How to - Google Maps routes to Garmin Nuvi550

[FunJimmy]

I've seen lots of interest from members looking to create custom routes for their Garmin Nuvi550 GPS units.

I was one of the many attracted to the water proof and inexpensive Garmin Nuvi550 and then began planning some adventurist road trips.
From what I’ve found so far, the Nuvi550 can only accept routes and not tracks (breadcrumb trails) due to the limited ability to manage the hundreds of waypoints needed in tracks.
That makes it impossible to create routes in Google Earth, but not in Google Maps.

All you need is Garmin MapSource and this awesome little free converter program called, WinGDB3. Find it here: http://www.sackman.info/

To build the routes and export them as KML files from Google Maps you will need to create a Google Maps profile if you don’t already have one.
Next, create the map of choice and save it to “My Places”.
Once saved, you should see KML and an icon under the map title.




Click the icon and save the map file to your hard drive.
I created the Google Maps kml folder in My Documents/My Garmin for these files.





If you haven’t already, now’s the time to install the converter program “WinGDB3” that you downloaded from, http://www.sackman.info/


When you run WinGDB3 you will see this screen.




Read the help file that installs with WinGDB3 for a full understanding of the program.

Input will be the Google Maps.kml file that you saved to your hard drive.
In my example the file is: Florence to Lorane via Siuslaw River Road - 120KM.kml

Output to MapSource

Garmin Nuvi550’s can only import and display routes, so you will need to convert tracks to routes.
Refer to help file for an explanation of the options.


When you click “Convert”, MapSource will open displaying the map and a list of the converted routes.
You may wish to right click on the name of each route, scroll to the bottom of the drop down menu and select “route properties”.





A route properties window will open and you can rename the route to better describe the routes as this will be the name displayed in the “Custom Routes” list on your Nuvi550.






Once you are satisfied with your route conversion, save the file to your hard drive and/or connect your Nuvi550 to your computer using the USB cable and “send to device”.





Routes sent to your Garmin Nuvi550 will need to be imported before they appear in the “Custom Routes” list.

Turn on your Garmin Nuvi550. Select “tools” from the main screen, Scroll down and select “My Data”.
At the bottom of the list, select “Import Route From File”.
You will see a list of routes with the same name as the routes in MapSource.
Select all or just the routes you wish to import to the Nuvi550. Once imported, the routes will be available by selecting the “Custom Routes” button.


Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Cheers
FJ

[mcnut]

All I got to say is;

Nice job for your 1st (I'm not counting the other one) post!

Same should work with any GPS which accepts routes, not just the 550.

Welcome!
Bruce

[FunJimmy]

Originally Posted by mcnut

All I got to say is;

Nice job for your 1st (I'm not counting the other one) post!

Same should work with any GPS which accepts routes, not just the 550.

Welcome!
Bruce

Thanks! I hope others have found this post useful too.

FJ

[timbercat]

Great write up on the nuvi 500/550.
I do have a question on the number of points that each route can have?
How do you handle this restriction if you have a fairly detailed plan of attack for your ride?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[FunJimmy]

Originally Posted by timbercat

Great write up on the nuvi 500/550.
I do have a question on the number of points that each route can have?
How do you handle this restriction if you have a fairly detailed plan of attack for your ride?

I'm not an expert on Garmin Nuvi's or building custom routes but from what I've seen so far, building custom routes with Google Maps greatly reduces the number of points compared to converting a track for example. You can create a fairly long route from point "A" to point "B" in Google maps and have only two points. One at the start and the other at the finish. You can use additional points to ensure the map includes specific roads and this should still not overwhelm the limitations of the Nuvi550.

Give it a try and let us know how it works out.

[tbirdsp]

Routes in a Nuvi 500/550 can have 200 points max.

I hope this works - but I see several possible problems. If you use the "invisible via points" option in WinGDB3, if you go off route the unit will recalculate all the way to your destination. No option to shut off the off-route recalculation on these units. You may be able to just stop navigation and start the route over again to get back to your original, not sure though. Even though the flags are annoying, I would use the "visible via points" option. Then if you go off route it will just try to take you to the via point you missed. Remember the 200 point maximum too.

I tried to use older Garmin maps which didn't match the ones on the unit to create routes at first with poor results. On import, some via points were dropped and the routes very often didn't match. I have had success only after using the exact same maps to create the routes in Mapsource as I have on the GPS. Not sure what using Google Maps will do.

