Garmin 705 navigation - what am I doing wrong??

bobtbuilder

Hi Folks,

After using my 705 as a training tool for 1yr+ I recently used the navigation function for the first time, with less than perfect results. As I haven't heard the navigation feature slated by all in sundry, I assume it's operator error. :oops:

I created the route in Bikeroutetoaster and sent it to the Garmin (running city navigator Europe).

The route was 75% small unclassified roads, but all were public highways.

A number of times, the Edge tried to send me the wrong way at juctions. Most of these seemed to be the Edge telling me to turn left, but the route actually required me to turn right.

I overcame this by zooming right in to the map and following the purple route line and ignoring the turn prompts.

Finally, due to numerous stops to check the route, the unit informed me that my virtual partner had finished the route, and from that point on, all prompts, distances, etc ceased to be available on the unit, leaving me again dependant on following the purple route line.

I didn't realise that the VP was on, and certainly wasn't racing it, but it seems a bit rubbish if losing to the VP removes all turn warnings, etc.

Anyone shed some light on my ineptitude??

Thanks!

redddraggon

If you are using Bikeroutetoaster use the .tcx format and not the .gpx format.

.gpx format in my experience is a bit of a disaster unless you plan the routes in Garmin Mapsource.

rickwiggans

You also need to go into SETTINGS, then ROUTING, and then set GUIDANCE METHOD to OFF ROAD (or prompted if you prefer), and then RECALCULATE, set to OFF (or prompted if you prefer) This way, the Garmin will take you the way you want, rather than the way IT wants. If at any time you get badly off route, or change your mind, just reverse these settings, and you can then use the routing function. It can be a bit of a pain, but it works. FWIW, I had exactly the same issue as you when I got mine a year ago - took me a while to arrive at the settings that best get the unit to work as I want,

Rick

bobtbuilder

Rick - are you saying that I want to use the OFF ROAD setting for my rides even if they are all 100% on road?

rickwiggans

That's what I do - then the Garmin will follow exactly the route you have plotted. I only turn "follow road" back on when I'm actually using the Garmin to navigated me to somewhere using its own turn by turn routing. It's worth experimenting to find the settings that produce the behaviour that you require. Basically, I use the settings I've outlined above, and plan my routes using bikeroutetoaster, and as suggested by a previous poster, I download to the Garmin as a tcx, rather than a gpx file. You get, what is for me, more useful information loaded this way. Note that if you load as tcx, you find your route (technically it is a course) under "Training" then "courses", whereas if you load it as gpx, you find your route under "Routes". The behaviour of the unit whilst navigating is slightly different when using tcx as opposed to gpx - and again, it is worth experimenting to find what suits you best,

Rick

bobtbuilder

Brilliant - thanks.

Had knee surgery last week, but once I'm back on the bike I'll be giving this a try.

rickwiggans

One of the issues is that there are a number of different ways of using these things, it takes a while to work out what works best for you. What works for one person isn't necessarily right for another! Good luck with the knee!

DeadCalm

One issue I found using BikeRouteToaster with the Edge the first couple of times I tried it was that I was clicking on the junctions when designing the course and it didn't seem to be accurate enough so that it would, say, take me left for 20 metres or so (when I needed to turn right) and then want me to turn 180 degrees back the way I'd come. I now always click after the junction and let the auto-routing figure out which way I need to turn. It seems to work really well as long as I do that.

Hope that makes sense...

bobtbuilder

DeadCalm wrote:

One issue I found using BikeRouteToaster with the Edge the first couple of times I tried it was that I was clicking on the junctions when designing the course and it didn't seem to be accurate enough so that it would, say, take me left for 20 metres or so (when I needed to turn right) and then want me to turn 180 degrees back the way I'd come. I now always click after the junction and let the auto-routing figure out which way I need to turn. It seems to work really well as long as I do that.

Hope that makes sense...

That sounds exactly what I did!