What are POI and how best can I use them on my Garmin SatNav?

Points of Interest (POI) when used on SatNav can be loaded using the Garmin POI loader bundled with MapSource. They are not limited to 500 like the favourites option and you can also create sub-menus with the name of the specific CSV by placing the many in the same folder

If you want to create a POI file from you existing Garmin Database (GDB) save it as a GPS eXchange Format (GPX) which is an XML schema and these can also be added along with the excel CSV format files and if you create an indexed BMP of the same name and you can use transparent pictures instead of the default black spot.



If you use one the PNG custom symbols you must first convert it to RGB format then you must use the background color that the Garmin Routes use that is HEX #FF00FF (RGB 255,0,255)



and you must save the BMP as INDEXED do not force the colours save as Windows 8 bit of you use CMYK, RGB or Lab Colour it wont work !!



The easiest way to do this is to use Adobe Photoshop but I am sure there are other ways.

Read more tips from Owen Stephen Dawson