Route problem created on Base Camp importing into my Zumo XT

[izabelleferland]

Hello, I am new to this forum. I come from Quebec and am an avid user of BaseCamp and Zumo for my motorcycle days.

Here is my problem:

Sometimes (not always .... and I don't know why) the routes made on BaseCamp are different from what I have prepared. It gives me, after importing and calculating, different secondary roads or makes me take the highways.

Note that I have the same version of maps either City Navigator North America 2022.2 on BaseCamp and my Zumo XT.
Most of the time my routes are done in auto mode, but sometimes they are in motorcycle mode.
This problem happened in both cases.

Do you know what is causing this?

I'm going on an 8 day trip and I wouldn't have any worries

[colirv]

You need to have the mode the same in Basecamp and the XT, and ensure all the boxes are unticked in Basecamp Edit/Options/Device Transfer.

[groundhog719]

I almost always plot my routes on my PC then transfer them to the GPS (now a Zumo XT). Whether highway or single track I've been able to get good results by using the following guidelines which seem to help insure consistency from BaseCamp to the route on the GPS.

Make sure the maps are the same in the GPS as the ones you are using on the PC (title and version).
Use vehicle profiles set as close to each other as you can. I set individual avoidance options in BaseCamp and set the XP avoidance option to "off" letting BS determine the route.
Make sure calculation parameters (speed or mode, off/on route, toll roads, etc) are set the same in both places.
Make sure units, time and datum formats are the same.

As I understand it the GPS does not use the actual route that you plotted in BaseCamp. BS sends only the way-points and via-points to the GPS where it recalculates the route by using those way-points, via points and the variables mentioned below.

With enough via points the GPS will not have an option to change the route (I think via points are the secret to keeping the GPS showing the route you intended in BS). I use LOTS of via points keeping in mind that the GPS must hit each via point as it plots the route, enough via points so that it does not have any option but to go directly to the next via point. (quantity of via points varies greatly - I might use 1 via point every 1/2 mile on a back road or trail but only 1 every 100 miles on an interstate.) NOTE: I've read that the Zumo XT is limited to 29 via points per route. However I have routes with 150 - 200 via points and no problems.

To shortcut designing routes I have quite a few identical vehicle profiles set up in BS and in the Zumo XT. I have "Motorcycle-Interstates", Motorcycle-Back Roads", "Motorcycle-Dirt", "Motorcycle-Fastest" and so on. They differ in calculation method (fastest time/shortest way), avoidance, average speeds, display features, road types, etc. That lets me auto-route in BS quickly but keep close (initially) to the route I want to plot.

Once the basic route is set by auto-routing I adjust any legs or portions of the route as needed and plot via points where there may be route options (like just past an intersection). Then I open the text listing for the route and click each via point to make sure it is centered on the road (if it is off to the side a ways the GPS will try to get you to make u-turns until you go off the intended route to find it) and move it if not. Lastly I set the via point names to "won't alert" as needed.

I hope I haven't been addressing something you were not asking!

Ride safe. Remember, on a motorcycle you are never lost - just someplace you have never been before.

[rbentnail]

I agree with the above- use more points! Ask yourself the same question a man asked me,

"if you remove any one point from your route will that route change? If it will, you're not using enough points."

Now, I'm not a via or way point user. Terminology is extremely important here. Way points you can pick as a routing point but it becomes a routing point. The routing points catagory consists of two types- via and shaping. Via points MUST be traveled to or manually skipped, your gps insists on it. And that feature alone can be really annoying. With my pre-made Base Camp routes, I use shaping ("Do Not Announce") points. When riding the route with shaping points, the gps will either automatically skip a shaping point when you re-join a route that you left or it will prompt you asking if you want to skip it. Much easier. Via points also announce audibly, shaping points do not but I'm ok with that as I do not use Garmin Bluetooth or a comms system of any kind- visual cues almost exclusively for me. IMNSHO "Garmin" and "Bluetooth" in the same sentence is an oxymoron, always has been. They never have figured out how to reliably do it.

