Still working out the kinks

[STLarry]

Last week I took my first extended trip with me TT1 and I wanted to relay a few things that I ran into and observed during that time.

First ? I have some friends that use mapping software designed for Garmin GPS?s. I received a .gpx of a route that we would be taking and used the Itinerary Converter software to translate it into a .itn file and then downloaded that into my TT1. That all worked great, but when I actually tried to navigate from this itinerary file I kept getting errors. For example when I loaded the itinerary and told it to navigate to the first waypoint the TT1 kept telling me that no route existed from my current location. Very weird!! I finally told the TT1 to take me to the destination via the ?Avoid Highways? option and it worked just fine. So either it is not very good dealing with translated files or I am just an idiot when it comes to waypoint navigating? Either option is not without its merits.

Second ? On my return trip I told the TT1 to get me from where I was (Helen, GA) to where I wanted to be (Brunswick, GA) via the shortest route. It computed the route just fine but as I made my way around Atlanta it kept taking me on lefts and rights that made no sense. I would eventually end up on the main road or highway that I was looking for, but it seemed very inefficient in the way it got me there. In one example I could see US highway 27 in front of me, but the TT1 kept taking me on backstreets that met up with 27 a bit farther down the road. I can only conclude from this that ?shortest? is a very literal term with this thing.

Anyway ? I do not want anyone to come away from this thinking that I am unhappy with the TT!. Quite the opposite. I am very happy with this GPS and I am finding it to be an indispensable accessory for both my car and my motorcycle.

 

[Guttboy]

STLarry,

The "shortest" route option is designed as you indicated...literally. If there is a shorter distance it will take it.

As far as the gpx files...I am still new to that and I have been using Tyre and Google maps for intinerarys with limited success. Unfortunately for me when I make a route in Tyre/Google Earth the points sometimes cause me to backtrack a bit...not very efficient but I am sure it comes to my waypoint placement...still experimenting with that.

Did you try to do the shortest route for your GPX conversion? Tyre suggests that you do that when creating routes with it. Perhaps your conversion software wants you to do that as well.

Good luck with it!

 

[lec510]

I use Tyre/GE and MS Street & Trips , never had such problems. Whatever waypoints I put in there, TomTom will follow to the letter.
I don't like that because it's too rigid. I usually put only the destination (or using as little waypoints as possible) and override the navigation on the fly (if I can).
The other day I follow an itinary home , with waypoint as a shopping center. I enter the shopping center 50m before the waypoint , to my bank, then later exit another way (just missed the waypoint). Catherine nagged me all the way home ! . Had I entered the shopping center after the waypoint then everything should be fine.