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Peobody wrote: ↑Fri Jun 23, 2023 9:36 pm I have used logic similar to this in the past and am trying to incorporate it into a routes being created for a group of which two of the three members prefer to ad-lib it rather than plan for lunch and fuel. I'm less adventurous so am creating potential lunch and fuel stops as shaping points. I am then creating via points shortly before each one and naming them with instructions, like "If no lunch stay on 76". Following the instructions will keep us on route or bring us back to the route if skipping one of those shaping points.

I do the same sort of thing. The only issue with that and the XT (It worked perfectly as a technique on the 590 /595 ) is that the XT will probably change the name of your route points. Not always, but more than half of the time.

The only way around this that I have found is to create waypoints first for the locations that I want the XT to retain the name I have given.

It was a while ago that I came acorss this - but I think that MRA manages to keep the names allocated. Not sure now. I'd need to go back and check.

lkraus wrote: ↑Fri Jun 23, 2023 10:23 pm In Basecamp, every time I drag a route and drop it in an intersection or on a freeway ramp, a shaping point is added to the route.
If I drop the route anywhere else, on or off road, a via point is added.
There may be more subtle differences, but I've not encountered them.

I wish it were this easy. Earlier this week I used drag/drop to add a route point to a small street that connected two state highways. That street is in a small city and has business on both sides although it is likely that the business front the highways. I dropped the point midway between the two state highways. It was created as a shaping point. This confirms what I remember of the explanation by @jfheath that it will be a shaping point when there is no POI (no street address) at the dropped point. Unfortunately, there is no indication when hovering over a drop point like there is when using the New Waypoint tool.

@FrankB, thanks for the info about GPI files. I had never heard of them. Can a .GPI file be imported the XT? If so, is it suitable for distributing to a group of riders with various satnavs?

Peobody wrote: ↑Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:12 pm @FrankB, thanks for the info about GPI files. I had never heard of them. Can a .GPI file be imported the XT? If so, is it suitable for distributing to a group of riders with various satnavs?

It should work for all Garmins, (Even outdoor) but very unlikely for TomTom.
I will prepare a document using the Javawa RTWtool, which is in my view, the easiest way. (But still requires some work)

Peobody wrote: ↑Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:12 pm I wish it were this easy. Earlier this week I used drag/drop to add a route point to a small street that connected two state highways. That street is in a small city and has business on both sides although it is likely that the business front the highways. I dropped the point midway between the two state highways. It was created as a shaping point. This confirms what I remember of the explanation by @jfheath that it will be a shaping point when there is no POI (no street address) at the dropped point. Unfortunately, there is no indication when hovering over a drop point like there is when using the New Waypoint tool.

Maybe it depends on the area. I can't get Basecamp to produce a shaping point this way anywhere in Ohio or a few nearby states. I even tried to creating a route on dirt roads in a national monument in the Utah desert, where Google maps shows no structures for miles. Every route dropped on a road between intersections created a via point with a presumably approximate street address. I finally got a shaping point when I dragged a route to a dirt road in Death Valley, Nevada.

The GPI files are great fun, but a tad time consuming - especially the way that I did it.

My first trip with my 550 was into Scotland, and we went to Fort George - a very impressive Fort early 18th Century fort which was built to defend access from sea via the Murray Firth. Never been used ina ny battle, but is still in use by scottish regiments today. But I digress. We were give a device which gave us a spoke commentary and it seemed to know exaclty where we were when we pressed the button.

I then discovered that the 550 could do the same thing. Set up a point of interest and you can set a 'perimeter' for any point. When the satnav gets within the perimeter, it will play a sound. And that sound can be a recorded MP3 file. So you can illustrate your ride with appropriate music as you ride around if you wish ! I had great fun playing around with that for a while. I've not used it since !!

You need a gpi loader which I think was available on the garmin site.

