Zumo User Forums

Just wrapped up a long journey (5,500 mi) ... I've noticed that when I head a different direction than what my Zumo 396 says, it does not automatically recalcualte the route. Instead it continues to show a message to "Continue to 'street name'" ... There must be a way to easily recalculate the route (I end up stopping my ride, cancel the route and restart it ... then it is fine). Anyone know of a quick recalc button?

I thought there was an option for it to do that automatically. I don't have my device in front of me, but someone may chime in.

Alan

Alan: I may have found it ... there is a setting called "Off-Route Recalculation" ... mine was off, now it is on ... that may do it. Thanks for the hint.

I'd beware of the auto recalculate function as it doesn't return you to a planned route (I believe the newer XT has this option?) I turn it off so I've not tried it for a while, but I think auto recalculate will take you direct to the final destination or the next waypoint I don't recall which.
When I leave a planned route and need to return I zoom out to get the route back on screen and follow the best looking roads back to my route.

If you go off route and Off Route Recalculation is allowed, then the Zumos will immediately recalculate the current section of the route. That is, from where you are now to the route point that is the next one in the list - ie to where it was trying to take you anyway.
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If the next route point is a Shaping Point (ie will not announce on arrival and shows up as a blue disc on the map), and you keep ignoring the instructions to take you to it, then the Zumo will stop trying to get you to go back to it IF any of the following happens.
1) You join the original route AFTER the missed shaping point
2) You press the skip button
3) Some later models prompt after you have ignored a couple of instructions - do you want to skip the next point.

It will only take you to the end of the route if you have no more route points between where you are now and the end point !

If the next point is a Via Point, then all of the above is true - except point number 1. The later Zumos (after 660) will not let you ignore a Via Point by just joining the route after the Via Point. It will take you back to it. But the other comments from 2) onwards all apply to Vias.
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If that is not your experience, then the chances are that you have done something wrong at the start of the route - like you have chosen the end point when asked to select the next destination at the start - or Basecamp has some of the options in Edit / Options / Device Transfer ticked.

A common error is to have a route consisting of Start, End and a load of Shaping Points. But no other Via Points.

When you start the route, the Zumo asks you to slect the next destination. It gives you two choices. The start, and the End. That's it.
It doesn't give any more choices, because that screen will only list Via Points - and you haven't set any. If you had, they would be listed as well.

So what do you choose. The answer is the start. But if you have already passed the start when you set off, then the stanav will try to get you to go back to it. And if you have autorecalc turned off, the satnav just goes quiet. The magenta line is taking you back to the start point which as you take your feet off the ground is about 10 metres behind you, but you carry on ahead. Following a magenta line which it isn't following becasue you have ignored the instruction to go back tot he start. And with autorecalc turned off, it isn't going to say a word. The trick is to put the start at a point a mile or so up the road - somehwere that you will definitley ride through once you have set off. Always select the start point when you say 'Go'.

The other mistake, which I reckon everyone makes at some point, is to think -"Well I am already at the start. So I'm heading to the end next.?"
Wrong. Zumo regards the 'next destination' as meaning the next Via Point. You don't have any except for the start and the end. And you've just asked it to take you to the end. Which it does. It gets you there using the current Zumo settings. Motorcycle, Faster time (probably). And it ignores all of those shaping points that were designed to make your road trip of a lifetime.

Anyone who says that there are no shaping points or that the route recalculates to take you to the end has invariably misunderstood exactly what they have asked the Zumo to do.

(Note to MRA users. For a long time, MRA had two gpx formats v1.0 and v1.1. One of them created routes with all shaping points. One of them created routes with all Via Points. I believe that this has led to some having lots of issues with Zumo routing. They seem to be working on this now, and the 1.1 Beta version creates both Vias and Shaping Points. The tear drop symbols are the shaping points. The hand held up (as in 'Stop') symbol represents a stopping place - a Via Point. Click on the point to get the menu to change it from one to another.)


Final Point. Some later Zumos (I know the 595 and the XT do this) will recalculate every section of the route if you press skip at any time. The route still passes through the same route points in the same order (except the one you have just skipped), and it will probably claculate the same route that it had before if you have placed your shaping points carefully. But it may introduce other variabls like traffic info, your riding preferences that have built up, and how fast you ride on certain roads. Stuff like that. I do not know for certain what info it makes use of but those are my current suspicions.

I think having a track displayed as well as the route is the best way (for me) of keeping me up to date with route changes. The track stays put, even if the route changes.

I just bought the 396. What a PITA this nav is... And I don't mean the 396 in particular, but all navs that use the new software they installed on the newer navs (595, XT...). It is some overthinking programming.

