does an etrex 30 navigate anything?

[Martin]

I've asked several times but not got a reply

will it navigate a track or a route? cos currently it does neither  it just sits there and says "ready to navigate" whenever you select "where to"

if it does navigate a route how do you get the thing into it? mapsource doesn't work like it did with the Vista

[fuaran]

if it does navigate a route how do you get the thing into it? mapsource doesn't work like it did with the Vista

Use Garmin BaseCamp - it works much better with newer Garmin devices than Mapsource does.

[JonB]

As a novice please take what I say with a large pinch of salt but current practice is something like, import an org's track to basecamp, if it's circular split in half or however many parts is convenient, then convert to route and limit to 50 waypoints for navigation on road, download to Etrex and then select 'where to' ==> 'routes' (if you've set it to prompt navigation type then select 'on road for distance' and it should start navigating, big white arrows, 2nd exit at roundabout etc ... the problem here is relatively minor but occasionally it won't navigate where you expect it to, doesn't happen too often and probably won't if you've plotted the route with the waypoints in the correct places rather than just clicked on convert to route from a track

Alternatively if you select 250 points when turning it into a route you can select off road navigation, this beeps and lights up when approaching waypoints which is useful but not as strong directionally as the on road routing and the pink line doesn't always follow the road and so can look a bit messy but there's no weird thinking by the machine which sends you places you didn't necessarily want to go (even though you go through the correct waypoints). There are no white arrows and zooming is manual (as far as I can tell) with this method.

Navigating a track, select the track through the 'where to' option, the only advantage with this method is that you're tied exactly on the route set out, the machine is not thinking and as far as I'm aware there is no beeping or lighting but you do get a heavy pink line which you don't get if you just show the track on the map.

I started off with the on road then went to off road, recently gone back to on road as I quite miss the big white arrows but also tried option 3 the other day and that worked well, visually very strong but I do like a beep or two to tell me that I'm on route.

Not sure if this helps but happy to take further advicel ...

[Martin]

thanks; can't get Basecamp on my pc (WXP is ok it doesn't like the NET thingy)

I followed a track all weekend on the BCM but it would not navigate; I can live with staying with routes for this but seem to have lost them as well 

what I've just downloaded from Mapsource is not a route in etrex30speak cos it does not give any options that's it's supposed to in the manual

sorry and thanks but this place is the only useful place to find out anything Garmin's manual and website is pants

next up; if my tracklog was only 57% full whay has it only stored the last 220km of BCM? 

[GraemeMcC]

Have you got Routable mapsets?

I had this problem when I tried to install a set of OSM maps. But they wouldn't navigate.
I got success with a set of routable Openvlietsmaplite.

[fuaran]

thanks; can't get Basecamp on my pc (WXP is ok it doesn't like the NET thingy)

You should be able to install BaseCamp v4.2.5 - that is the last version that supports Windows XP. You will probably need XP SP3 and .NET v3.5.
Download here: http://garminbasecamp.wikispaces.com/Update

[Martin]

Have you got Routable mapsets?

I had this problem when I tried to install a set of OSM maps. But they wouldn't navigate.
I got success with a set of routable Openvlietsmaplite.

I think so; it's City Navigator from my old etrex; it routes if you use "Where to" and select a location

[Fab Foodie]

I've just got an Etrex 20 and am still a Virgin.  So far I can create a ride in ridewithgps or basemap save it, upload into the Etrex and follow the pink line.  Can also just go out and ride and record where I've been.

Not got to getting the arrows and stuff yet ..... That seems another level of understanding.

It's seems very complex  to use at first, but the helpline is brilliant and we'll worth a call.

[Ningishzidda]

The way I used eTrex and then Edge 605 was to download Waypoints, Routes and the map tiles I required in one load, after deleting everything appertaining to the last event.
It was important to ensure the check-box was enabled to allow the maps to auto Route.

I used Topo GB through Mapsource. On the Edge 605, there was sufficient internal memory to hold the map tiles I required for the event, Waypoints and Routes. No need to have a micro SD card.

After a few events in the same area of the country, I left the maps on the internal memory.
I only had six problems with the Edge 605 and the Legend before that with routing.

1/ The maps were incomplete. They had >200 year old lanes missing.
2/ It thought the M42 was a bicycle friendly road.
3/ It thought the A46 and A45 in Coventry and Eastern Birmingham were not applicable to a cyclist.
4/ Positioning Viapoints was a precise art and the infamous ‘U’ turn happened on several occasions.
5/ Ad-hoc trips across Birmingham went via Sutton Coldfield, 7 miles out of my way.
6/ It was bollox for a Cycle courier.

So I junked them both.

[Martin]

OK I downloaded basecamp and created a route (all of 5 points) sent it to my device went into Route manager found it hit Go

F all  no different to a route created on Mapsource in fact

it seems to be something to do with hitting Go on routes and tracks. The BCM track displayed beautifully all weekend, along with Waypoints (thanks Manotea) distances to them high point low points and distance back to finish which was spot on, it just would not navigate

[Dave_C]

Perhaps if you tell us what you think you want the GPS to do, we may be able to help.

Plot a simple line to follow?

Give you turn by turn directions?

