No Icons, only little black dots, Nuvi 50LM

The icons may not be making the translation from Mapsource to the GPS. Garmin has made changes with what is actually being displayed on the GPS as opposed to what MapSource displays. All I can suggest is to change the favorite's displayed icon on the GPS itself. There should be an option to set the icon somewhere on the nuvi's menu for the particular favorite but I cannot comment exactly where this is since they've changed their nuvi's GUI and things are different. Change one and see if the results are what you're looking for. If so, you may need to change each favorite individually.

You can also try using Basecamp instead of MapSource since MapSource is no longer being developed/supported any further by Garmin. It may very well do what you want without going and changing each favorite on the GPS itself. Also, don't expect the icon to match very well as these have also recently changed on the newer GPS units as well.

http://www8.garmin.com/support/mappingsw.jsp

I contacted Garmin about my issue with the 50LM not showing the icons, and they initially sent a canned response that didn't address my issue at all. Their second reply was better, but certainly not what I wanted to hear:
"Thank you for contacting Garmin International. I apologize, this is a known issue and is being reviewed for correction."

So, would anyone still buy a 50LM if you knew this?

BTW, I checked into what you suggested, DorkusNimrod, but it didn't make any difference.

Did you do
"Where To?" > Favorites
Select a Favorite
Select the information balloon
Select Edit
Select "Change Map Symbol"
Pick a new symbol
Select Done

I would have expected that the "information balloon" would have shown directly under it the newly chosen symbol.

To further check - add a new Favorite from the unit itself. Then repeat the steps above using that new Favorite.

Let us know the results, please.

Yep, jgermann, I've tried all that. I get the info balloon on the map when I select the favorite, and I can change the icon in 'Change Map Symbol', but when I go back to the big map-view, all's I get is a little black dot instead of the icon. Same thing for adding/deleting/changing Favorites. Simply put, it won't display the icons on the map-screen at all.

Interestingly enough, if I open MapSource or BaseCamp, they show the icons just like they should be. But nothing in the 50LM.

Has anyone else had this problem? Garmin's response to me seem to indicate that this isn't an isolated incident. Had I known about this before, it would most definitely have been a deal-breaker!

Oh, I just got another response from Garmin while typing this... "I apologize, there is currently not a estimate time for when issue will be corrected; however, to check for software updates and/or update your device using the webupdater program, please go to weblink: http://www8.garmin.com/products/webupdater/howtoinstall.jsp"

Grrrr....

The good news is that a firmware update may well fix the issue.

The bad news is that you're stuck until the update comes out--and we all know a watched pot never boils.

I know it was a problem on the 1350 I have till I did an update. I do not recall what other models though.

Does anyone know if Garmin has sent out any updates/fixes that addresses the problem of the unit marking POI's with little black dots instead of the appropriate symbols?

Have you updated the unit's firmware (system software) to the most recent v2.70? There seem to be a few display issues resolved:

Source: http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=5297

This is an old thread, but I'll post anyhow.

My 50LM is at the latest level, but doesn't indicate places like restaurants, schools, churches, or businesses in any way (symbol or black box) at any zoom level.

How are some of you at least getting black boxes? My long-outdated nuvi 680 at least displays black boxes. I could live with that. I would be struck with awe to get meaningful symbols.

...you won't get any symbols on any Garmin-supplied POI. You should get symbols on your favorites or user-created POI's (if bmp files supplied), but only at a resolution of 200 feet or below.

Experts check me on this...

My 1300 displays symbols below 200 feet for many of the Garmin-included POIs. The 50LM may have had this feature removed as it is a basic unit and Garmin may have wished to reserve the feature for the more advanced units.

My goal is modest. I only want my 50LM's map to indicate the POIs in my vicinity (a black box is acceptable). The 50LM is advertised to contain some 5 million built-in POIs).

If I could mouseover the black box and identify the POI as fast food, gas station, hospital, etc (at any zoom level) I would be content. My first response from Garmin support looked like a prepared script for the first help request from users.