Before that I used Nuvi 1490 and it is no-nonsense GPS. Download your route and it will lead you on it with no drama.
Things I liked: Start the route and it will prompt you if to start from the beginning (Yes/No). You click "No" and it leads you to the nearest magenta line. No-nonsense choosing from which via points to start...
1490 threats via points as shaping points. And its 2012 screen is way better (more vivid and colorful) than the 2021 396''s.
If you wonder off the route, and cancel the ride - the next time it will ask the same question and bring you to the nearest magenta line to start the route. This simple operation can be a major headache in the new navs, as in this case you'd have to choose a nearest via point, but you may not know which one is the nearest one as there's no names on them on the map, so just from looking at the selection list of via points you're lost... And what if you don't have the via's, just shaping? It will take you straight to the end... There're ways around it, one like trace back on the recorded line (road) you came from... but why, Garmin, why removing something that worked perfectly and replace with some lame and complicated code?

Moreover... you want to replace via points with shaping points (on the unit) and it will shift your shaping point way off from where the via point used to be...

And why would you include 15 miles of the major road when I create a route (on the unit) from A to B for about 40 miles using most Adventures/Most Mountainous and full-on-no-major roads option in navigation setting. There're PLENTY of good twisties around this 15 miles stretch of a major road with lights and traffic...

Test your software Garmin and fix the bugs before you go into production. What is your QC doing? Or the customers are the real-time QC testers??

That said, I will keep the 396 and try "working" with it as it is faster, better touch-screen with gloves, and has more options/functions than my old and slow 1490. But the ultimate question is, why changing something that was working to something more complicated and not reliable?

I can't comment in the Nuvi, only the Zumos.

I share your frustrations but tend to present them to Garmin with evidence, and hope that they get it right.

As far as the XT is concerned:

The moving point when changed to a shaping point from a via on the Zumo - I reported this a year ago, followed it up again last month and it has been acknowledged and I am told is being attend to.

The XT allows the choice of closest entry point when starting a route, which finds the point where the magenta line comes closest to your present position, and heads for that.

The phrase - select next destination - means select the next Via Point. Except they dont tell you this, they just assume. It just means you have to choose your Via and shaping points carefully. To be fair, that has been so since Trip planner was introduced.

But there is plenty in what you say that is frustrating. I have 6 issues lodged with Garmin at present. I'm logging their responses and will report back. Key is the simple issue of being unable to plot a fastest route or shorter route reliably.

Hi jh.
I've logged couple of problems with Garmin as well. One is in regards to a moved shaping points, and they said that other users reported this as well. Another one is if you have more than 29 shaping points and you want to "pull" your route to go a different way (using unit's Shape Route option) between say shaping 5 and 6, it won't let you change the route between them, but will send a red message "Select a valid location". No matter where you touch the screen and it is on the zoomed-in road or street.
I know 29 shapings can be a lot but in the areas with many different roads you want to force Garmin to navigate your particular route.

I guess Garmin has 5 years of fixes just based on the logged issues

The number 29 may be significant. Any more shaping points than that and the satnav has to consider splitting the route into two parts by making the 29th into a Via so that it becomes the end point and then duplicating it so that it becomes the beginning of the next part of the route.

Something like that anyway. I may have the numbers wrong. I did some checkin on it once. i think it would accept a route with 30 shaping points but any more than that it would split it into a route with 29 and another with the remainder - again up to 29.

I can't remember if it loaded the second half automatically. I suppose the answer is to put a Via point in so that you dont have more than 29 shaping points in succession.

My routes generally have a start, an end and maybe 3 Via points that mark the route away from a stopping place. in between I usually have just enough to force the route onto the roads I want. maybe 3 or 4. Occasionally more if there is a faster road nearby that I want to avoid riding.

Well, here's the thing: I don't use Basecamp to create routes. I use Furkot.It doesn't do shaping points. Instead all points are the vias. My routes are rather involved and there many different roads around so I have to set more via points in order to force Garmin taking these particular ones.
My old Nuvi don't care how many vias I have (my guess would be 100 max). Montana takes up to 50. Zumo takes max of 29 vias. Notice that I'm talking about vias, not shapings. Nuvi will take "unlimited" shapings, but 29 vias.
So by loading the .gpx route into Zumo, Zumo will notice over 29 vias and will ask me if I want to convert the route into 2 routes, or convert all via points into shaping points. I'll click to convert and get Start and End points, and shapings in between. I must mention that converting vias into shapings internally, Zumo would not reposition them. At leas I haven't noticed that.
Normally I set the starting point a mile or more away from where I am, or I can change the first shaping point into a via point to navigate.
Problem can arise if I'm off the route and need to get back on it, but I think it was discussed more than ones in a different threads.