I have been using Garmin Mobile PC for the past few months and I suspect that it has spoiled me a bit. I also have Streets & Trips 2010, and today on a short trip across town I used it. The route I wanted was not the route S&T chose. Streets & Trips tried to get me to go back to the point where I left the route it wanted me to take. This recalculating continued untill I was within shouting distance of my destination.
Garmin Mobile PC has not done this to me even though I have gone my own way against it's chosen route on occasion. It's almost like Garmin is able to look at optional routes and S&T is not.
Is there something I'm missing with S&T that will correct this?
Garmin Mobile PC has not done this to me even though I have gone my own way against it's chosen route on occasion. It's almost like Garmin is able to look at optional routes and S&T is not.
Is there something I'm missing with S&T that will correct this?
Hi edh,
Was it a route with multiple schedule waypoints along the way or a simple A-to-B type route?
Was it a route with multiple schedule waypoints along the way or a simple A-to-B type route?
Hi Ed,
Yes, I've noticed the same thing. Garmin's routing always does a recalculation starting at where you are. This applies to all Garmin devices I've used, not just Mobile PC. It recognizes that trying to take you back to the point where you deviated from the original route probably makes no sense at this point so it acts as if it's a brand new route with all the same waypoints and destination but with a different starting point.
The only time you'll see Mobile PC try to take you back to the point where you departed from the original route is if it thinks it's the [quickest or shortest] way from where you are now to your destination or next waypoint.
If you know the best shortcuts in your city, even Mobile PC might not keep up with you, though. Mobile PC can also be somewhat annoying if the map data it's working with doesn't "know" about that nifty shortcut you're aware of, so it will be quite persistent in trying to get you back to the original route. It still won't try to force you back to the point where you deviated from it, but it will try to move you back onto it at the nearest convenient point.
Microsoft's approach to recalculating a route has been mentioned in a number of threads here. As you have discovered, it seems not to be so flexible if you decide to wander.
...ken...
Yes, I've noticed the same thing. Garmin's routing always does a recalculation starting at where you are. This applies to all Garmin devices I've used, not just Mobile PC. It recognizes that trying to take you back to the point where you deviated from the original route probably makes no sense at this point so it acts as if it's a brand new route with all the same waypoints and destination but with a different starting point.
The only time you'll see Mobile PC try to take you back to the point where you departed from the original route is if it thinks it's the [quickest or shortest] way from where you are now to your destination or next waypoint.
If you know the best shortcuts in your city, even Mobile PC might not keep up with you, though. Mobile PC can also be somewhat annoying if the map data it's working with doesn't "know" about that nifty shortcut you're aware of, so it will be quite persistent in trying to get you back to the original route. It still won't try to force you back to the point where you deviated from it, but it will try to move you back onto it at the nearest convenient point.
Microsoft's approach to recalculating a route has been mentioned in a number of threads here. As you have discovered, it seems not to be so flexible if you decide to wander.
...ken...
Hi Larry,
It was a route from my home to a job site 13KM away. I travelled from 68st NE Calgary to University Dr NW. I work at various sites at the University Of Calgary. This site at the University was at 100 Campus Pl. which is on the south side of the University Campus. S&T wanted me to travel west to Deerfoot Tr and go north to Mcnight Blvd and travel west on Mcnight Blvd and then on John Laurie Blvd to the north side of the University campus. John Laurie Blvd is the extension of Mcnight Blvd.
For me, travelling west on 16 ave( Hwy 1) to University Dr is the logical shortest route.
It was a route from my home to a job site 13KM away. I travelled from 68st NE Calgary to University Dr NW. I work at various sites at the University Of Calgary. This site at the University was at 100 Campus Pl. which is on the south side of the University Campus. S&T wanted me to travel west to Deerfoot Tr and go north to Mcnight Blvd and travel west on Mcnight Blvd and then on John Laurie Blvd to the north side of the University campus. John Laurie Blvd is the extension of Mcnight Blvd.
For me, travelling west on 16 ave( Hwy 1) to University Dr is the logical shortest route.
edh, do you think it is possible that Streets & Trips (and perhaps other navigation programs, too), think that the local roads within the University of Calgary have very low speed limit, so it naturally tends to route you to the closest main road outside of the university site?
Hi Marvin,
I don't know. I do know that I did try streets and trips in the fall when travelling from the north side of the University to home. S&T wanted to send me home via 16av N. On that trip I elected to travel the John Laurie Blvd route and then south on Deerfoot to 16av NE(hwy 1). At that time S&T wanted me to go back untill I was near a street that would take me to 16av NE. There are 4 streets that go south from JL to 16av. In between S&T wanted me to go back to the most recent southbound street. When i got to Deerfoot Southbound, S&T then calculated that route.