[rtadlock]

When I had a Nuvi, I created a perl script and used to break up a big track into multiple simplified routes. I was able to navigate all over CO offroad with it, but the process was still a pain in the butt, so I ditched the Nuvi. Anyway, here's the thread I started on it:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=714709

And a good little post of the process from Google Map to multiple routes:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=717083

[B1]

if you don't like installing software on your computer, there is handy online converter here:

http://www.gpsies.com/convert.do

you can just convert the kml file from google mapsinto a gdb file then open it up in mapsource.

[FunJimmy]

Originally Posted by tbirdsp

I hope this works - but I see several possible problems. If you use the "invisible via points" option in WinGDB3, if you go off route the unit will recalculate all the way to your destination. No option to shut off the off-route recalculation on these units. You may be able to just stop navigation and start the route over again to get back to your original, not sure though. Even though the flags are annoying, I would use the "visible via points" option. Then if you go off route it will just try to take you to the via point you missed. Remember the 200 point maximum too.

Thanks for your input and suggestion regarding the “via points”. So, if I’m building routes using Google Maps, are you suggesting that I create more points along the way?

Originally Posted by tbirdsp

I tried to use older Garmin maps which didn't match the ones on the unit to create routes at first with poor results. On import, some via points were dropped and the routes very often didn't match. I have had success only after using the exact same maps to create the routes in Mapsource as I have on the GPS.

How do I check and confirm the map versions used on my Nuvi550 and MapSource?

Originally Posted by rtadlock

When I had a Nuvi, I created a perl script and used to break up a big track into multiple simplified routes. I was able to navigate all over CO offroad with it, but the process was still a pain in the butt, so I ditched the Nuvi. Anyway, here's the thread I started on it:

I wish GPS navigation and route plotting was simple cause my computer skills fall far too short to figure all that stuff out.
I tried the GMaptpGPX converter found at http://www.elsewhere.org/journal/gmaptogpx/ and it just wouldn’t work for me, so there I am with this Google Maps route and I can’t use it with your script.
You’d think in this day and age, it would be intuitive.


Guess I’ll have to wait for the Google GPS to hit the local Best Buy shelves.

[FunJimmy]

I like having a GPS on my bike for weekend rides and longer trips to areas that I don’t often visit, but I wouldn’t have much of a need for it in town (with the exception of locating a specific address). The ability to create custom routes so I can find that special stretch of road through foreign lands without having to pull out maps and printed reviews from motorcycle sites is the main reason for GPS navigation to me.

I thought the suggestion of using WinGDB3 to convert my Google Maps files to MapSource files with visible via points was a good one, but I didn’t like it for my purposes.



The Garmin Nuvi 500/550 has a 200 via point limit, so you will need to set the filter value accordingly or the route won’t import into your Nuvi.

Routes containing visible via points will be displayed with flags indicating the via points.
I found this to be very distracting and annoying.



I decided to convert my Google Maps files to MapSource files with invisible (flags removed) via points as originally mentioned partly because my routes are typically known routable roads and I hate all the flags.



Cheers
FJ

[byways]

I wish there were options, but this is so much like Windows. You're left to wonder how good GPS mapping could be if it were more competitive, and Garmin's units could work with other programs.

"I wish GPS navigation and route plotting was simple cause my computer skills fall far too short to figure all that stuff out.
I tried the GMaptpGPX converter found at http://www.elsewhere.org/journal/gmaptogpx/ and it just wouldn’t work for me, so there I am with this Google Maps route and I can’t use it with your script.
You’d think in this day and age, it would be intuitive.


Guess I’ll have to wait for the Google GPS to hit the local Best Buy shelves.[/QUOTE]"

[DRZ Charlie]

Another option for thwarting the recalculation issue is using WinGDB3 to convert your route to a "Direct Route". The direct route looks and behaves like a track.



1. Make your route however you like in whatever program you like.

2. Save it as or convert it to a .gpx file

3. Open it in MapSource or Basecamp

3. Save it as a .gdb file onto your desktop.

4. Open WinGDB3

5. Drag the route into the "Input File Pane"

6. Select "MapSource" for the "Output"

7. Under Route Conversions tick #14

8. Under "Split and Filter Options for Route and Track Conversions" tick "Filter"

9. Set the value to "200" (the number of via points allowed on the 500 & 550)

10. Click "Convert"

A new MapSource window will open with your direct route on it. You can then send it to the Nuvi. When you open it you will see a "track" or line that looks like a track. I've tried maybe 2 dozen routes this way and the unit doesn't try to re-caluculate when off you're route/track.

To insure that you are getting turn by turn directions you can drop a wapoint flag at each major turn just AFTER turn to insure that you know where you are going to turn. The problem with that is that the screen gets a bit cluttered when you do this. Give it a try.