Google Earth Supports Garmin Devices?

It's not worth the extra cash unless you'd like to download track and waypoint info directly from your GPSr into GE. The Tracking feature is mostly useless unless used in a small area. It will track based on Google Maps that are "Cached" in your pc's hard drive. So if you use the tracking feature with your laptop and GPSr in the car and you've looked in say your local area at various zoom levels already in GE, it will work. Once you go outside of an area that you haven't looked at previously in GE, you'll lose the map.

The only way it could work somewhat consistently is with a wireless broadband card that has a constant connection to the internet, so that GE can download new maps as it needs them.

The only way it could be useful for creating POI's is to download waypoints that you saved in your GPSr to GE and then saving the resulting .kml file and then run it through a converter to .cvs format. But why? There's easier ways to do the same.

Also there are free add-ons for GE out there that do the same thing. One of them that does the same thing is called GeePeeEyes and it supports Garmin Devices.

Don't waste your cash.

It is not free which is the big bummer.

I have posted this a few times before, so just want to state, no affiliation, no compensation, etc. Just a happy user of this really cool free service...

You can use http://www.takitwithme.com/ to convert Google Maps to use on a Garmin (will actually directly load it onto one connected to your computer) or will generate a GPX file which you can load yourself into a Garmin or other GPS that supports the format.

All you do it go to maps.google.com, register a free account if you don't already have a Google account. You can now create custom maps and place your own points of interest anywhere you want. Save the Map.

In the upper right corner of the map is a "Link To this Page" link. Click that and you get a URL for your custom Map. Copy that URL.

Now go over to TakItWithMe and paste in the URL. Your Map is loaded in and you can now pick to directly download the points shown on the map into a Garmin (they go in directly as Favorites) or generate a GPX file which you can then use POI Loader to put a Garmin as a Custom POI file.

Works great, but I really like that it is super easy to update or change and then update the GPS. I also like it because you can turn on the satellite picture on Google Maps to make sure you are picking the exact spot you want.

Anyway, I thought it was just great, primarily because it is FREE (right in my price range)!

Have fun,
PT

Hi
As a new nuvi (370) user, who followed the thread about mapsource, I just want to say that I just used takitwithme (as above) and it looks fabulous. Most houses I stay in have internet connections, but not mapsource. It is so wonderful to be able to use Google Maps and then download to favorites (with no sofware needed, other than the Garmin loader, which I can also easily download via the web).

Any catches? Any reason to want mapsource over this?

thanks to guttermouth!

neal

Hi Neil,

No catches that I know of. I got my Garmin nuvi 200 for Xmas, so I don't have a Mapsource disk either and I haven't bothered to call for one. I think between the Custom POIs I can get here, being able to make them in Excel if I wanted, AND being able to make favorites and POIs via the Google Maps & TakItWithMe site, I personally don't see a reason to call for a Mapsource disk.

The thing I really like about the Google Maps & TakItWithMe combo is that I can search an address in Google, get the map, turn on the satellite overlay and then if I happen to know which house, building, field, etc. it is I want, I can easily see and correct for any errors and point the map to the spot directly (in cases where the address ends up being shown a block away, etc.). And I can also assign POIs to spots that may not have a formal address (a boat landing on a pond) or the address is for a LARGE complex and I need a certain entrance or spot.

By the way, I learned of the TakItWithMe web site through one of the Garmin Blogs.

PT

This is the best compliemnt to google maps that i have seen. I would like to see this functionality directly into google maps. Perhaps the developers of takeitwithme can create a plugin for firefox? Anyways, I highly recommend this.

Hi
I just tested takitwithme on a virgin mac (virgin to the nuvi). Worked like a charm. It asks to download the garmin webloader app, which was easy (though if you plan to use takitwithme on the road on your own notebook, clearly easier to preload this at home). Loaded a new favorite like a charm.

Alas, I think this would not work in internet cafes since i doubt they let you load software. Thankfully there is always some unencrypted network out there (or almost always).

