Jeppesen FliteMap and the RXP GTN 750

[Tom3123 8]

Hello,

I have access to the Jeppesen line of flight planning programs. I used these to flight plan most of my flights and was able to import them into RXP GNS 530 units mostly flawless.  I had upgrade to the GTN line of GPS's and really do like the unit.  However, I can not use the Jeppesen flight plans with the units ( wrong file format ).  I know that Navmap and an online flight planing program can output a file that can be imported into the GTN which is fine but I have over 100 GNS flight plans that i want to use and I also kind of like using the Jeppesen flight planners.  So my question is can the Jeppesen GNS files be converted so they can be used with the GTN units?  If so how do you go about doing this?

Thanks

Tom

[fppilot 4,339]

Tom,
The GTN devices are very different in ability and the file format for importing flight plans is totally different. Create a flight plan somewhere and export it to GNS (.fpl format).  Then create it in a source that provides GTN export (.gfp format).  Open each with a text editor and you will immediately see the difference. 

If you scan the topics here under the RXP GTN Forum you will find a number of posts and replies I have made about my experiences with flight plan imports.  One important difference is that the GNS series you have experience with does not have the capabilities to use airways.  The GTN does.  It makes it much easier to enter flight plans into the GTN.  Instead of intersection or VOR --to-- intersection or VOR, with the GTN you are able to pick your entry point onto an airway, then from that point in the flight plan tell the GTN to load an airway.  It only shows you airways containing that entry point.  Then you pick your exit point from that airway, and repeat the process down the line.  No need to enter each point along the airway like is required by the GNS.

The GTN format allows you to add in route enhancements like departure runway, departure procedure, transition to airway, arrival, approach, and even approach runway.  As beautiful as that sounds, all of it has to be precisely right or the GTN chokes on it during the import.  I spent hours attempting to perfect my ability make the import process "dance" like I wished.  I finally found it easier, and much quicker, to just create the flight plans in the gauge itself.  I did build a catalog of my often used flight plans in .gfp format for importing, but I found I had to keep them very basic to avoid import hiccups.  I will send you a Private Message here with something I wrote last week about it.  

[Tom3123 8]

Frank, thanks for the detailed reply, very interesting reading...  However, i still don't have an answer to my main question, maybe i was not really clear earlier.. So let me restate my question, Can I convert a gamin GNS flight plan (One that worked with the RXP GNS530) to a flight plan that will work with the RXP GTN750?  I do not want to hand code them, I want to import, then export.  Now, that said, from what you wrote it sounds like the short answer is no this is not possible.  I also understand you to say load a basic plan then edit it as required.  I am okay with this but, if there is a way to convert or use a GNS flight plan with the GTN package I would like to do this.  Also, i would really like to continue to use the Jeppesen flight planning software, but if i cant convert the file then i am stuck using Navmap (good program BTW) 

Thank you again for your response, and from a retired US Navy sailor to a former USAF Airman, thank you for your service.

Regards,

Tom

[DavidP 1,408]

1 hour ago, fppilot said:

I finally found it easier, and much quicker, to just create the flight plans in the gauge itself.

This is the beauty of the GTN - the ease of entry of plans, approaches etc. Each to their own, but personally I think to not do this misses one of the most powerful features of the GTN series.

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

Maybe there is a way, but I have not found one.

Can your Jeppesen flight planning software output a "pln" flightplan?

That one could be read by Little Navmap..

 

[fppilot 4,339]

4 hours ago, Tom3123 said:

However, i still don't have an answer to my main question, maybe i was not really clear earlier.. So let me restate my question, Can I convert a gamin GNS flight plan (One that worked with the RXP GNS530) to a flight plan that will work with the RXP GTN750? 

Tom. Perhaps I was not clear.  But the very first part of my reply was this:
"The GTN devices are very different in ability and the file formats for importing flight plans is totally different. Create a flight plan somewhere and export it to GNS (.fpl format).  Then create it in a source that provides GTN export (.gfp format).  Open each with a text editor and you will immediately see the difference."

But Bert's response perhaps reveals a way to accomplish it.  Through a setting you can set your RXP GNS to save a flight plan as a .pln file just upon activating the flight plan in the GNS.  On page 12 of the current RXP GNS User's Guide you will find:

====================
Auto-Save Active Route
Select if the device saves the active route to a file when it changes. The file will be saved to: “My Documents\Flight Simulator Files\Reality XP GNS# Route.pln”
====================

So you can load a flight plan in the GNS and if that option is set when you activate the flight plan the GNS will save it as a .pln file.  Then perhaps you can load the.pln file into Little Navmap.  Then from there save it as a .gfp file for the GTN.  Then try to import it.

It  still takes manipulation similar to what you wish to avoid. I am not aware of anything that will do it for you. That manipulation still may take longer than just entering the flight plan from scratch into the GTN.  Did you open.flt and .gfp files and look at both? 

