VK repeater locations on your Garmin GPS

One of our members has ported repeater QTH details to a Garmin points of interest file.

In preparation for an around Australia trip, I wanted to know what repeaters are available and how far away they are. The result of that investigation is a POI (Points of Interest) file, suitable for Garmin navigators

When I enter a new town/area or if I stop for the night, a quick check on the nuvi will let me know if there is a repeater close by and any other data needed to access it.

POI files can be added to almost any Garmin navigator (nuvi, Drive etc) and most already have one – a speed camera POI. The navigator has a file structure much like Windows and this POI file should be copied directly into the POI folder of the navigator. On most navigators, you’ll find this folder in the root directory.

Use a standard USB cable with a mini usb plug on one end for the copy. This is also a good time to backup the nuvi to a spare flash drive ‘just in case’.

Dependant on your model of Navigator you may find this data in different places…

In earlier nuvi’s you’ll find it under ‘Where To?’>’Extras’>Custom POIs’
In later model nuvis and Drives – ‘Where To?’>’Custom POIs’ – you can add the Custom POIs icon to the list via ‘Add Shortcut’ and then maybe move it to wherever you want by pressing on the icon then dragging it.

This file includes the repeater callsign, the primary mode of the repeater (FM/APCO P25/DMR/Fusion/ATV), Input and Output frequency, and the access tone (if applicable).

Some repeaters will display in excess of 12400 kms away (e.g. VK2RNG). This is because the original data included no coordinates for those repeaters. Most likely it is a portable repeater for WICEN or perhaps the Scout Association for that state.

I’ll update this POI file periodically – the file is not date coded so updates should simply be copied directly over any old file – other POI files present will not be affected.

The Garmin file may be downloaded from the link below.