Travel planning tips – Basecamp and Zumo XT

[Raf]

I cannot express myself correctly in the English language. Can I ask you to explain to me?
I'm sorry to bother you.

[rbentnail]

You can set the colour of a track on the XT. It doesn't default to Magenta, unless you select Go! after loading it.
I usually use black - it stands out very clearly. I just happened to have some screenshots when I was experimenting with other colours.

To see the route and the track you have got to have created the track from the route (easy in Basecamp), sent it to the XT, imported it, make it show on the map and set the colour.

It is possible that you were seeing the same route heading off both directions. A route is shown on the map as a magenta line, but it may show up in two different shades - bright and dull magenta. The bright coloured one is the route from where you are now to the next route points. The dull magenta line is the route that is in a different section or it is the current section that you have already ridden - behind you.

How can it head off in both directions ? - If you miss a route point and it is trying to navigate you back to it. You're heading in one direction away from the missed point, the satnav is trying to take you in the opposite direction along the same road to get you to visit the missed point.

You have seen this before Russ - when you were being directed all over the place because the roads that you were riding in North Carolina bore very little resemblance to what was plotted on the map.

I was a a straight 40 mile road with few intersections while traveling through a national forest. Completely impossible to miss any points on my route. I had 1 route imported, all others deleted. I had 1 track imported, no others transferred. I had two bright magenta lines, one overlaying the other.

I had no idea about changing track colors, I don't recall ever being given that option but I'll explore it. Honestly I'm not too keen on this track thing. I still don't see any advantage of using one but trust me, I'm trying to understand given that so many others seem to find usefulness there.

[jfheath]

I had 1 route imported, all others deleted. I had 1 track imported, no others transferred. I had two bright magenta lines, one overlaying the other.

I can't imagine a picture of this. Were the two tracks crossing over each other at an angle, or was one directly on top of the other ? If it was the latter, how could you tell that there were two of them ?

I had no idea about changing track colors, I don't recall ever being given that option but I'll explore it. Honestly I'm not too keen on this track thing. I still don't see any advantage of using one but trust me, I'm trying to understand given that so many others seem to find usefulness there.

Changing track colours ? Pic 1. app.php/ZXT-P50
(assuming Explore is not set up).

Advantage is that the XT seems to want to calculate its own route much more than the previous Zumos wanted to. Particularly when getting used to how it is working, having a track which is identical to the original route can be a real bonus.

Initially the route and the track are identical. The route in Magenta, the track in black (is a good choice). The track made slightly wider than the route (you have to edit your theme file). So you can see the magenta route and the black track underneath peeping out at the edges.

When the Zumo recalculates - it is very obvious - the black track goes one way, the route goes the other. It gives you a heads up that the Zumo is off on its own adventure - and gives you the option to ignore it.

[Peobody]

can an SP be transformed into wp? I missed this step

Assuming the SP was created in Basecamp using the 'Insert' tool then you can not change it to a WP, not in Basecamp or on the XT.

Hopefully you paid attention to the post by jfheath in this discussion in which he does a fine job of defining Waypoint vs. Via Point vs. Shaping Point (both ad hoc using the Insert tool and a non-alerting waypoint). That terminology helps with clarity so post your question again if my assumption is wrong.

[jfheath]

I cannot express myself correctly in the English language. Can I ask you to explain to me?
I'm sorry to bother you.

Try describing a Waypoint in Italian then. I'll google translate it.

See if pictures help .....

In Basecamp, you create a waypoint with the flag tool.

When a route is selected in Basecamp, if a point on the route is not listed in the bottom left corner, then it is not a Waypoin


In the picture below:

Waypoints are listed in the widow outlined in red.

P1, P2, P3 and P5 are Waypoints.
P1, P3 and P5 are Via Points
P2 and P4 are Shaping Points.

P102 - Route on Basecamp.jpg (113.53 KiB) Viewed 1104 times

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[b)A different route. The 2 Pictures Below show 2 screens of the Zumo XT[/b]

I can see 4 Via Points including the start and finish.
I can see 11 Shaping points.
I cannot tell from either of these screens which ones are also Waypoints.

P08 - Pic 2.jpg (97.26 KiB) Viewed 1104 times

P07 - Pic 1.jpg (104.86 KiB) Viewed 1104 times

[Peobody]

There is a lot of valuable information in this discussion but there is something I am unclear about and can't test due to issues with my XT (awaiting replacement). That "something" is about the handling of inserted shaping points vs. non-alerting waypoints that are part of a route created in BC then transferred to the XT internal storage. I am confident in the fact that inserted shaping points do not get stored on the XT as Saved waypoints but I don't know about non-alerting waypoints. Are they saved on the XT as waypoints? I am hoping to spend time this week putting the finishing touches on 14 routes for my upcoming South Dakota trip. Depending on this answer I may replace a lot of the non-alerting waypoints to inserted shaping points.

[Raf]

@ jfheath and everyone else who participates in this discussion

My question was:" Is it possible to commute a WP into SP or VP and back ?"

