City Navigator and Personal Route? :O/

[+infiniteMPG]

We just upgraded from out Garmin MAP60C to a Garmin MAP60CSx, mainly so we could load more maps from our City Navigator program onto the SD card. We love the routing but had a question that we are sure someone has an answer to.

 

If we have a "way" or route we go to get from one place to another, can we load a pre-determined route into the GPSr and have the GPSr follow that turn-by-turn route to drive the route again? Sometimes the mapping doesn't take into account "short cuts" or toll roads and we have relatives we visit and after many trips we have found the best way to get there which doesn't match what City Navigator thinks is the best way. We would like to load that in and have then follow that route without having the GPSr keep telling us to make U-turns and get back on "it's" route

 

Also, can we use Mapsource or something and create a route and then upload it and follow it?

 

THANKS!

[+fratermus]

Routes built in mapsource in autorouting GPS with autorouting maps is a bit non-obvious.

 

My unscientific take:

 

If you make a route, it will upload only the start and endpoints; any autogenerated "calculate route" viapoints are discarded since your GPSr is expected to handle the autorouting.

 

I think if you manually insert waypoint viapoints, these will be uploaded and the GPSr will effectively autoroute between those viapoints. More points = greater adherence to your route, although it still may wander.

 

Test it for yourself and report back; it's been a few months since I've looked at this.

[+Klatch]

Routes built in mapsource in autorouting GPS with autorouting maps is a bit non-obvious.

 

My unscientific take:

 

If you make a route, it will upload only the start and endpoints; any autogenerated "calculate route" viapoints are discarded since your GPSr is expected to handle the autorouting.

 

I think if you manually insert waypoint viapoints, these will be uploaded and the GPSr will effectively autoroute between those viapoints. More points = greater adherence to your route, although it still may wander.

 

Test it for yourself and report back; it's been a few months since I've looked at this.

Well, my first thought was, "Why do you need a route on the GPS if you know shortcuts?". Nevertheless, like fratermus, I haven't done this in a while. So, I constructed a rather convoluted route on my PC using via points and downloaded it to the 76CSx. It used the via points from the PC route and followed the route exactly. I did not upload the via points as waypoints, but the route included them on the handheld.

[+infiniteMPG]

Well, my first thought was, "Why do you need a route on the GPS if you know shortcuts?".

The shortcuts are only at certain stages of the trip and like tomorrow, when we're traveling completely across the state, it's nice to be alerted when a turn is coming up and see approximately how long until we arrive

 

Nevertheless, like fratermus, I haven't done this in a while. So, I constructed a rather convoluted route on my PC using via points and downloaded it to the 76CSx. It used the via points from the PC route and followed the route exactly. I did not upload the via points as waypoints, but the route included them on the handheld.

Okay, feeling like a real rookie here, what's a "via point"? And can this be done thru Mapsource?

[roybassist]

Well, my first thought was, "Why do you need a route on the GPS if you know shortcuts?".

The shortcuts are only at certain stages of the trip and like tomorrow, when we're traveling completely across the state, it's nice to be alerted when a turn is coming up and see approximately how long until we arrive

Exactly. There are places that I know just well enough to know that there’s a better way to go, and generally what it is, but not necessarily well enough to know when the next turn is coming while I’m driving. I can look at the map on my computer and figure it out; but while driving it, I need a little help so I don’t miss turns. The GPS makes it easy.

 

Okay, feeling like a real rookie here, what's a "via point"? And can this be done thru Mapsource?

Technically, any intermediate point between the beginning and end of a route is a via point. It is a point the route is supposed to pass through. Vias come in two categories.

 

One category is waypoints. You can insert waypoints into a route by opening the Route Properties dialog in MapSource and clicking Insert Waypoint.

 

The other category doesn’t have a formal name that I’m aware of, so I’ll call them “map vias”. Map vias are created in MapSource by clicking on a route with the Selection tool. This will cause the route to “rubber band”. You can then drag the route to a location where you want to insert a via (a road you want to take), and click. A via will be added to the route and the route will recalculate to go through the new via.

 

Map vias have the advantage that they don’t take up waypoint memory, and if you delete the route, they are deleted with it.

 

Whether you use waypoints or map vias, you can change the order of them in your route on the Via Points tab in the Route Properties dialog by clicking on a point and then on the arrows to the left of the list of vias. There is a limit of 50 via points (either type) per route for auto routes. For off road routes, the limit is 250 per route.

[+infiniteMPG]

Exactly. There are places that I know just well enough to know that there’s a better way to go, and generally what it is, but not necessarily well enough to know when the next turn is coming while I’m driving. I can look at the map on my computer and figure it out; but while driving it, I need a little help so I don’t miss turns. The GPS makes it easy.

After being tired or in conversation during a trip we have occasionaly blown past an exit and then looked around and said "Where the h*ll are we???" and had to backtrack. It's nice to get that "BEEP!! HEy dummy! Get ready to turn!" announcement

 

The other category doesn’t have a formal name that I’m aware of, so I’ll call them “map vias”. Map vias are created in MapSource by clicking on a route with the Selection tool. This will cause the route to “rubber band”. You can then drag the route to a location where you want to insert a via (a road you want to take), and click. A via will be added to the route and the route will recalculate to go through the new via.

