Hi all. First post. Very happy to have found you! I've been looking for a more focused forum for some info. I've done some searching and read quite a few posts but didn't really see my question addressed. (Or maybe misunderstood some terminology.)
I've been using Microsoft Streets and Trips 2009 (just got 2010) for the past year and have been happy with it.
Next year, I'm planning a cross-country trip via old highways (Lincoln Highway and Route 66) in the U.S. And I'm planning on sticking to the routes - not just "close enough is good enough" - in all areas where the route is still navigable.
The problem is that in many places the old routes are sectioned. For example just in California, the Lincoln Highway goes from surface streets, to freeways, to secondary roads and is not easily mappable on Streets & Trips. (Unless I use the snap-to feature, which is nice, but I hate all the additional "stops" that get added across the entire country, because there's a lot of snapping-to.)
So, what I would like to do is to be able to freehand draw the routes in S&T (using a Wacom tablet) and still have the benefits of the route planning features S&T provides. Basically, forcing Streets and Trips to use a hand-drawn route on its maps, I guess.
Is this at all possible? It doesn't seem to work in version 2009. Unless there's some setting I'm missing. Haven't tried it in 2010
Or is there some way to do this with something like OziExplorer and integrate that with Streets & Trips for directions? Or some better option?
Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your help.
I've been using Microsoft Streets and Trips 2009 (just got 2010) for the past year and have been happy with it.
Next year, I'm planning a cross-country trip via old highways (Lincoln Highway and Route 66) in the U.S. And I'm planning on sticking to the routes - not just "close enough is good enough" - in all areas where the route is still navigable.
The problem is that in many places the old routes are sectioned. For example just in California, the Lincoln Highway goes from surface streets, to freeways, to secondary roads and is not easily mappable on Streets & Trips. (Unless I use the snap-to feature, which is nice, but I hate all the additional "stops" that get added across the entire country, because there's a lot of snapping-to.)
So, what I would like to do is to be able to freehand draw the routes in S&T (using a Wacom tablet) and still have the benefits of the route planning features S&T provides. Basically, forcing Streets and Trips to use a hand-drawn route on its maps, I guess.
Is this at all possible? It doesn't seem to work in version 2009. Unless there's some setting I'm missing. Haven't tried it in 2010
Or is there some way to do this with something like OziExplorer and integrate that with Streets & Trips for directions? Or some better option?
Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your help.
Welcome to the Forum, Brent.
Strictly speaking, you cannot create a route by using only the drawing tools. You must either use Pushpins or Stops. I know what you mean, however, by wishing to avoid creating too many stops, what have been called "bogus stops." There was a thread on the subject a couple of months ago: http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/2575-plan-route-without-bogus-stops-microsoft-streets-trips.
These bogus stops are most annoying when they are in the middle of a route segment. However, these can be minimized by dragging them to the end of the route segment where they appear, i. e., where a turn is indicated. So, while they may not be true stops, they will have your Navigation mode counting down to that waypoint, which I find particularly useful. In S&T 2010, you can also eliminate the Stop name by renaming the Stop as a blank by hitting the spacebar once in Rename Stop. This will remove some of the visible clutter although you will still have the yellow square on the map. All the driving directions will be left intact.
What you might do is use the yellow highlghter drawing tool with your Wacom tablet to rough-out your route and then click-in crucial waypoints as Stops along the way and, of course, true stops such as pitstops, rest breaks, and overnights. Then, calculate a route and refine it as above. That's sort of what I did once driving from New York to San Francisco via Winnipeg.
Strictly speaking, you cannot create a route by using only the drawing tools. You must either use Pushpins or Stops. I know what you mean, however, by wishing to avoid creating too many stops, what have been called "bogus stops." There was a thread on the subject a couple of months ago: http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/2575-plan-route-without-bogus-stops-microsoft-streets-trips.
These bogus stops are most annoying when they are in the middle of a route segment. However, these can be minimized by dragging them to the end of the route segment where they appear, i. e., where a turn is indicated. So, while they may not be true stops, they will have your Navigation mode counting down to that waypoint, which I find particularly useful. In S&T 2010, you can also eliminate the Stop name by renaming the Stop as a blank by hitting the spacebar once in Rename Stop. This will remove some of the visible clutter although you will still have the yellow square on the map. All the driving directions will be left intact.
