Use SD card for POI's?

 

I'm a little confused about where to store my ever growing POI file. Can it stay on the SD card or does it have to be stored in the unit's memory? Right now I have a poi.gpi file on both. Is there a limit to what the device itself will hold? (I'm sure there is.) I have a Nuvi200. Thanks....

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POI Loader supports transparency in the form of magenta in BMP files for icons. The color shows magenta on a computer but when loaded to the GPS unit it is transparent.

For a transparent background, set the background as RGB color 255,0,255.

Save in 8bit 256 color.

This works for bmp files loaded as Custom Icons with POI Loader.

babago You can get sd cards at most computers stores

Best buy, Fry's, Costco, Photo stores, etc. But be sure you get a micro sd card. There are several sizes of sd cards and the 880 takes a micro. The capacity should be 1 gig or higher, a lot of users get 2 to 4 gig sd cards.... I'm not sure about the 880's internal memory but it is probably 2 gigs...

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It is terrible to speak well and be wrong. -Sophocles snɥɔnıɥdoɐ aka ʎɹɐƃ

Importing guidance voice in a "in-dash" Garmin GPS

You were right Motorcycle Mama. The SD card is only used as a bridge for the in-dash GPS Unit. ( instead of a USB cable for most portable models) Once loaded into the SD Card, The GPS unit (part of my DNX 8120) reads the SD card and transfers the POI,s files into its own memory.
Having looked at the structure of the Streetpilot 7200, I tried to copy the Voice folder and vehicule folder on the SD card , hoping the in-dash unit would copy those files in too, but it only transfered the POI. AS You said, the structure of this unit is probably not allowing importation for anything else than POI and software updates.
If I find anything else, I'll let you know.

Is unZip software needed

I downloaded the POI loader but have not tried transferring any to my sd card yet. Will I need a Winzip program to unzip files. I had this problem when trying to put games on my Iriver mp3 player and was wondering if the same will occur with my Garmin 205.

POI's on SD Card

Thanks grncherry1,

this was simplest way I've seen it described. I was wondering that myself.

To take this to the next level, can I install different maps (Europe) let's say on an SD Card and have both the US and Europe Maps on the device at the same time?

X

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Zeus

SD Cards

babago wrote:

Okay, I am so new it hurts. I've looked in the Garmin store and cannot find the SD cards for sale. I will need one to put into the computer? Or will it let me download/upload the POI files to the Nuvi 880's memory direct? Just how much memory does this device have? I've already imported my Blackberry address book, but that is all so far.

Any standard SD card will work (although I only use ones from SanDisk). These are available just about anywhere you can buy electronics - Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Amazon, Walgreens, etc.

These add-on memory cards are purely optional and are only required if you want to store large amounts of data (e.g. MP3s, massive lists of POIs, etc.). Your nuvi should have plenty of onboard memory for storing POIs, etc. You can always add an SD card later if you need it.

You can check the amount of available memory when the unit is connected to your computer via USB. It will appear as an external storage device like a flash drive or a hard disk. Just open My Computer, right-click on the appropriate "drive" and select Properties.

Nuvi 650

I am new at this I want to put POI's on my 660 but i don't know where to start i work on the computer all day @ work but i am lost with this ,how do i set up the folder i read most of the post i still don't get it can someone send me the instructions for dummies .i have the usb cable i downloaded POI loader from garmin i plug in the unit to the computer i go through the steps the message say the unit is not ready iam using vista.

MAaxine66

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Maxine66

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Welcome to the site. Once you get the hang of a few things, you will find that it's not too difficult.

Read through the 'getting started' and 'faqs' sections linked at the top of each page. Those sections will provide you with TONS of information.

Here's the basic procedure.

Download and install Garmin's POI Loader onto your computer in order to LOAD Custom POI files onto your GPS unit.

Then create a folder on your computer for your Custom POI files.

Download and/or create whatever Custom POI files you want to load onto your GPS unit and place ALL of them in that folder and keep them there.

Attach your GPS unit to your computer with a USB cable. (Alternately, if you have a unit that will read the Custom POIs from the SD card, attach or insert the SD card to the computer.) WAIT for it to completely connect.

Run the POI Loader program that you installed to your computer and follow the prompts.

IMPORTANT STEP: Select your GPS unit (or SD card if applicable) as the destination for the Custom POIs in the POI Loader screen. Use the drop down arrow if necessary. Be sure that you have selected the correct device.

When it asks for the location of the data, Select 'Browse ...' and navigate to the appropriate folder. Be sure you are selecting the FOLDER and not trying to select the FILE.

