Posts made by Teejay

@Hans-van-de-Ven-MRA-Master

Hans, Reinhard et al,

After reading your replies I thought I would go on a test ride again.

This time a 70 mile circular route comprising of 17 waypoints. I saved 3 copies in gpx 1.1 Beta track, route POI format, a gpx track + POI and finally the old gpx 1.0 track, route, POI. The route made using the HERE setup.

The general idea was to follow the route (of course) but periodically go ‘off route’ or stop and switch the Garmin off plus ask the unit for a petrol station en-route.

Started off with the Beta file. All was going well, I went off route and after a re-calc it did indeed point me back on route towards a waypoint created within MRA. I ignored this, went another way which I knew re-joined the route further along. Again the Garmin steered me along the route but this time it was leading to a waypoint further away from the one I knew I was coming to. I pulled over and stopped the route altogether. I then loaded the gpx 1.0. I was off route and asked for the ‘nearest point’ to re-join. It successfully directed me ‘forward’ along the route and not further back to a known waypoint.

Again I continued along all going well, paused and flipped back to the Beta file. Set off again but later on searched for a known garage en-route. On approaching the small town a heading gave the chosen garage name and distance ahead. As it was by the roadside I just drove straight past it. I ignored the prompts to u-turn back to the garage and after 100M the Garmin ignored the garage stop and continued. I then stopped for 30 minutes before re-starting. On heading back home after 15 miles it was trying to lead me back home via another road? Strange, I ignored this and sure enough I continued on the chosen route only to find 10 miles later the Garmin was trying to take me off route again. I stopped before the Garmin ‘detour and stopped the route. I loaded the gpx 1.0 files and sure enough it was heading me back on my chosen route.

So, I realise Hans/Reinhard that this is a bit ‘hit & miss’ and ideally 2 bikes each with the different formats would be better than me stopping, starting and changing formats. I agree the Beta format does not have the waypoint flags and therefore there may be no limit to Via or Shape points when imported into the Garmin. I am allowed 29 waypoints in the 1.0 format.

The practise of importing a ‘track’ and letting the Garmin convert to ‘route’ does not fill me with confidence, although it may be perfect! I also realise that shaping routes and adding points via the Garmin is something I am not used to doing.

I am I guess not that proficient in using Sat Navs and therefore just want something simple that just works. I want a unit or file format that takes me from A to G and if I go off route at D it will not guide me towards B or C but point me in the direction of E and F. I don’t want to find myself in the middle of nowhere wrestling with a unit that does not want to go where I want it to go.

After further practise Hans and speaking to, or reading about, other users methods or procedures then I may see the benefits of using the Beta format.

As the famous Eric Morecambe (British comedian) once said whilst sat at a piano and getting a telling off from Andre Previn, “I’m playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order?”.

Tony

Wired it up to the ST this morning BTW and it looks great!!

Tony

Hi Reinhard, just realised that I know you well my Pan friend, I hope are well and we can meet again at the Portugal rally

So what happens in your setup Reinhard when you have to ride off your planned route (due to road block, diversion etc?). My wish would be that the Garmin system gets you back 'on route' as soon as possible, certainly without removing waypoints or changing the planned route all together.

Tony

Hi Hans, thank you for your advice. I assume to make a track visible permanently one finds that in the settings?
Are there other advantages to me (or any XT owner) to use the Beta file format compared to the older 1.0 (route,track,POI) ?

This recent painful 'baptism' in using the XT has me thinking if it works leave things alone?

Tony

Garmin why oh why?

So I update my Zumo 660 only to find out 1.5hrs later that all my Full Europe Maps have gone plus all the functionality and ‘Points of Interest’ eg. Hotels, Restaurants etc have gone also. I now have a unit were I have to install the maps of areas ‘as and when’ I need them….what a con!

So I jumped into the deep end and bought a new Zumo XT, with reluctance to actually buying another Garmin product ever again.

It was faster than the 660, brighter than the 660 and generally I felt it was better than the 660… until that is, I wanted a route putting on it. Test routes were created in MRA installed and ridden….dear dear dear….terrible!

Go off route and the unit recalculates and ‘it’ tells ‘you’ which route you are going on, ignores what waypoints you designed and generally became a useless bit of kit.

After much searching of the web it transpires the new method of riding along a predetermined route involves using ‘Via Points’ or ‘Shape Points’? Whatever happened to good old waypoints for God’s sake? The waypoints created from MRA that appeared on the display as you approached them, the same waypoints that if a road was blocked and you rode off route, the unit would direct you ‘clearly’ I might add, to the quickest way back on your chosen route that you created. So I tried using my test route as a track and converting it to a route….WTF! I tried gpx 1.1 files, and finally the gpx 1.1 BETA file, in a vain desperation that my new £400 sat nav just might be as good as my old one that Garmin ruined, yes ruined, without giving me the option to leave it ‘as is’.

Not good….the damn unit did not import my MRA gpx files properly, with waypoints in-between the start and end of the route.

I was about to seriously consider returning the unit back to Halfords and get a Tom Tom instead when I had a ‘eureka’ moment! Why don’t you try downloading your MRA route as a gpx 1.0 format?
I did, imported into the Garmin and Voila!!! Waypoints!!! Waypoints like flags that the 660 showed. Time to ride the new test route again! Miracle of miracles the waypoint appeared on the screen as I approached them, they were identified with address and postcode, would you believe it!

I thought ‘hang on’, what will happen if I go off route will the Zumo design a new route straight to the end waypoint and ignore the others not too far away? So I deliberately went off route, the Zumo XT showed me a new route direct to the next ‘planned’ waypoint! Amazing!

So all my long tours later in the year around Spain (if that goes ahead) might not have been created in vain.

Garmin, please, please, please….do not let your updates bork this up!

Tony

@Russ-1 Hi Russ, have you tried the 'recalculation option'? This usually resolves things when you have gone past your original waypoint to another "unplanned point" further along the original route?

Tony

Just spotted the Google 'Layer' Steve, and for me it's happy days

The map info and colour is just as before so I reckon many of the users won't miss the Google algorithm wizardry in the background as long as they can see the normal information that Google Maps shows.

I too loved the Google implementation in MRA, the ease of planning a motorcycle route, checking out the the hotels and fuel stops via streetview etc, etc.
I have just finished a 10 day tour project for next year and as others have said it is slightly uncomfortable using the HERE mapping. I never used Open Street Map just the Google Gold option.
That said, Timo made it very clear that Google were not being fair, and like some other mega-corporations that won't be named but we all know, they try to squeeze you until the 'pips squeak'.

So, MRA should continue to progress and the small niggley changes now will soon be forgotten. I too tried Basecamp, what a joy to behold it was when MRA appeared, let's never forget that!