I have vast experience with trying to create a similar method with flight plans from both Skyvector.com and Fltplan.com.  I tried such a process with an Excel spreadsheet to build the string you see below in yellow from the string you see in red text  The red text string came from either Fltplan.com or Skyvector,  Would copy and paste the text string of the flight plan from those sources, parse the line into Excel to separate into cells, then from there I had to paste the text string into notepad, then save it as a .gfp file.  Then I had to keep my fingers crossed when importing into the GTN.  The Garmin filters are strict.

Click for larger image.

 

Edited May 24, 2020 by fppilot

[Tom3123 8]

Bert Frank,

So no the Jeppesen flitemap outputs a *.FPL not a *.PLN  Yes I could load the file into the GNS and convert it then load it into navmap and convert it again.  Way to much work. 

I think its time to just use Navmap. and like Frank said keep them simple and add the complex stuff in the GTN unit prior to flight.  Thank you both for your time and effort.

I find it strange that Garmin did not figure out a way to load a GNS route into the GTN, I also find it starnge that Jeppesen has not added a GTN file output, considering it has a GNS output.

Anyway, thanks again and if anyone know of a way to get the Jeppesen FlightMap program to output a *.GFP file please let me know.

 

Cheers 

Tom

[fppilot 4,339]

1 hour ago, Tom3123 said:

I find it strange that Garmin did not figure out a way to load a GNS route into the GTN, I also find it starnge that Jeppesen has not added a GTN file output, considering it has a GNS output.

It does indeed seem obvious does it not?  Consider that the GTN has the features and capabilities to handle more complex flight plans.  The GNS had the ability to handle most of those on-the-fly (procedures) but not during the initial flight planning process, or when storing flight plans. Sometimes developers get so enamored with their enhancements in new models that they ignore backward compatibility.  Still, consider that to import your stored GNS plans into the GTNs, you would be lacking the same route enhancements that I have learned to avoid during the import process because of Garmin's screening of GTN plans that include transitions, approaches, and runways. 

I got very adapt at entering flight plans quickly into RXP GNS gauges, and have amazed two pilots with GNS installations that I take ride alongs with.  But speed with manually entering GTN plans is just flat-out faster.  I can enter them much faster than I can plan the flights at flight planning sites.  And much faster than attempting importing them.  I, like you, wish that major real-world flight planning sites would provide GTN flight plan exports like the exports they provide for GNS, but the filtering that the Garmin's put the plans through, especially when containing transitions, offsets any advantage hoped to be gained with importing.  Lesson well learned. 

Edited May 25, 2020 by fppilot

[fppilot 4,339]

1 hour ago, Tom3123 said:

Bert Frank,

By the way Tom. See you have just passed your 10 year anniversary here!  Happy Anniversary.  Join us more often here.  There is great user-to-user communication here.  Some better, some not so much. But overall its flaps-down the premier simulation site.  And RXP support here has been great over the past few years. 
Don't be a stranger...  LOL

 

[Tom3123 8]

Frank,

ten years... wow.  I have been doing this longer then that, i guess it took me that long to sign up... I cant even remember the number of the first MS flight sim.  I do remember playing it on a commodore 128.  Oh, God I have gotten old... 

Thanks again for your help.

 

Cheers

Tom

[fppilot 4,339]

8 hours ago, Tom3123 said:

Frank,

ten years... wow.  I have been doing this longer then that, i guess it took me that long to sign up... I cant even remember the number of the first MS flight sim.  I do remember playing it on a commodore 128.  Oh, God I have gotten old... 

Thanks again for your help.

 

Cheers

Tom

Commodore 128.  Wow.  Remember this one?  It was what I first flew FS with.  It was based on a Motorola CPU.  I recall doubling the memory by piggybacking the 8 ram chips, placing a spot of solder to join each of 7 pins in the stacks, and bending up the last pins and soldering them together with segments of wire.  I was the 2nd owner of an original IBM-PC in the state of Oklahoma.  The Oklahoma City Computerland franchise owner was the first. Was at his store's front door when he opened on a Monday morning, the day after the IBM announcement was in the Sunday Paper.

Edited May 26, 2020 by fppilot

[RXP 2,336]

Hi,

Please note both GTN (.gfp) and GNS (.fpl) are text files. The only difference is the data formatting and the flight plan sample pack installed with the GTN includes the format description.

The GNS is an XML file which first or so line includes an URL to the 'schemas', but this is an older URL. See here:

It is relatively easy to manually make a .gfp from a .fpl, and I'm wondering if LNM can import a .fpl or .gfp which would let you just use LNM and importing one format, then exporting to the other.

[Tom3123 8]

Jean-Luc,

Thanks for chiming in.  So right now from what I understand there is no way automatically convert an FPL to a GFP.  Would RXP be interested in building a converter to handle this task?  Honestly, I spend way more time tweaking things and manually adjusting things then flying, and i just don't want to to go through the manual process. 

Ultimately. what i am looking for is a way to do a flight plan in Jeppesen Fitemap and export it into your fine GTN package. Jeppesen will not change their software, so If RXP would be interested in building something I would be very happy to test it out.  I know that there are a smaller number of users who would want this capability but I for one would be willing to purchase it if it was possible.

Please feel free to reach out to me if RXP has any interest in doing this.

 

Regards,

Tom

FSX1962@outlook.com