Select Manual or Express Mode using the drop down list. (Express Mode will set alerts based upon the data in the files. Manual Mode will allow you to set the alert information manually, if desired.)

If you select Manual instead of Express, you can set Proximity and Speed alerts for your POIs.

Follow the prompts.

Express Mode will load you files and present you with a Finish screen indicating how many POIs were loaded.

Manual Mode will present you with each POI file you have in your folder giving you the opportunity to skip loading that file, and to set or change the speed or proximity alert information. At the end Manual Mode will also present you with a Finish screen indicating how many POIs were loaded.

POI Loader will create a file in the destination you chose named POI.GPI with all your Custom POIs.

Maxine66

Follow Mamma's instructions and it will work fine. Can't be any worse than me and she got me fixed right up.

But Then

I also had the problem of updating the software on a 650 and the updater kept telling me there's not enough space for the update.
I had to delete some of the extra files I had added to the garmin for the update to work.
So go ahead and put what you want on the unit but keep in mind that you might have to get rid of some of it at some time or another for a software update.
That was my experience anyway.

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A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. - Herm Albright

Kenwood DNX-8120

Any one here know how to save (Backup) the POI's you create using the Garmin?

I have many POI's saved on my Garmin but cant figure out how to get them onto a sd card

Or is this redundent

Regards The HighwayTrucker

Don't you have a copy of the

Don't you have a copy of the files on your computer?If yes just run the poiloader and when you see screen find device make sure you select the proper one. If using sd card use the pull down window .The arrow located across from device and selects the sd card.Then continue with poiloader.

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Charlie. Nuvi 265 WT and Nuvi 2597 LMT. MapFactor Navigator - Offline Maps & GPS.

You should be able to use

You should be able to use any SD card, so you don't need to buy it off Garmin, so hit the internet and find them cheap cheap cheap.

You should also be able to upload all POI straight to the GPS without the SD Card, SD Card is really for portability, since the GPS unit should be able to hold lots and lots of POI's.

You can buy SD card from any

You can buy SD card from any Bestbuy, Wallmart or any other store which sells computer parts. You stick in SD car in GPS unit and then use POI Loader to transfer your custom POIs from your PC. You will have option to select target as SD card or GPS device in pull down menu in POI Loader for destination.

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Iphone XR, Drivesmart 61,Nuvicam, Nuvi3597

most taht I've seen hold

most taht I've seen hold Gigs and Gigs so you shouldn;t hit a limit

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rookie8155 wrote:

You can buy SD card from any Bestbuy, Wallmart or any other store which sells computer parts. You stick in SD car in GPS unit and then use POI Loader to transfer your custom POIs from your PC. You will have option to select target as SD card or GPS device in pull down menu in POI Loader for destination.

Bestbuy, Circuit City, Walmart, etc...
you'll pay double for retail, buy.com is selling two 4 gb sd cards for $12. Amazon also has they cheap.

POI's on Nuvi 660

It has been my experience with my Nuvi 660 that you can put the POI's on your SD Card. I have well over 700 Custom POI's on my SD Card with address and phone numbers and the whole file is only 124 KB. Use the POI loader as per Mamma's instructions and choose to install them on your SD card. When the unit comes on it will sense the change in POI's and ask if you want to move the POI's to your Nuvi. Enter NO and select don't ask again. Now they will reside only on your SD Card and will be as accessable to your unit as if you had installed them on the unit itself.

If you already have custom poi's on the unit use poi loader to delete them first, then use poi loader to install all of them on your SD card so you won't unnecessarily have them in both places.

http://www.slowjim.com

USB cable

Not true. There is nothing special about the Garmin cable. It is a standard mini-USB to standard USB plug cable.

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Garmin: Dezl 770 Nuvi 780, Nuvi 260W, GPSMAP 295, GPSMAP 396, GNC250-XL Magellan: Meridian Platinum, GPS-315 (first GPS in 1999)

SD cards

Do not buy a SD card from Garmin. They are not unique or proprietary to Garmin like they are with many of Garmin's other GPS lines - aviation, marine, etc.

Go to Walmart and buy a SD memory card and don't pay more than $20 for it. YOu can get 4GB cards in that range now which is way more than you will probably ever need. 2GB cards are really cheap and also more than enough.

OTOH, the unit itself has plenty of memory to store POI's also. I haven't found a need to use my card yet.

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Garmin: Dezl 770 Nuvi 780, Nuvi 260W, GPSMAP 295, GPSMAP 396, GNC250-XL Magellan: Meridian Platinum, GPS-315 (first GPS in 1999)
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