I’ve just bought a Garmin XT

[MaybeweeGS]

Having read Mr. Heath's carefully crafted, Route Creation Guidance, manual it seems to me, that even if you currently only using an offline, no voice guidance, route map -- with a gps location dot, it might be useful to adopt some basic principles from that treatise.

So if at some point you opt to use a Garmin, the "route rules" are already second nature.

Key points I took from the information are -

Do not start a route at your intended starting point. Always make the first navigation point a "short" distance from there.

Place a navigation point a "short" distance onward from any junction that is on the route.

If a "main road" is near your intended road place navigation points a "short" distance after any road junction that leads to that main road.

Zoom in and check navigation point locations.

If anyone thinks these points are not incorrect or irelevant -- please speak up.

 

[glenn2926]

Having read Mr. Heath's carefully crafted, Route Creation Guidance, manual it seems to me, that even if you currently only using an offline, no voice guidance, route map -- with a gps location dot, it might be useful to adopt some basic principles from that treatise.

So if at some point you opt to use a Garmin, the "route rules" are already second nature.

Key points I took from the information are -

Do not start a route at your intended starting point. Always make the first navigation point a "short" distance from there.

Place a navigation point a "short" distance onward from any junction that is on the route.

If a "main road" is near your intended road place navigation points a "short" distance after any road junction that leads to that main road.

Zoom in and check navigation point locations.

If anyone thinks these points are not incorrect or irelevant -- please speak up.

I plot routes using Basecamp as it is by far the easiest for me to use. I just draw my route on it and send to device. No need to start the route in The wrong place, no need for billions of way points, no need to export it as this, that or the other. No need to place navigation points or shaping points, and it costs nothing, it’s free.

 

[jefformston]

I plot routes using Basecamp as it is by far the easiest for me to use. I just draw my route on it and send to device. No need to start the route in The wrong place, no need for billions of way points, no need to export it as this, that or the other. No need to place navigation points or shaping points, and it costs nothing, it’s free.

Not very portable though, what do you do for a 3-4 week jaunt around Europe following the weather with no real plan when you leave home?