Zumo XT not following route

[Fourbears]

Over the last two days I have travelled 600 miles odd and had a couple of niggles with my XT. I created 3 routes in MRA and put some Via points in to tell me when I was coming up to fuel stops etc. However I miscalculated a fuel stop and had to look for one off route so used the category search and inputted a petrol station as my next stop in the active route. After refuelling I set off again and after about 3 or 4 miles realised that the XT was not taking me on MY route but a completely different on on motorways to my next Via point. I had to stop and reselect my rote on the XT and it took me on the route I planned. Today it has done the same thing as I added a Via point in MRA and exported it to the XT before starting off. It then tried to take me on motorways again and I had to reselect the route. On my 3rd route back I missed a Via point by skipping it on the XT (as I didn't want to stop) and it then took me a completely different way to what I had planned. Any ideas as to what went wrong or do I need to put more waypoints in my routes? They were reasonably simple so I think I only had about 10 points, if that, in each route. Each one was about 200-250 miles on a variety of roads but in my logic I thought the XT would just stick to the route and recalculate it where necessary.

[Richard_R]

I just looked at two recent routes I have done in MRA.

1. 393km - 29 waypoints
2. 318km - 18 waypoints

The difference is that on 1 there were many more roads going in different directions along the route and as a rule I ensure that I force the GPS to follow the route I want by putting plenty of waypoints in. Generally I will add a waypoint immediately after any intersection where I am changing direction at the intersection.
We have to keep in mind that these devices are essentially dumb. They have pre programmed algorithms that tell them to default to doing things and they can't think to themselves to say "my owner would rather do this I'll alter my program to suit". That is why I always add plenty of waypoints.
If I use the navigate to function I'm happy to follow the device, if I'm riding a route I have planned I want the device to do what I want.

[jfheath]

The XT works with Waypoint, Shaping Points and Via Points.

MRA does not use the term Waypoints in the same way that Garmin does. To Garmin, a Waypoint is a saved location that will appear in the XT under 'Favourites' or 'Saved'.

For the Zumo, you need to use MRA to set the points as either Via or Shaping points. (Tear drop, or hand symbol). The points behave differently. Typically you may have a lot of shaping points to pin the route to particular roads. Via points tend to be used as stopping places, or to mark key points on the route. Then export or email to the XT a gpx v1.1 - Route, Track, POI

app.php/ZXT-P76

[Fourbears]

I had the points in MRA set to both Via and Shaping points depending whether I needed to stop at particular places. I guess I need more shaping points to force the XT to take the route I want and not just what it wants.
This is the route I had wanted to take;-

MRA route.JPG (98.1 KiB) Viewed 2410 times

This is the route it took me;-

MRA 2.JPG (109.52 KiB) Viewed 2410 times

When I got to point 8 I gave up trying to follow my route and navigated by memory instead as it seemed to be taking entirely arbitrary routes. So I still don't know why it took a different route.

[jfheath]

If you want to post or send me a pm with the gpx file - or share the MRA route (not that I have ever done that yet) - I will take a look.

The XT does seem to go a long way out of its way if there is a main road nearby - regardless of whether that results in a faster time. And around there you have the M4. Your shaping points may need to be placed with that in mind.

I have a current routing issue lodged with Tech Support and am exchanging emails. Your issue may have soem bearing on it.

How did you export the route to the XT. What format did you use from MRA ?
Is it a route that you exported, or was it a track. Did you convert it to a route on the XT ? Di you use 'Convert Track to a Trip' on the XT ?
I assume that you started the route by using Apps -> Trip Planner ?
Finally - did you press skip during your ride, or did the route recalculate at any point ?

Sorry - lots of questions, but I need to make sure that we are talking about the same thing.

[Fourbears]

I exported it from MRA using Garmin Zumo XT gpx1.2. The XT imported into the trip planner and I started the route from there. When I got to Hereford it was there that it took me towards Ross on Wye rather than towards Tewkesbury as I had intended. When I got to the M50 it wanted me to take that and then rerouted me via Newent and Gloucester. Once I eventually got to Stow I skipped the planned tea stop and it then went haywire. I then took the A436 to Chipping Norton and since it wanted to take me up to Banbury and then probably via Northampton and the A4 I took the road I know through Aynho and to the A421. When I got there it wanted me to go up the A43 so I ignored it.

