660 Quirks

[Joybringer]

Just returned from a jolly to the South of France via the Route Napoleon, and when I get a bit more time (probably Friday) I'll post some more details, but briefly...

1. The Altitude function appears to stop at 1000 metres height
2. Volume issues with the telephone via a Parrot SK4000 and the 660 - far too loud
3. Volume issues with the bing-bonging sound everytime it recognises a Fixed or Mobile Safety [speed] camera location - far too loud
4. When I tried plotting a route from the South Coast to Calais, it told me the route was too long!

I'm going to get some more information from Garminb and Parrot, and will post the full details and (hopefully) a solution in a couple of days.

 

[nedflanders]

If nothing else the 660 is quirky,
1.got the same problems with volume when bluetoothed to my intercom, very loud and volume adjustment doesn't affect the proximity alerts,
2. it connects to only the oldest phones properly,
3. you spend ages plotting a route on mapsource just so the 660 recalculates it anyway
If a car had this many faults it would have gone back by now, still love it though

 

[Joybringer]

If nothing else the 660 is quirky,
1.got the same problems with volume when bluetoothed to my intercom, very loud and volume adjustment doesn't affect the proximity alerts,
2. it connects to only the oldest phones properly,
3. you spend ages plotting a route on mapsource just so the 660 recalculates it anyway
If a car had this many faults it would have gone back by now, still love it though

Possibly an egg-sucking comment (if so, sorry!), but you do Import the routes once you've sent them to the device?

Mine hasn't skipped a beat in that respect, and I've set some very challenging (and numerous) waypoints / vias.

It does sound as thought you may not have Imported them.

 

[nedflanders]

Possibly an egg-sucking comment (if so, sorry!), but you do Import the routes once you've sent them to the device?

Mine hasn't skipped a beat in that respect, and I've set some very challenging (and numerous) waypoints / vias.

It does sound as thought you may not have Imported them.

You could be right, all I'm doing is plotting the route in mapsource the clicking send to device, it then appears in the custom routes option, so sounds like I'm doing it wrong then??

 

[Malcvtr]

You have to import it on the device after sending it to the device. The route I have used is:

Tools > My Data > Import Data > Routes > click on file name > click Import

 

[Joybringer]

You have to import it on the device after sending it to the device. The route I have used is:

Tools > My Data > Import Data > Routes > click on file name > click Import

+1

 

[nedflanders]

You have to import it on the device after sending it to the device. The route I have used is:

Tools > My Data > Import Data > Routes > click on file name > click Import

Cheers I'll have a play at the weekend

 

[ST4S]

You Shouldn't Need to Run 'Import' After Sending Routes To device

Hi all, I was just browsing the forum having recently moved from a Quest to the Zumo 660 and bumped into this thread.

Having 4 years of doing this kind of stuff on the Q1 I was intrigued by the part of the thread that talked about having to run some kind of import process after sending waypoint/route files to the Zumo from Mapsource.

I can confirm that it's not the case with my Zumo. A straight 'send to device' process transferred everything as I expected,with the transferred routes appearing in the 'Custom Routes' folder and the new waypoints appearing in 'Favourites'.

I spend loads of time touring the Normandy battlefields and tend to create routes/waypoints in Mapsource before I go, then, because I always end up going off route because I find something new, I will upload the new waypoints/track logs back to the PC when I return (for future use). For testing I therefore used some of my old Quest routes (created with V9 maps) and also created new ones with V10.

The only recalculating that the unit carried out was when I transferred some of the old Quest routes (because they had been created in V9 of the maps). Routes created in V10 in Mapsource transferred without recalculating and seem to be fine (although obviously I haven't been back to France to test them yet).

So, for what it's worth, I'm transferring routes/waypoints with no subsequent import required by the Zumo.

 

[Joybringer]

If you're sending routes etc to the Zumo's internal memory, rather than an additional, optional, Micro SD card within the Zumo, then you don't need to recalculate.

Currently, routes sent to the Micro SD card (the 660 only stores 20 routes internally) will still need to be Imported.

Apparently, Garmin are working on resolving that issue so you don't have to Import routes at all.

 

[Michaelk]

USB cable connected to the wrong port?

My 660 displays this message on the screen, while mounted in the cradle on the bike!

Any ideas?

I did notice that unless I imported the data, the routes went in as straight lines from way point to way point. Importing solved this problem.

 

[John Armstrong]

My 550 showed a very similar message (if not exactly that one) when there was some moisture in the bike mounts usb port. A spraying with WD40 sorted it out

 

[nedflanders]

My 660 displays this message on the screen, while mounted in the cradle on the bike!

Any ideas?

Mine did the same until eventually it didn't recognise the bike mount at all, had to return the mount to Garmin for a new one, cured the problem.

 

[Joybringer]

Michaelk -The latest software fix cures this problem when transferring routes to the internal memory, but routes still need to be Imported if you want to store them on a Micro SD card - but this should be fixed (apparently) very soon by Garmin.

As an aside, my on/off button has now lost it's 'spring' meaning it's liable to stay on [depressed], flattening the battery, as I found out the other day.

That'll be another call to Garmin, then...

 

[cookie]

so,

just to clarify: to run routes exactly as created in mapsource, i need to put them on a memory card if there's more than 20 of them?

less and they can be stored in fixed memory?

what size card can i use?

why isn't this stuff in the manual? apologies if it is, but i can't find it

 

[Joybringer]

Hi Cookie. No, it's not in the manual

The current situation does appear to be that up to 20 routes (whether created in MapSource or on the 660 itself) can be stored on the 660's internal memory, without the need for Importing. In other words, it's a straight copy of what you've spent ages creating in MapSource.

