Start point, how far to avoid RUT?

[OldRS]

If I recall correctly, my 660 offered a version of your #1: guided me to the start of the route, but required one more button press to join that route.

-dan

Option 2 is the one which I most miss - particularly when using routes created by others.

Richard

[jfheath]

I do not know what "RUT" stands for but, as afar as I am concerned, the most significant failing in all of Garmin's products after the 550 was the removal of the the option to be guided to the start of a route or for the device to monitor ones progress and start guidance when the route was crossed.

Hopefully i didn't misunderstand your concerns...

You'll be automatically guided to the starting point of your route when you are not near it, at least with Zumo XT - also when you are leaving the active route and you re-join it, the navigation will be continued automatically!

The 590, 595, XT and XT2 will navigate you from where you are to the selected point (Start/ Selected Via/Closest Entry), and will then continue navigating the plotted route from there. Navigation is therefore seamless - it treats the selected point (eg start) just like a mid route Via point. If you look at the preview map, it even shows your current position as a green flag and the selected start as an orange flag.

The 660 - if I remember correctly (which these days is much less of a certainty) - The 660 would ask if you wanted it to navigate to the start. If you said yes, it would navigate you to the start and then stop. You had to reload the original route. I used to have the route loaded and ready to press Go! and wait until After I had passed the start point. Unlike the later Zumos, you could join the route anywhere and it would navigate you from that point forward. (Happy to be corrected on that - I cannot remember what the 550 did, so I may be confused)

Which is why if you put your home as a destination and started the route it would tell you that you had arrived and stop navigation.

That saves a a whole load of petrol. And time.

[OldRS]

I do not know what "RUT" stands for but, as afar as I am concerned, the most significant failing in all of Garmin's products after the 550 was the removal of the the option to be guided to the start of a route or for the device to monitor ones progress and start guidance when the route was crossed.

Hopefully i didn't misunderstand your concerns...

You'll be automatically guided to the starting point of your route when you are not near it, at least with Zumo XT - also when you are leaving the active route and you re-join it, the navigation will be continued automatically!

The 590, 595, XT and XT2 will navigate you from where you are to the selected point (Start/ Selected Via/Closest Entry), and will then continue navigating the plotted route from there. Navigation is therefore seamless - it treats the selected point (eg start) just like a mid route Via point. If you look at the preview map, it even shows your current position as a green flag and the selected start as an orange flag.

The 660 - if I remember correctly (which these days is much less of a certainty) - The 660 would ask if you wanted it to navigate to the start. If you said yes, it would navigate you to the start and then stop. You had to reload the original route. I used to have the route loaded and ready to press Go! and wait until After I had passed the start point. Unlike the later Zumos, you could join the route anywhere and it would navigate you from that point forward. (Happy to be corrected on that - I cannot remember what the 550 did, so I may be confused)

Which is why if you put your home as a destination and started the route it would tell you that you had arrived and stop navigation.

That saves a a whole load of petrol. And time.

My experience with the 595 is that it doesn't offer closest entry. Is that a new feature?

Richard

[jfheath]

@OldRS Yes. Closest Entry point was introduced with the XT. It works well some of the time, depending on circumstances. You just have to look at the preview map - make sure it is taking you where you expected.

If you have a few Via Points in your route, then on the 590/595 they can be used (sort of) to start a route part way through - as they appear in the list of 'Destinations' from which the Zumo will begin navigating the planned route when you press Go!

On those devices you could select the last Via point that you had already passed through as the next destination and then skip the shaping points until it starts navigating ahead.

That method is not advisable for the XT.

[OldRS]

@OldRS Yes. Closest Entry point was introduced with the XT. It works well some of the time, depending on circumstances. You just have to look at the preview map - make sure it is taking you where you expected.

If you have a few Via Points in your route, then on the 590/595 they can be used (sort of) to start a route part way through - as they appear in the list of 'Destinations' from which the Zumo will begin navigating the planned route when you press Go!

On those devices you could select the last Via point that you had already passed through as the next destination and then skip the shaping points until it starts navigating ahead.

That method is not advisable for the XT.

Pics of the approach offered by the 550 attached. The Hawes-Whitby route has only a start and finish and no waypoints. If I choose not to navigate to the start point the 550 will begin providing instructions if I cross the route. 559 will not do that unless, as you say, you add a waypoint etc

[jfheath]

Crikey - yes - that was a long time ago.

Thanks - so when you get there, does it stop navigating - or ask if you want to continue ?

[OldRS]

Crikey - yes - that was a long time ago.

Thanks - so when you get there, does it stop navigating - or ask if you want to continue ?

If you encounter the route between the start and finish points, routing instruction to the finish point commences without any futher questions. Such a useful and, to my mind, obvious feature. I did discuss its loss with Garmin as did members of the original Zumo forum. Garmin was never able to provide a convincing explanation and I think that the furore caused by the, frankly not fit for purpose, display on the 590 allowed it to be forgotten.

[jfheath]

I've also noticed that the XT2 is not supplied with the same NTEU maps as my 550/590/595 have and the NTEU is a ~£70 addition. Is the supplied mapping adequate? And there's no mention of "text to speech" direction - I suppose that's a "given" nowadays?

Back home now - The XT2 comes with 6 Europe maps. Listed on my XT screen they are :
EU adventure Roads & Trails
Europe DEM (thats the digital elevation map)
CN Europe NTU - All North
CN Europe NTU - All South
CN Europe NTU - POIs
TopoActive PS Lite, Europe.

(The XT came with 3 areas for Topocative PS - Europe Central, Europe West, Europe East - so the XT2 version appears to be much slimmer.


The america maps I have loaded (8 of them)

CN North America NT - ALL US
CN North America NT - All Canada & Mexico
TopoActive PS Lite, North America
NA Adventure Roads & Trails
North America DEM
CN North America NT - POIs
NA Adventure Roads & Trails : Offroad Areas
National Parks v2.

[OldRS]

I've also noticed that the XT2 is not supplied with the same NTEU maps as my 550/590/595 have and the NTEU is a ~£70 addition. Is the supplied mapping adequate? And there's no mention of "text to speech" direction - I suppose that's a "given" nowadays?

Back home now - The XT2 comes with 6 Europe maps. Listed on my XT screen they are :
EU adventure Roads & Trails
Europe DEM (thats the digital elevation map)
CN Europe NTU - All North
CN Europe NTU - All South
CN Europe NTU - POIs
TopoActive PS Lite, Europe.

(The XT came with 3 areas for Topocative PS - Europe Central, Europe West, Europe East - so the XT2 version appears to be much slimmer.


The america maps I have loaded (8 of them)

CN North America NT - ALL US
CN North America NT - All Canada & Mexico
TopoActive PS Lite, North America
NA Adventure Roads & Trails
North America DEM
CN North America NT - POIs
NA Adventure Roads & Trails : Offroad Areas
National Parks v2.

Thank you

[jfheath]

I was just checking on the 'Text to Speech' feature. There used to be files that had the .tts suffix, but none of my Zumos have this.

I think it may have been superceded by the 'Speaks Garmin Real Directions' feature that is associated with some of the voices. ie not only can it speak the street names, but if gives sensible instructions. eg "Turn into the road on the left just after the woman shouting at her kids" - isn't one of these - but it is that sort of helpful information that they strive for.

The 590, 595, XT and XT2 all have this feature. Just checked. (It was about time that I turned them all on again !!)