Trip & Waypoint Manager Software

1. As you found out, that unit doesn't support stored routes. There's no way to make the unit "force" you to select certain waypoints. However, you can create a series of waypoints or Custom POIs and choose them sequentially manually. If you name them in some way that you will remember (eg 01-Trip, 02-Trip, etc), then you can choose them as you go.

2. Waypoints (or Favorites) and Custom POIs are completely different things on the GPS unit. You can save the Favorites directly on the unit by searching through the built in database, browsing the map, or (on some units) by inputting the coordinates. You are limited to a certain number of Favorites based upon the Firmware of the unit. For many units, the number is 500.

If you have MapSource, you can use it to transfer the Favorites between the GPS unit and your computer. You can also use EasyGPS (which is downloadable for free), GoogleEarth, and other programs. However, you don't NEED them. You can handle your Favorites directly on the unit.

Custom POIs are created on the computer and loaded to the GPS unit using software (ie POI Loader for Garmin units.) You can't edit the information for a Custom POI on the GPS unit.

To confuse matters even more, the term "POI" by itself is also used to refer to the built in Points of Interest in the GPS unit.

It all depends upon what you are trying to do. I like the Custom POIs because you can do LOTS of things with them such as setting proximity and speed alerts, loading custom icons and sounds, editing the files easily on the computer. And the number of Custom POIs you can load is only limited by the amount of space you have either on the unit or on the SD (for units that can read them from the card which unfortunately the c340 cannot).

3. For me, the best way to manage Custom POIs is to put them all in folders on your computer. If you create a subfolder for the Custom POI file, that subfolder will create a category on the GPS unit. Otherwise, they will end up together. Note that each time you run POI Loader, it will overwrite the Custom POIs currently loaded on the unit, so you need to load all the ones you want on the unit each time.

4. Pretty much the same answer as #3. But you don't "need" to use Excel. You can use Notepad. But you will want to put all your Custom POI files in the same folder on your computer.

Item 4 should be "Use POI loader to load the custom poi's onto the unit". It is easy and works well.