A couple of questions before I buy my first TomTom

[dougsmiley]

I am an avid geocacher, and I'm planning to use my new GPS primarily for this. I already have a Garmin 60csx handheld to get me to the cache once I stop the car. I was originally looking at the Garmin Nuvi line, but I am really liking TomTom's features much better. I could care less about mp3 players and other such features that have nothing to do with getting me from A to B.

I really like the itinerary idea. The only thing I have not seen is if there is a limit to the number of stops on an itinerary? I sometimes plan routes of 50+ caches, and i'm wondering if that will work. Also, does converting the route from Streets & Trips using something like GPSBabel work? Does it keep them in the order I planned them?

Second, regarding POIs. Can I search through the entire POI database by name? For example, if I am navigating to a waypoint 75 miles away, and there are 1000 waypoints closer to it, can I still find this waypoint?

Thank you for your help. I will return the favor here when I have my own TomTom and am experimenting with it.

 

[lec510]

- You can export the GPX file from the 60CSx, use POIEdit to convert it to TomTom OV2.
- Yes, you can plan route of more than 50 caches.
- You can use program POIConverter (by Richard Davies) to convert EST files to OV2. No it doesn't give you the route as planned, you have to use Tyre together with Google Earth to do that.
- Yes, you can search by name.

 

[dougsmiley]

Great! I'm very pleased with the POI abilities of the TOMTOM in comparison with the Garmin's. I'm definitely going to get a TomTom now, but which one?

How much custom POI space does each unit have out of the box? I can not find this information anywhere! I would like to be able to throw around 5,000 POIS on the unit. Which unit would this be possible on, if any?

 

[lec510]

Go for a 720 if you want the latest map and all the bells & whistles, TomTom ONE if you want best value for your money.
I have a 4G SD card, so POI is never a problem for me.

 

[46jimbo]

Please realize that TomTom units don't work off road. They will 'snap' to the nearest road. You may want to check out the 3rd party programm Off Road Navigator to see if it does the trick for you.

Also, I think I recently read that there is a 48 waypoint limit for itineraries.