Home › Garmin Mobile PC › How can I import 100+ addresses to Garmin Mobile PC?
Hi everyone, I'am a new kid on the block. only know a little about PCs and PC software. I currently have MS Streets & Trips but I'am looking at the Garmin Mobile PC. But the problem I might have is importing multiple addresses. We are Realtors and do alot of property inspections. Does anyone know how I can import 100+ addresses at one time into Garmin Mobile PC and what format should be use? I would like to know this before I go out and buy.
Thanks
Thanks
Hi gogetter,
As Marvin would say, welcome to Laptop GPS World.
The Reader's Digest answer is, Yes, there are multiple ways to get multiple addresses into Mobile PC.
I'm going to assume you might want the ability to group the addresses in categories, if not immediately then at some point in the future.
If so, you can use Garmin's POI loader (it's a free download). That will load the addresses as custom POIs (points of interest). These custom POIs can be organized into groups so you can focus on just the group you want.
The only catch with POIs is that the utility expects you to provide the location (latitude/longitude) in the data file you import from.
I have already done some export/import of data from Street&Trips into Mobile PC as custom POIs. It's a multi-step process so you need to spend a little time with it, but it works well.
There are a couple of other methods of getting addresses into Mobile PC as "Favorites" (Mobile PC's version of an address book). First of all, if you have the addresses in MS Outlook, Mobile PC will link with Outlook's contacts when you install it. This will not allow you to transfer location coordinates, if you have them, because Outlook has no place to store them. (At least I think that's the way it works ... Terry???)
Second, if you don't have Outlook or don't want to use it that way, there is a way to load them into Garmin's Mapsource utility and transfer them to Mobile PC. This will allow you to transfer the location coordinates, if you have them.
...ken...
As Marvin would say, welcome to Laptop GPS World.
The Reader's Digest answer is, Yes, there are multiple ways to get multiple addresses into Mobile PC.
I'm going to assume you might want the ability to group the addresses in categories, if not immediately then at some point in the future.
If so, you can use Garmin's POI loader (it's a free download). That will load the addresses as custom POIs (points of interest). These custom POIs can be organized into groups so you can focus on just the group you want.
The only catch with POIs is that the utility expects you to provide the location (latitude/longitude) in the data file you import from.
I have already done some export/import of data from Street&Trips into Mobile PC as custom POIs. It's a multi-step process so you need to spend a little time with it, but it works well.
There are a couple of other methods of getting addresses into Mobile PC as "Favorites" (Mobile PC's version of an address book). First of all, if you have the addresses in MS Outlook, Mobile PC will link with Outlook's contacts when you install it. This will not allow you to transfer location coordinates, if you have them, because Outlook has no place to store them. (At least I think that's the way it works ... Terry???)
Second, if you don't have Outlook or don't want to use it that way, there is a way to load them into Garmin's Mapsource utility and transfer them to Mobile PC. This will allow you to transfer the location coordinates, if you have them.
...ken...
Thanks Ken,
That's a big help. Because I really like the Garmin over MS Streets & Strips. MS Streets & Trips are okay, better than nothing, but in my opinion it's not as accurate as the Garmin at lease my Garmin nuvi 350. I was happy when I saw that Garmin software Laptops as well. Ken to save me a little time, can you remember how you transferred from MS Strrets & Trips?
Thanks again,
Charlie in Sunny South Florida!!!
That's a big help. Because I really like the Garmin over MS Streets & Strips. MS Streets & Trips are okay, better than nothing, but in my opinion it's not as accurate as the Garmin at lease my Garmin nuvi 350. I was happy when I saw that Garmin software Laptops as well. Ken to save me a little time, can you remember how you transferred from MS Strrets & Trips?
Thanks again,
Charlie in Sunny South Florida!!!
The way Mobile PC works with Outlook (2002 and above) is it provides a list of your contacts under the Contacts menu item in Tools-Manage My Data. You must click on each one you want coordinates for. It will present the address(s) from the contact and you can choose the appropriate one.
Assuming the program can find the address, it will give you the opportunity to ok the one it finds (if it can't identify the address, it will ask you to go through the Find process).
Choosing Select will present you with a screen allowing modifications to how the contact is displayed. Once you choose Done it will return to the Contact list.
The geocoded information is also stored in the Outlook contact.
Terry
Assuming the program can find the address, it will give you the opportunity to ok the one it finds (if it can't identify the address, it will ask you to go through the Find process).
Choosing Select will present you with a screen allowing modifications to how the contact is displayed. Once you choose Done it will return to the Contact list.
The geocoded information is also stored in the Outlook contact.
