Vehicle type

For everything Garmin Zumo 450/550 related
Pockets
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Vehicle type

Post by Pockets »

Hi again, just browsing through the menu on my 550 and have noticed you can specify the type of vehicle you are driving. Has anyone actually selected a random vehicle just to see if the route actually changes for the specific vehicle that they have selected. One or two of the options are slightly worrying emergency,taxi,bus not to mention truck! Does it make route planning any different?
jfheath
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Re: Vehicle type

Post by jfheath »

The later Zumos use the type of vehicle setting to store preferences for each vehicle type.

eg for a car, you might have no avoidances, faster time. For a bike you might avoid major highways, twisty roads. So if you set them up like this, then the same route will calculate differently in car mode from the route it calculates in bike mode. But vehicle types are limited to Car, Bike and off road for these Zumos. If the preferences are set the same for both car and bike, I have not noticed the routing change when switching from one to the other.

I do not remember the 550 showing other types. Trucks and buses may have routing limited by height, width or weight restrictions - info that will be obtained from the map.

The later units remember which mode it was in for each cradle, and will switch back to what it used before as soon as it is plugged in. They also switch mode when a route created with (say) a car profile in Basecamp / Mapsource is loaded into the Zumo.

This last point can catch out the unwary, because if you load a car route into the Zumo when it is in the bike cradle, when the route is finished, the Zumo remembers that the last time it was plugged into the bike cradle, it was in car mode - and will switch the Zumo into car mode the next time it is plugged into the bike cradle.

However, I didn't start looking seriously at all of this until after my 550 had died, so I cannot say how much of the above is also true for the 550 - but it might give you a clue as to what to look for.
Have owned Zumo 550, 660 == Now have Zumo XT2, XT, 595, 590, Headache
Use Basecamp (mainly), MyRouteApp (sometimes), Competent with Tread for XT2, Can use Explore for XT - but it offers nothing that I want !

Links: Zumo 590/5 & BC . . . Zumo XT & BC
Pockets
Posts: 45
Joined: 05 May 2019 21:42
Location: Doncaster
Been liked: 2 times
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Re: Vehicle type

Post by Pockets »

Thanks for the reply, I never realised the unit was that cleaver, as it happens I only use the unit on my bike and create routes sat in my arm chair with the unit off the cradle. My particular 550 is quite old now i bought it secondhand about three years ago because it was the cheapest on eBay, it has proved useful over the years but I haven’t used it too it’s full potential there must be many other things I have yet to discover. You also mentioned Basecamp, now there’s a hole new world of problems, I’ve tried for hours trying to use it’s services but it just ties me in knots. So basically I just leave mine on car/motorcycle turn off the “autobahn” route setting ( think that’s motorways) and let it sort it self out. Mine does have other vehicle options, may try selecting one one day and see what happens. While I’m on it also has “off road” that is interesting, if you put a destination into it and set of the unit just points in the general direction to your destination, its up to you how (or when) you arrive. I’ve tried this locally but not over a great distance (not that brave).
sussamb
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Re: Vehicle type

Post by sussamb »

For BaseCamp this is a great tutorial

https://www.newenglandriders.org/learn-basecamp/
jfheath
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Re: Vehicle type

Post by jfheath »

There's nothing wrong with programming the Zumo in your hand. It works well. And when you select a new point the Zumo asks if you want to make that a new route or add it to the existing route as a Via Point. On the 550, these have to be accurately placed as I seem to remember that it will keep trying to take you to the Via Point until you actually visit it.

Mapsource is the software most compatible with the Zumo 550. Basecamp uses features that the 550 doesn't have at it may lead to errors when navigating.

The off road feature does nothing more than draws a straight line to the next Via Point. This is something that (say) hill walkers / ramblers are used to. Choose a point on a map, take a compass bearing, Spot a point ahead on that bearing and walk to it, finding the easiest route to avoid rocks, streams, cliff faces, raging bulls, etc.
Have owned Zumo 550, 660 == Now have Zumo XT2, XT, 595, 590, Headache
Use Basecamp (mainly), MyRouteApp (sometimes), Competent with Tread for XT2, Can use Explore for XT - but it offers nothing that I want !

Links: Zumo 590/5 & BC . . . Zumo XT & BC