Adding POI's to Mapsource

1.If you have a csv file convert it to a Gpx file.Open Mapsource and select file,open and find the file you want to open in Mapsource.The waypoints will show on the map.You can convert the file using Extra Poi Editor.

2.Easiest way is jut use Extra Poi Editor and open the file there either Gpx or Csv.Go to view and select view all pois on map.

You can download Extra Poi Editor (not for Mac at this time) at http://turboccc.wikispaces.com/Extra_POI_Editor and build the alert in. When you download the program if you get message about OCX file missing scroll down on the main page and under troubleshooting you will find the Extra Poi Editor Installer that you will need to download.

I just went through a long effort to make my Favorites more efficient to use and find, especially for my wife and her mother.
Mapsource has its place, but it is a problematic program and can be trouble if you try to use it to manage your favorites.

I am thinking about writing up explicit set of directions since I've found almost nothing on better ways to configure favorites. It took me hours to do all I needed to do, including using Google Earth to precisely position the waypoints. As charlesd45 suggests, use EPE or another software to build and edit your files, or even Google Maps or Mapsource to send locations directly to your unit.

What are the issues with Mapsource for managing POIs? I use Mapsource to backup and copy my Favorites between my GPS units and it's always worked well for me. I save one Mapsource map as eTrex (for my hiking waypoints) and another as nuvi (for my on-the-road nuvi Favorites).

Just curious as to what your issue is...

Hey CraigW

There are a few issues that can cause problems if you aren't aware of them.

One is how MS has you search for addresses. Much like how it's manually done on a unit, but awful for software. One should be able to simple copy and paste the address into the search bar. A very slow and tedious process even for a single location.

If you have a unit that lets you have categories of favorites, if you import your favorites without first setting up the categories in MS, it strips them out entirely.

If you do handle your favorite categories correctly, MS allows only 16 categories. I currently have 19 on my 1490T, so the last three are in limbo. Thankfully MS doesn't strip them out like it does with the previous 16. If I want to send a new POI to my unit I first have to assign it one of the first 16 categories, then start my unit, find it in this temporary category and edit it so it is in the correct category. Not a huge issue but steps that I shouldn't have to take if MS had the full features that my unit has.

A last minor quibble is you can view the POIs open in MS in Google Earth. I use both in concert to better position the location of the POI. Its a bit tedious to position the POI in MS, then view it in GE to see if the location is correct and then back to MS to refine it again, repeating this until the POI is located where I really want it. It would be much easier if MS could display GE under its own map to make this much easier.

I probably was a little strong in wording my original post. MS works well and I use it, but to place a single location or two? I find Google Maps much more user friendly.

I did not know you could view ALL pois on map at the same time. Thanks charlesd45 for showing me how to do this.....

Same here. Thanks charles45.

Open EPE, create a POI with a comment and description. Save it. Open it in MS. It ignores one, and saves the other twice... It also truncates names down to a certain length where EPE does not. MS has it's pluses, but I will NEVER save a file with it.

Using the very large, Choice Hotels file, EPE will not show all the locations on the map view. I get the "Continue to run script on this page?" error using Windows XP... When I convert the Choice_Hotels-US-CA.csv to GPX, it opens and displays in Mapsource just fine.

For the files I have worked with no problems in Extra Poi Editor.You can also click on tools for EPE and open up in Google Earth and Mapsource and show pois on the map without converting to a gpx file.

Maybe Turbocc will chime in about the run time error on large files.

Thanks to all the replied to the original post. I found an easier converter at http://www.masterclass.com/gpxtopoi/gpxtopoidownload.html.

Under the title Video Converter Download you should see Click Here to Download GPXtoPOI 1.1.8 (1.40Mb)

Have a great weekend everyone...

Be aware that the software you linked can modify the information in the file and might create changes that are not what you are expecting from the file.

Exactly what changes? Do you have first hand knowledge?