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I just took delivery of my first Acura a few days ago and going over all the features is a bit overwhelming.
Having browsed through the Navigation Manual PDF (355 pages), is there any way to upload all the waypoints (friends, etc) from my Garmin GPS into the Acura Navigation system without having to enter each one individually?
According to the manual, POI data can be imported in CSV and KML formats.
Garmin Basecamp lets you export your POI's as GPX, GDB, CSV, KML, TCX, or TXT, so you have a couple of common denominators you can try.
I did this myself when I first purchased my 2016 RDX, but that was 2 years ago, and my memory is a little foggy. If I recall using CSV and KML produced slightly different results. In the end I realized that I had dozens of POI's on my Garmin that I would never use again, so I cleared everything from the RDX and entered everything from scratch.
Although the RDX lets me place several waypoints into a "route", it won't let me save them as a complete "route" which is something I find very useful. Instead I have to add multiple destinations each time I take a particular trip that I travel frequently.
According to the manual, POI data can be imported in CSV and KML formats.
Garmin Basecamp lets you export your POI's as GPX, GDB, CSV, KML, TCX, or TXT, so you have a couple of common denominators you can try.
I did this myself when I first purchased my 2016 RDX, but that was 2 years ago, and my memory is a little foggy. If I recall using CSV and KML produced slightly different results. In the end I realized that I had dozens of POI's on my Garmin that I would never use again, so I cleared everything from the RDX and entered everything from scratch.
Although the RDX lets me place several waypoints into a "route", it won't let me save them as a complete "route" which is something I find very useful. Instead I have to add multiple destinations each time I take a particular trip that I travel frequently.
Thanks, I'll give that a try.
I did see that page, but I didn't think of a POI as a Waypoint which it is..
Technically a waypoint is point along the way of a route. For example you might want to travel to your destination by passing through several waypoints during the trip.
A POI (or Point Of Interest) is usually one of a group of similar places. For example there are many web sites that allow you to download POI files such as the location of all the Tim Horton's or Canadian Tire locations. All the POI's are loaded into a single POI category of the RDX.
Now having said that, it may be that when you import the data from your Garmin, that it will be imported into a POI category file, and will not be visible when you open the address book. As I said, I did this 2 years ago next month when I purchased my RDX and I can't remember the details.
I was able to export waypoints in BaseCamp to a USB. I saved them as KML.
I then uploaded them to POI in the Acura Nav. From there I saved them to my Address Book and then deleted the POI file.
I also sectioned them off in different Categories: Friends, Motels / Hotels, Stores, etc.
I wish the Acura Nav had as many icons to choose from as the Garmin.
Not really, but thank you for taking the time and effort.
I was able to save each waypoint to the address book, one by one. That was time consuming. I was hoping to copy the whole slew in one shot.
Acura should really have a program so that you can do all that as well as select the category for each waypoint and more at your PC and then load it all to the car.
As I said back on May 14, I had only experimented with this procedure when I purchased my RDX back in 2015. So to refresh my memory I tried the procedure again today.
I was able to import dozens of waypoints from a KML file into the "WAYPOINTS" folder of my RDX in just a few seconds. In order to select one of them as my destination I have to select "More Search Methods" and then "Waypoints". I can then find my desired destination within the alphabetically sorted list.
You are correct that I can't place waypoints into categories like I can in the address book, but the method is still very usable.
I find that scrolling my address book horizontally to find a category, and then scrolling vertically to find a destination, takes just as much time as scrolling the "All" tab of the address book. Based on that assumption I don't think it would be any more of a problem to scroll the alphabetical waypoint list to find a destination. Scrolling this list is much more preferable than entering each individual waypoint into the Address Book.
Now that I have some waypoints entered into my "Waypoint" folder I will try some more experimentation over the next few days.
After a little more experimenting with the "Waypoints" folder I discovered a feature that I use to enjoy in my previous Garmin GPS and found lacking in the Acura.
My Garmin had hundreds of saved waypoints, which included the address of relatives, hotels, restaurants, and even hospitals, right across the country. When I made a trip of several hundred kilometers to visit family in another city, and wanted to find a restaurant, all I had to do was to look at the list of waypoints and they were listed in order of distance, with the closest one being at the top of the list. So I was usually able to find the location of the restaurant or hotel on the very first page. In situations like that, it was always faster to find a waypoint on my Garmin than using the Category features of the Acura.
Today I discovered that the "Waypoints" folder of the Acura works the same way. The waypoints are sorted by distance by default, and can be sorted alphabetically if that is required.
When leaving for a trip I may need to search through a long list to find my destination, but once I have arrived at the destination city, it is nice to find everything I may need in that area at the top of the list.
