It is possible to create a file from an edited cue sheet that may be downloaded to a Garmin GPS device. The file format is .gpx, which is intended to be a universal exchange format for GPS devices. Garmin’s MapSource will read such files and download the route to a GPS device. Note: such transfers are not possible with Edit cue sheets prepared from DeLorme files; however, DeLorme’s Topo USA 6.0, and only this DeLorme produce, will output a .gpx file directly.

There are several reasons for doing this:

• In order to edit the names of via’s -- MapSource via names.
• To automatically adjust the length and uniqueness of waypoint names.
• To use routes from programs that do not produce suitable GPS files -- TOPO!.
• To name waypoints from programs that lack names -- Pedometer, TOPO!.
• To prefix the waypoint names with turn indicators when using direct routes, thus overcoming the 50 waypoint limit of Garmin devices..

To create a file, load an Edit cue sheet, and then click the globe icon on the CueSheetMaker toolbar:

When clicked, this icon opens the following dialog:

There are three choices for waypoint names.

The first choice, “10 Character name” checks the existing names on the Edit cue sheet, truncates them if they are longer than the 10 character limit of Garmin GPS devices and makes sure that they are unique. In case of a name conflict, digits are added at the end of one of the names.

The second choice, “Direction-name” prefixes waypoint names with directions: for example, “Main Street” would become “L-Main Str”, which is 10 characters long. Such a prefix is useful when using direct routes on the GPS device, since turn directions are not displayed in this mode. Direct routes are useful when roads are missing from maps, such as a bicycle trail. A direct route allows correct routing in all cases. Direct routes are also useful when their are more than 50 waypoints, which is the Garmin limit for autorouting (This limit is no doubt due to memory limitations on the devices.)

The final choice, “Direction-heading”, creates waypoint names by combining direction and heading information. For example, a waypoint might be named, “L-NW”, indicating a left turn in a northwesterly direction.

Clicking OK, will bring up a save as dialog, allowing the saving of the resulting file to a location of the user’s choice. The file type is .gpx, which can be read by MapSource, and subsequently can be transferred to a Garmin device.