[Martin]

Give you turn by turn directions?

yes  and I've not got a definitive answer that it's able to do so off a gpx, it certainly should off a route from Basecamp and it's not even doing that

[vorsprung]

I have a etrex 20.  To use a route I would

1) load the route file into GARMIN/Garmin/GPX on the etrex
2) menu "where to" => find another => "routes"
3) select the route
4) answer any questions about off road/on road
5) ride along and get annoyed as it bleeps at me

The route should appear in "route planner" and can be viewed istr
I never use routes, always tracks

[JonB]

yes  and I've not got a definitive answer that it's able to do so off a gpx, it certainly should off a route from Basecamp and it's not even doing that
[/quote]

Yes, when you go to 'where to' do you get the option to choose 'off road' vs 'on road for time' vs 'on road for distance'? mine will only give me turn directions and big white arrows if you select either of the on road options. If you're not getting this sub menu go to the set up ==> routing and under guidance method select, 'prompted'.  Frankie's page explains it better than me http://www.aukadia.net/gps/lw3_00.htm

[Martin]

yes  and I've not got a definitive answer that it's able to do so off a gpx, it certainly should off a route from Basecamp and it's not even doing that

Yes, when you go to 'where to' do you get the option to choose 'off road' vs 'on road for time' vs 'on road for distance'? mine will only give me turn directions and big white arrows if you select either of the on road options. If you're not getting this sub menu go to the set up ==> routing and under guidance method select, 'prompted'.  Frankie's page explains it better than me http://www.aukadia.net/gps/lw3_00.htm
[/quote]

yep done that; done absolutely everything FF suggests and still zip

[JonB]

I thought I was probably telling you something that you've already done but just to confirm that my E30, which is only a few months old and of a similar generation to yours, does route.  So I can only think it must be something to do with the maps or the unit. Good luck for getting it sorted.

[Dave_C]

It certainly does not sound easy. I had to reduce the number on way points on last weekends 400. I loaded the gpx into bikeroutetoaster (I think its called) and was given 6 different format choices to save as. It was a real pain as I only use it in one way, just following a line along the roads. I knew I needed a gpx not a track or txt or kml or whatever but gpx had two format options, Track and Route. It was only by playing with it and trying a few different ways of starting off did I discover how to get what I needed.

Still this 'turn by turn' sounds interesting and I may make a simple route up locally to experiment with.

[Pedal Castro]

I am playing with my new etrex 30. trying to load a route from Oundle to Manchester. I created the gpx from cyclestreets.net, loaded it into basecamp and then exported it to the etrex 30. The route on the etrex is now truncated and only holds the first 70km. If I save with 50 or even 250 points then the route is not detailed enough as it traverses through built up areas :-(

Should I just follow tracks for long routes?

[Ningishzidda]

Have an experiment with Mapsource.
Build several Routes to cover the trip.
Place waypoints at important places and with the Drag Tool in Mapsource, introduce ViaPoints between the Waypoints.
These will ‘force’ the route where you intend to go but will not appear in the Waypoint Library on the device.

Load the Routes onto the device and study what the device produces.
If there are still some parts of the Routes where the directions are incorrect, modify on Mapsource and reload the Routes. Repeat until happy.

[Hot Flatus]

bikehike.co.UK

Plot route.
Select reduce waypoints (go into the options, there's a box where you can adjust the number of track/waypoints. Type in 300. Save. Done.
Save in whatever format you want (suggest gpx track or gpx route)
Download into  your GPS unit
Navigate

Almost idiot proof, although that depends on the calibre of your idiot.

Has worked flawlessly for me for years.

Don't bother pissing about with map source.

[Ningishzidda]

ITMA

[frankly frankie]

The E30 doesn't play very well with Mapsource.  To get a Route from Mapsource to the E30, save it as a GPX then transfer the file to
[mSD card]\Garmin\GPX\
via the file manager, it seems to me to work better that way.

I am playing with my new etrex 30. trying to load a route from Oundle to Manchester. I created the gpx from cyclestreets.net, loaded it into basecamp and then exported it to the etrex 30. The route on the etrex is now truncated and only holds the first 70km. If I save with 50 or even 250 points then the route is not detailed enough as it traverses through built up areas :-(
Should I just follow tracks for long routes?

It's unclear whether you want to avoid the built-up areas, or whether you want to traverse them and therefore need lots of turn instructions?
On typical UK lanes (quite a dense network) if you work your way from one place to another turn-by-turn, you'll get a 'turn' no more than 1 per km on average, probably less than that.  That means you can define your 200km-ish trip with about 200 points, give or take.  You can use these points to avoid Loughborough and Derby etc or to go through those places. 
There's no 'routing' or 'navigating' involved if you do this, you just follow the instructions you've already programmed in to the GPS, from turn to turn, up to 250 per Route.
If you choose to use a Track, the same applies, no 'navigating' involved, and you have (on the E30) many more points to play with so that the line you follow closely matches the shape of the roads.

If you want the GPS to navigate for you, then your Route is limited to 50 points, but in practice these can be several kms apart each, so the end result is much the same.  Plotting a 200km route across the middle of England that is absolutely nailed down, should only take 30 points or so.

[Pedal Castro]

What I did in the end was simply to split the file into 4 legs each of about 50km, that was the quickest and easiest way.

[Martin]

The E30 doesn't play very well with Mapsource.  To get a Route from Mapsource to the E30, save it as a GPX then transfer the file to
[mSD card]\Garmin\GPX\
via the file manager, it seems to me to work better that way.

so definitely onto the SD card not the device? but will it navigate the gpx turn by turn? if not I may as well persist with Routes. I created a route on Basecamp and sent it and it refuses to navigate; although if I create a route on the device (extremely tedious!) of 200km it does! one issue seems to be that Waypoint Manager only recognises waypoints I've marked on the device, anything sent from my PC does not show up 

[Pingu]

Either the card or the device as long as it's in the correct folder.