Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => The Knowledge => GPS => Topic started by: Tail End Charlie on 02 February, 2011, 05:34:43 pm

Title: Camp sites on my Garmin.
Post by: Tail End Charlie on 02 February, 2011, 05:34:43 pm
Treat me gently here. I have a Garmin Etrex Legend. I like touring and would like to input camp sites in the area on my GPS. I would do this in the comfort of my home before setting off.
What's the best way. Do I just mark them all as waypoints or what ?
Title: Re: Camp sites on my Garmin.
Post by: Wowbagger on 02 February, 2011, 05:36:07 pm
Do you have Open Street Map as your preference on the garmin?

If so, entering them on OSM and updating a recent map might be the best bet.
Title: Re: Camp sites on my Garmin.
Post by: andygates on 02 February, 2011, 05:49:24 pm
...but for general "mark stuff before you go out" then, yes, the easiest thing to do is to plug in a bunch of waypoints by just scrolling the map with the stick.  Press the stick in to mark a waypoint at the location of the cursor.
Title: Re: Camp sites on my Garmin.
Post by: frankly frankie on 02 February, 2011, 05:58:55 pm
You could investigate POIs.  This is a method of databasing your 'Points of interest' and copying that to your SD card makes them available in the 'Find' menu much like Restaurants, Hospitals etc etc already are.  Garmin have a free POI Loader on their website somewhere.

Google 'Campsite Pois' and you might find some free sets already assembled - though a quick look suggests some people actually want payment for this sort of thing  :-\  eg
http://www.alanrogers.com/guides/satnav (http://www.alanrogers.com/guides/satnav)
Title: Re: Camp sites on my Garmin.
Post by: Tail End Charlie on 02 February, 2011, 06:36:49 pm
Thanks fellas for the quick responses.  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I have the OSM on SD card and looks like I'll input the sites at home as waypoints. Then I can do a "find" waypoint function. 
I looked at camp pois but I suspect that the types of sites I like to go to aren't listed. I'll bang them in from the Ordnance Survey map.
Title: Re: Camp sites on my Garmin.
Post by: andygates on 02 February, 2011, 06:52:49 pm
One "gotcha" to beware of with user waypoints: if you do a "clear all" reset, they go! 

(Especially if it's early in the morning and you're just starting the coffee while looking up the valley with building nerves.  Not that I've ever done that.  Oh no.)

I'll probably be waypointing my campsites for LEJOG, though.  It's just easiest.  Plus, if you use a consistent symbol for them only, at least you can delete all of one symbol (eg, delete all - red flags - for the day's scratch waypoints).
Title: Re: Camp sites on my Garmin.
Post by: frankly frankie on 03 February, 2011, 03:54:41 pm
Plus, if you use a consistent symbol for them only

And a Waypoint Name convention that you reserve for this and don't risk using in any other project.

eg start every name with a 'Z' or whatever.

So you don't run into conflicts down the line.