The map on my old nuvi 680 displays black boxes (in addition to meaningful icons) near my vehicle icon. I want to identify POIs graphically, not just by touching "Points of Interest" on the first screen and then drilling down through the categories. Is it possible? Ought to be. Maybe I need an additional file from Garmin? As near as I can tell, my maps are current.

My Nuvi 40 does not display anything for the Garmin-supplied locations.

If it did, the screen would be pretty much filled in with black.

Well... that's sucky. It can't be a major challenge for Garmin to enable that function. If I press Where to Go and specify a destination category and target name, the 40LM can find it with no problem. It should be child's play to display the nearest targets on the map. Why can't organizations with bazillions in profits ignore an issue like this. Sucky.

Just what display on the map function are you wanting Garmin to enable?

Why would you want this function and what would you do differently if you had it?

Is there another GPS manufacturer that has this function that you want Garmin to enable?

It is possible to display both Favorites and POIs on the map screen BUT it sounds like your going to have to buy something other than the entry level Nuvi 40. The high end Nuvi 3597 displays POI and Favorites icons for example. The 2010/11 high end 3790 displays Favorites with the name you've given them.

Many Nuvi's (possibly including the Nuvi 40) will display the icons of Custom POIs if you install them with POI files from this site, using Garmin's POIloader software.

Or it's like buying a Chevy Sonic and expecting to be able to plug in the Cadillac sound system at no charge.

... my screen filled with little black dots. I do not need, or want, to know where every business provided by Garmin is.

I found this topic while searching for a fix for the same issue as the original poster. I updated my 50LM and all the saved favorites lost their default pen icon and was replaced with a black dot.
I found a quick fix for this.
1.Backup you favorites with Garmin Express.
2.Open the Current.gpx file that was created in your backup folder with a xml editor.
3. Search that file for "< sym >Waypoint< /sym> ". This is whats assigning your favorites the dot.
4. Do a serch and replace with your prefered icon string instead of "Waypoint" from the list of icons garmin uses. If you are not sure about the same, change one of your favorites icon and then backup your favorites again and check the currrent file to see what name it has.
5. After you made your changes save the file, open Garmin Express and restore from that backup.

Here is a list of icon names.

Anchor
Bell
Diver Down Flag 1
Diver Down Flag 2
Bank
Fishing Area
Gas Station
Horn
Residence
Restaurant
Light
Bar
Skull and Crossbones
Buoy, White
Shipwreck
Man Overboard
Navaid, Amber
Navaid, Black
Navaid, Blue
Navaid, Green
Navaid, Orange
Navaid, Red
Navaid, Violet
Navaid, White
Radio Beacon
Boat Ramp
Campground
Restroom
Shower
Drinking Water
Telephone
Medical Facility
Information
Parking Area
Park
Picnic Area
Scenic Area
Skiing Area
Swimming Area
Dam
Controlled Area
Danger Area
Restricted Area
Ball Park
Car
Shopping Center
Lodging
Mine
Trail Head
Truck Stop
Golf Course
City (Small)
City (Medium)
City (Large)
Amusement Park
Bowling
Car Rental
Car Repair
Fast Food
Fitness Center
Movie Theater
Museum
Pharmacy
Pizza
Post Office
RV Park
School
Stadium
Department Store
Zoo
Convenience Store
Live Theater
Scales
Toll Booth
Bridge
Building
Cemetery
Church
Civil
Crossing
Oil Field
Tunnel
Beach
Forest
Summit
Airport
Tall Tower
Short Tower
Glider Area
Ultralight Area
Parachute Area
Geocache
Geocache Found
Flag, Red
Flag, Blue
Flag, Green
Pin, Red
Pin, Blue
Pin, Green
Block, Red
Block, Blue
Block, Green
Bike Trail
Fishing Hot Spot Facility
Police Station
Ski Resort
Ice Skating
Wrecker
ATV
Big Game
Blind
Blood Trail
Cover
Covey
Food Source
Furbearer
Lodge
Small Game
Animal Tracks
Treed Quarry
Tree Stand
Truck
Upland Game
Waterfowl
Water Source