The only drawback is that I cannot record the phone numbers and actual address in separate fields like I can in the address book. The phone number isn't really critical since I have all these destinations already in the contact list of my phone, which I can also call up on the Acura's screen. It also seems like more work maintaining phone numbers both in my phone's contact list and the Acura's address book. I could also get around the lack of an actual address by simply making the names of my waypoints more descriptive, so instead of simply "Holiday Inn" I would name it "Holiday Inn 345 Main St".
And of course the most obvious benefit of using imported waypoints, is that I can prepare hundreds of them sitting at the computer and importing them into the Acura in just seconds. I can keep the list updated on the computer, and occasionally replace the entire list on the Acura with the updated version.
I think I may be making more use of "Waypoints" in the future.
I would be interested to hear why you prefer using the address book rather than the "Waypoints" folder.
I find that scrolling my address book horizontally to find a category, and then scrolling vertically to find a destination, takes just as much time as scrolling the "All" tab of the address book. Based on that assumption I don't think it would be any more of a problem to scroll the alphabetical waypoint list to find a destination. Scrolling this list is much more preferable than entering each individual waypoint into the Address Book.
True, but I have some 100 waypoints so far and scrolling to the bottom half can take some time. So I found it easier and quicker to categorize them in the address book.
By the way, to get them into the address book, I had to click each waypoint, then scroll down to add to address book (something like that).
And of course the most obvious benefit of using imported waypoints, is that I can prepare hundreds of them sitting at the computer and importing them into the Acura in just seconds. I can keep the list updated on the computer, and occasionally replace the entire list on the Acura with the updated version.
I think I may be making more use of "Waypoints" in the future.
Updating the list that way is easy as you state. I have all waypoints still there and for the time I need to recall that odd one that I hardly every use or need. Nothing like having info available on hand.
Originally Posted by RDX-Rick
I would be interested to hear why you prefer using the address book rather than the "Waypoints" folder.
True, but I have some 100 waypoints so far and scrolling to the bottom half can take some time. So I found it easier and quicker to categorize them in the address book.).
I understand if you may want to choose anyone of those 100 waypoints when you start navigating from home, then the organization of the "address book" may be beneficial to you.
I also have a 100 waypoints, but only about 1/4 of them are ever required when I begin the trip from home. For example I may want to visit "Uncle Bob" in Ottawa, so I need to find his waypoint in the address book. After visiting "Uncle Bob" I will be looking for one of my usual restaurants before heading back to the hotel at the end of the day. All of my favorite restaurants and hotels only need to be save as "waypoints" (and not address book entries). When leaving "Uncle Bob's" house I only need to select the "waypoints" menu and I immediately see all my favorite places in Ottawa on the first screen. That lets me drive off much quicker without horizontal and vertical scrolling of the address book.
Over the last day I experimented with loading a waypoint.kml file with the location of all the schools in my town. I told the navigation system to sound an alert tone when I was within a certain distance. I think these alerts will get on my nerves quickly, but it proved useful today when the police are out in force monitoring speeds in the school zones (first days of school).
I understand if you may want to choose anyone of those 100 waypoints when you start navigating from home, then the organization of the "address book" may be beneficial to you.
In my case, exactly.
Originally Posted by RDX-Rick
I also have a 100 waypoints, but only about 1/4 of them are ever required when I begin the trip from home. For example I may want to visit "Uncle Bob" in Ottawa, so I need to find his waypoint in the address book. After visiting "Uncle Bob" I will be looking for one of my usual restaurants before heading back to the hotel at the end of the day. All of my favorite restaurants and hotels only need to be save as "waypoints" (and not address book entries). When leaving "Uncle Bob's" house I only need to select the "waypoints" menu and I immediately see all my favorite places in Ottawa on the first screen. That lets me drive off much quicker without horizontal and vertical scrolling of the address book.
I noticed how that would come in handy when switching from sorting in Alphabetical to Distance.
Originally Posted by RDX-Rick
Over the last day I experimented with loading a waypoint.kml file with the location of all the schools in my town. I told the navigation system to sound an alert tone when I was within a certain distance. I think these alerts will get on my nerves quickly, but it proved useful today when the police are out in force monitoring speeds in the school zones (first days of school).
Well I never ended up in the hospital due to someone doing 20 over, but I did end up in the hospital for 2 weeks and another 4 months on crutches thanks to a cell phone yapping idiot in his car doing less than the speed limit. By far the number 1 cause of collisions, injuries and deaths for some time now. Notice I didn't call them "accidents".
05-14-2017, 11:34 AM
