[wing ryder]

Happy New Year everyone! This year's numbers add up to 9 and that'll make for a good year according to an elderly Chineese man at my favorite chineese resturaunt.
:?: Question: How can I get the Garmin 2730 GPS to navigate from point A to point B along a specific route? For example, lets say I'd like to take a series of farm roads to get to point B instead of what the GPS automatically comes up with, how would I get it to plan that route?.
Thanks!

 

[bobnpaso]

I don't know either but I will be watching this post to find out how also.

When I tried to do it myself, I had to select the destination, enlarge the map and select intersections and locations along the way to make way points on the route desired. It almost worked but some of the selections were off the road, down the wrong road (intersection) and it created several U turns that I avoided. Usually I was able to hit it within 100'.

I thought I missed something in the instructions. http://gpsinformation.net/phpBB2/ This website is the GPS forum. I have broused it, but not posted to it. Worth a try.

Bob D.

 

[wing ryder]

Well put Bob, having been there and done all of the above, I recognise your every move! One would think that Garmin, the leader in GPS's, would have a user-friendly way of making a custom route.

 

[Bartman]

The best way to do is with with MapSource. Create your route and then load it to the GPS.

Short of doing that, I do just what Bob D. does. Set your start and end points and then add intermediate destinations. I have learned to never to select "Cities" as my intermediate destination. I usually just select a point along the road I want to travel and/or multiple points along the route.

For example (I know this is not a 2730 display image, but it will give you a good idea) I have friends that have a lake house in Eatonton, Ga. The first time I made the trip there from Jacksonville, I didn't want to go via the interstate, so I planned my route in the GPS like this (look at the red dots):

God, did I screw up. As soon as I got to the first "waypoint" (Hilliard in this case) the GPS had my going around in circles to get to DOWNTOWN Hilliard. Then it did the same thing in Waycross. I stopped the bike and re-plotted my route like this:

This worked PERFECT. I'm going down the roads and the GPS would announce the next waypoint. After I passed it, it would tell me how far to the next one.

Be sure to pick points along a road. Try not to pick intersections (you can zoom in to fix that) and if you're going through a big city and you know the route you want to take, pick several waypoints through the city so the GPS doesn't take you weird directions to get to your next waypoint.

Hope this helps.

Bartman

 

[tomfranken]

The only way I've ever been able to get it to work is pick a point along the side road to force the issue. It doesn't always work. I tried to create a route over a Westin Pass in Colorado and the Garmin software refused to go over the pass. Even with two points just a few feet apart, it went up from the west, back down, around to the east side of the mountain range following the next paved road, and back up the pass.

Another challange is to map a route along a freeway and not have the software take you into the town you mark like what happened to Bartman. I have to mark exit numbers. Even then, it will sometimes take me to the next exit, back to the one I marked, and off again.

 

[luckyman]

I've noticed that if you are westbound on a freeway and your via point is on the wrong side it'll take you to the next exit and back eastbound to that point before proceeding west again.

Be sure and mark the correct "side" on divided highways.

 

[pshivers]

As Bartman pointed, plotting your route in Mapsource on your PC and uploading that route to the 2730 is the most accurate way to do it that I have found.

Another option you might try though it will not give the exact route you want, Is just pick your destination and select "Shortest Distance" instead of "Fastest Route". I usually end up going on some very interesting rides with this option.

 

[wing ryder]

Thank You All!

It's great to find a way to accomplish the deed but it's even greater knowing I wasn't the only one scratching my head with this problem.

BTW, I probably should know this but what/where is MapSource?....

 

[bobnpaso]

Don't know about Mapsource, but Mapquest works and is @ www.Mapquest.com
It will work for ya.
Thanks to all for the info, I think we should forward it to Garmin.
Bob D.

 

[pshivers]

BTW, I probably should know this but what/where is MapSource?....

Mapsource is from Garmin and use to ship with most all Garmin GPS units until they started providing units with the full maps pre-installed on the GPS. You use it to preplan trips and to upload/download waypoints, routes, tracks and new maps to and from your GPS/PC. Garmin also regularly provides free updates to the Mapsource code, (Not the map data).

Garmin has shipped a free copy of Mapsource to some new GPS owners. Owners of the 2720 got them to start shipping Mapsource with the 2720.

The 2730 has never had it as part of the product. I got my orginal copy of Mapsource when I bought my Streetpilot III several years ago.

Garmin does have an alternate to the "old" Mapsource program, It is called "MapSource Trip and Waypoint Manager" and is probably the product you want. It is nearly the same as the old Mapsource product but without the update capacity for newer maps.

