New to POI creation (exact map shapes as a "POI circle")

 

I am new to creating GPX/POI files for my Garmin but am not new to how they work on the GPS. I have a Google Map that a radio buddy has made, https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=10Xx-caVthFKjpf... , and I am trying to get the exact shapes from that map to load as the "POI circle" using EPE but am getting no results...

Is there someone who can point me in the right direction of how to accomplish this?

Regards,

-Frank C.

Can you clarify

I usually use Excel to create custom POI files but I’m at a loss of understanding your terminology “POI Circle” and the use of “EPE. Can you clarify? For POI circle, are you simply defining the distance for a proximity alert? The link you provided is the western USA; what are we looking for?

Using Excel, the format is defined at https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=5IgMIBdkJN5M7CzMmytjs6

--
John from PA

Maybe

Is EPE still being supported and/or updated?
I got rid of it a couple of years ago because of problems.
If not it may not be compatable with a current Google map.

--
I never get lost, but I do explore new territory every now and then.

Garmin uses a radius from a

Garmin uses a radius from a point for determining the shape drawn in the software. Neither the software or processor are powerful enough to handle irregular polygons.

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Illiterate? Write for free help.

I use EPE all the time

KenSny wrote:

Is EPE still being supported and/or updated?
I got rid of it a couple of years ago because of problems.
If not it may not be compatable with a current Google map.

I use the Extra_POI_Editor all the time. Is it being supported? No. Is it being updated? no. Does it work? It does for me, but I use it for exactly one thing. I use it to set proximity alerts. I have a couple of POI files that I want to be alerted for so I run them through the EPE, set "Proximity" to whatever, and save the file as a .gpx.
One VERY intermittent problem is that sometimes EPE doesn't start. It's shown as active on the system tray but that's all. When that happens, I hold the shift key down and start it again and it works. A day or two later it'll start working again on its own. Go figure.
My version of EPE is 6.04.
By the way, are you still with us, TurboCCC? You certainly have a lot of fans here at the Factory.

Phil

--
"No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won't make it worse."

poiloader

plunder wrote:
KenSny wrote:

Is EPE still being supported and/or updated?
I got rid of it a couple of years ago because of problems.
If not it may not be compatable with a current Google map.

I use the Extra_POI_Editor all the time. Is it being supported? No. Is it being updated? no. Does it work? It does for me, but I use it for exactly one thing. I use it to set proximity alerts. I have a couple of POI files that I want to be alerted for so I run them through the EPE, set "Proximity" to whatever, and save the file as a .gpx.
One VERY intermittent problem is that sometimes EPE doesn't start. It's shown as active on the system tray but that's all. When that happens, I hold the shift key down and start it again and it works. A day or two later it'll start working again on its own. Go figure.
My version of EPE is 6.04.
By the way, are you still with us, TurboCCC? You certainly have a lot of fans here at the Factory.

Phil

How does this differ from adding a number to the file name and processing with POILoader? OR processing manually with POILoader and setting the proximity that way.

Beats me

Beats me. I've always used EPE, am used to it, and find it convenient. I'm aware of the other methods but choose to use this one.

Phil

--
"No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won't make it worse."

From Help

Proximity Alert Information
Proximity alert information can be calculated automatically based on speed information. It can also be included in .gpx data files or added in Manual mode.
POI Loader determines proximity alert information based on the following criteria, listed from highest to lowest priority:
1. Proximity alert information listed for individual POIs in a .gpx file. This information overrides all other proximity alert information.
2. Proximity alert information entered in Manual mode.
3. Proximity alert distance calculated by POI Loader based on speed information in the file name or in individual POI names. This calculation uses the following formula:
Prompt Distance = 36 seconds * Speed.

Thank you. I am using the

Thank you. I am using the Extra POI Editor (EPE) to try and create the alerts. I thought the link from the specific Google Map would work.

Regards,

-Frank C.

Irregular Polygons

Box Car wrote:

Garmin uses a radius from a point for determining the shape drawn in the software. Neither the software or processor are powerful enough to handle irregular polygons.

So I would have to set individual proximity alerts based on the "edge" of the irregular polygons?

Regards,

-Frank C.

I'm not sure

fchrist619 wrote:
Box Car wrote:

Garmin uses a radius from a point for determining the shape drawn in the software. Neither the software or processor are powerful enough to handle irregular polygons.

So I would have to set individual proximity alerts based on the "edge" of the irregular polygons?

Regards,

-Frank C.

I'm not sure what you are attempting to accomplish but your Garmin is a device for providing directions from point A to B and is not a mapping device. Trying to use it to draw or emulate shapes isn't going to work as that's not what it is meant to do. There is no way to join proximity points with lines or display any shapes on the unit. The best you can do would be to put a point on a road at a county line and have the unit display a note stating A B County Border. You are limited to a max of 20 characters too.

--
Illiterate? Write for free help.

Clarification

Basically, I'm trying to place notifications when I change certain radio channels (ham radio operator) so that I can have a physical reminder as to when to change to a certain channel as I go on road trips.

So basically if I travel I-5, I'd put a proximity alert at either side of the radio channel edge...Did I get the general idea there?

Regards,

-Frank C.

Why not create a TourGuide file

It seems to me that you should be able to create a TourGuide file using coordinates as the trigger points. You should be able to use the coordinates and label them however you wish. For example, upon entering California from Oregon, you could have the POI set up something like this; Coordinates-TourGuide-HamRadioStations _1000. This should alert every time you get to a point where the radio frequency changes. This should work just like any other TourGuide POI. In theory anyway.

--
With God, all things are possible. ——State motto of the Great State of Ohio

Re: clarification

fchrist619 wrote:

Basically, I'm trying to place notifications when I change certain radio channels (ham radio operator) so that I can have a physical reminder as to when to change to a certain channel as I go on road trips.

