rwb211

For several years we've been using MS Streets & Trips on a laptop and balancing it on the console with a GPS puck on the dash. Needless to say it is ackward and not as feature rich as the new stand alone units but the router planning on a full keyboard with MS Streets & Trips was very nice.

I'm now looking at the Garmin 660 however I see it comes preloaded with City Navigator North America.

Do I have to do all my route planning on this small unit or is there some way I can put the program on my laptop so we can plan routes/changes on a laptop then move it to the GPS via the SD Card etc?

If so, what program do I use. The only software I see listed for the Garmin 660 is preloaded and I assume I can't copy it from the unit to a laptop.

I tried downloading the manual from the Garmin site however it failed to shed any light on this issue.

Thanks in advance for your help....

Andy

to the site!

The 660 has no route planning function. You can't pre-plan a route, either on a PC or in the unit itself.

You pick a destination set, it creates a route and starts the navigation instructions. While you have a destination, if you look up a POI and want to add it to your route, you can do that, but you are limited to that one stop along the way.

From your question it sounds like the 660 is not a good choice for you. Look at models that include a DVD with map software (City Nav North America). Usually models that include the map software also support planning routes on a PC, uploading them to the device and then navigating along your pre-planned route.

rwb211

Andy,

Thanks for your reply. Now I understand I can add custom POI's if I have the right Garmin software on my PC then upload it via the SD card. If so, can a POI be an address?

Then I could add a number of RV sites or stores I want to visit on the way to my furtherest destination. Does this sound viable?

Ron

Andy

That would be a work-around but you can only pick one POI at a time. You wouldn't really be able to setup a route in the same sense. You could have it get you from POI to POI, with user intervention between each one.

So yes that should work, but it would rely on you creating the POIs you need, picking them one at a time as you drive from one to another. There wouldn't be any way to string them together and save them for future trips or future route modification.

You're adding steps that could be eliminated if you bought a GPS that support pre-planning routes. For my use, when gadgets get complex to setup and use, I don't use them much.

Max

Can't you add a destination, then go 'where to' and add a single via point in there? (to at least get a multi destination going).

rwb211

Andy,

Thanks again. I thought I had done adequate research into this but it appears I overlooked this route mapping feature. The 660 is a done deal as it was too good of a deal to pass up. I'm sure it will do the job for now and when we transition from our 5th wheel to a Class A I'll likely look at the 7500 and then give my wife the 660 to use in her vehicle when doing day trips.

I read the on line manual yesterday, as I don't have the unit yet, and have a bit better understanding of it. As you've said, it appears it's going to be a one at a time entry.

Can I at least manually enter all our usual stops (RV sites etc) as favorites so I can pull them up from a menu list and select it as my next destination so I don't have to type the info in each time?

Max: Is that a GS in the picture?

Max

Yes it is My first bike of this type but once I rode it I couldn't think about anything else.

Do you ride rwb? You've certainly got some choice roads up there to do it on if so. I spent some time working in Vancouver downtown back in 2001 and was dying cause I didn't have a bike with me.

rwb211

Max:

See your PM re BMW.

Andy

That's right, 1 destination with 1 stop or via along the way.

Since the 660 is on the way, you will be able to use the POI function to add your own stops. If you pre-planned a route and noted addresses along the route, you could carry a list of the addresses and plug them in as you go also.

rapriebe

I have a Nuvi 260, and I use the workaround for routing on it. I plan the route and create the waypoints I need using MapSource, then I save the waypoints as a .gpx file and load it as a custom POI file with the Garmin POI Loader. I do it this way to keep from cluttering up my Favorites list. Unless you are planning a fairly complex route, it may only take a few added points to drive a fairly long route. On a 2200 mile trip to Florida from Colorado in January, I only added 5 waypoints to keep on the track through Texas and Louisiana. Once I was on I-10, it was all freeways and the GPS didn't need any extra help. For the return trip this May (more northerly as we don't need to avoid snow), I only need to set each day's destination, and the unit follows the logical route all the way.

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Rick

Andy

Nice job. That's similar to how I use to get turn-by-turn routing out of my 12Map. It was straight from point to point, not following roads so I would set waypoints at each intersection, with the name being what direction to turn. I numbered them so always knew if I had missed a turn or not. It took a lot of planning for long trips. I did this for a nice 4-day motorcycle trip and it worked out quite well.

rapriebe

When I'm naming the waypoints for a trip, I always use a standard naming convention, i.e.: Way 1 - Hwy 287; Way 2 - I-80, etc. That way they are in correct sequence in the POI list, and I can still identify them by location without looking at them on the map if I forget which number I'm supposed to be using next.

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Rick

Andy

That works too if your GPS supports a longer waypoint name. My old one was limited to 8 so it was more of a challenge. It's just too easy nowdays with these modern devices.