A question for the GPS users

[turbocity tom]

In May I am doing a 4300 mile tour of the western states, mostly on secondary roads and the senic backways. I usually use the folded paper GPS but with this trip I am considering a more modern electronic GPS.

My question is, Can you program in the route that you want to take and how is it done. I picture these things working like map quest where you put in an address and it finds the way to get there, which may not be the way I want to go.

Thanks for any education that you can give Tom

[georgeorge]

I use Microsoft Streets and trips to plan my route. What you do is put in a starting point then put in an ending point. If it doesn't plan the route the way you would like to go, you start to add waypoints in the middle until you are satisfied with the route. I then take those waypoints and plug them in the GPS and viola....usually the same route.

[jeff4912]

With my Garmin Street Pilot, I can make the route I want by either creating the route on my computer and downloading it to the gps, or just using the gps and scolling across the map and placing the waypoints or via point where I want the route to go.

[tricky_micky]

I use the GPs exactly os the others have posted.

I may use the computer a little more as I spend a lot of time in front of the damn things LOL :p:

I look at where I want to go and then plan a route, using my destination as a waypoint.

If I want to detour, I just look at the route on the PC, mess about and maybe add a detour on my route and add it as a waypoint. I then sometimes recalculate and save the new route with the new waypoints and then copy them to the GPS unit.

I have the Garmin 2610, and it really has helped me with my business in getting to places. Saves all of those folded maps!

Mick

[turbocity tom]

So what it looks like is that for every deviation from the most direct route, it would take an input (waypoint) to correct the path. Is it easy to enter the waypoints and typically how many waypoints are allowed on a route?
The path I have mapped out does have many route changes.

Thanks for the help Tom

[georgeorge]

If I was you I would plan my route in stages if you have too many waypoints. But you should be alright. There is a setting to use highways more or less frequently and another to use urban roads more or less frequently. My GPS will handle 50 waypoints.

[tricky_micky]

Tom

It really matters not what you put into the GPS. If you have the main route fed into the system say from A to B.

You can then look at the route and think I would like to stop off at a small town in order to have a look around for or some food.

It matters not if you go off the GPS route to enter somewhere be it for your wife to spend money on your credit card, or for you both to look for somewhere to take a leak.

As soon as you go off the route you planned and fed into the system, it will come back and start re-calculating to bring you back on the route you planned.

You can ignore this of course, and go wherever you want off that route you put into the GPS, but you will continually get that voice telling you that you are off route and it is recalculating.

The bottom line is that, if you have a journey from A to B and it suits your travelling needs and is a good route for you.

Sorry for any spelling errors, it is getting late over here LOL

Mick
If you decide to go off route and visit some nice place and discover, then switch the GPS off! Then explore to your hearts content and do your own thing.

Once you decide you have had enough and want to get back to your journey, you can switch the GPS back on, it will pick up your present position. You then go to Routes, start the route that you originally set up which was from A to B, or your destination waypoint, tell the GPS to take you to that waypoint or destination from your present position, and away you go

[turbocity tom]

I am looking at the Sony NV-70T, Tom Tom, or the Lowrance Iway 350. (Leaning toward the Sony unit)

Any comments on which is the easist to use? Any problems with these units?


Thanks Tom

[Medicine Bear]

I am looking at the Sony NV-70T, Tom Tom, or the Lowrance Iway 350. (Leaning toward the Sony unit)

Any comments on which is the easist to use? Any problems with these units?


Thanks Tom

I'm not intimately familiar with any of these units, Tom, but conventional wisdom seems to be this:

Get a unit that is waterproof.

Get a unit that does not use a hard drive for storage as it is susceptible to damage from a bike's ride.

Make sure the internal memory or added memory (via a storage card) is large enough to hold all the data you want. For instance, my Garmin 2610, with a 2GB compact flash card, can hold all the information on the whole USA and Canada so there's no need to continuously load maps as you travel.

Fred :03biker:

[CaST]

I think the 2610 allows 500 waypoints. Quite frankly, its a pain in the butt to use the computer to create routes using way points and even more difficult using the GPS itself. IMHO.

Garmin still doesn't have a way in which to download a trip that I have taken from the GPS and allow me to save it as a route to use over and over. Garmin stopped updating the 2600 units with new features so I doubt that they will do anything about usability.

The reason why Garmin's stock has done so well is because all of our guys in the middle east have them. I have heard good things about the Tom Tom. The other thing is that you want a unit that you can mount easily with common components. GPS City has a lot of stuff and ram ball mounts have a lot of stuff.

Good luck Tom. Really love the performance from the item I bought from you.

[Blue STreak]

I agree that using the GPS to plan a route with waypoints is a pain. But I don't think it's difficult at all on a PC using MapSource. MapSource takes a little getting used to, but once you've played with it a while it's pretty straightforward.

As for which GPS to buy, be aware that not all include software to enable you to create routes on a PC. I, personally, wouldn't buy one that doesn't.

Most Garmin units do. Neither the TomTom nor the Lowrance, I believe include such software. The TomTom was reviewed here:

http://www.webbikeword.com

and doesn't sound very good to me. I know nothing about the Sony.