So basically if I travel I-5, I'd put a proximity alert at either side of the radio channel edge...Did I get the general idea there?

Regards,

-Frank C.

You can accomplish this with a point on the repeater with a radius set to about 25 miles. This would give you an alert when you enter the circle around the point. I believe this is what you are attempting to accomplish. The alert distance would be 130,000 feet. It's not foolproof but would trigger a possible frequency change when close.

--
Illiterate? Write for free help.

Thanks!

Thank you. I think I got it figured out...I have to go across each known boundary and find the major roads to pinpoint the "Point of Interest" area change. Since most of the areas are definitely odd polygonal shapes.

Good practice with EPE and how things work.

Regards,

-Frank C.

Yup!

fchrist619 wrote:

Thank you. I think I got it figured out...I have to go across each known boundary and find the major roads to pinpoint the "Point of Interest" area change. Since most of the areas are definitely odd polygonal shapes.

Good practice with EPE and how things work.

Regards,

-Frank C.

That's the way I would do it ... similar to ajasaro's "State Lines and Borders" POI.

--
Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

Another Possibility

You could try opening the google map you have as a KMZ file overlay in Google earth. You could then get waypoint coordinates for the points where major highways cross the map boundaries. Then set the proximity radius for the waypoint at a quarter mile or so.

As you know, the same thing can be done in EPE if you can get it to work properly.

Thanks!

bdhsfz6 wrote:

You could try opening the google map you have as a KMZ file overlay in Google earth. You could then get waypoint coordinates for the points where major highways cross the map boundaries. Then set the proximity radius for the waypoint at a quarter mile or so.

As you know, the same thing can be done in EPE if you can get it to work properly.

That's actually exactly what I'm doing. I'm going back and forth from the file in Google Maps, to *actual* Google Maps to grab the coordinates at major highways/roads I would/might cross the boundaries at. Tedious but it'll be worth it at the end of the day. I'm about 1/100th of the way through the map.

Regards,

-Frank C.

Same

fchrist619 wrote:
bdhsfz6 wrote:

You could try opening the google map you have as a KMZ file overlay in Google earth. You could then get waypoint coordinates for the points where major highways cross the map boundaries. Then set the proximity radius for the waypoint at a quarter mile or so.

As you know, the same thing can be done in EPE if you can get it to work properly.

That's actually exactly what I'm doing. I'm going back and forth from the file in Google Maps, to *actual* Google Maps to grab the coordinates at major highways/roads I would/might cross the boundaries at. Tedious but it'll be worth it at the end of the day. I'm about 1/100th of the way through the map.

Regards,

-Frank C.

I do the same for my map / GPX file projects. I have a large monitor and use a split screen to simplify the process. I've all but given up on EPE.

EPE explanation

bdhsfz6 wrote:

I do the same for my map / GPX file projects. I have a large monitor and use a split screen to simplify the process. I've all but given up on EPE.

I'm curious, besides the Google Map area having "issues", what's wrong with EPE? It took some getting acquainted to with the various fields, but it seems simple enough.

Regards,

-Frank C.

google

fchrist619 wrote:
bdhsfz6 wrote:

I do the same for my map / GPX file projects. I have a large monitor and use a split screen to simplify the process. I've all but given up on EPE.

I'm curious, besides the Google Map area having "issues", what's wrong with EPE? It took some getting acquainted to with the various fields, but it seems simple enough.

Regards,

-Frank C.

Google has changed the commands needed to access their maps and obtain GPS coordinates several times since EPE was last updated. The original EPE is written in Visual Basic and I don't know if it was ever changed to a later language or not. As the source code was never released no one other than Turbo can change it.

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Illiterate? Write for free help.

Not Worth The Time

It's creator, TURBO CC, has made several changes to EPE over the years to fix the issues Boxcar mentions above. It seems every time I try to use it, I spend a lot of time getting it to work. Overall, I find it faster to just do the job with Google Earth and Basecamp on a split screen.

Gotacha. I used the download

Gotacha. I used the download link here in the forums to get it and it seems to work fine for me. Thank you for the help.

Regards,

-Frank C.

three dots

Whatever you eventually do
hit 3dots on the map and take a copy,
your copy is editable by you
changing the source often makes obtaining results easier

--
the title of my autiobiography "Mistakes have been made"

TourGuide

fchrist619 wrote:

Basically, I'm trying to place notifications when I change certain radio channels (ham radio operator) so that I can have a physical reminder as to when to change to a certain channel as I go on road trips.

So basically if I travel I-5, I'd put a proximity alert at either side of the radio channel edge...Did I get the general idea there?

Regards,

-Frank C.

I have used TourGuide a couple of times and specifically to locate repeaters and lighthouses. TourGuide gives you an alert when the POI is within the radius you specify.

Extra POI Editor

KenSny wrote:

Is EPE still being supported and/or updated?
I got rid of it a couple of years ago because of problems.
If not it may not be compatable with a current Google map.

EPE is not being updated or supported. I still use it, but it can no longer link to Google Maps.

A contributor on POI Factory told me to click on Options-Enable Internet and unclick this option. If the Internet is enable in the app, it will time out and you'll get constant script error messages.

I use Basecamp, click on Collections, then create a file name and make waypoints within that file name group. You can then export the file and open it in EPE, where you can more easily add proximity alerts to an entire set of POIs.
If I want more precision, I go to Google earth and set a pushpin right on the driveway, etc of the point that I want and modify the EPE coordinates. Click on Grab and then save.

--
DriveSmart 65, NUVI2555LMT, (NUVI350 is Now Retired)