS altitude which, over time, produce the larger difference in total ascent and total descent that you may notice. MotionBased is developing more advanced algorithms to ignore these subtle fluctuations which will provide you with more accurate elevation data.
Why is my time stamp off?
Your GPS device may default to a different time zone. Set the zone to the proper zone for your location. Why is the weather data missing? Sometimes when you upload to MotionBased immediately after your activity, our weather server has not collected this information, so there is nothing to display.
Have you ever forgotten to press Stop on your Forerunner at the end of your run and so your distance and time is all wrong?
"No problem," one thinks - just go and delete a few laps from the end and according to the Forerunner or Edge this appears to work - your distance and time is reduced accordingly.
However when you come to upload to MotionBased you find the "extra" distance has seemingly come back.
Well the reason for this is deleting a lap does not also delete the trackpoints that were recorded at the time.
One way of fixing this I found is this:
1. Upload your activity as normal to MotionBased.
2. Work out the time of day (in GMT!) when you really should have pressed Stop. This Stop time value may be found in the "Finish Time" field in the MotionBased | Activity Dashboard | Time | Relevant Data (shown in LOCAL time!) if you have deleted the last bogus lap on the GPS unit and uploaded the original MBX file to MotionBased.
3. On your PC go to the C:\Documents and Settings\your_username\Application Data\MotionBased\Sent
directory and look for the most recent .mbx.gz (this contains the data for your activity just uploaded). An alternative to this is to press Ctrl+Shift+F while the Agent is open. This will bring up the directory.
4. Save the desired file to the Desktop.
5. Unzip the .gz file. Open the .mbx file in Texpad or Notepad, etc. Look for the <timeSample> nearest the time you want to "stop" your run.
These are like this
<timeSample id="device-Garmin-283-3060620440-21-590">
<gml:validTime><gml:TimeInstant><gml:timePosition>2005-08-16T19:39:07Z</gml:timePosition></gml:TimeInstant></gml:validTime>
<gml:position><gml:Point><gml:pos>-0.032487 51.518570</gml:pos></gml:Point></gml:position>
<elevation uom="#uom-m">13.1</elevation>
<heartRate uom="#uom-bpm">112</heartRate>
</timeSample>
6. Now delete all the time samples (everything between <time Sample ... and </timeSample>) that you don't want.
7. Save the .mbx file to your Desktop.
8. Open the Agent, Select Import Activities, Browse for the .mbx file you just created, ensure allow time conflicts is checked and click Send.
9. Now in your Inbox/Digest should be 2 versions of your activity - the original and the one you have just edited. You can now examine the edited one, see if it is what you want and if so delete the original. Alternatively you can go and try and edit the .mbx file again, this time deleting more or less timesamples.
Tim Grose 17th Aug 2005
How do I export my data from MotionBased?
You can export individual activities from MotionBased by clicking on the "Edit Activity'" link in the Dashboard, Map Player or Analyzer and choosing from the export options. Can I download a route from MotionBased to my GPS device? Not right now. Soon, you will have an Outbox for sending routes to the device. You can pick a route from your Digest or TrailNetwork and move it to the Outbox. You will use the MotionBased Agent to get routes from your Outbox to the GPS.
How do I hide my activities from the TrailNetwork?
You may click on the Private button in the Inbox for the activities you don't want to share with the general public.
How do I add multiple workouts at once?
The GPS will remember all of your old activities until the memory allowance for the unit is full. For non-Forerunner GPS devices, make sure you turn the power off and don't do another activity for 30 minutes. If you do activities back to back, like in a Triathlon, they will be merged into one. If this happens to you, just split your activity into two using the Map Player [not available at this time].
How do I upload an activity?
Please review the upload process in the Quick Start Guide.
Going from MB paid subscription to MB lite?
I did a one month paid subscription to MB almost right after I first tried it.
My month subscription was coming due so I decided to cancel it so I could see the difference in what I get using MB free and what I get paying for it.
Anyway as I hit the cancel button I read that I can only view the last three activities I downloaded.
What I'm wondering is if it still saves all my activities and I will be able to view them all again if I go back to paying for MB.
For example if I download a weeks worth of activities Mon-Sunday, using MB light I would only get to view Fri, Sat and Sundays, but if I went back to paying for it again the whole week would show up along with this last months again?
We save your activities indefinitely (unless you choose to delete them), so if you choose to pay again, you will have access to all activities uploaded to MotionBased.
Can I use the activity from another user (export - import?)
I was running the other day with a friend, using my forerunner 301. I uploaded the activity to MB and send him the link. He was thrilled and opened an account of his own. Now, can I somehow export the run data and send it to him by Email, or can he copy paste the run into his account? The export as XML and upload did not work.
- Scenario #1
Send the following to support@motionbased.com:
Your username
Your friend's username.
The date you uploaded
The name of the activity that is in your digest that you want for your friend.
- Scenario #2
Export the activity stored in your digest via HST format.
Send him/her the file.
Then your friend can upload it into his account via the Agent using the "Import Files" function.
