Routing

If you have the addresses and are sitting at your computer go on to google earth, input the addresses(set Google earth to display decimal degrees),and create a POI file. There are lots of how to references on this site.

any other ideas? in creating routes

is Garmin's tool for creating routes. Let's hope they remember to ship a copy with the 7xx

Just been reading a thread on GPSPASSION.COM...

It sounds like the Mapsource DVD is not included.
The users there have come to the conclusion that the 7xx does not support downloadable routes anyway - only route planning using the unit itself.

That would be disappointing, if true!

(Personally, I think the wrong flavour of gpx file has been tested - i.e. containing Waypoints instead of Route points)

The manual is posted and according to that you can download up to 10 routes. I was hoping we could do just like POI files and use Excel.

You can't use Excel to make routes.

You could, however, create a CSV in Excel with your locations and load that as a Custom POI file and then use those locations to create a route on the unit.

Or you could convert the CSV to a GPX, open the GPX in MapSource (if you have it) and then use MapSource to create a route from those locations.

Then depending on how the unit actually works (and I heard both things), you could use MapSource to load the route to the unit (if the unit supports that) or you could save the MapSource file as a GPX (which presumably would now include the routing information) and copy that GPX to the unit, and then import the route to the unit for use.

I had a look at the manual.

The index says:
Routes, Importing P28

Page 28 says:
Routes: for information see Pages 12-13

Pages 12-13 tell you how to:
"Create a Saved Route" (using the Nüvi)...
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But ... Page 25 says:
Maps,routes, and waypoints from Mapsource:see page 45

Page 45 is promising and says:
To load maps,route or waypoints to your nüvi memory...Refer to the MapSource help file ... which implies that it handles routes in the same way as other units.

Hopefully!

on page 28 under

"My Data"

...If you have transfered a route from Mapsource, touch Import Route from File, to use that route in your Nuvi.

So, it would seem creating routes with Mapsource then importing to the nuvi is possible.

I know that the nuvi 7xx series will import a route file that has been saved as a GPX and copied to the card or the unit. (A beta tester confirmed this.)

I wonder, however, if it will be able to accept routes directly from MapSource (which of course is the the best way).

I'll let everyone know how it does with Mapsource.