The other thing I do in Base Camp- after making the route and prior to transfer, I double click the route name to change via points to shaping, the route color & name, etc., in that same open box I select the tab Route Options and then select Customize Route Options & select what avoidances, etc. I want. After transfer to your gps, it's less likely to change anything if it's a custom vs. a "general" route. After transfer I pull the route up on the gps and do the same thing but YMMV as to whether you can do that or not, depending on the device you have. Mine's a 595 vs. an XT.

[izabelleferland]

Hello,
Colirv - I've unclicked all my options in my options - TY
Groundhog719 - Really great tricks and valuable info, great details and easy to understand. One thing I realized is that I definitely don't have enough points. - TY
Rbentnail - again great info - TY
But can you explain to me how to change via points to shaping ?

[groundhog719]

rbentnail - Great tactics.

I guess I'm a little confused on via points vs shaping points. I think I am calling the points I use via points when they are actually shaping points. However, when I suggest to change the via points to "won't alert" as one of the last steps isn't that changing them to shaping points? And also that is why I am not affected by the published via point limit of 27 or so (I think there is a limit of something like 125 shaping points for each via point used?). And . . . on the route detail window the column name is Via Point Name no matter if they are set to "alert" or not with no mention of shaping points.

[groundhog719]

izabelleferland,

One way to change via points to shaping points (at least how I do it) is to open the detail window of a route (highlight the route in the menu, either double click on the name or right click and select "Open". The window that opens will have a column titled "Via Point Name". Highlight the via point(s) you want to change to shaping points, right click and chose "Don't Alert on Arrival (shaping point)".

[izabelleferland]

Hi groundhog719 - thank you again for the addtional info. Plus my BC is all in French, it made it a little more challenging for me to know where to click, but I think I got this now.

[rbentnail]

izabelleferland,

One way to change via points to shaping points (at least how I do it) is to open the detail window of a route (highlight the route in the menu, either double click on the name or right click and select "Open". The window that opens will have a column titled "Via Point Name". Highlight the via point(s) you want to change to shaping points, right click and chose "Don't Alert on Arrival (shaping point)".

Yep, that's how I do it. And don't forget- if on a Windows OS machine, Windows keyboard commands apply. If you select a point to change you can use the CTRL+ command to change more than one at a time. And you can pick the first in a list, scroll down and use SHIFT+ to pick the entire list and change them all at the same time. Nice time saver on the huge routes I'm using sometimes. Sorry but I know absolutely nothing about Mac machines.

[rbentnail]

rbentnail - Great tactics.

I guess I'm a little confused on via points vs shaping points. I think I am calling the points I use via points when they are actually shaping points. However, when I suggest to change the via points to "won't alert" as one of the last steps isn't that changing them to shaping points?

Yes, that's exactly what you're doing. When we look at the list of points in a route, the VIA points are regular text and will announce. Changing a VIA point to "Do Not Announce" greys out the text a little and changes the point to a SHAPING point. VIA points and SHAPING points behave differently in the GPS when riding the route. I prefer SHAPING points- as I said, I don't use audio much (it's been 3 yrs! ) and to me shaping points are much easier to deal with when riding a route.

And also that is why I am not affected by the published via point limit of 27 or so (I think there is a limit of something like 125 shaping points for each via point used?). And . . . on the route detail window the column name is Via Point Name no matter if they are set to "alert" or not with no mention of shaping points.

You know, I've never noticed the the VIA POINT title doesn't change. No matter. Making a VIA point into "Do Not Announce" changes it to a SHAPING point. I have no clue about a limit of the number of points in a route. I tend to use separate routes, even for different routes on the same day, rather than try to pile a ton of points in a single days route. To me the advantages: simpler routes, faster transfers, less likely to screw it up, and I can alter my trip at will and not try to "rejoin" a route. Rejoining is a PITA b/c sometimes the gps wants to recalculate the entire route. Instead, I will go to my next route of the day and the gps will take me directly to the START point of it and then follow my pre-fab route without changing it. So much simpler for me.