What you might do is use the yellow highlghter drawing tool with your Wacom tablet to rough-out your route and then click-in crucial waypoints as Stops along the way and, of course, true stops such as pitstops, rest breaks, and overnights. Then, calculate a route and refine it as above. That's sort of what I did once driving from New York to San Francisco via Winnipeg.
Thanks for the info, Spadesflush, and for that link. I missed that in my perusal of the forums.
Yes, it is the waystops in the middle of the route that drive me crazy, especially as when I drag the mapped route to the "correct" route, it will only do part of it. So I end up having to drag the route for the Lincoln Highway across Wyoming something like 20 times (because it will only drag a portion) and end up with a bunch of useless boxes clogging the map.
This may be the best option. I don't necessarily need turn-by-turn directions. Basically a map with stops (rest, overnight, friends/family, etc.) mapped in.
Another option I'm considering is just doing it in sections, instead of one full map. Maybe something like: CA-NV, UT-WY, NE-IA, etc. Maybe with subsections for large stretches (like Wyoming). At least the fake-waystop clutter should be less distracting.
Still, it's frustrating when I just want to go from A to B (or California to Ohio, in this case) and would simply like a more-or-less straight route.
IMHO, "route adjustments" do not necessarily equal "must stop here".
Yes, it is the waystops in the middle of the route that drive me crazy, especially as when I drag the mapped route to the "correct" route, it will only do part of it. So I end up having to drag the route for the Lincoln Highway across Wyoming something like 20 times (because it will only drag a portion) and end up with a bunch of useless boxes clogging the map.
Quote:
What you might do is use the yellow highlghter drawing tool with your Wacom tablet to rough-out your route and then click-in crucial waypoints as Stops along the way and, of course, true stops such as pitstops, rest breaks, and overnights. Then, calculate a route and refine it as above. That's sort of what I did once driving from New York to San Francisco via Winnipeg.
Another option I'm considering is just doing it in sections, instead of one full map. Maybe something like: CA-NV, UT-WY, NE-IA, etc. Maybe with subsections for large stretches (like Wyoming). At least the fake-waystop clutter should be less distracting.
Still, it's frustrating when I just want to go from A to B (or California to Ohio, in this case) and would simply like a more-or-less straight route.
IMHO, "route adjustments" do not necessarily equal "must stop here".
Quote:
...
Another option I'm considering is just doing it in sections, instead of one full map. Maybe something like: CA-NV, UT-WY, NE-IA, etc. Maybe with subsections for large stretches (like Wyoming). At least the fake-waystop clutter should be less distracting.
...
Another option I'm considering is just doing it in sections, instead of one full map. Maybe something like: CA-NV, UT-WY, NE-IA, etc. Maybe with subsections for large stretches (like Wyoming). At least the fake-waystop clutter should be less distracting.
...
Even if you make on-the-fly route changes, it is not too much of a problem because the route re-calculation only deals with the segments of the route that are changed so the whole thing does not have to be re-calculated.
Also, bear in mind that you will be mostly zoomed-in to segments of the route that you are on or approaching when you are on the road so you will not be too aware of the "clutter" away from what is of current interest to you.
Brent,
Have you considered using "avoid" areas to force the route where you want it? You can just make a big rectangle over the parts that you want to stop Streets from using when finding the route. I suspect you can probably use relative brute force and cover large chunks of the map. A few of these, judiciously placed, might do the trick.
...ken...
Have you considered using "avoid" areas to force the route where you want it? You can just make a big rectangle over the parts that you want to stop Streets from using when finding the route. I suspect you can probably use relative brute force and cover large chunks of the map. A few of these, judiciously placed, might do the trick.
...ken...
Quote:
For example just in California, the Lincoln Highway goes from surface streets, to freeways, to secondary roads and is not easily mappable on Streets & Trips.
I'm traveling over the holidays, but I think at home I have a S&T v2007 route of the Lincoln Highway. If you remind after the new year I'll be glad to email it to you. Unfortunately it was created by massive use of fake stops. Like you said, California is a mess.
Using "avoid" areas may help, but I have had rotten luck doing anything complicated with them. Lockups, crashes and such. But I can't say I've tried much with 2010.
In the meantime, go to Road food tips at Ride To Eat / LHC review Lincoln Highway News, scroll down about 1/3, and read a review I wrote on a book you need.
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