Terry
Thanks tcassidy,
But this look's like a time consuming way. When I have to bring over 50 to a 100+ addresses into my Outlook Contacts it could fill it up or make it pretty big. these addresses I might not go back to for a month/s if any. Is there another way. I really thank you for your help. It amaze me the knowledge you guys have of this stuff. Some of it is like Greek to me.
Thanks,
Charlie down in Sunny South Florida
But this look's like a time consuming way. When I have to bring over 50 to a 100+ addresses into my Outlook Contacts it could fill it up or make it pretty big. these addresses I might not go back to for a month/s if any. Is there another way. I really thank you for your help. It amaze me the knowledge you guys have of this stuff. Some of it is like Greek to me.
Thanks,
Charlie down in Sunny South Florida
I agree, it can be quite time consuming. Especially if Mobile PC can't identify the address and you have to go through the Find process. However, it uses a dll link to Outlook so there is no slowdown or move of information until you request it. That is, the Contacts tab does not even get populated until you open it. And files are not actually moving anywhere.
Terry
Terry
If you don't already have your contacts in Outlook, I would not consider that approach. It would be quicker just to find them in Mobile PC in the first place using Tools-Manage My Data-Favourites. You could probably add 100 contacts in an hour or two.
Terry
Terry
Hi gogetter,
Now I discover that I've gone and stuck my foot in my mouth. I just realized that the messing around I was doing was with Mappoint 2009. I have not tested with Streets&Trips. When I started to compose the process, I thought I'd better test it with Streets&Trips first.
For the record, it's really easy in Mappoint. You just select the pushpin group you want and export it to Excel, then you save the Excel page as a tab delimited file. You use that file as input to the Garmin POI loader, which will create the custom POI file and load it into Mobile PC. It's really quite easy.
......But....
When I tried it with Streets&Trips I discovered that you can import a tab delimited Excel file but you can't export NUTHIN' !!!
I only have Streets&Trips 2008, so perhaps 2009 has some way to export pushpin data?
Anybody have any idea how to export the data in a pushpin group? I tried to cut and paste, but the only thing I get is the name. Can't get the address, longitude and latitude fields.
... Off to Google land, I guess... ....mumble....
...ken...
Now I discover that I've gone and stuck my foot in my mouth. I just realized that the messing around I was doing was with Mappoint 2009. I have not tested with Streets&Trips. When I started to compose the process, I thought I'd better test it with Streets&Trips first.
For the record, it's really easy in Mappoint. You just select the pushpin group you want and export it to Excel, then you save the Excel page as a tab delimited file. You use that file as input to the Garmin POI loader, which will create the custom POI file and load it into Mobile PC. It's really quite easy.
......But....
When I tried it with Streets&Trips I discovered that you can import a tab delimited Excel file but you can't export NUTHIN' !!!
I only have Streets&Trips 2008, so perhaps 2009 has some way to export pushpin data?
Anybody have any idea how to export the data in a pushpin group? I tried to cut and paste, but the only thing I get is the name. Can't get the address, longitude and latitude fields.
... Off to Google land, I guess... ....mumble....
...ken...
I have exhausted this forum and Google for ways to export or convert Streets&Trips pushpin data into something else but absolutely nothing works for Streets&Trips 2008 .est files.
But all is not lost. Mappoint has no problem exporting pushpin data to an Excel spreadsheet. So, for a one-time conversion you have the option of downloading the 60-day free trial version of Mappoint 2009.
I know that's a nuisance, but it should still be lots less work than having to do it manually. All you have to do is open your existing Streets&Trips file in Mappoint and then use the Data menu to export to Excel. Just be sure you make a backup copy of your Streets&Trips files somewhere safe, first. Please!!
Sorry about that. I thought it would be so much simpler. I hadn't counted on Streets&Trips being such a black hole to get stuff back out of. It's Microsoft ... I shoulda known better.
...ken...
But all is not lost. Mappoint has no problem exporting pushpin data to an Excel spreadsheet. So, for a one-time conversion you have the option of downloading the 60-day free trial version of Mappoint 2009.
I know that's a nuisance, but it should still be lots less work than having to do it manually. All you have to do is open your existing Streets&Trips file in Mappoint and then use the Data menu to export to Excel. Just be sure you make a backup copy of your Streets&Trips files somewhere safe, first. Please!!
Sorry about that. I thought it would be so much simpler. I hadn't counted on Streets&Trips being such a black hole to get stuff back out of. It's Microsoft ... I shoulda known better.
...ken...
Hi Ken,
I appreciate all the trouble you and tcassidy has gone thru to make this work. I like the Forum already, there's some great people on here not to mention Master minds. I'm gone to try these ways and see how I come out and let you'all know the results.
