2.16 A Trip Planned in Detailed Trip (1)

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Step by Step Guidelines for a 'Perfect' Route (part 1)

The Steps in Outline
  1. Start with a New List in Basecamp for your Trip. Perhaps in a new List Folder
  2. Create Waypoints for the main stopping places
  3. Add additional Waypoints for places that you wish to name for yourself
  4. Name and Number the Waypoints
  5. Create the Route based on these Waypoints
  6. Insert additional points to force the Trip onto selected roads
  7. Assign Via Point or Shaping Point status to every point in the Trip
  8. Adjust the position of every point.
  9. Foolproof the route with final touches
  10. Use Basecamp to spot any chance for route alteration
  11. Transfer all of your Trips to the Zumo XT

The Steps in Detail

1.   Start with a New List in Basecamp

Top left pane in BC Pic 1, I have ‘Scotland Tour’ as a new List Folder, and in it I have created two new Lists: Day 01 Inverness and 'Day 02 Ullaopool' for this particular Trip.
Set the current profile to Motorcycle, and in Edit->Options->Activity Profile, set Faster Time and make sure that no avoidances are ticked



2.   Create Waypoints for the main stopping places   


Use the Waypoint ‘Flag’ Tool and drop point approximately for now. These will be the main stopping places - the start, finish and the places where you intend to stop for drinks, food etc. The exact location will be fixed later. Consider adding a second Waypoint a mile or so later to mark the road that you will take whether you stop or not.

Set the profile to Motorcycle - which hopefully you will have set previously to be Faster Time with no Avoidances.



3.   Add Additional Waypoints  


This is optional, and extra Waypoints are needed only if you want the XT to keep the name that you assign to some of the other route points. For the XT, using Waypoints is the only way to achieve this.


4.   Name and Number the Waypoints

Your Waypoints will appear in the bottom left pane. Select each one in turn, enter the name that you want to use, and add a sequence number to the front - eg 01 Skipton. This puts the Waypoints in the order that they will appear in the route - and helps to remind which place is where in relation to the others.



5.   Create the Route from the Waypoints

Highlight all of the Waypoints in the Data Window - lower left pane. The pop-up menu when you right-click on a PC has an option to ‘Create Route Using Selected Waypoints’. The route will be created using the current profile - which I always have set to Faster Time and No Avoidances.



6.   Insert additional Route Points   


Use the Insert tool for this. It allows you to ‘rubber band’ the route between two points on the route, to stretch it to follow a different road from the one that it is currently using. Do not drop points onto junctions. Place them on the road that you want to ride.
If you get it wrong, the Undo tool is a good friend to have.  



7.   Assign Via Point or Shaping Point Status   Pic 2


In The Data Window, bottom left pane, open the route properties - (double click on a PC). This will show all of the route points in order. Some will be in dark lettering. These are the Via Points. Some will be in grey lettering with the comment (wont alert) after the name. These are the Shaping Points. Right click on each point that is not set correctly and choose the option ‘Alert on Arrival’ or ‘Do Not Alert on Arrival - Shaping Point’. You can change a whole contiguous block of points at once.


While you have the route properties dialog box open, change the name of the route. I like it to show where I am going first rather than where I am when I start the route, and will often put the day number or date at the front. So 01 Inverness from Queensferry, or just 01 Inverness.



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The information on these pages has been acquired from personal experience of using and testing the behaviour of Basecamp and my Zumo XT. I have no links with Garmin, and these pages should not be regarded as instructions. They are presented for interest only. The contents of these pages must not be shared, copied, transmitted, redistributed or re-published in any form without my permission. (C) JHeath 2021.