Cool GPS Tools

This small piece of software will help you verify a csv file to make sure it conforms to Garmin GPS standards. Very handy when working with large csv files to load onto your GPS. Offered by Top Notch Computers - FREE.

Go HERE for more information and to download the software.

This was provided by Ash10 on the PocketGpsworld.com Forums. It does not work for TTS (text to speech) voices, those are much more complicated. However, for those that really like to screw up there GPS devices this is a cool utility. Definitely back up your "voices" folder (on the nuvi's) before you mess with this.
DOWNLOAD HERE - FREE For non-commercial use only
http://tinyurl.com/238t6o

Voice Utility will take any Garmin VPM file (not just British_English) and split it into its component audio samples. Once you have changed the samples as you see fit, Voice Utility will then join them back up into a new VPM file for you.

There's no need to have the samples in any particular format - Voice Utility will convert 16-bit (linear PCM) or 8-bit (u-law or a-law) samples, mono or stereo, of any sample rate, into the correct format automatically.

This version is for personal use only - commercial use prohibited without permission

How to get at your VPM files:

On an i3, the VPM files can be found on the memory card - in the /Garmin/Voice/ directory. You'll need a suitable card reader to be able to get at them - if your i3 doesn't have a memory card, then I'm afraid that it can't be done.

On a Nuvi, connect the unit to your computer and you should find the VPM files in the /Garmin/Voice/ directory.

Take a backup of your VPM file before doing anything else!

To split a VPM file into its component samples, run Voice Utility and point it to the file that you want to split. Choose a name for the extracted samples in the space below, then click on the Split button - the numbered samples will be extracted and saved to the specified directory.

To join component samples into a VPM file, point Voice Utility to the first sample (only the first sample in each series is displayed in the file dialog). Choose a name for the new VPM file in the space above, then click on the Join button - it's that simple.

Once you've modified a VPM file, you'll need to set your unit to a different language and then back again to force it to update itself.

Note that the first sample (numbered as _000) is special and should not be altered!

Here's an example list of the voice files for Nuvi's:
Part # Description UK/USA
000
001 [long tone]
002 1st
003 2nd
004 3rd
005 4th
006 5th
007 6th
008 7th
009 8th
010 9th
011 a
012 ahead
013 and
014 approaching
015 arrive
016 arrivin
017 (g) at
018 at the end of the road
019 battery power low
020 bear
021 [short blip]
022 [silence]
023 board
024 calculating
025 [click]
026 [bong]
027 continue
028 destination
029 drive
030 driving
031 east
032 eight
033 eighteen
034 eighty
035 eleven
036 enter
037 exit
038 external power lost
039 [bong]
040 feet
041 ferry
042 fifteen
043 fifty
044 five
045 forty
046 four
047 fourteen
048 gps is off
049 hundred
050 immediately
051 in
052 incompatible audio version
053 keep
054 kilometer
055 kilometers
056 leave
057 left
058 lost satellite reception
059 make
060 merge
061 meters
062 mile
063 miles
064 [bong bong]
065 [bong bong]
066 next
067 nine
068 nineteen
069 ninety
070 north
071 north-east
072 north-west
073 off
074 on
075 one
076 point
077 possible
078 ramp
079 ready to navigate
080 recalculate?
081 recalculating
082 right
083 roundabout
084 route
085 searching for satellites
086 seven
087 seventeen
088 seventy
089 sharply
090 six
091 sixteen
092 sixty
093 south
094 south-east
095 south-west
096 straight
097 [silence]
098 take
099 ten
100 the
101 then
102 thirteen
103 thirty
104 thousand
105 three
106 to
107 [blip blip blip]
108 turn
109 twelve
110 twenty
111 two
112 u-turn
113 via point
114 west
115 when
116 zero

This application loads in .csv files and converts them to .gpx files adding alert distances to each POI.

Features :

* A time can be entered (in seconds) which is converted to a distance.
* Can be used for MPH and Feet or KPH and Meters.
* Preset alert distances / times which can be altered and saved by the user.
* Progress status window.
* Multiple file conversion.
* Standard or Always alert types.
* For use with Garmins new POI Loader (version 2.2.1)
* Freeware!