On a prior trip on the same route, Garmin also wanted me to travel via 16av N. But garmin only tried to recalculate the route to 16av once. When i did not turn south at that Street( 19st NW) Garmin then recalculated to send me straight to Deerfoot Tr and south to 16av NE(hwy 1) without bothering to try the other 3 streets.
In case anybody is wondering about why I'm using GPS to go somewhere that I know the route to, I want to learn the in's and out's of these programs on familiar ground before I have to rely on it to find and direct me to a job site in the Alberta foothills. I do like the S&T graphics and S&T does seem to have more detail on the University grounds. Whether thats because I need to tweek my GPS better or not is something I want to find out. Better to do these things on familiar ground than sometime when I'm in a rush to a strange place after sleeping in.
I don't know. I do know that I did try streets and trips in the fall when travelling from the north side of the University to home. S&T wanted to send me home via 16av N. On that trip I elected to travel the John Laurie Blvd route and then south on Deerfoot to 16av NE(hwy 1). At that time S&T wanted me to go back untill I was near a street that would take me to 16av NE. There are 4 streets that go south from JL to 16av. In between S&T wanted me to go back to the most recent southbound street. When i got to Deerfoot Southbound, S&T then calculated that route.
On a prior trip on the same route, Garmin also wanted me to travel via 16av N. But garmin only tried to recalculate the route to 16av once. When i did not turn south at that Street( 19st NW) Garmin then recalculated to send me straight to Deerfoot Tr and south to 16av NE(hwy 1) without bothering to try the other 3 streets.
In case anybody is wondering about why I'm using GPS to go somewhere that I know the route to, I want to learn the in's and out's of these programs on familiar ground before I have to rely on it to find and direct me to a job site in the Alberta foothills. I do like the S&T graphics and S&T does seem to have more detail on the University grounds. Whether thats because I need to tweek my GPS better or not is something I want to find out. Better to do these things on familiar ground than sometime when I'm in a rush to a strange place after sleeping in.
Ed, there is one thing I've learned about using consumer GPS products for navigation ... If you can accurately point them to the location you need to get to, they will get you there. As you have discovered, it might not be the route that "locals" would favour. But it will get you there.
Whenever I'm in Calgary it's a sure thing my wife will want to do an Ikea run. The criss-crossing of the freeways down in that area are enough to drive you crazy, especially if you're from out of town and unfamiliar with the area. I've had my various GPS devices take me on a number of different routes to get there.
I don't think any single one of those routes was the route a local would have taken. But I always get there. That makes Momma happy. And if Momma's happy, everyone is happy!!
Back to my opening comment about accurately locating your destination; I had this brought home to me this past summer. When we were passing through Calgary on our way west I decided to stop in at GPS Central and pick up new maps for my Garmin iQue 3600. I did not know that they had moved. The old maps in my GPS took me directly to their old location.
A quick phone call got me their new address - and a promise to stay open a few extra minutes just in case, because it was nearly closing time.
A quick check on their web site or Google before I left home would have shown me that the current address was different than the one in the POI database in my old maps. That would have saved me some driving and some aggravation.
Moral: Whether the route is perfect or merely okay, it does no good to have a GPS take you to the place you asked it to if it's the wrong place!!
...ken...
Whenever I'm in Calgary it's a sure thing my wife will want to do an Ikea run. The criss-crossing of the freeways down in that area are enough to drive you crazy, especially if you're from out of town and unfamiliar with the area. I've had my various GPS devices take me on a number of different routes to get there.
I don't think any single one of those routes was the route a local would have taken. But I always get there. That makes Momma happy. And if Momma's happy, everyone is happy!!
Back to my opening comment about accurately locating your destination; I had this brought home to me this past summer. When we were passing through Calgary on our way west I decided to stop in at GPS Central and pick up new maps for my Garmin iQue 3600. I did not know that they had moved. The old maps in my GPS took me directly to their old location.
A quick phone call got me their new address - and a promise to stay open a few extra minutes just in case, because it was nearly closing time.
A quick check on their web site or Google before I left home would have shown me that the current address was different than the one in the POI database in my old maps. That would have saved me some driving and some aggravation.
Moral: Whether the route is perfect or merely okay, it does no good to have a GPS take you to the place you asked it to if it's the wrong place!!
...ken...
Hi Ken,
Thanks for your comment. You are correct, S&T would have got me home or to work. I am commenting because with my limited use of these programs I was hopefull that there might be a tweek to bring S&T more into line with the performance that I got from Garmin, IN THIS INSTANCE. I'm sure there will be other examples where S&T will shine.
Thanks for your comment. You are correct, S&T would have got me home or to work. I am commenting because with my limited use of these programs I was hopefull that there might be a tweek to bring S&T more into line with the performance that I got from Garmin, IN THIS INSTANCE. I'm sure there will be other examples where S&T will shine.
Ed, as you've probably already noticed, Streets&Trips already outshines your Garmin when it comes to trip planning.
...ken...
...ken...