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?

 

[MaybeweeGS]

i think i have been down this rabbit hole before.
I agree that Basecamp was a good tool when you got used to it.
However, no Windows so no Basecamp, creates the need for another solution.

 

[wessie]

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?

use the trip planner within the device. I do this with my Zumo 390 often, to the point it is by far the quickest way to plot a single day's route with 5 or 6 waypoints due to familiarity with the process. If mid trip I can use Google maps to locate the critical junctions and whack them into the Zumo. If in a hotel I can use the 10" Android tablet on wifi to give me more screen real estate to work with on Google maps. I tend to download Google map tiles so I am not reliant on 4G in the boondocks.

 

[glenn2926]

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?

Just stick the laptop in my panniers and plot routes using Basecamp according to the weather. The expensive paid for apps are ok for very basic A to B routes which some on here seem ok with. I/we like a more picturesque or interesting route.

 

[glenn2926]

i think i have been down this rabbit hole before.
I agree that Basecamp was a good tool when you got used to it.
However, no Windows so no Basecamp, creates the need for another solution.

Windows works here. Has it vanished elsewhere?