[Scottnet]

In my experience I see similar problems, multiple investigations later, I am aware that in my opinion the routing software of the XT is not well suited to motorcycling in the UK. It does seem to favour main roads and will resist taking you off a main road to follow what is in fact a faster route. I too multiple open tickets with Garmin but I'm not holding my breath.

So how I get around this is the follows.
1. Create my route on the PC, using as many shaping points as I think necessary ( In my case I use Basecamp)
2. Load the route to the XT
3. Force the XT to recalculate the route.
4. Load the route back to Basecamp and overlay this , if it has not followed my intended route I add more shaping points , and repeat

What a hassle, and it still does not guarantee 100% success but does give you a fighting chance. If you want to make sure it follows 100% you need to create it and follow it as a track.

And then you need to evaluate if this is all worth it. So far in my experience there is not really a better hardware solution so I am sticking to the XT

Good luck

[jfheath]

I'm in conversation with Tiphaine about a new(ish) issue which I came across. If you skip a route point, the route that is calculated by the XT the seems to be locked in place - ie if you deviate from the new section of route it always wants to take you back to where you left. No matter what. It refuses to calculate a new way to reach the route point ahead. This doesn't happen if you merely deviate from the original route. I can only make it happen if the XT has calculated a new route after skip was pressed. So far anyway.

There are potentially a number of issues going on with @Fourbears' route - one of which is the point that Scott mentions - the tendency for the XT to head for main roads, seemingly regardless of how much extra milage it adds.

But the other issues might be related to my current problem, or it could be to do with the fact that a route from MRA is caclulated by the XT as soon as it is loaded in, (becasue the XT receives only the route points); or it could be to do with slightly mis-placed points on the map - since @Fourbears' route is so far away from where he wants to go, he is unlikely to have joined up with the magenta line.

This is why I would love to have the gpx file that was used in his XT.

I echo what Scott said. But I would add that navigating a track is surprisingly useful - the track stays put, the screen tells you how far off route you have ventured, and the general direction to get to the nearest point.
Converting the track to a trip does something similar, except if you go off route, it finds the nearest point on the original route and plots a way to get back to it. In neither case does the originla get recalculated - except as you move, the closest point on the original track changes - so the way to get to it keeps changing.

[Richard_R]

or it could be to do with slightly mis-placed points on the map -

That is a good point. I usually zoom right in on maps after I have created a route to make sure all the waypoints are actually on the road not near the road. I have had a couple of instances with GPS where I get into loops going around in circles because a waypoint was placed accidentally on the wrong side of a divided road and the GPS has tried to make all sorts of intricate turns to get me to the position of the waypoint.

The other thing with MRA is to make sure you are using the correct basemap to plan the route. Routes should be planned using the Here maps not the TomTom Gold or Default (Open source) maps.It is amazing how much routes can differ depending on which maps they are created in. If you import a route created in Tom Tom maps to a Garmin it will change the route internally to suit the Garmin. Depending on which version of MRA you have there may be an option under Toolkit to "Compare route with". This allows you to overlay a TomTom map route on top of a Here map route for example and manually adjust them so they align. I have found this a very handy feature when I have done routes for group rides where people use different brands of GPS it stops the inevitable situation of the TomTom people turning right and the Garmin people turning left and the non GPS people being confused.

[Richard_R]

Here is an example of what I was talking about with different maps in MRA. The black route is what I created using Here (Garmin). The red is what the TomTom map would want to do.

Screen Shot 2022-02-14 at 8.42.25 am.png (713.24 KiB) Viewed 2318 times

Edit:
Just to clarify. If I had planned the route in MRA using the TomTom map the route would have included the red section as there are no waypoints in that section however when the route was loaded into the Garmin it would have directed me along the black line.