(c) Adam Mealings 2006

DOWNLOAD HERE:http://www.cbrom.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/

Garmin's POI Loader seems like you could use the manual method (when running POI loader). That method has no effect on the settings, even if you change them as you load the files because the file name and the format of the .csv take priority over manual entry. This cool little app let's you

GPSPhotoLinker can be used to save location and GPS position data to a photo. The latitude and longitude recorded by your GPS unit while you were taking photos can be linked, and saved, to the photos. GPSPhotoLinker automatically enters the city, state, and country annotations into the metadata.

Requirements
* MacOSX 10.4 or greater.
* A GPS to connect to your computer, or already downloaded track files in GPX format. See the included tutorial for example files.
* Photos with EXIF metadata. Most digital cameras save photos with EXIF metadata. This information tells you when the photo was taken, the focal length, the camera type, and other information. The EXIF standard also support GPS information tags, which GPSPhotoLinker uses.

Copyright 2004-2006 Jeffrey J. Early

Go Here to download: http://oregonstate.edu/%7Eearlyj/gpsphotolinker/index.php

Use this converter to convert the .srf vehicle files on your Nuvi to .png files so you can customize them or create your own then convert the .png back to .srf.

Very cool utility!

Go HERE to use the converter. FREE!

Josh at Communications from Elsewhere has developed a bookmarklet that you can use to convert Google maps to a GPX file. This bookmarklet can create a GPX file based on driving directions, an address search or a local search. The GPX file will contain a route, a single waypoint, or up to ten waypoints.

Great tool when you want to generate a simple GPX route or waypoint quickly from Google Maps. And it's Free!

Link to Josh's site HERE.

For Macintosh users, Simon Slavin's Mac Garmin Tools provide an enhanced POI file conversion utility beyond the current Mac beta version of the Garmin POI Loader. The documentation also contains a very useful tutorial on POI file formats, including TourGuide files.

Link to Simon's website HERE.

The latest version of the Garmin POI Loader for Mac can be found HERE.

In case you didn't see this on the home page, GPI generator makes it easy to create Garmin TourGuides in GPI file format. A few of the benefits of this tool are:
1 - Don't need to mess with the audio format (naming, etc) this will fail in Garmin's POI Loader if not exact
2 - Platform independent - all hosted online so it doesn't matter if you're on a Mac or PC
3 - No need to have your GPS device attached to the computer (POI Loader requires this)
4 - Organize your Garmin TourGuides! - You can put all the files under a heading (ie France) to make it easier to find on your device and you can delete them at will (whereas POI Loader integrates all new POIs into poi.gpi)
5 - Easily upload you're own audio and create a custom tour

Click to create a custom Tour.

Hi- Has anyone figured out a way to make a NUVI 360 do route exclusion? So far that's my only complaint. I love my garmin! If it can exclude a particular route (like when I know a highway is closed for construction), it will be perfect.

Just recently purchased a Nuvi 310. The POI feature is fantastic. I am interested in creating my own POI within and around my local travelling area. eg school zones, speeds zones etc that are not currently available from the web or Garmin site. Is there downloadable software available to compile these or does it have to be done online. What I am trying to do is similar to a tour guide but without the long audio. Audio would be short but I also need to add in the distance trigger coordinates. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

can someone tell where to download them for free

thank you

dede

I have a Garmin Navi 350 and new to the POI feature. I am interested in creating my own POI within and around my home. Is there a downloadable software available? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

I have a Nuvi 260W. I want to take the POI files that I have downloaded in .csv format and turn them into Tour Guides. I realize that my Nuvi does not have mp3 capability, but I do not care about sounds other than an alert "noise." Is your GPX converter the program that will enable me to do what I want to do? Is it complicated to use? Thank you

When I try to load GPX from GSAK to the poi loader I get a geocache tourguide invalid message. I have tried combos of manuevers to avert this msg but still can seem to load cache details onto my Nuvi 650 or SD card. Has anyone had these problems? Thanks. Bonnie