GPS Waypoints - User Defined

[jimcooper1]

Can anyone tell me how to create user-defined waypoints in the Garmin GPS.  I want to practice cross country navigation using geographical features, towns etc as waypoints. How do I enter these. I can only seem to enter airfields and beacons??  Is it possible to enter Lat/Long.  Any help much appreciated.

Regards

Jim

You can view some of my custom panels and gauges on
http://hometown.aol.com/jandtcoope/

[Nav]

As far as I know, you can't enter Lat./Long., jimcooper1.

Next best thing, in my experience, though, is to use the Flight Planner and the map. If you activate the keys at the top to show 'everything' you can mouse your course line to VORs, DMEs, NDBs, air route intersections, etc., as well as airfields. Using one or other of those I find that I'm usually able to create waypoints pretty close to where I want them.

Any Flight Plan you make is automatically loaded into the GPS.

[jimcooper1]

Nav,

Thanks for yor prompt reply. Will have a 'play' this weekend!!

Regards
Jim

[garymbuska]

FSNAV is another great tool. It has a moving map that tracks you flight and will show all way points just like the map in fs does, But the differance is with fsnav if I want to fly to a specific VOR all I have to do is point the mouse over the desired VOR it will then tell me how far away it is from me what direction I need to fly to it from where I am at and the frequency of the VOR. You can use this as a flight planner as well
You access it by pressing F9.
You have to register it to use it for any length of time but in my opinion it is worth it.

[wji]

After creating the flightplan.PLN in FS9 I open it with Notepad and edit the watpoints (or add new one keeping them in sequence) by changing the coordinates which have been taken from Map View by dragging the aircraft icon to the new location and reading the coordinates on the lefthand side.

I've made many VFR (and entered some SIDs in IFR) FS9 flightplans. Here's a sample from my Iditarod Trail flightplan:

[flightplan]
AppVersion=9.0.30612
title=PANC to PAOM
description=PANC, PAOM
type=VFR
routetype=0
cruising_altitude=2500
departure_id=PANC, N61* 11.97', W150* 0.87', +000144.00
departure_position=14
destination_id=PAOM, N64* 30.85', W165* 28.02', +000045.00
departure_name=Stevens Anchorage Intl
destination_name=Nome
waypoint.0=, PANC, , PANC, A, N61* 11.97', W150* 0.87', +000144.00,
waypoint.1=, PABV, , PABV, A, N61* 24.97', W149* 30.53', +000096.00,
waypoint.2=, 71AK, , 71AK, A, N61* 31.70', W149* 29.67', +000110.00,
waypoint.3=, WASIL, , WASILLA, A, N61* 29.97', W149* 37.13', +000180.00,
waypoint.4=, KNIK, , KNIK, A, N61* 23.67', W149* 50.73', +000078.00,
waypoint.5=, SUSIT, , SUSITNA, A, N61* 22.32', W150* 15.73', +000070.00,
waypoint.6=, SWENT, , SWENTNA, A, N61* 57.92', W151* 11.48', +000148.00,
waypoint.7=, , , FINGERZ, I, N61* 57.09', W152* 7.64', +001900.00,
waypoint.8=, , , HAPPY, I, N62* 2.47', W152* 36.34', +001900.00,
waypoint.9=, PUNTI, , PUNTILA, A, N62* 5.05', W152* 43.05', +001900.00,
waypoint.10=, , , Halfway, I, N62* 9.53', W152* 49.62', +002000.00,
waypoint.11=, , , PassCrk, I, N62* 10.35', W153* 4.76', +002200.00,
waypoint.12=, , , RainyPs, I, N62* 13.17', W153* 4.82', +002200.00,
waypoint.13=, , , GoLeft, I, N62* 13.91', W153* 6.36', +001900.00,

Notice the Waypoint Names are editable as well With thiis type of flightplan one fly the mountain passes at low altitudes. Cool.

[jimcooper1]

WJI,

Fantastic,  thanks very much

Jim