Built-in POIs on new eTrex models?

[Wintertime]

I was just looking at the various POI categories on my eTrex 20, and it doesn't seem to have the built-in POIs I would expect. For example, I got "No results found" on Fuel Services, even though there are two gas stations within a few blocks of my house. I did get some results on golf courses, for all the good that does me!

 

I remember in 2001 some friends and I were visiting southern Utah and the Las Vegas area, and I was able to find some fast-food places near the freeway via my Garmin GPS III+. The eTrex doesn't even have a restaurant category! This is progress?? And under Transportation, it has Amtrak stations but not San Jose-Mineta International Airport--or even SFO!

 

What sorts of POIs do you see on your eTrex 10/20/30?

 

Also, where are the built-in POIs stored? I don't see any files in the POI folder of the main unit. (I have some benchmark POIs in the POI folder of the micro-SD card.)

 

Patty

[+John Drake]

Perhaps this has more to do with your loaded maps than with the eTrex? I have an eTrex 30 and can find all kinds of Restaurants under the 'Food and Drink' category, and I can find all the local gas stations under Fuel Services.

 

But then again, I'm in Germany using an Open Street Map map. However, I'm still pretty sure that the map is the deciding factor here.

 

Cheers.

[+dfx]

But then again, I'm in Germany using an Open Street Map map. However, I'm still pretty sure that the map is the deciding factor here.

 

Yes! POIs come from the map. If there's no preloaded map, there's also no preloaded POIs. Install a map with POIs and you will have POIs. Alternatively, it's possible to install additional POIs via dedicated POI files.

[Wintertime]

I did disable my custom maps and enable the built-in basemap.

 

Are you folks saying that a lot of the POIs come with Garmin's extra-cost street maps?

 

Patty

[+dfx]

I'm mostly saying that the built-in basemap doesn't come with any POIs (or any other details for that matter). Yeah, the Garmin $ maps do come with a lot of good POIs, but so do other maps. I've had good experience with free maps, both OSM-based and from other sources, such as http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/ .

Edited January 30, 2012 by dfx

[+Cacheoholic]

Are you folks saying that a lot of the POIs come with Garmin's extra-cost street maps?

 

Patty

Yup, like 6,000,000 of them in City Navigator North American.

[+myotis]

Back in the day, Garmins came with exit services in the base map. They don't anymore. CityNavigator does not have them either. I wish they did. Tide POIs are built into most basemaps.

[Wintertime]

Back in the day, Garmins came with exit services in the base map. They don't anymore. CityNavigator does not have them either. I wish they did. Tide POIs are built into most basemaps.

Thanks, Myotis et al. (BTW, I love bats!)

 

That explains why my new Garmin has fewer POIs than my really old one.

 

I guess the POIs I'm now seeing are coming from the open source maps I've installed. I'll go looking for other categories on POI Factory or some such. Then I guess it's just a matter of luck whether they're encoded properly to be assigned to the eTrex's predefined categories, or will just show up as miscellaneous POIs?