Managing Waypoints

[Scott79]

I am interested to hear how other people manage their waypoints, not so much the programs that you are using, but more so things like:

• How you name your waypoints? Spot 55, 17 Mile, Red Hill, GoodFish107 etc.
• What you do when someone gives you some points, do you import all of them into your software and compare to what you already have?
• Do you use the names they had assigned or give them your own, such as an initial from the person that gave them to you?
• Do you somehow name them that identifies that they are unverified?
• Anything else?

Scott.

[myusernam]

i put the initials from the source of the waypoint after the name. That way I know the potential quality of the waypoint. Ones I get off the net etc, some list I found to good ones by good fisherman or my own etc

[llourd]

i use a handheld which can be plugged into my computer for downloads, xfers and faster manual entry. then i take it out with me and when i find good results or solid looking structure on the sounder i mark them in real time on the boat gps.

[Malcolm W]

I use PC - Planner and transfer from my plotter to PC - Planner using the SD card supplied. They are numbered, then I put a date and a brief description next to the points.

If I get a point from another person I make the icon different to mine and a different colour (all mine are black). The points are saved on the computer and the SD card.

It's good for planning your day's activities and over time I believe it's saved the cost of the program.

Mal.

[Ozie_3]

People give you waypoints ???????

Holy secret spot Batman !!

[Malcolm W]

People give you waypoints ???????

Holy secret spot Batman !!

Not very often, most from my mates end up being several miles inland!

[ScottB]

I have been trying to sort something out in this regard for a while.

I put the initials of the source as the start of the name. I have a different symbol for each source, and I also put each source in a separate folder. This means that on my chart plotter I can display/hide by symbol or by group (folder) to get rid of the clutter. I have a folder for my (confirmed) marks and add confirmed to the notes for each mark as I locate the structure. I have also been known to add some notes along the lines of what the structure is.

I put a lot of new marks in over the weekend. It is interesting to have 3 different sources for the same spot, and have very different locations for all 3 marks. I almost need to spend a few days just driving around the ocean and not fishing.... but where is the fun in that?

I use the Raymarine software for managing my waypoints. I import all of them, and then hide the ones I don't want to see, they are still there if I want them. I doubt the accuracy of some sources (data was a bit rough) so I will hide them and when I am in an area, turn them on and go exploring.

In terms of naming them, if they are inshore I use the nearest land reference, as they get further out, I try to give them something that includes the depth (although for new marks this is automatically logged along with temp/time which is handy)but it's tough to come up with meaningful names for all of them.

I am going to start getting serious about driving over ones that are in the area and deleting the ones that are rubbish (or moving them so they are more accurate) otherwise it just becomes a mess of not knowing what is going on which is sort of where I am and trying to get away from.

[Scott79]

People give you waypoints ???????

Well, sort of... Most are sourced late at night below deck with the phone camera

[Scott79]

ScottB, I think you are all over it, being able to hide and view different folders would be a great feature. I hear what you are saying about filtering them, the accuracy of the marks as well as changing bottom features can lead to alot of tail chasing, I am becoming more ruthless in writing marks off rather than waste too much time with them. Also finding I am becoming more interested in those that are 'away from the pack' a bit.
Scott

[Dignity]

Scott, I have been doing exactly the same thing managing waypoints the last few weeks, was hoping to get out this weekend and check a few of them out but the weather is not going to be kind. I have already ditched a heap as they have proved to be unreliable or the general area will fish well but anywhere from on the mark to 50 metres away, that is, it is a general area mark only. I do print a map out of a set area with the marks on it and keep the maps in a book on one side and on the other side I have a print out of the marks on the map and have good descriptions of the marks. The advantage is that in a hurry I will write a new mark in the book as the default name given by the GPS and a quick notation, later I can update the GPS properly and also my notes, gives me time to rethink what I am going to call the waypoint etc. Some of my sources are so old that I wonder what system the GPS was using as when I have gone over a couple there was nothing there or even close to the WP.

[tunaticer]

I use mapsource and I have given up on names completely, recently went through and renamed all my points numerically from 0001 to 9999.
What i have done though is separated them into area blocks, ie, moreton bay inside, moreton bay outside, straddy inside, straddie outside, sunshine coast etc.
The names are not displayed on my chart plotter but the symbol is a red dot until it is proven, I then change it to green.
Less clutter on the screen and the system works well for me. I do not need to know a name, I move the cross hairs to the area I want to be at and select the waypoint there and navigate to that place. Any new points I find as I travel around I store those in a blue marker and the name automatically attaches.
When i get home after each trip i download the entire file and edit the new marks, renaming them if needed then reload the whole lot into the GPS again ready for the next trip.
If I am going away I simply load the marks for that general area and all marks are used with the same colour coded reference.

Names to me are problematic because ten ppl will call the same mark ten different names, I just work to the mark, not it's namesake.

[Out-Station]

I use names but my names consists of

first 2 letters = prefix for closest port, eg GC Gold Coast, DI for rainbow
next 2 letter= direction from bar NN, NE, EE, SE, SS
Then some type of name which may be letter, numbers anything, sometimes somwthing about the feature
I only keep either marks that have good ground/feature or are proven with fish. So my names my end up being something like

TBNE40MSpotty1 (trial bay, north east 40m spotty ground number 1), or
FISESGLedge3 (fraser, south east, south gardners, ledge number 3)

Works good for me.

[Scott79]

Some good info there everyone, techniques are varying depending on the plotter also, different colour WPs, name length etc.

Tunaticer I have tried to do something similar in breaking it into areas. I am using OziExplorer and doing it all at home, but it is really easy for merging groups of waypoints, filtering, checking distances etc etc. The hardest part is manually entering the points in.

Keep the info coming in!

Scott.

[Dignity]

Scoitt, lovd OziExplorer but I had an older version but it died with th eold pc and its old operating sysem, didn't want to work on the new one at all, I might purchase a newer version if I knew I could upload to the garmin 750, does it have that option on your version.

[marto78]

I have named a few of my good marks but have nearly 800 marks in my gps some of which may have been a bait school or a good bommy but I am not real sure about a lot of them. I have just bought a new garmin 620 with a touch screen which makes it a lot easier to enter names with a key board instead of having to scroll through each letter of the alphabet.
The plan is to use both plotters and type in names or just letters in front of the actual number.
eg. A big bommy in the middle of nowhere that holds trout and parrot might be called BOMTP0035 or TPBOM0035 or BIGBOM.TP

I would love to be able to put the sd card into the laptop when I get home and look at all the marks on a map but dont as yet have that sorted.