GPS question

If I want to go from Va. to Fl., I'm thinking the GPS is going to direct me down Rt. 95. Iwant to travel the By-Ways. Do you have to program in a route (Imight as well just take a map if I've got to research it antway) or is there some function on a GPS that allows for traveling senic by-ways?
Gary

[netdoug]

It depends on the GPS, I think. I have the Garmin 276C and it's route functions are limited to a half-dozen choices. It does a good job but doesn't choose the best route most times.

That said, I go about route selection a couple of ways. I look at maps (those blue highways are a good place to start) and routes that have been published in mags and on the internet. That gives me a basic idea of the direction. Now I simply put in waypoints and then let the GPS tell me how to get there.

If you enter a route, some GPSs will work hard to get you back on that programmed route, no matter your current position. By telling it to go to a waypoint rather than follow a route, it tells you how to get there from where you are. And, in my case, that is what I want. I like exploring and finding my own twisties and want the GPS to tell me how to get to the next point from where I am.

The only benefit I can see by downloading a hard route is it will download all the extraneous info (gas, hotel, eats, theatres, attractions, etc.) along the route. That can be helpful but you have to remember that it's paid advertising - if they don't pay to be included in the database, it won't show up.

To correct that, and to maximize the flexibility of the GPS, I bought a very large capacity memory chip and programmed the entire section of the US into it (e.g. New Orleans to Key West including all Florida is about 112MB). That way no matter my day-to-day decisions, I was covered. It should be noted that the internal map of the US is fairly good but not as useful or as detailed as the ones you download.

Doug

[eganX]

The I-Way works similar to how dougnet says the garmin works. One of the routing options is to give interstates and toll roads the lowest route selection priority, which works pretty well at keeping you OFF those roads. There is no option to specifically select a road or bi-way that I know of other than selecting way points at either end (and maybe some along the way) so the unit logically chooses the route you want.

[tlfuller]

It depends on the GPS, I think. I have the Garmin 276C and it's route functions are limited to a half-dozen choices. It does a good job but doesn't choose the best route most times.

That said, I go about route selection a couple of ways. I look at maps (those blue highways are a good place to start) and routes that have been published in mags and on the internet. That gives me a basic idea of the direction. Now I simply put in waypoints and then let the GPS tell me how to get there.

If you enter a route, some GPSs will work hard to get you back on that programmed route, no matter your current position. By telling it to go to a waypoint rather than follow a route, it tells you how to get there from where you are. And, in my case, that is what I want. I like exploring and finding my own twisties and want the GPS to tell me how to get to the next point from where I am.

The only benefit I can see by downloading a hard route is it will download all the extraneous info (gas, hotel, eats, theatres, attractions, etc.) along the route. That can be helpful but you have to remember that it's paid advertising - if they don't pay to be included in the database, it won't show up.

To correct that, and to maximize the flexibility of the GPS, I bought a very large capacity memory chip and programmed the entire section of the US into it (e.g. New Orleans to Key West including all Florida is about 112MB). That way no matter my day-to-day decisions, I was covered. It should be noted that the internal map of the US is fairly good but not as useful or as detailed as the ones you download.

Doug

Ditto. I've got the GARMIN GPSMAP60CS and I generally map my own routes unless I'm going for the closest, fastest route.

[black hills]

Leave the GPS at home, take an old map and hope for the best. The best times I have had were when I was lost!!