Neal

Google have produced a fairly barebones interface, but with a comprehensive API behide the scenes for 3rd parties to use to create their own applications.

Takeitwithme.com is using the Google Maps api's to get at the data and the Garmin Communicator plug-in to copy the data to the Garmin. Both those (and hence the website) should work in Firefox. Don't they?

Even better if you are one of the lucky cities to have Street View on Google Maps (Dallas for example) you don't even have to rely on the satellite view - in many cases you can see the door of the building. Check it out...

Works just fine in firefox (and on the mac, incredibly simple request for the garmin communicator, always a bit more tedious in windoze). No idea if it works in IE, but who cares?
neal

I tried using this on my Nuvi670 and although the map showed up on the site and Garmin Communicator indicated it had uploaded it to my GPSr I can't find it even in my favorites. Is it possible I need to load the gxp file! How does that change the "current.gpx" in the unit?

If you create a GPX file then you would just add that to your folder where other Custom POI files are located and it will be added to your unit like any other custom POIs.

That is another thing I like about the TakItWithMe site, since you can upload directly to the Garmin into your favorites OR generate GPX files that can be added to your custom POIs, you have a choice of where you want to put stuff. You are not forced into one place or another.

PT

P.s. Edited to add: I should note that when you have the web site directly download to your Garmin, it is my own experince with my model 200 that they go into the Favorites. I am not sure if that is by design or not or if it changes from one model to the next. So I can not speak for sure how it will work on your specific Garmin.

Here is what I tried to do and the results.. I have an area of streets which are not on Google Earth or my global map in my 670. I traced the routs (Streets) in the are and named them. I then put the link into takitwithme and saw the streets. I have check the gpx file and it does show the names along with coordinates. Before loading it into my Garmin I want to make sure they show up as a map and not just POIs. Any thoughts?

I have only tried to add specific point and have not tried anything else. Well I take that back, the first time I did it like they show in the TakItWithMe instructional video and made a dummy map with random points then added the connections between them with the lines. On my 200 all I got were the points themselves, not connecting lines.

So either they don't transfer at all or more likely it is just that my 200 doesn't support routing so doesn't use or show those routes. Perhaps more advanced Garmins can?

Patrick

Guttermouth I have been playing with the google maps and takitwithme and really like the results.One question when using the google maps can I do more then one place at the time to place the markers.For example I request all cracker barrel resturants in FL.I go to one location at a time on the map to mark it then save it.Any way I can shorten the steps?Is there a way I can save all the red markers at once then go on to the next page and do the same on my maps.A lttle time consuming doing one at a time.

No I don't know how to do that in one step. I actually have only manually added specific types of things to the few maps I have made (like locations of friend and family homes). I had not tried searching for stuff like businesses in a certain area.

I just quickly tried it, but so far don't see any quick way to save them all in one step.

PT

I tried several ways but no luck.When you search business and they all come up that sure would cut a lot of work out if you could pick and save all of them in one step.Maybe someone else might up a trick up their sleeve.

I can load the map into takitwithme but the route does not show up.
I am trying this on a computer at work and it neither has garmin communcator nor is my zumo attached.
Just wondering if I am missing something her

tia

John

It never showed up on mine back when I first tried it. So I just use it to add point of interest to a map and do not bother with any of the routing things they show you in the tutorial video.

PT

Thanks for the great information. I used to do the same with GE, but I ended up using Mapsource. I just wanted the Map installed to my notebook. Now, I can (whenever, wherever) brows the map on my notebook and store whatever POIs I need. I did bookmark this useful website anyway. Thanks!

I wish to note something that I have just learned through this forum. If you copied a GPX file to your unit (Copy then paste), your POIs will go to "my favorites" in your unit, which might be annoying to some. On the other hand, if you used "POI loader" to load the GPX file, your POIs will go to "Custom POI" in your unit instead. I hope I'm not mistaken in this, am I?