Thanks again,
I appreciate all the trouble you and tcassidy has gone thru to make this work. I like the Forum already, there's some great people on here not to mention Master minds. I'm gone to try these ways and see how I come out and let you'all know the results.
Thanks again,
While Streets & Trips cannot export like MapPoint can, S&T users use various 3rd party solutions to do just that. Check out GPS Babel, and others, listed here: List of free software helpful to Microsoft Streets and Trips users
thanks, I will try that also. It'll be good to go thru MS Streets & Trips.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marvin Hlavac
While Streets & Trips cannot export like MapPoint can, S&T users use various 3rd party solutions to do just that. Check out GPS Babel, and others, listed here: List of free software helpful to Microsoft Streets and Trips users
The fact is that none of them work on any version of S&T newer than 2007. I have 2008 and none of them worked. I found reports of the same experience in other forums. The ones that are supposed to work with Mappoint files did not work with MP2009. So I have no reason to believe that any of them will work with S&T2009.
Using the trial version of Mappoint 2009 (in the link I provided) to export to Excel is the only thing that will work for anything newer than 2007. Nothing else will work for 2008 and 2009 versions of Streets&Trips.
gogetter,
If you have S&T 2007 or older, one of those utilities might work for you. There are also a couple of online sites that will do it. Let me know how you are progressing. When you have found a way to get the data out your choices for output preferences are as follows:
1. number one choice is GPX format.
2. number two choice is tab delimited.
3. number three choice is .csv but only if you can't get it any other way.
Let me know what you are able to get out and I'll give you direction how to proceed to get it into Mobile PC.
If you have something newer than S&T 2007, you'll need to get Mappoint 2009 free trial and install it.
...ken...
Thanks Ken,
Yes, I have the S&T 2009. I just upgraded from 2008 we bought about 6 months ago, then the newer version came out. It's not that I don't like S&T because we've used it now six months. But it can't still recognize deadend streets blocked by ditches, giving me directions way ahead of my turn, which confuses me. when you 100 addresses a day with that happening it add's up. I compare it with my small portable Garmin nuvi 350 and I don't have that trouble going to an address. But you can't do multiple addresses with the nuvi 350. So after all of that, look's like I'll be trying MapPoint 2009 60 free trial.
charlie,
Yes, I have the S&T 2009. I just upgraded from 2008 we bought about 6 months ago, then the newer version came out. It's not that I don't like S&T because we've used it now six months. But it can't still recognize deadend streets blocked by ditches, giving me directions way ahead of my turn, which confuses me. when you 100 addresses a day with that happening it add's up. I compare it with my small portable Garmin nuvi 350 and I don't have that trouble going to an address. But you can't do multiple addresses with the nuvi 350. So after all of that, look's like I'll be trying MapPoint 2009 60 free trial.
charlie,
Hi gogetter,
When you say you can't do 100 addresses a day in the Nuvi, can you tell me what you think the limitation is?
Perhaps it would be easier to tell me how you deal with those addresses in S&T?
Are you talking about adding in a batch of 100 new addresses every day into S&T, getting S&T to find the locations and then create a single route that takes you to all of them in the shortest driving order?
I can tell you that it is possible to geolocate (get coordinates for) your 100+ addresses in bulk without Streets&Trips and then to bulk load them into your Nuvi. That's all pretty easy to do with a free online Batch Geocode site and Garmin's free POI loader.
What is not easy is Streets&Trips ability to take an entire pushpin group at once and figure out a route that connects them all. In the Nuvi (and also in Mobile PC) you can get a route that connects them all, but you have to add the locations to the route one at a time.
Tell me a little more about what you are doing now and perhaps I can help you take a shot at making better use of your Nuvi before you expend a bunch of effort on Mobile PC, which mostly just turns your laptop into a Nuvi with a giant screen.
...ken...
When you say you can't do 100 addresses a day in the Nuvi, can you tell me what you think the limitation is?
Perhaps it would be easier to tell me how you deal with those addresses in S&T?
Are you talking about adding in a batch of 100 new addresses every day into S&T, getting S&T to find the locations and then create a single route that takes you to all of them in the shortest driving order?
I can tell you that it is possible to geolocate (get coordinates for) your 100+ addresses in bulk without Streets&Trips and then to bulk load them into your Nuvi. That's all pretty easy to do with a free online Batch Geocode site and Garmin's free POI loader.
What is not easy is Streets&Trips ability to take an entire pushpin group at once and figure out a route that connects them all. In the Nuvi (and also in Mobile PC) you can get a route that connects them all, but you have to add the locations to the route one at a time.
Tell me a little more about what you are doing now and perhaps I can help you take a shot at making better use of your Nuvi before you expend a bunch of effort on Mobile PC, which mostly just turns your laptop into a Nuvi with a giant screen.
...ken...