Many years ago when navigraph data cycles were way slimmer than today´s cycles, I remember going through the trouble of creating files for SIDs, STARs and IAPS for some airports I regularly flew out of and that werent in the database (or at least not all procedures were). I remember from the tutorials that adding gate informaiton to the .txt  files was ridiculously easy, albeit a pain in the a...

 

I just checked randomly many different airport files in the PMDG/SIDSTARS folder. Some appear to have all gates, some have a few, and some have none. Apparently it´s a crapshoot! I remember reading in some other post God knows where that in some instaces for the gate coordinate to load properly in the FMC you´d have to append the taxiway associated with that gate (i.e Gate 12 lies off taxiway S) I cannot recall whether the taxiway should be input as a prefix or suffix (S12 or 12S). Some trial and error might prove that theory true.  

 

I certainly get a kick out of inputing a gate number on the CDU and getting the matching coordinates, but not so much that I´d go through the trouble of modifying the aiport procedure files for hours on end. Finally, most (if indeed not all) times I´ve had the priviledge to sit in the jumpseat (mostly 77s) I saw the crews actually just copying the GPS coordinates from the scratchpad and crosschecking it with their PDC from Jeppesen. 

 

Two notes: I remember reading o

 

OP, if you want to go through the trouble of inputing gate coordinates in your preferred airports, 

 

 

I saw the crews actually just copying the GPS coordinates from the scratchpad and crosschecking it with their PDC from Jeppesen. 

 

Bingo...

 

The GATE thing was there to help set initial positions before we had GPS to pull the coordinates for you.  It's only stuck around because people (and airlines, for whatever reason) are ridiculously resistant to change.

 

...and people give the FAA a hard time for being slow.  ha ha  :rolleyes:

In the real airplane I have made an entry into the GATE field exactly zero times.  Just grab the GPS position and use that.

Please disregard my last paragraphs. That's what happens when you proofread at 12 am after a couple of glasses of wine.