However, if you want more than 20 routes, you have no choice than to Send them to the Micro SD card, and then Import them to replicate the plotted route.

There are a number of conflicting and/or confusing stories about this, around the various Fora, but this seems to be the most common understanding. However, some people have complained than even using this method (even on v3.20) has resulted in re-calculated routes, missing crucial parts of the planned journey. The best solution seems to be to incorporate "loads" of Vias (WayPoints) when you first plot the route in MapSource.

I've found this to be the most reliable method. However, if you're not precise enough with placing the Via markers, you can end up down cul-de-sacs, or one-way streets, with the 600 telling you all sorts of weird and wonderful instructions to get out of it!

If you PM me your email address, I'll send you some route files for the Alps Trip, and you'll see what I mean about the Vias.

Yoy

PS - try http://www.zumoforums.com and/or http://garminzumo-660.wikispaces.com/

you'll need to register for the first one, but it's free.

Oh - I use SanDisk high speed 4Gb Micro SDHC cards. I think the maximum is 8Gb, but can't be certain.

 

[cookie]

i am just about to start the process of creating the mapsource routes for switzerland.
would be nice to see yours, but i will still be doing mine as well as i think it will further my understanding of the 660.
PM sent

it seems the zumo is different in a few respects from my previous gps units (2610, gpsMap60Csx) in some ways. so while i am pretty familiar with those units, i am playing catch up with the new one.

it would be nice if it could follow the route as created on the computer as the 2610 could, but the Csx can't.

 

[chasr]

it would be nice if it could follow the route as created on the computer as the 2610 could

No-one has come up with an exact description how the later (routing) units - both Nuvis & Zumos - actually go about their import task. For those that started with SPIIIs, Quests & 2610s, etc, the process was simple; you created in Msource, imported the route and rode it exactly as created. If your mapset on the PC was exactly the same as the unit, inclucing the compression algorithm (NT/non-NT), then the unit would not recalculate and everything was fine. Until you went off route. Or planned on a different mapset. Then your mighty Quest would recalculate, and off you went down the nearest motorway.

Those nice Garmin people obviously thought this method wasn't good enough and, at the same time, their market shifted to the car user & away from us folk. We ended up with the Nuvi. Even the Zumo 660 is really a Nuvi underneath - it's very similar to the Nuvi 550. All the units are pretty much the same nowadays, though with different functionality. For instance, the ability to switch off Auto-recalc - the Zumo 660 can, the Nuvi 550 can't, the Nuvi 860 can, but the 770 can't ........

What's also changed is the route storage format GDB to GPX. It would have been nice if Garmin had explained the subtle (& not so subtle) differences between the formats, but we're finding out by trial & error. What I have discovered is that a lot more info is transferred with GPX files. The routing preferences, for example. In the good old days, if you had planned a route from A to B down the back roads, & your 2610, for whatever reason, recalculated that route then, if your preferences were set to fastest with no avoids, you knew it would take you to the nearest motorway. Now, plan a simple route between 2 points - first with avoid motorways & then again with no avoids. Transfer to Zumo/Nuvi but make sure the unit recalculates after importing the route from My Data. Observe, you still have one route which avoids motorways & one that doesn't. So, Mr Garmin has improved things, but we don't know the rules.

One massive advantage with the newer units is that you don't need an identical mapset on your PC. It makes no difference to the unit.

We need Pan European to tell us how these damn things really work. In the meantime, keep reading all the forums until you've worked it out. And, just when you have worked it out, you can be sure that the firmware will be updated & you will be back at square one.

Or, add lots of vias when planning, zoom in & inspect each & every one to make sure its actually on your road, then enjoy the trip

 

[Jacal]

We need Pan European to tell us how these damn things really work. In the meantime, keep reading all the forums until you've worked it out. And, just when you have worked it out, you can be sure that the firmware will be updated & you will be back at square one.

Or, add lots of vias when planning, zoom in & inspect each & every one to make sure its actually on your road, then enjoy the trip

+1

 

[Roger Chatterton]

OK , I can now join in with Garmin 660 quirks -or should that be "software-cock-ups" ?
I am assuming that the 660 IS out of Beta testing.
So, to Bluetooth -they really haven't quite got this right yet it seems -take my phone for example, a Nokia E71 ( no, don't take it, it's a good phone ), BUT..
managed to pair it pretty easily first time ( but could have been simpler), and whoa...there it was, the phone and Contacts on my Zumo. Phone worked receiving calls, via the 660.
So, switched Zumo off, and on restarting, the phone had to be "paired" again, and this time it kept shutting down the Zumo, as it would not get past trying to load the Nokia's Contacts- PC Sync was crashing the Zumo.
Eventually got phone and Zumo paired again, but only by cancelling PC sync on the Nokia, so now I have the phone Icon showing up on the Zumo, but NO Contacts showing !! Whichmeans that if someone phones me, I will have no idea who they are, which was the whole point of the exercise really.

I had updated phone Firmware and checked software version prior to doing anything else, so Zumo should be up to date.
The Nokia E71 is not exactly a very recent or unusual phone, so now have to wait for Garmin to get Bluetooth sorted.
Apart from that though, so far it seems good, apart from having to download the more useful "full " manual .
Rant over.

 

[illustratedman]

660

Friend of mine has one and it does come up with some very interesting routes when compared to my 2720. Doing shortest distance from our home in whitstable to santa pod it sends him via Dover? and on the quickest route refuses to send him up the M1, instead coming off the m25 earlier and up through towns. It even calculated one through central london, very strange.