Where to store GPX files

46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
8,837
2,143
Coastal NJ
I have been taking GE KMZ files and converting them to GPX files using GPS Visualizer. I have then been storing them onto an SD card with a Garmin/GPX folder structure for use in the NUVI. They show up in the Favorites folder on the NUVI.

Questions; 1-can those GPX files also be stored in the Garmin/GPX location on the NUVI alongside what is in there, and 2-will the NUVI accept multiple Garmin/GPX folders, one on the SD card and the one in the unit itself, and 3-can the Garmin/GPX folder be stored on an SD card that contains a gmapsupp.img file? I've looked at the Garmin site, but what I have found is not very clear. Tanks!
 

Boyd

Administrator
Staff member
Site Administrator
Jul 31, 2004
9,506
2,768
Ben's Branch, Stephen Creek
1. Actually you cannot "store" any .gpx files on the Nuvi. When you start the Nuvi, it scans the GPX folder and imports any new favorites from the .gpx files while just ignoring old ones that were previously imported. The actual "favorites" that are shown on the Nuvi don't come from .gpx files. They are stored internally where you can't access them. So after initially starting up the Nuvi following placing a .gpx file on either a card or the device, you should remove the file because it's no longer needed. There are some annoying side effects to leaving the file on the Nuvi. For example, if you decide to delete some favorites using the Nuvi's menu, the next time you start it up, the old favorites will be re-imported from the .gpx file. This has confused/annoyed many people over the years.

The only exception to that advice would be *routes* stored in a .gpx file (a .gpx file can contain a combination of waypoints, routes and tracks). It can be helpful to leave the .gpx routes on the older model Nuvi's that only allow 10 routes to be stored on the device. If you leave the .gpx file, you can access many more routes by deleting one or more of the 10 that are allowed and importing others from .gpx files (use Tools > My Data > Routes >Import, or something similar on the older models).

2. A memory card should work interchangeably with internal memory if you simply duplicate the same directory structure, so yes, that should work.

3. Yes, you can store both a map and .gpx files on a card. But see point number one above. After the first restart of the Nuvi, the favorites from .gpx file are imported and the file itself will be ignored until you delete some of your favorites, at which time they will be re-imported.

4. You probably already know, but just in case... the file named Current.gpx in internal memory will contain all of your favorites, routes and tracks. Just backing up this file to your computer will give you a copy of everything that's stored on your Nuvi. This file is generated each time the Nuvi starts up, after any new .gpx files have been imported. The Nuvi just ignores the file though and will not read anything from it. Again, the "real" data is stored internally where it's not accessible and Current.gpx is a "dump" of that data.
 

46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
8,837
2,143
Coastal NJ
Thank you Boyd. As usual; a clear, easy to understand response. Much appreciated.

Have you ever considered writing a book; 'Garmin GPS for Dummies'?
 
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