In general, Garmin units seem to be the favorite of ST riders, either the 26xx or 27xx series, or the Quest 2. I'm not certain if the Quest includes MapSource or not. All the 26xx and 27xx units do. The Quest will run off a built in battery, if you want to use it off the bike. The 26/27xx units don't.

Reconditioned 2610s are available, with full Garmin warranty, are available for about $500. I think that's the best bargain in bike GPS available right now. Oh, don't buy a 2620, not matter what the price. It uses a hard disk, which isn't too reliable on a bike.

[nm6r]

Tom, in an attempt to answer your question about how many way points need to be added when you want to deviate from the point a to point b route...

You will want a way point any time you want to change direction.

For example, if your gps says your route should be west on Chapman, north on I-5, west on Ball Rd. with your destination at Ball & Brookhurst. If you put in a waypoint at Chapman & Brookhurst, your new route will be west on Chapman, north on Brookhurst to your destination at Ball & Brookhurst.


HTH

Ray
http://www.frontiernet.net/~st1300rider/smile04Bikerwheelie.gif

[Highrider]

Tom

Use the GPS and paper maps at the level you feel comfortable with. A trip like you are describing is better left to planning a basic route and wander your way to daily targets. Use the GPS for periodic guidance or avoiding problems.
I did a 6200 mile trip through the western states and used the GPS for about 15% routing, and 10% for periodic destinations- IT WAS GREAT. Sometimes the best part IS getting loST.
You will find that another great feature of using the GPS out west is when you can see a storm 30 to 50 miles away, you can instantly determine if there is a good optional route around it. We don't get that kind of visibility here in the midweST.
I have seen a GPS ruin trips for my friends when they depend on it too much and are over their heads and not proficient in its use. The right unit is important - tap into the experience of this group, you can't go wrong !!
Good Luck

Dave
:biker:

[CaST]

Tom

Use the GPS and paper maps at the level you feel comfortable with. A trip like you are describing is better left to planning a basic route and wander your way to daily targets. Use the GPS for periodic guidance or avoiding problems.
I did a 6200 mile trip through the western states and used the GPS for about 15% routing, and 10% for periodic destinations- IT WAS GREAT. Sometimes the best part IS getting loST.
You will find that another great feature of using the GPS out west is when you can see a storm 30 to 50 miles away, you can instantly determine if there is a good optional route around it. We don't get that kind of visibility here in the midweST.
I have seen a GPS ruin trips for my friends when they depend on it too much and are over their heads and not proficient in its use. The right unit is important - tap into the experience of this group, you can't go wrong !!
Good Luck

Dave
:biker:
Yeah, I should have added that I don't travel without my GPS. I use it most when trying to find a specific address. Its on the bike or in the car and I set out with my home as the source and the address of the final destination and I don't pay must attention to it until I am with 5 miles of the destination. In addition, on the bike I use it to check my speed because the speed-o-meter on the ST is off.

[turbocity tom]

Thanks for all the input. I think the trip that I have planned may be too complex for using the GPS as the main source of navigation. I think I may get the unit just as a backup as I will be traveling in a lot of areas that I have never been in before.

Thanks to everyone. Tom

[newbornst1300]

Thanks for all the input. I think the trip that I have planned may be too complex for using the GPS as the main source of navigation. I think I may get the unit just as a backup as I will be traveling in a lot of areas that I have never been in before.

Thanks to everyone. Tom
Thanks for asking all those questions for me Tom.
I have a number of LD trips planned for this year and was considering a Garmin 2610 or Quest2 but I think now I will stick to paper as it seems the GPS units are a bit of a pain to program.
I have been using Streets and Trips to map out the route and print a page map for each days ride.The maps seem pretty easy to follow and should be easy to read in the map pocket.
Thanks again for all the valuable input. One more question though...
Has anybody had a GPS unit fail while on a ride and had to resort to a map?

[CaST]

Thanks for asking all those questions for me Tom.
I have a number of LD trips planned for this year and was considering a Garmin 2610 or Quest2 but I think now I will stick to paper as it seems the GPS units are a bit of a pain to program.
I have been using Streets and Trips to map out the route and print a page map for each days ride.The maps seem pretty easy to follow and should be easy to read in the map pocket.
Thanks again for all the valuable input. One more question though...
Has anybody had a GPS unit fail while on a ride and had to resort to a map?
The GPS is good if you want to find an address or location once you are in the area, or its great if you need to get from A to B. Its not good for planning trips without using the PC software to map out the trip then then download it to the GPS. I use it because I have customers all over Northern California and I don't want to spend a bunch of time looking at maps or stopping at gas stations.

[clacot]

Hi tom

I used GPS for planning my vacation.. the most simple is the Etrex ( Garmin) it has 300 waypoints , its plenty enough.. easy to use , and then i use GoogleEarth program to find all my trip and also the waypoints a need. I am not using GPS for every stop or turn but the most important interception ( that little road you don't want to miss) Next summer i plan to visit California from Quebec canada and believe me its a long trip so i need few waypoint just to not loosing time to find my way.