POIs on StreetPilot III

 

Is there anyway of downloading POI's to a Garmin StreetPilot III?????????????

POI's

Have you tried to download them with the Garmin POI Downloader?

StreetPilot III

StreetPilot III doesn't work with POI Loader, but you may be able to load a small batch of locations as waypoints using a program like EasyGPS.

If your StreetPilot III came with MapSource, the MapSource program can also load waypoints.

Most models are limited to about 500 waypoints (I don't know about SP3).

JM

Streetpilot III

Hello. I am new to this message board, but had to respond to this one ...

I started out with a Streetpilot III. I used it for many years. I drive a truck, and I created Waypoints at customer locations so I could easily route back to them on subsequent trips.

The first limitation of the SPIII that caused me problems was the map memory. The proprietary memory cartridge that came with it was only 128 meg. Enough to hold maps for 3 or 4 states.

Garmin had additional memory cartridges later on, so I upgraded to a 256 meg. But on long trips I still had to use Mapsource and upload maps for each trip. This was a nuisance, but back then it was common for GPS units to have limited memory.

After I got a new job where I knew I would be doing a lot more cross country runs, I started keeping my eye on a hot new model, the 2610. They were fairly expensive when they first came out, but I waited. Eventually my opportunity came. I was at a Circuit city store and they had one on display, but none in stock. The guy told me they were closing them out. I knew this could not be true, it was still a fairly new model, but the price he quoted was about half of retail. I asked if any other stores still had them, he looked it up ... there was another Circuit city about 90 miles away.

I used the SPIII to route myself to the Circuit city and bought the last one they had. Got it cheaper than anywhere I could find on the internet. To this day I still think someone at Circuit city made a mistake and closed out the wrong model, but I got a deal.

After buying a 2 Gig Compact flash card, I finally could load the entire map set for the US and Cananda onto the GPS. I was very happy. Also, the processing speed when calclating routes was much better, and the scrolling of the screen was faster.

Also two big improvements in user input ... the remote control (which after you use you will never want to do without) ... and the touch screen. Touch screen I rarely use because I hate getting fingerprints on the display, but some things it is faster.

So after I got the 2610, I no longer had to select maps for each trip, but after my list of stored waypoints exceeded 500 I had to get into the habit of selectively uploading waypoints. (A waypoint by the way, and a POI are the same thing ... a location ... only difference is the POI can contain more data like phone numbers or addresses.

The SPIII and 2610 have the same limit of 500 waypoints. An amazingly shortsighted aspect of the design, especially given that the 2610 accepts industry standard Compact Flash cards which now come in sizes far exceeding that needed for map data .... but the way they are designed, only map data can reside on the external memory. All routes, waypoints and tracks reside in the onboard memory. To the best of my knowlege, this is true of all Garmin units.

So to effectively use the SPIII, Create your routes first in Mapsource on your computer. Then using the selection tools, selectively delete the waypoints you will not be close too on the route. Mapsource provides no way to select all waypoints within a given distance of the route ... if it did this task would be easier ... but you can do a good job of it just selecting with the mouse.

Then upload the route(s) and waypoints along the route at the same time. Be sure to delete all the Waypoints on the unit before uploading, or you may run over the 500 Waypoint limit.

After I began dealing with the 500 waypoint limit on a daily basis with the 2610, I began to search for other solutions.

For older units like the SPIII and the 2610 that are not supported by POI Loader, Garmin has no solution for you. The only POI's that these units can use must be loaded as part of the map data .... About a year ago I discovered that there is quite an undeground community on the internet who are writing their own software to create and manipulate map files in the Garmin format.

If a person had the computer skills (I do, as I used to be a programmer in a past life) and the time (I do not hehe), it would be entirely feasible to either modify or replace the Garmin map files with those updated with your favorite set of POI's included ... which would be seamlessly integrated into the GPS units search and find features.

I decided not to pursue this for 3 reasons:
1) it would violate the Garmin and Navteq license agreements
2) I did not have the time
3) I broke the USB port on my 2610, had to send it in for a warranty repair, so I bought a 2720 recently

If you are just a casual GPS user, I am guessing that you will rule it out also ... so your choices seem to be:

1) limit your POI's to under 500, and load them as Waypoints
2) Buy a newer GPS that accepts POI's
3) Dont download POI's at all

On (2),Walmart has the c330 for $248 I think it was ... dont quote me. The "I" series is also quite a bargain, starting at around $150 for an I-2 ...

On (3), this may not be such a bad choice ... I have downloaded and tried out a lot of POI files from various places on the internet ... Most of them are not very accurate. If you drive a big truck like I do, the last thing you want to be doing is driving around in circles looking for something that isnt there. In a car it isnt so bad .. you just waste a little bit of time ... but ...

There are exceptions .. in driving all over the country, the cracker barrel restaurants always seem to be where the POI file says they are ... (I honestly do not recall if I got those on this site or another one). It seems that those that are accurate originated with a source that published accurate data to begin with.

Several sites have POI files of the TA truckstops ... they all took their coordinates from the TA website, which is extremely innacurate .. some of them are off by 20 miles! I learned quickly not to bother with these ... a good printed truckstop guide with exit numbers is much better.

Walmart stores ... Go to Walmart and buy a Rand Mcnally road atlas for $5.97. The ones sold at Walmart stores have a listing of every Walmart in the US, and also all the new stores scheduled to open up soon.

There are also similar RV's guides to campground locations and such ...

I rely on these printed guides, and use them along with my GPS. You dont have to throw away the old traditional methods just because you have a GPS now. Until the data is 100% reliable, you should always have a way to verify it before you spend any time or money driving there.

On the 2720 (and probably other newer models). The POI's stored in the map data, the Waypoints, and the Custom POI's are not integrated at all. Whenever you begin a search, you have to make a menu choice which to search. You cannot do a simultaneous search of all three, or even of Waypoints and POI's. This is a strange setup, and being new to the 2720 I still have not gotten a system down yet. I used waypoints for years, so that is my habit ... and since I can store 2000 of them now, it works. But when I download POI files the 2000 limit can be easily exceeded in no time.

For now I am keeping my own data as waypoints, as I know it to be 100% accurate ... and POI files I use as I drive just to see what may or may not be) up ahead on the road. For example a POI file of all the Walmarts will let me know if there is a Walmart up ahead ... A search from that location in the Navteq data may find the same store ... but usually at the correct location. Then I can make a decison whether I want to stop and buy some low-carb food and Pepsi One to eat :^)

Hope this blurb wasn't too far off topic ... any more questions you have about the SPIII just ask away, I know it inside and out ... my old SPIII is now being used by a good friend of mine who hauls campers from manufacturers to dealers ... he really loves it.

P.S. to the admins, I like your website ... It is very nicely put together. I still cant figure out if this is message board software or blog software, but it works well :^)

Street III

Thanks for all the good info and U just saved me a ton of time. I'll take ur advise an skip the POI's. This unit is used occationally as I have a Garmin KNA G510 in my other vehicle.

Thanks again