How to save a trail from a B&G Zeus or Vulcan chartplotter as a GPX file and open it on your iPhone.
Photo: Raimond Klavins, Unsplash
B&G's Zeus and Vulcan displays record where your boat has been as trails. You can export them as a GPX file (the open format other apps, plotters and mapping tools read) onto a memory card or USB stick, and from there onto your iPhone.
Before you start
- A microSD card (or, on some models, a USB stick) with free space, formatted FAT32
- Trail recording switched on, otherwise the plotter has nothing to export
- A way to get the file onto your phone: an SD card reader for the iPhone, or a computer
Export the trails as GPX
- Insert the card into the display's card slot.
- Open the Home screen and choose Files (on newer software: Storage).
- Open Waypoints, routes and trails (sometimes User data) and choose Export.
- Select GPX as the format, not the user data file.
- Choose the card as the destination and confirm. The display writes one file with your trails.
Menu names differ slightly between Zeus generations and software versions; if you can't find an entry, look for Export in the files or storage menu.
Get the file onto your iPhone
- SD card reader: plug it into the iPhone and open the card in the Files app.
- Computer: copy the file from the card, then AirDrop or mail it to your phone.
Open it in Manta
Tap the GPX file in Files (or in Mail) and choose Manta. The guided import splits a long recording into trips, leaves out the hours in harbour, skips trips you already have and asks which boat sailed them. Each trip then gets its map, replay and statistics.
Live data over WiFi
Zeus and Vulcan displays can stream their data over WiFi. Connected that way, Manta records the trip, with wind, depth and speed through the water, while you sail, so there is nothing to export afterwards. See Connect your plotter.
Questions
What is the difference between a trail and a route?
A trail is the track your boat actually sailed, recorded by the plotter. A route is a plan, a line of waypoints you intend to follow. To keep a record of a trip, export the trail.
Can I export a trail over WiFi?
Not directly as a file. The export goes to a memory card or USB stick. Over WiFi, an app like Manta can read the live data while you sail and record the track itself.
Which format should I choose?
GPX. It is the open standard nearly every navigation app, chartplotter and mapping tool reads. B&G's own user data format only makes sense for moving data between Navico displays.
Manta does this for you
Import and export GPX tracks
Bring in old tracks from your plotter or other apps; long recordings are split into trips. Export any trip as GPX.
