Difference between Offroad and Direct?

The Garmin GPS DriveSmart 65 does not have offroad map routes, so I upload routes or tracks to it that I've created in Basecamp.

Should I upload a created route for "Offroad" or "Direct" for the GPS to best track and even give turn-by-turn directions on the GPS?

I think the GPS only accepts a max number of shaping points, and when I do Direct, the Garmin GPS, when it reaches the shaping point limit, just provides a straight line route to the end.

The GPS only has a calculation mode of "Faster Time", "Off-Road", or "Shorter Distance".

So is "Offroad" the best route type to create in Basecamp and then use the GPS calculation mode of "Offroad"?

Thank you

0 SUSSAMB over 2 years ago

On the road devices cannot read tracks so you need to send routes, its highly unlikely you're reaching the limit on shaping points as 125 are allowed between viapoints on your device, or were you intending to say viapoints? The limit for those is 30 in a route on your device. Please clarify exactly what you're trying to do as normally all you would do is send a route from BaseCamp to your DS65 using a vehicle activity profile in BaseCamp and not the Direct activity.

0 rkruz2 over 2 years ago in reply to SUSSAMB

Hi Sussamb. the points I enter into Basecamp to create a route, where there is no Garmin mapped road, are Via Points.

Here is what I do: I create a route in Basecamp (again no Garmin mapped road) by inserting points that create straight lines between each point. These points on Basecamp are called Via points. This sequence of small straight line segments then are the entire route. I thought I was limited to 130 via points per Garmin Support.. See the attached image example of Basecamp route properties and the map of these types of routes. Note the many Via Points used on the route to create it.

The DS65 only has 3 route calculation options, Faster Time, Off Road and Shorter Distance. I have attached an image of the results for each. Again this road is not mapped on the latest Garmin Map. Only the Off Road calculation method seems to provide a correct route.

I often exceed the Via Point limit when using the method above to create routes when none exist in the Garmin Map. You mention the Via Point limit is between Way Points. So for a route that uses more than 125 Via Points, can I insert a Way Point when I approach the Via Point limit to reset the Via Point limit count and to create a single contiguous a single route?

So for this method, in Basecamp should I use the "Driving" calculation vs the many other choices which include "Off Road" and in the DS65 use "Off-Road?

Thanks for the help,

Robert

0 SUSSAMB over 2 years ago in reply to rkruz2

Confusion in terminology here. A waypoint is a point you create. If you insert it into a route it can either be a viapoint, in which case your DS will announce it, or a shaping point, in which case it isn't announced.

Given what you seem to be trying to do, which if I understand you correctly is to create a route where there is no road on your DS, you should find you can set enough points to shaping points so that the 'route' will display correctly provided you select off road mode, when all that will happen is you'll get straight line between the points on the route.

Just bear in mind you can only have up to 30 viapoints but 125 shaping points between viapoints.

0 rkruz2 over 2 years ago in reply to SUSSAMB

Understood. Thanks. That method of choosing Off Road calculation on the DS65 is working.