Garmin POI loader cannot find GPX file created by Streets & Trips 2010

I searched the threads and read a lot of posts on the Garmin POI loader.
Couldn't find an answer to my current issue...

I an using Garmin Mobile PC and Streets & Trips 2010 (has new feature, export info .GPX file).

There is info on this site, and the S&T blog on how to export a GPX file from the Streets & Trips "Data" menu.

I followed the instructions on the blog to use Garmin POI loader, browsed to the folder containing the GPX file, it sees the file (see screenshot) but then at the end of the process says "no valid data was found in the specified folder". I tried this 5x with different GPX files...

At first I did it with default settings, then after it failed a couple times I changed "express" mode to "manual" mode, and there I could see that it was identifying (seeing) the .GPX file in the specified directory, but eventually saying "no valid data".

The POI loader has no trouble seeing the Garmin devices, and I have tried to send the POI to Mobile PC, my Nuvi, and even a "custom folder" with the same result. Maybe I should just re-boot and see if the newly installed POI loader software works after re-boot...

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Did you try a simpler file name? Maybe it is choking on that one.

Terry

OMG am I embarrassed.
The file I was exporting was sort of a "test" route, consisting of 3 local towns (click on the town name, Streets & Trips lets you set it as a "start" or "stop" or "end"). I "assumed" that these would = a specific location, such as downtown or center of the town...

I did it again with specific street addresses for the points, and the resulting GPX file was recognized and imported to Garmin Mobile PC.

Hey Bob,

No need to be embarrassed. That's how we learn. Lots of this stuff is undocumented, like what you ran into with S&T. Lots of trial and error. You wouldn't believe how much I've learned about what doesn't work that way.

What was it Edison said when asked if he felt like a failure after so many attempts (reputed to be more than a thousand) it had taken to find the right material for a filament in the light bulb?

"Not at all. I definitely know more than a thousand ways how NOT to make a light bulb."

...ken...

More about the light bulb and failure. The guy who actually invented it and demonstrated the theoretical possibility gave up trying to make a practical application of the theory after only three attemps. Edison gets the last laugh for persistence.

So hang in there, Bob. You're a long long ways from Edison's record yet.

...ken...

Folks, thanks for trying to help this 52 year old guy. I don't have that much hair left, and I am still pulling it out.

This morning I created several routes, saved in Streets & Trips 2010, did the export GPX per the Blog on how to do that... but kept get that error msg "no valid data was found".

There is another thread in this Mobile PC forum where another member was having the same issue I am
In that thread, Ken correctly mentioned that the POI loader would not load a route (only the points) but he still should have been able to import the points with POI loader and not get that error msg.

I have been very focused on what folder the GPX file gets exported to, and watching that the file gets properly located (POI loader will show you the file it is looking at when set to "manual" mode). I have tried a lot of different things including new routes, rebooting programs, reboot computer, etc.

I believe I may have found the problem (and will post it right after this) but first let me show you some screen shots of the problem

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OK, now for the solution. (continued from previous post)
I took a really careful look at the Blog on how to do this, and noticed that the Blog Example shows a display of PUSHPINS on the map (Streets & Trips 2010).

The route I created was not done with "Pushpins", I was simply creating address stops. See the attached screen shot of me adding some pushpins, then there is a route that has 3 pushpins among other stops on the route.

when I export that to a GPX file, the "congratulations" message from Garmin POI loader says I have exported "3 points of interest" yet my route should have exported 7 of them. Only 3 were "pushpins".

Maybe this thread should have gone to Streets & Trips rather than Mobile PC... and I am still learning the tools to more fully utilize Streets & Trips.

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I'm moving it there, Bob.

It has been mentioned before somewhere in another discussion, but if you just use found addresses or points you click on the map in your S&T route, as you noted they don't create pushpins.

If it's not a pushpin it doesn't get exported as a waypoint.

If it doesn't get exported as a waypoint it won't get transfered to the Garmin device.

...ken...

Gotcha, and it's interesting that in the first blog titled: Send Data to your Personal Navigation Device they do show pushpins being exported to Garmin.

Then the 2nd blog titled: How to send route points to your Garmin Nuvi has points on the route that are NOT PUSHPINS (in fact the "stops" are simply city names, as I was trying to do at the very start of this thread). The huge difference is that the 2nd blog explains how to "transfer the route that you have created in Streets & Trips to your Garmin Nuvi device provided that your Garmin device supports Multi point routing".

My econo Garmin Nuvi 255w will NOT support "routes" and I was hoping the Garmin Mobile PC software would... but I have not been able to do what they say in that 2nd blog and export a route from Streets & Trips 2010 to Garmin Mobile PC.

As I mentioned on another thread, I am new to both of those applications, but used Delorme for many years. After a "bit" of navigating with them, I fully agree with the general advice I have received. S&T is really good at CREATING routes, managing saved locations, and tweaking things when someone calls you to cancel or reschedule an appointment. I love the way you can drag a particular section of a route to control the roads taken to a destination.

Garmin is the king of 3D view navigation (turn-by-turn). I know S&T has that view as well, but it doesn't behave as well as Garmin IMHO.

At this point I have come to realize that I need to focus on the help file for S&T 2010 from the very begining, and really learn it's features and terms. I got myself oriented, but need to do some serious study so I can make it sing.

How did you make out with this? I have been trying it but the POI's created in the GPX only have the lat/long and do not have the name.

Any ideas?

<edit>

Never Mind. I just realized that the name in S & T IS the lat/long.