This is getting confusing
All I need to do is plot a route from Calais to Nice via the route napolion N85 etc without having to stop & look at maps every 10 mins.
With the basic Nuvi 2240 or 2440 do you create a route on your pc then send to the unit or create it on the actual sat nav screen ? As you can tell I'm new to this. Say I've created my route on google maps can I send this route to a sat nav device or is it not that straight forward ?
It's not as simple as falling off a log that's for sure
Both the Nuvis you list do routes in the sense that I'm talking about. The difference between A-B and proper custom routing is:
a/ Being in one place and telling your GPS you want to be at another, the GPS decides how you get there. This is the quick and dirty way and you may well find yourself heading down an autoroute rather than following that nice wiggly N road you saw on that Michelin map.
b/ You spend some time researching before you leave home, or on your netbook in your hotel room, finding the ideal route. You then plot this in Mapsource defining points to influence the route sufficiently so it goes where you want it to. You then upload this to your GPS and off you go.
For recreational biking option b/ makes the trip a pleasure whereas a/ can, quite easily, turn it into a boring drudge.
I've come across quite a few Zumo users who haven't bothered to install Mapsource and are just doing a/
The number listed against routes in the Garmin specs are the number of routes that you can have stored in the menus ready to select. You can have practically an infinite number on the SD card or in spare internal memory that you can load into the menus as you need them replacing those listed. So having 10 is only slightly less convenient that having 100. This is the same is it's a Zumo or route capable Nuvi.
Creating routes in Google Maps and transferring to a sat nav is possible but isn't quite as easy as that may sound. It is, at the least a three stage process and results may differ a little from what Google Maps does with the route and what your Garmin Nuvi does. Far better to use Mapsource and spend some time getting used to it, it does have a few quirks but is the better tool for the job in the end.
As well as Mapsource I use a program called
ITN Converter quite extensively. It enables you to convert route files between many formats and even has it's own route creating tool which is based on the Google Maps API.
You can, at a real pinch, create routes on the unit itself but I wouldn't recommend it.
Don't expect to take delivery of a Garmin, or any other, GPS three days before embarking on a tour and not have massive problems/frustration. Get it well in advance, months if possible, and use it for real (even if just to a from work) getting used to it and Mapsource. Plot routes for each day or even half day and don't try to include ferry crossings (end route at exit port and start a new one at entry port). When adding navigation points on dual carriageways ensure that the point is on the correct side of the Armco otherwise you might find yourself wondering why your GPS is asking you to double back. It pays to zoom in on each point you add to make sure it's not up a side road.
I did Nice to Calais last year (via RN85, Mt Ventoux and the Gorge du Tarn), having gone down via the Alps first. My Garmin did the lot with aplomb and enabled us to make good progress whilst riding only tasty looking N and D roads South of the Champagne region (our choice). We only looked at maps for an overview in the evening or maybe at lunch time. You're in for a treat.
Don't miss out on the Gorge du Verdon though.
Provance
