cheers.,. will take a look.. I did more of mine on the Nav 5 itself... did try it on base camp but for some reason, the planned route came off the motorway for a junction, and try as I might, I could not get it to go back on?
will watch the above.. many thanks
watched them
well that explains a lot... I've not done enough points for sure, and the point about the other side of the motorway I full understand as it was taking me back from where I'd just come.. obviouse I guess, but I did think it may have a bit more about it to know you didn't want to do that?... Also, by the time you spent doing all of this, you could of riden it? again, Id assumed it would be a bit easier, but obviously not...
right, off to play
You should find it easier to plot your routes in BaseCamp on your PC, than on your device. Why? The screen is much bigger, for starters. Using the simple A to B (start point to end point) method and then dragging the magenta to take the roads you want to ride along, all as shown in the video, is pretty easy, surely? You can then insert just about as many shaping points as you like.
As regards your ‘leave the motorway at the next exit’ problem. Yes, if you have placed a point on the opposite carriageway, then the device will do its very best to take you there..... as that is what you have told it to do. You are the master, it is your servant, don’t forget, though it can seem the other way around. Another possible cause, as I explained in the post above, is if the device has its preference set to ‘avoid motorways’. You can still create a route that takes in a motorway, simply by putting a marker (a way or shaping point) onto the motorway. The device will route you there but then take you off the motorway at the next best opportunity..... as that is what you have told it to do. By plotting routes on your PC, with its much larger screen and by careful use of your preference settings, you will be able to spot glitches much quicker and avoid them, too. I cannot emphasise the importance of preference settings and placing points on the right part of the road too much. It’s the two key fundamentals.
You should now have a good idea of why it’s important to know the difference between a waypoint and a shaping point and be able to use each accordingly. You should also be able to create A to B routes on your PC (if the bloke in the video can do it, anyone can) and drag the line to where you want to go, with precise accuracy. Your servant device will now follow your instructions completely. Yes, it might throw you the odd rare wobbly but once you get used to it, you’ll be able to sort these out on the fly, trust me on that.
Now time for another two tips.
1. If you start to use your PC to create your routes, you can start to avoid what I call ‘Garmin features’. Most people (including me) have their device and most basic calculation mode set to ‘fastest time’. This works pretty well as the software knows the speed limits for most of the roads on the map. The glitch (it’s just a product of basic maths) is when you sometimes encounter a small street that cuts a corner. The cut thro’ is shorter and at the same speed limit as the main road, therefore it will (according to basic sums) be quicker. But, as we all know, a cut the corner down a narrow street, very often is not quicker in a town. Similarly, a cut the corner out in the countryside might sometimes take you down 200 yards of small track, just to save 300 yards of good quality tarmac. Using your PC and by zooming in, you can very often spot these ‘features’ and drag the magenta line to avoid them. Yes, it takes time and yes, you can avoid them by using common sense when out riding but, at least to me, spending a few minutes sorting them out in the comfort of your home makes sense, surely?
Another time basic maths can throw up a glitch is when the route offered up, takes you through a town when (by looking at the map) it might well be quickest to take the longer ring road. Or, alternatively, taking some different roads to miss the town and its ring road completely, might make better sense. This is just the application of common sense and your imagination, no different to using a paper map and highlighter. Treat your moveable magenta line as your highlighter on a conventional map. Above all, use your imagination. Garmin, as it has responded to bikermates’ requests to provide a device to: “Take me from A to B, avoiding motorways (I feckin’ hate them) and take me twisting’. They have stripped a lot of the imagination out of it; put some back in!
When you get good at creating your own routes (it will suddenly click, trust me) you will get good at seeing bits when you’ll say to yourself, “If I go down that magenta line, I’ll end up doing a left, right, left in the town, crossing roads and I’ll have to give way a lot. If I just go here and here, it will be a bit further but easier. Let’s see...”. Then move the route. It might snap to something good.... or crazy. If so, use the undo button and try something else. Still crazy? Undo again.... and give up, sometimes Garmin really does know best. It all comes with experience. Like most things, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.
2. Once you have carefully created your route(s) on your PC and sent it to your device.... fire up your device, import them all and check them. Does the route on the device:
A. Take the same shape as that on your PC? You should be able to see the little blue dots (shaping points) and flags for any ‘must do’ waypoints? Yes, great.
B. Have just about the same mileage? Some variation is not uncommon, you’ll get used to seeing that. Use your common sense. Yes, great.
If the answer to either is a significant ‘No’ you now have the chance to sort it out from the comfort of your home. If you chose not to check, then that is up to you; you are the master, after all.
PS As to the
Also, by the time you spent doing all of this, you could of riden it? again, Id assumed it would be a bit easier, but obviously not...
Was what the bloke in the video demonstrated actually that difficult or time consuming? He did it slowly to demonstrate, I am sure he rattles along on his own.
Yup, you can just go out and ride, there is nothing to stop you at all. You are in charge of your life, not us or Garmin. Sell your device and turn off your PC, it’s that easy. Enjoy your days on the NC 500, you’ll probably not even need a map.