Regarding the drag and drop points - I only 'think' it becomes a shaping if there is no recognisable point. But sometimes it catches me by surprise - usually on road names. Sometimes A65 will be a via point, sometimes A65 will be a shaping point. How you quoted me is a sort of 'more or less' description. I don't think it is definitive. To be honest, I think I gave up trying to find out - I tend to make a route with a few key saved waypoints created with the flag tool. Then drag in a load of other non-waypoints. I highlight the lot and change them to shaping points, and then reset my key points as the Vias.

jfheath wrote: ↑Sat Jun 24, 2023 2:43 pm I then discovered that the 550 could do the same thing. Set up a point of interest and you can set a 'perimeter' for any point. When the satnav gets within the perimeter, it will play a sound. And that sound can be a recorded MP3 file. So you can illustrate your ride with appropriate music as you ride around if you wish ! I had great fun playing around with that for a while. I've not used it since !!

Ding, Ding, Ding. That's the bell of recognition of this capability associated with adding a POI file containing rest areas with restrooms. There was an option in POI Loader manual mode for configuring a proximity alert using a sound file. I'm intrigued about how that capability could be incorporated into routes.

jfheath wrote: ↑Sat Jun 24, 2023 2:43 pm The GPI files are great fun, but a tad time consuming - especially the way that I did it.

I agree. But Javawa RTWTool makes things a lot easier.

jfheath wrote: ↑Sat Jun 24, 2023 2:43 pm You need a gpi loader which I think was available on the garmin site.

Alternatives are:
- RTWTool, See https://www.javawa.nl/rtwtool_en.html
- GPSBabel, See https://www.gpsbabel.org/

@Peobody
I have created a sample, took screenshots and created the PDF. The GPX and GPI files are in the zip.
See for yourself if it worth the extra effort.

Peobody wrote: ↑Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:12 pm

lkraus wrote: ↑Fri Jun 23, 2023 10:23 pm In Basecamp, every time I drag a route and drop it in an intersection or on a freeway ramp, a shaping point is added to the route.
If I drop the route anywhere else, on or off road, a via point is added.
There may be more subtle differences, but I've not encountered them.

I wish it were this easy. Earlier this week I used drag/drop to add a route point to a small street that connected two state highways. That street is in a small city and has business on both sides although it is likely that the business front the highways. I dropped the point midway between the two state highways. It was created as a shaping point. This confirms what I remember of the explanation by @jfheath that it will be a shaping point when there is no POI (no street address) at the dropped point. Unfortunately, there is no indication when hovering over a drop point like there is when using the New Waypoint tool.

@FrankB, thanks for the info about GPI files. I had never heard of them. Can a .GPI file be imported the XT? If so, is it suitable for distributing to a group of riders with various satnavs?

I've found no consistency to determine the type of point being added, or if one is being added at all, when using the drag and drop method. I now always the map edit tool to INSERT a point. I still have no idea whether it will be a shaping or a via but at least I know there will always be a point added. Changing the type of point is no big deal to me.

FrankB wrote: ↑Sat Jun 24, 2023 4:50 pm I have created a sample, took screenshots and created the PDF. The GPX and GPI files are in the zip.
See for yourself if it worth the extra effort.

Thank you @FrankB. I genuinely appreciate your effort. It is above and beyond! I will check out those documents.

Peobody wrote: ↑Sat Jun 24, 2023 3:54 pm Ding, Ding, Ding. That's the bell of recognition of this capability associated with adding a POI file containing rest areas with restrooms. There was an option in POI Loader manual mode for configuring a proximity alert using a sound file. I'm intrigued about how that capability could be incorporated into routes.

At one time there were some pop-up sculptures produced in various areas around our countryside, (Andy Goldsworthy) which we thought would be nice to look at if we were passing by. So I created POIs for each of them and if we got within 10 miles of one of them on our touirng around, we would get a reminder and decide whether we wanted to seek it out.

I think that we only ever did it a couple of times, so it was a lot of effort for little reward - but for things like this, the effort and discovery is all part of the reward for me. - Getting it to work !