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Custom Waypoints Now In Mapsource Beta Update!


Neo_Geo

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This only pertains to Garmin units which support custom waypoints, such as the color eTrex models, the GPSMAP 60C/S, 76C/S and the Quest.

 

Couldn't find anything in MapSource help to explain how the custom waypoint support feature works in MapSource. I spent a few minutes playing with it and here is what I've learned:

 

First of all, it will only work on waypoints that you upload into the new 6.5 Beta MapSource. If you open a file with waypoints that were created from an earlier version, then you're S.O.L. - they will still have the generic waypoint symbol.

 

That said, after you get things setup, you CAN edit the waypoints and change them to one of your custom icons and then save the file. You will have to save it as a "Garmin GPS Database Version 2 (*.gdb)" file. If you save it as a version 1 or *.mps file, you will lose the custom icon formatting.

 

So, after you install the new 6.5 Beta update, you send your waypoints from your GPSr to MapSource. At that point, if you look at your waypoints on the map, the custom ones will be represented by a familiar blue circle.

 

Here's the tricky part. When the customized waypoints are downloaded to the computer, new folders are created in the "My Documents" folder for whichever profile you're logged onto the computer as. In my case, having Windows 2000 and logged on as "Administrator", the waypoint icon bitmaps are stored in

 

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\My Garmin\Custom Waypoint Symbols

 

In xImage, the custom waypoints are named "Waypoint Symbol xxx.bmp". For some reason, Garmin has named the corresponding waypoint filenames for the MapSource side as simply "xxx.bmp"

 

So, after I sent my waypoints to MapSource, I found the following files in my C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\My Garmin\Custom Waypoint Symbols folder:

000.bmp, 001.bmp, 002.bmp, 003.bmp, 004.bmp, 005.bmp, 006.bmp and 007.bmp

I only have 8 waypoints using custom waypoint symbols in my GPSr right now.

 

Each of those eight files were simple blue circles.

 

So I deleted those eight files, and replaced them with copies of my xImage "Waypoint Symbol xxx.bmp" files. Then I had to rename each of those files as simply "xxx.bmp".

 

Example: I copied my "Waypoint Symbol 001.bmp" from xImage and put it into C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\My Garmin\Custom Waypoint Symbols folder, and then renamed it as "001.bmp"

 

Now, when I open a MapSource .gdb file, that was created with data uploaded into MapSource AFTER it was updated with the new 6.5 Beta version, I see my custom waypoint images!

 

So if you have separate multiple user profiles created in Windows, each different user will have their own custom waypoints. If I save my waypoints in a new MapSource file and log off the computer - and then my wife logs on under her profile and opens that same MapSource file, she would see the waypoints I created, but with HER OWN custom waypoint symbol.

Edited by Neo_Geo
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I'm getting closer! I've implemented the procedure above and can now display my custom waypoint symbols on Mapsource 6.5. I've also loaded them to the Legend C thru ximage. They show in both the Mapsource and Legend C waypoint symbol tables. My problem now is in the transfer. Custom symbols will transfer from the Legend C to Mapsource but not from Mapsource to the Legend C. What I get is a default symbol (small marker square) that I get when I try to transfer a standard symbol from Mapsource that is not in the Legend C table (like letters and numbers). Any help would be appreciated - thanks

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The custom waypoints and xImage came out before the GPS 60 And GPSMAP 60 came out.

 

If you see the following waypoint symbols on your GPS 60 or GPSMAP 60, then it is supported. If you don't have the blue circle icons, then custom waypoints are not supported on that model. If the custom waypoints are not supported, then you can still use the xImage program to get screen shots of your GPSr's display.

 

88f68977-ac20-4f5c-b6a1-b7ae081b30f7.jpg

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To be fair, jchiar did exactly what we yell at nubes for NOT doing. He (or she) did a search, hit this thread, and tacked on a reply. It appears that jchiar is a Mac user who can't use ximage. He asked for a work-around, and got an accurate rely from the venerable Prime Suspect.

 

Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.

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I was able to get the custom icons into Mapsource 6.16.3 AND ALSO my 60CSx

 

The files had to be in a certain manner that is well documented, and I had to use the xImage program to get them into the 60CSx. The files were .bmp, 8-bit only, and magenta background to act as transparency. For xImage, the files were called "Waypoint Symbol 000.bmp" and ### up through 024. You could put them wherever you want, because xImage asks you for the location.

 

To get the same files into MapSource 6.16.3, the exact same files were put into C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\My Garmin\Custom Waypoint Symbols - on my Windows 7 64-bit machine. On a Windows XP box, I think it would be something like c:\Users\USERNAME\My Documents\My Garmin\Custom Waypoint Symbols

 

If anybody wants a copy of the files that I used, let me know through a private message and I'll send em to you.

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