How to display custom POIs on the map

[GerIRL]

Hi there, Long shot here - anyone know how to DISPLAY custom POIs on a Zumo XT2? I have placed the POI.GPI file in the POI folder in internal storage. I can search for themunder Custom POI, find them and and navigate to them individually. But they don't display on the map like they do on my Nuvi. It's a 20mb POI file of 9000+ geocaches. Thanks.

[jfheath]

I can only comment on the XT - but I doubt that they have changed how this works for the XT2.

First of all - you have your POI file. You have to use Garmin's POI loader in order for it to appear in the Zumo.
It ends up with the camera proximity files in Internal Storage / POI folder and has the name that you give it in The POI Loader program and the extension .gpi - so eg mine was saved as Internal Storage/POI/TestPOI.gpi

Once the Zumo is re-started, check that the Custom POI exists and is turned on. A couple of ways to check:

1. Where To->Categories->CustomPOIs - your POIs should be listed.
2. Settings->Driver Assistance->Proximity Alerts->Type of Alert->CustomPOIs . Make sure that CustomPOIs is ticked.
3. Settings -> Map & Vehicle -> Map Layers -> Up ahead places should be ticked.
4. If you want to find your POIs in any search box, scroll down to Categories, and scroll down to Custom POIs

Note that Up ahead places requires you to display the 3 selected options - which tend to clutter up your display. If you want to see your Favourites / Saved locations, 'Up Ahead Places must be ticked'.

• (There isn't an option for Favourites - and most of the other things (eg fuel), I do not want. So I created three custom searches called Xxx, Yyy, Zzz to display - that guarantees that it will not find anything. Now whenever I tick Up ahead places, only the Favourites show up. Massive green icons if Explore isn't set up.

Up ahead places needs to be ticked to show the CustomPOIs. At the time of doing this, the POI shows up as a tiny white flag which is almost invisible.
The image below is a screen shot zoomed in to the max. It is slightly easier to see when it is on a magenta route, but it is still not great. I am going to take a look at the map theme to see if it is possible to change this. It may be better if Explore is set up. I don't know.

TinyWhiteFlag.png (122.81 KiB) Viewed 249 times

It is there, honest - middle of the yellow road, just up from the bottom.

[edit]- so far I haven't found anything in the theme that changes the custom poi colour. Maybe it has to be declared in the POI file itself - I know that you can display pictures and play sounds. Perhaps you can specify an icon.

[Sean OZ]

jfheath
Thanks for providing the instructions on how to get POI to show on the Zumo XT map.
I have a XT2, so it will be interesting to see if this works on the new XT2.

[Sean OZ]

Hi there. A Long shot here - anyone know how to DISPLAY custom POIs on a Zumo XT2?

As you haven't said how you are creating your POIs, I'm not sure if this will help you, but anyway this is to how I do it, when creating POIs in BaseCamp. I don't use the "Tread App" at all with my XT2 and it isn't installed on my iPhone. (Waypoints not POIs might be a more correct term)

When I have finished all my route planning, tracks and POIs/Waypoints in Base camp, I then use the original USB connection cable that came with my XT2 to send all the GPX files, from BaseCamp to the XT2. Once all the GPX files have been sent to the XT2, I then disconnect the XT2 from my Widows11 PC.

I then reboot the XT2. When asked by the XT2, what do I want to install, I use the "Select All" option.

When asked where do I want to store the new GPX files I always store them in a NEW COLLECTION which is given a useful name. IE: "Home To **** Ride". Once all the new GPX files have successfully been installed I can then on the XT2 open the "Explore" app on the XT2, select the "Home To **** Ride" collection and start the route I originally made using BaseCamp. The Waypoints their descriptions and the icons for the Waypoints I used in BaseCamp, will then display correctly on the XT2 screen. The XT2 will also duplicates all your new Waypoints into the Waypoints folder contained within the EXPLORE section of the XT2.

I'll be honest in that I haven't tested this out during an actual ride yet as I have recently torn my calf muscle and I can't even get up on my Honda CB500X for the time being But I did however use the GPS Simulator included on XT2 and the routes and all Waypoints seems to work just fine in simulator mode.

Photo 1 shows what a new Waypoint looks like on my XT2 screen. (Red arrow has only been used to highlight the Waypoint)

IMG_E6564.JPG (232.4 KiB) Viewed 184 times

Photo 2 shows what a Waypoint looks like when using BirdsEye view. In this example I've used a tree icon for the Waypoint

IMG_6569.JPG (347.67 KiB) Viewed 158 times

Hopefully this info might help you.

[jfheath]

Useful information @Sean OZ - but I think that you are talking about Waypoints.

The Explore /Tread database does not cater for Custom POIs - unless Garmin have changed their terminology for the XT2 software.

For Garmin, a POI is not the same as a Waypoint. I did wonder when I read the OP's original post, but the POI file was mentioned.

It is possible that @GerIRL was also meaning waypoints, and researched POIs thinking that they were the same thing - in which case your answer is exactly what is needed !

[Sean OZ]

@jfheath Yes without @GerIRL explaining if they are talking about Waypoints or POIs it's hard to give the correct response. Mind you, the new XT2 unit has no POI category/folder. (as far as I can see) It only has a Waypoint category/folder. So hopefully it will help

[jfheath]

On the XT the Custom POI option in Categories - is only listed if you have created you own POIs.

On the XT. Down at the bottom of the Categories list there is a black banner that says 'Other Categories'. If you have created your own Custom Categories, then your category will appear here. If not it says simply 'Learn More'.

The online XT2 manual has info on creating Custom POIs. - and have just discovered how to attach a custom icon. More later.

[jfheath]

I've been away for a short while so could not come back to this.

I have succeeded in making my own icons and having them show on the map. The spec says that these should be 24x24 - which is very riny on an XT screen.

They should also alert as you get near, but so far I can only get them to alert when the POI is used in s route. But that is all under simulation so that is probably the issue there. I did succeed in getting a larger icon to display. Magenta is supposed to be transparent, but it isn't. I made a 9 square icon with areas of all 8 combinations of Red Green Blue. eg 000000 Ff00FF. None were treated as transparent. The spec says that the image should be bmp. I then got sidetracked by the icons not announcing - but that is probably due to testing in simulation mode.

I took an extract of music as an alert and under simulation, it played that at the correct distance as specified when the POI was created, not the distance in POI loader. But it also played it every so often until it reached the POI.

I'm just writing this as a record of where I got to - so that I don't forget. @GerIRL hasn't been seen since he posed the question, but its a topic that hasn't been covered and it.

So far I have just played with Pois which have the same icon and sound. Having a different icon and different recording for each poi is requires a slight variation to where the details are stored for poiloader to access.

Once I've finished playing, I'll write this up properly and delete this rambling.

I'm just going out. I may be some time.

[Sean OZ]

Good to hear that you're still working on it. Will be interesting to see how it all goes.