See http://shop.garmin.com/accessory.jsp?sku=010-10215-04 for more information

 

[pshivers]

Don't know about Mapsource, but Mapquest works and is @ www.Mapquest.com
It will work for ya.
Thanks to all for the info, I think we should forward it to Garmin.
Bob D.

I wasn't aware that Mapquest had any "Upload" capabilities to a Garmin GPS :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?:

 

[luckyman]

BTW, I probably should know this but what/where is MapSource?....

The 2730 has never had it as part of the product.

My Garmin 2730 was shipped to me with City Navigator ver. 7.0 in the box and I got ver. 8.0 free of charge by calling Garmin and asking for it. It included Mapsource.

 

[pshivers]

Sounds like Garmin changed their packaging policy much the same as they did with the 2720. I got one of the first 2730's, so I did not get a new Mapsource with the 2730.

 

[bobnpaso]

pshivers, I thought they were using Mapsource as a map only, totally forgotten that it was the Garmin program. No, I don't think Mapquest would have anything to do with the GPS's. My error.
Thanks for the info, I will need to go back to the box and instructions to see about using Mapsource. I think it came with my 2720.
Thanks for the info.
Bob D.

 

[Bartman]

I just discovered something interesting about the 2730....according to Garmin's website: http://www.garmin.com/products/sp2730/ under the section on the right titled "Package Includes," the thrid bullet shows the MapSource® City Navigator North America NT DVD as being included.

So, I just called Garmin and told them I didn't get that DVD and they're sending me one!

Bartman

 

[wing ryder]

Well, I'd like to say I had some success but that's not the case.
I inserted points on the roads that I wanted to use without any trouble but the last step was to select Fastest or Shortest route and when I did it re-routed my trip entirely.
Go figure, so I'm back at squareone.

 

[Bartman]

Well, I'd like to say I had some success but that's not the case.
I inserted points on the roads that I wanted to use without any trouble but the last step was to select Fastest or Shortest route and when I did it re-routed my trip entirely.
Go figure, so I'm back at squareone.

Wing Ryder, try these steps and see if this helps.

1. From the home sreen when you first turn the unit on, select TOOLS>MY DATA>ROUTES>CREATE NEW SAVED ROUTE.

2. Select your start point from one of the three options.

3. Select your end point from one of the three option.

4. Now select YES from the "ADD AN INTERMEDIATE DESTINATION POINT?" screen and follow the prompts.

5. Select YES on the "ADD ANOTHER INTERMEDIATE DESTINATION POINT?" screen and follow the prompts. Do this as many times as you want to add intermediate destination points.

6. Select NO on the "ADD ANOTHER INTERMEDIATE DESTINATION POINT?" screen.

7. Select "DON'T SORT" and select NEXT.

8. Select "FASTER TIME" or "SHORTER DISTANCE." I usually choose SHORTER DISTANCE. Play around with this part and see which one you prefer.

9. The GPS will now do some calculations. When it is finished, select FINISH.

10. Now select "EDIT/REVIEW ROUTE"

11. Find the route your just created and select it.

12. Select EDIT and RENAME the route to something that makes sense to you. If you're just screwing around, pick something like TEST or ABC123. When you have the name chosen you want to use, select DONE.

13. Now press the MENU button on the right side of the GPS case.

14. Select TOOLS

15. Select MY DATA

16. Select ROUTES

17. Select NAVIGATE SAVED ROUTE and select your route.

That should be all there is to it. Once you do it a few times, it will get easier. If you're planning a long trip, say a cross country trip, you mihgt opt to get a copy of MapSource. Trying to lay out a LONG route on that small screen gets to be a PITA (Pain In The A$$).

Hope this helps.

Bartman

 

[Pigeon Roost]

I think its funny when the Garmin bitch is fussing at me to do a U turn or such. Some well establisehd roads are simply not recognized and some old cow paths are accepted as paved roadway. Garbage in/garbage out. The last upgrade I did was an improvement, but if you want to follow a specific route tht is not the quickest, shortest or whatever the preference, then you have to trick it with way points and unless you want fussed at indefinitely, you have to accomlish those way points - or cancel them as you pass. But, overall, this an awesome product!

prs

 

[wing ryder]

Thanks Bartman, that was very helpful.

I was close with some of the steps but no cigar until "I did it your way". :lol:

 

[wing ryder]

Bartman, you were right, the Map Source CD is included in the 2730 package and WOW! what a piece of cake it is to make a route!

I'm glad Garmin sent you your deserved CD

Thanks for the help