From "Zumo XT and Basecamp - Everything That You Need to Know"
1 - Introduction - The Essentials - 1.4 Some Garmin Definitions
Waypoints
• ……
• …….
• When a Waypoint is added to a Trip it becomes a Via Point in the Trip by default, but it can be changed to a Shaping Point (and back)
Etc etc
I understand that you can switch a WP to a VP and SP and back. How to do it?
Again

1.7 The XT Trip List Explained

Via Points
“………………….. The XT also refers to these points as 'Destinations' and regards them as the key points that define your route…………..
The Zumo will insist that you 'visit' a Via Point. If you miss a Via Point, the satnav will navigate you back to it, even if you join the plotted magenta route after the Via Point. …………….. “
Is it preferable to have few VPs? Or even no VP? In this way you will have more freedom of navigation.
WPs behave like VPs during the trip?
"When a Waypoint is added to a trip, the XT is only concerned with whether it is to behave as a Via Point or as a Shaping Point." This is clear to me
Is it better to have a WP on the route or near this one?
That's all for now

[Peobody]

I understand that you can switch a WP to a VP and SP and back. How to do it?

In Basecamp, you double click on the route to open its route options window From there you right click on a waypoint and then select either "Don't alert on arrival (shaping point)" or "Alert on arrival". The context menu will contain one or the other of these options depending on the alerting status of the waypoint. Don't alert=shaping point, Alert=via point.

On the XT, when you load start a trip from trip planner but before hitting "Go" you will see a list of all of the waypoints. Via points are designated by flags, Shaping points are designated by blue dots. and via points. Tapping a flag will prompt you to confirm you want to change it to a Shaping point. Tapping a blue dot will automatically change it to a Via point. WARNING: There are many reports that changing a Via point to a Shaping point on the XT can change the route because the XT may move the location of the point (it can also rename it). It is strongly recommended not to change a Via point to a Shaping point on the XT.

Is it preferable to have few VPs? Or even no VP? In this way you will have more freedom of navigation.

VPs are locations you plan to stop at. I do not see a reason to have any if you do not have any stops planned. That said, I like seeing some flags along my routes so will have VPs strategically placed along the route even if I don't intend to stop. If you do this, it is very important that those VPs are placed exactly on the street. When one is slightly off the street the XT may try to turn you where there isn't a road (mine directed me to turn into a corn field once), or, it won't detect that you arrived at that point so will u-turn you back to it.

WPs behave like VPs during the trip?
"When a Waypoint is added to a trip, the XT is only concerned with whether it is to behave as a Via Point or as a Shaping Point." This is clear to me
Is it better to have a WP on the route or near this one?

I am unsure about what you are asking. In a route created in Basecamp, a WP can set as alerting) or not alerting as discussed above. A non-alerting one will be recognized by the XT as a SP. An alerting one will be recognized by the XT as a VP.
There is another type of SP though, it is one that is added to the route in Basecamp using the "Insert" tool. This type of SP is not a WP. It can not be changed to a VP.

I do not believe there is a "best way". You will need to determine what is best for you. Based on my understanding of your original question, I believe your routes should be made up of SPs with potential POIs saved separately as WPs. The type of SP you use in your route, whether a non-alerting WP or an inserted SP, is up to you.

[Raf]

In Basecamp, you double click on the route to open its route options window From there you right click on a waypoint and then select either "Don't alert on arrival (shaping point)" or "Alert on arrival". The context menu will contain one or the other of these options depending on the alerting status of the waypoint. Don't alert=shaping point, Alert=via point.

OK !
And back , SP or VP to WP?
Jfheat writes :
" When a Waypoint is added to a Trip it becomes a Via Point in the Trip by default, but it can be changed to a Shaping Point (and back)"

[jfheath]

Yes - and the Waypoint can then be set as a Shaping Point in the route. But it is still a Waypoint.
- and the Waypoint can then be set as a Via Point in the route. But it is still a Waypoint.

So in a route you can have

A Waypoint set as a Via Point
A Waypoint set as a Shaping Point

An ad-hoc point set as a Via Point
An ad-hoc point set as a Shaping Point.

It is impossible for a Waypoint in a route that is not set to be either a shaping point or a via point.
All route points must be set to be via or shaping - alert or not alert.

A Waypoint is a Point that has been saved before creating the route and may contain additional information (eg lat/lon, symbol, elevation, depth, address, temperature, phone number, proximity)

An ad-hoc point only has the lat/long coordinates and a name.

So you can change a shaping point to a via point - and back.
You cannot change a waypoint to be an ad-hoc point

For Garmin users - it is confusing to describe a point on a route as a 'waypoint' when you mean just any point. I use the term 'route point' when it doesn't matter whether it is a Via or Shaping point, or whether it was created as a Waypoint before being added to the route.

Generally speaking, using only the terms 'route point', 'Via Point' and 'Shaping Point' will make it easier to understand.

If you want to refer to points that have been created and saved before the route was started, then 'Waypoint', 'Favourite', 'Saved locations' are the correct terms - but once place in a route, they are ALSO become eith