Being at work and without Mapsource readily available I need to ask, can you plot point to point on road directions directly in Mapsource like you can with the GPSr? If you can then I can see a real easy way to do this. Just let it plot the way it thinks you should go, tweak it and then upload it. And another rookie question, after you get the route uploaded can you just pick that to follow?

 

If you can't tell 99.9% of my GPSr experience has been that the geocache is about 150-feet off in this direction....

[+Klatch]

Exactly. There are places that I know just well enough to know that there’s a better way to go, and generally what it is, but not necessarily well enough to know when the next turn is coming while I’m driving. I can look at the map on my computer and figure it out; but while driving it, I need a little help so I don’t miss turns. The GPS makes it easy.

After being tired or in conversation during a trip we have occasionaly blown past an exit and then looked around and said "Where the h*ll are we???" and had to backtrack. It's nice to get that "BEEP!! HEy dummy! Get ready to turn!" announcement

 

The other category doesn’t have a formal name that I’m aware of, so I’ll call them “map vias”. Map vias are created in MapSource by clicking on a route with the Selection tool. This will cause the route to “rubber band”. You can then drag the route to a location where you want to insert a via (a road you want to take), and click. A via will be added to the route and the route will recalculate to go through the new via.

Being at work and without Mapsource readily available I need to ask, can you plot point to point on road directions directly in Mapsource like you can with the GPSr? If you can then I can see a real easy way to do this. Just let it plot the way it thinks you should go, tweak it and then upload it. And another rookie question, after you get the route uploaded can you just pick that to follow?

 

If you can't tell 99.9% of my GPSr experience has been that the geocache is about 150-feet off in this direction....

In MapSource, choose New Route. Use the waypoint tool to select points you want your route to go through (as well as the beginning and ending points). Go to the route properties and make sure the waypoints (via points) are in the correct order. Recalculate. The route should be the path you desire. Download the route to your GPS and it will also take the via points (waypoints) with it.

[+infiniteMPG]

In MapSource, choose New Route. Use the waypoint tool to select points you want your route to go through (as well as the beginning and ending points). Go to the route properties and make sure the waypoints (via points) are in the correct order. Recalculate. The route should be the path you desire. Download the route to your GPS and it will also take the via points (waypoints) with it.

Cool!!! We're traveling across the state tomorrow morning and I hope I have enough time to plot this out and try it!

 

Thanks for the help!!!

[roybassist]

can you plot point to point on road directions directly in Mapsource like you can with the GPSr? If you can then I can see a real easy way to do this. Just let it plot the way it thinks you should go, tweak it and then upload it. And another rookie question, after you get the route uploaded can you just pick that to follow?

Yes that’s exactly how it works. When you create the route in MapSource, you can give it just the begin and end points if you wish. You then click the Recalculate button (even if you haven’t calculated yet ). If you have the routing preferences in MapSource (see below) set to Use Auto-Routing, that will create a follow-road route that you can tweak as you said. After uploading to the unit, press MENU MENU>Routes. Highlight the route, press ENTER. At the bottom of the page that comes up, Navigate will be highlighted by default. Just press ENTER.

 

In MapSource, be sure to check out the preferences for routing (Edit>Preferences>Routing tab). There is not an analogous setting on the unit for Road Selection, but try to set the rest of them the same way you have them on the unit (MENU MENU>Setup>Routing. Don’t miss the Follow Road Options at the very bottom.) Having the settings as consistent as possible between MapSource and the unit will help minimize differences between the routes they come up with.

 

After uploading a route created in MapSource to the unit, I put it in Demo mode (Use with GPS off) and simulate navigating the route. Then I look at the route it comes up with to make sure it’s going where I intended. If it isn’t, I go back to MapSource, tweak it some more and upload it again. Doing this check is about the best you can do to assure that the route will go where you expect it to when you’re on the road.

Edited May 23, 2008 by roybassist

[roybassist]

In MapSource, choose New Route. Use the waypoint tool to select points you want your route to go through (as well as the beginning and ending points). Go to the route properties and make sure the waypoints (via points) are in the correct order. Recalculate. The route should be the path you desire. Download the route to your GPS and it will also take the via points (waypoints) with it.

Just to add to that, you can also select two or more waypoints from the list on the Waypoint tab, right click and select Create Route using Selected Waypoint(s)…

 

I find this easier. Just personal preference.

[+Klatch]

In MapSource, choose New Route. Use the waypoint tool to select points you want your route to go through (as well as the beginning and ending points). Go to the route properties and make sure the waypoints (via points) are in the correct order. Recalculate. The route should be the path you desire. Download the route to your GPS and it will also take the via points (waypoints) with it.

Just to add to that, you can also select two or more waypoints from the list on the Waypoint tab, right click and select Create Route using Selected Waypoint(s)…

 

I find this easier. Just personal preference.

True, if you have those waypoints already defined. If not, you need to create them with the waypoint tool.