Turn Off Auto Recalculate on Routes Created Outside the GPS!

@Adamkski:

My experience has been that all routes transferred to my zumo 660 go through some degree of recalc, no matter whether they are placed directly in Custom Routes, imported from internal storage, or imported from an SD card. Just because the screen may not say "recalculating" or "calculating" does not mean that there is any guarantee that the route is untouched.

Thanks Dan,

I've been using various Garmin gps' for 15+ years. Some recalc on transfer of routes into the units, while others don't. My 2610 NEVER deviated from the intended routes if I uploaded the them directly into the unit with matching mapsets. Giving these same routes to Zumo owners produced routes with <some> changes. My Nuvi 1490 only accepts routes via the import option, even if the mapsets match.

As a test of the Zumo I created some routes in Mapsource with matching mapsets and uploaded them into the unit directly, and then via the SD card. The routes directly uploaded did not deviate from what I created in Mapsource. The routes 'imported' into the unit via a gpx file were subject to change during the recalculation process. Based on this I <think> my assumption that the directly imported routes included the entire route track, not just waypoints, via points and shaping points, which then get converted to a complete route within the gps.

I travel with a laptop, so the 20 route limit isn't a "show stopper". I typically have 1, 2 or 3 options for each day of riding. 20 routes will easily get me through a week. I can simply upload the next week of routes via the laptop when required. I have no problem with a less expensive unit like a Nuvi 1490 recalcing routes when loading, or not having the ability to turn recalc off. But, when I spend $650 for a gps I expect a little more. My 2610 could hold 50 routes, as can the Zumo 550. Why Garmin chose to limit the 660 to 20 baffles me?? I'd have no problem with it if they gave me a way to store these routes in the SD memory and transfer them into the Zumo memory when required (without recalc), but I can't.

Again, not the end of the world, I'm just saying they <could> have made the unit awesome by just keeping a few capabilities that some of their older models possess. I understand they are sometimes trying to make using a gps less technical for the masses, I just wish it wasn't at the expense of those of us that want a precision instrument. :)

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Adam Koczarski
'04 Honda ST1300
http://koczarski.com
Zumo 660, Nuvi 1490LMT, GPSmap 60cs

As someone who got introduced to this whole business with a GPS III+, I hear ya.

I could not possibly agree more with your last paragraph. Well said:

"... I'm just saying they <could> have made the unit awesome by just keeping a few capabilities that some of their older models possess. I understand they are sometimes trying to make using a gps less technical for the masses, I just wish it wasn't at the expense of those of us that want a precision instrument."

-dan

I have no problem with a less expensive unit like a Nuvi 1490 recalcing routes when loading, or not having the ability to turn recalc off. But, when I spend $650 for a gps I expect a little more.

FWIW, the Montana 600 gives you access to 200 routes without going through the "import" step, and it's currently on sale for $400 through Sunday at EMS. :)

http://www.ems.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3716800&emssrcid=AFF%3AGAN_k172286

As someone who got introduced to this whole business with a GPS III+, I hear ya.

I believe my first Garmin was an eMap. It was OK on the bike. It could tell me where I was. ;) After that I had an original Streetpilot and GPS V mounted on the bike together. The good old days......

FWIW, the Montana 600 gives you access to 200 routes without going through the "import" step, and it's currently on sale for $400 through Sunday at EMS. :)

Thanks for that. A friend that frequents this site was telling me about Garmin's recent advancements with that model. I was looking more for something that would easily integrate into my existing Autocom audio system. Hopefully the Zumo 660 will benefit from the firmware advancements they've been making on the Montana??

;)I'm really not so familiar with the Zumo series, but on the Nuvi Garmin has been very reluctant to add new features to old models. One recent exception was adding route import to the 3700 series following a lot of user complaints.

However a new Zumo series is on the way and it will be interesting to see what it can do. The rounded shape makes me wonder if it will also function as a handheld in portrait mode? http://gpstracklog.com/2012/05/chopper-bound-garmin-zumo-340-and-350-clear-fcc.html

My first GPS was a DeLorme Earthmate "puck" connected to my Mac Powerbook back in 2000, then an Magellan Meridian Gold in 2002 followed by a StreetPilot 2620 in 2004. I paid $1,400 for that (including a 4 year extended warranty and tax). That was real money back then. ;)

-Boyd

@Boyd:

Most interesting. The reference to "Trip Planner," however, scares me. Do you think they would be dumb enough to remove "real" route planning [gulp]. That would kill the deal for most riders I know.

-dan

I just tested it... It works! I just created a route, copied it to the Montana and loaded it up. There was no prompt to recalculate. :D :D :D

Looks like the Oregon x50 series firmware has now been updated to prevent imported routes from being recalculated as well

http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=4743

Changes made from version 5.50 to 5.57:
Added new route activity types
Added support for Kenwood NMEA Waypoint Sentence
Improved GPS response at low speeds
Fixed issue with preserving routes imported from Basecamp (identical maps required)
Fixed Spell Search in German

The GPSMAP 62/78 too, but remember that the firmware that has this option is still in beta (applies to the Montana and Oregon x50 too)

From Garmin's blog: http://garmin.blogs.com/softwareupdates/2012/05/get-active-with-garmin.html#more

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Routing with BaseCamp

With the latest software, we’ve improved our handheld integration with BaseCamp. Now, when you create a calculated route on BaseCamp using maps that are also on your handheld, after transferring the route you’ll see that the route exactly matches what you’ve created in BaseCamp. So, if you’ve taken the time to create a scenic drive utilizing specific back roads and highways, your carefully crafted route will remain in-tact when transferred to your handheld. To ensure your specifically planned route isn’t altered, it’s recommended that Off Route Recalculation be set to Prompted (Setup > Routing > Off Route Recalculation). Planning trips just got a whole lot better with Garmin!