Please review the MotionBased Quick Start Guide to get started on the right foot.

At this time, the MotionBased web application will only run on a Windows PC with the following software requirements:

- Windows 98/2000/XP
- Internet Browser (supported)
- Adobe SVG Viewer

We plan to fully support the Mac operating system by the end of 2008. Partial support is currently available, see the Mac page to get started and check status.

Currently, the MotionBased Agent is available for PCs running Windows 98/ME/2000/XP. We plan to support the Mac operating system in 2005.

You can download all MotionBased software at the main download page.

No. You can run the Agent without an Internet connection. If an Internet connection is NOT present, the Agent will store your activities until one is present. At that time, you will need to click on the Synchronize icon or link.

Please review our International Chart for the latest information.

We intend to support the globe. Full global coverage should be available in 2005. Because we automatically determine the location (city, county/department, state/province, and country) for each activity, we must geo-code the entire world -- which takes time. In addition, we must work with our map providers to ensure that we are portraying the most accurate maps.

MotionBased has two account types: MotionBased Lite and Standard. MotionBased is FREE with some limited access and features. MotionBased Standard ranges from $7.95 - $11.95 per month depending on your billing plan. Get more details on our Pricing and Feature Chart pages.

MotionBased Features [top]

Please review the upload process in the Quick Start Guide.

We auto-name the location for each activity for consistency within your Activities and the TrailNetwork. By subscribing to a common nomenclature, it will be easier for you to search through activities at MotionBased -- no guessing as to where it took place.

You may click on the Private button in the Inbox for the activities you don't want to share with the general public.

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.

Weather comes from the nearest airport from the start of your activity. We capture weather data every 30 minutes so you will get weather data from that airport location for your entire activity. We are looking into more localized weather information which may switch as you enter different areas along your activity.

Click on the "Email Activity" link in either the Dashboard, Analyzer, or Map Player sections for a particular activity.

One of the beauties of making MotionBased a web application is the potential for sharing and distributing your activities. Our first feature to use this powerful distribution method is the MotionBased Viewport. Using a Viewport, you can copy HTML produced by MotionBased and embed that code on your website. This makes it very easy to start loading your MotionBased activities on your terms.

To create Viewport, you must click on Edit Activity for the activity you want to distribute. Then, you must click on the Viewport link. From there, just follow the instructions, and you'll be on your way. Here are a few examples of Viewports being used by some MotionBased customers:

Focus. Play.
TC Hazzard
Brad Culberson

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.

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.

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic) is an open-standard vector graphics language with exciting, high-resolution graphics including such sophisticated elements as gradients, embedded fonts, transparency, animation, and filter effects, using plain text commands.

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.

GPS [top]

Please review the GPS procedures in the Quick Start Guide.

Global Positioning System (GPS) is the core technology being used for MotionBased applications and services. GPS satellites, 24 in all, orbit at 11,000 nautical miles above the Earth. They are continuously monitored by ground stations located worldwide. The satellites transmit signals that can be detected by anyone with a GPS receiver. Using the receiver, you can determine your location with great precision.

WAAS stands for the "Wide Area Augmentation System". WAAS is an FAA-funded project designed to improve the overall accuracy and integrity of GPS signals. Although if you have battery issues, using the "Battery Saver" mode instead of WAAS will save battery power.

Some high-end GPS devices offer barometric pressure to obtain a measurement for elevation when signal reception is not very good. The result is that you will have a smoother elevation profile in the Dashboard and Map Player. Without an altimeter, the GPS assumes your elevation is not changing when the signal goes bad. This results in a blocky elevation profile. Soon MotionBased will verify your elevation with geo-coded data. So there will be no need for an altimeter.

MotionBased intends to support all GPS devices that store track points. However, at this time, we only support the following GPS devices. If you own or intend to purchase a GPS device not listed, please let us know so that we may prioritize your request. If you already own a GPS device, please make sure that you have a PC cable for that device. For many devices, this is an optional accessory.

Many new PCs (especially laptops) have USB ports but do not have the standard 9-pin serial ports found on older computers. This presents a problem because most of the GPS manufacturers don't make data cables that terminate with USB plugs. Unfortunately, we have noticed that the USB-Serial converters often cause computer crashes. We are working hard to resolve this problem.

A GPS receiver only works outside because it needs a line-of-site path to the GPS satellites. Any object can block the line-of-site - trees, buildings, roofs, bags, bodies, even clothes. For cyclists, the best place to place your GPS is mounted on your handlebar. Or we have found that placed in the back pocket on your jersey, facing up to the sky produces an acceptable signal. Runners should strap their GPS on their arms or wrists. Many new devices come with straps that make this easy and convenient while running.

No, your data will be stored until you reach the maximum memory allowance for your device, or you reset your track log, which ever comes first.

Every device is different. It depends on what kind of batteries, and what settings you currently have on the device. The re-chargeable lithium batteries in the new Forerunner and Foretrex last for 14 hours. On the devices that accept batteries, you can expect a range of 9-20 hours of use from Alkaline or freshly charged NiMh batteries. To save the batteries, we recommend you put the device in Battery Saver mode, turn the compass off, and use the backlight sparingly.

1. Turning off internal compass significantly reduces battery drain.
2. Battery type should be set properly (Alkaline vs. NIMH) in your GPS settings.
3. Set to Battery Saver Mode, not WAAS

Here's the link to the download page and instructions: http://www.garmin.com/support/download.jsp

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, 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.

Troubleshooting [top]

Please review this checklist before you contact us:

- Check our supported GPS list
- Check our Agent requirements
- Ensure the Serial or USB cable fits snug in the port
- Check to see if your Serial or USB port works with other applications
- Ensure that you don't have any activities from an unsupported country
- Ensure you have the latest GPS firmware on your 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. He hope this may alleviate some confusion.

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.

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.

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.

Your GPS device may default to a different time zone. Set the zone to the proper zone for your location.

Sometimes when you upload to MotionBased immediately after your activity, our weather server has not collected this information, so there is nothing to display.