Download Course to Forerunner 301???
Is there a way to download a course, especially good if traveling, onto the forerunner and then use the "return to start" or map function to use it to navigate? I thought there was but can't figure it out. That would be awesome if you could.
You can use the Routes capability to setup a route to follow of up to 100 waypoints. You can't, unfortunately, upload saved tracks.
Compare two runs?
I have played with the dot racing, and it is great, but I am looking for a way to compare two runs on the same track. I want to dot race them, and see my heart rate, speed, elevation etc at every point of the race. For instance I just ran a benchmark 2 mile run that I run at least once a week. In a month or so, I want to view the "benchmark" run with a new run, even a year from now to measure progress. Can this be done, I will upgrade to a full user if this is possible. I want a way to view progress by looking at two or more runs statistically..
Not yet. Keep uploading your activities and you'll be quite ready when we can get it built. No time line projected at this time.
How do I configure Norton Internet Security to grant access to the Agent?
Why is the distance calculated in the Inbox different than the Dashboard?
The difference in distance can be attributed to the corrections algorithm that MB applies to the track after you submit it to the Inbox.
MB needs to know what activity type the track is before applying corrections.
Once you submit the track with the activity type, MB looks at each trackpoint to evaluate it compared to reasonable values that a normal activity of that type would produce. If the trackpoint is out of bounds, then MB deletes it. The overall result of deleted trackpoints is usually a shorter distance value for the track.
You can always revert corrections via the Activity Options link in the Dashboard of the activity.
Can I Zoom in on Map Player for more detail?
Advanced Zooming and Panning is not yet available.
Try this in the meantime: View your activity in the Analyzer (this tab is found in upper right when viewing activity)
You can zoom in by clicking on one of the segments in the map, or clicking on a row in the table.
You will get a refresh on the map which will have more detail.
Can I transfer my activities from Garmin Training Center to MB?
Yes you can. From Garmin Training Center, select "File", then Export History". Save this file to your Desktop. You then follow the instructions for a Manual Upload to MotionBased.
Is it possible to change Details of a workout?
Click on "Activity Options" on the Dashboard, Analyzer or Map Player page.
What are the keyboard shortcuts for the Map Player?
Panning: Hold "Alt" key and click-and-drag mouse to pan image.
Zoom In: (1) Hold "Control" and left-click to zoom in at the mouse pointer location. (2) Hold the "control" key and click-and-drag to select a region to zoom into.
Zoom Out: Hold "Control" and "Shift" and left-click to zoom out at the mouse pointer location.
How do I get started with MotionBased?
Check out Quick Start Guide
What are the system requirements for MotionBased?
Check out System Requirements
What is MotionBased?
Check out our section on us! . . . MotionBased
How can I share a ride with a friend?
Click on the "Email Activity" link in either the Map Player or the Dashboard.
Why is there an Abrupt Elevation Change?
During that time you experienced your max Uphill Grade, Max Ascent and Descent Rate. You finished your activity at the same place you started, but the elevation profile shows you finishing over 200 feet higher than where you started. Your altimeter was auto-calibrating using the GPS information as a reality check to correct the change in barometric pressure since last calibration. I love this feature, but it is causing some headaches. This effect is much worse in Chicago (as Randy Warren is experiencing). Yet another reason not to live in Chicago. In Arizona this never happened to me. Go figure!
YOU can always MINIMIZE THIS ERROR if you calibrate your GPS altimeter to a known altitude shortly before your activity.
How do I adjust to metric units of distance?
From the MotionBased toolbar select "Account", then choose "Preferences". The first tab should show "Units". Select the "Metric" check box and your units will be changed.
How does MotionBased determine GPS Signal Strength?
MotionBased uses the following criteria when determining signal strength:
- Number of signal losses reported by the device
- Amount of time lost due to signal losses reported by the device
- Amount of distance traveled where the device did not have signal
- Number of trackpoints that report a discrepancy between the distance reported and the location reported
- Distance between trackpoints being too far apart
- Number of trackpoints that reported a calculation not within the bounds of the activity type
- Speed
- Acceleration
- Vertical Speed
Why is the Satellite Map missing from the Map Player and Viewport options on some of my activities?
With both the Map Player and the Viewport map selection we get the maps from an outside source. They determine if an activity is compatible with certain maps. If the resolution will be compromised in any way due to remoteness, size of area, etc. then certain map backgrounds will not be offered up. For some reason some of your activities do not meet the resolution standards set by the map company.
Why has my Total/Moving Time uploaded to MotionBased showing a completely different time than Training Center?
The time difference could be due to a stop being ignored due to the fact that when you started the device again the trackpoint recorded was substantially far enough from the previous point that your calculated speed between the two points would have been above the threshold for what is considered a stop. MB ignores the distance element sent in the MBX, and calculates it based off of the lat/lon. The reason for this is that the GPS device hasn't always sent us distance, so we had to calculate it on our own. This isn't a bug, but we will be using the distance based on the device in the future. We do not have a release date for this update, but it is on the way.
