Easy Garmin Mapsource Routing for N00bs (Tutorial)

Mapsource is cumbersome... Auto-routing doesn't always take you where you want to go so... How do we tell it where we want to go?

Since this is a pretty frequently asked question around here, I figured I'd share my method with you FF's. This is the quickest way I've found to set it up right.

First, You plug in your start and finish points using the Route Tool on Mapsource.

An Example... Red Mesa to Hurricane
First click on Red Mesa, then click on Hurricane.


The screen will spit out this.
Note: I'm using towns already easily visable. If you want to go from a specific location... simply zoom in and find it or use "FIND" and mark it as a waypoint first.

Trouble with this route is that I really wanted to take the north route around Lake Powell. Question is, how do we make it route us that way?

Simple as using the Selection Tool, the little arrow, and clicking on the route. First click will turn it Yellow, next click will draw a line from start to end that bends with the pointer. Drag it to a place on the way of your preferred route and click.


It'll autoroute again...


OK, thats close to where I want to go... repeat until you have it.

Note: Added Escalante...look for the green dot along the route.

There, thats the route I wanted to take. Transfer it to your GPS and turn it on from the Route File. Do Not let the GPS recalculate this route for you...It'll generally offer.

Cheers



Bet theres a lot of N00bs who didn't know they could do this.

Download the attached route to your My Garmin folder... I actually have a sub-folder "Routes" inside there...

Open...


You've updated to the latest Mapsource right? Click View, then the last selection, "View in Google Earth"... You have that installed on your puter too right? [geek]




In GE, Tools...Play Tour...


Ridin' the Dragon, who..hoo..

Nice tutorial.

BTW, with some some GPSs (noteably the 60 and 76 series), all that got transferred from MapSource to the GPS were your user-defined via points that define the route, so a recalc on activation is ALWAYS done.

- Mark

Thanks! How do I prevent the recalc? I have two options on a Rino530: shorter distance, faster time. After selecting I can cancel. Will the cancel retain the uploaded route?

removed

Not sure about the Rino. What Mark is talking about is different than "off route recalculation". With the 60 and 76 series, when you transfer a route from Mapsource, only the waypoints and via points transfer. As soon as you select a route and hit "navigate" the GPS will calculate it's own route that hits your points. If you have enough points it will be what you intended 99.9%of the time.
Somehow the 276c and other units transfer exact routing info, keeping the route the same as you planned in Mapsource.
I originally thought this would be a problem with my 60Cx, but it's not a big deal in real world usage IMHO.
Some discussion here:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=139836

Hey thanks for the hints cmwoodys.

Isn't this how all of the newer Garmin GPS's work; the Start, Via Points and Destination are transferred, then the route is re-created in the unit?? For example, and for anyone that owns one, does the Zumo do it this way?

Yes, this incremental building of routes (rubber-banding through your via points as you refine it) is the only way to fly with MapSource. I think a lot of folks never figure it out as it is fairly counter-intuitive to have to first click the route to select it, then click it again to stretch it. I would expect a dragging UI, although I think they do it the way they do so you can do other things like scroll and select other tools while in rubber-banding mode.

The issue of routing discrepencies between MapSource and the GPS has been a long-term bugaboo for Garmin. In addition to the GPS-varying mandatory-recalc problem discussed here, there is the issue that routing preferences are globals in both MapSource and the GPS, rather than "sticking" to routes. If these preferences were made properties of routes, they'd get transferred along with the route so you wouldn't have to manually make sure your preferences stay sync'ed. I suspect the reason for this problem is that Garmin never has standardized on a GPS-independent standard for routing preferences, so with 300-odd models in the field, trying to get everything the same would be an exercise in herding cats.

- Mark

Very nice article! I would like to add one comment:

When you are auto-routing in the boonies, you may not end up with many turn prompts since the program doesn't have any "major" intersections to work with. I like to add a via point at most minor intersections, and at major features like a river or lake access.

This way I get some "approaching via point" prompts that normally wouldn't ever occur with a basic computer generated route.

John Davies
Spokane WA

Good advice, but I go a step further and place the extra via point on the route, just after the turn, to ensure that the GPS gives me the proper prompt for the turn, and I get it on time (well before the turn). If you put the via point right on the turn or intersections I've had problems w/ prompts being either too late, or missed all together.

Cool. I didn't know you could do that with Mapsource. Thanks for taking the time to post it - I'm going to bookmark it.

This is excellent IMO. Another benefit from placing a via point just after a turn is that your direction arrow will begin pointing toward it as you get closer, yet another indication for you that something is coming up to be aware of.

Also, via points at intersections tend to be ones that you are going very slow at. Slower speed means a much smaller tolerance for 'hitting' the spot. Just past the intersection usually means you are rolling along again and you'll 'hit the spot' almost every time.

Good info here.

Nice write up!

Too bad it only works w/ the city map and not the topo, where the good roads & trails are.


Thnks, Dan

Hey cmwoodys,
Thanks for the awesome tips! You saved me hours of frustration! Great advice!

This is a great trick!!! This will make routing a trip of Rt66 easy as opposed to a chore.

I am doing something wrong. Total n00b to autorouting, please bear with me. I am using a Legend CX with CN8. A couple of things going on that I cannot understand.

I create a route in CN8, very basic, a start and finish point. It autoroutes on the PC perfectly. I upload it to the gps and it appears as a straight line when I view it. Why? Shouldn't it look the same as what is displayed on the PC?

I create a route on the gps using two already established uploaded waypoints for the start and finish of the same route; it displays as a straight line.

I create a route on the gps by placing two points from the start and finish and click navigate and it creates the route perfectly... all the way from my current location.

Shouldn't I be able to see just that route, not it being routed from my current position? Kind of like how a track is displayed (which is what I have used up until now).

Any pointers will be much appreciated.

When you select your route in your first two examples, are you actually hitting "navigate"?
Not sure about the eTrex Legend Cx, but the 60 and 76 will calculate the route every time you hit "navigate". Only the points transfer.

Well, it looks like I can get it to route by hitting navigate in all three scenarios, but the problem remains is that it always navigates from my current location. Can't I get it to just show me the single route that was autorouted without having it start from my current position?

I guess what I really want is an autoroute to display just like a track. Can that be done?

Yep, you can view it only by just hitting the map option; but you can't route the route at that point, you must navigate to use it.

I have found a workaround by converting the autoroutes to tracks using wingdb which will give me what I need.

I am still getting the same straight line and am curious if I have a setting wrong. I am including all the route calculation information when uploading the maps.