SatNav that allows route planning on PC

[p-brain]

Hi, I am looking to buy my first SatNav for use in a car.

I would very much like the ability to plan routes on a PC and then upload to SatNav.
My previous experience of (admitedly very old SatNav units) is that it is a pain to try and create a custom route or modify a calculated best route.

I would like to plan drives where I can specify exactly which routes I want to take. (ie by specifying multiple waypoints I guess)

Is this possible?

(During my research I have come across www.tyre.tk which appears to offer this ability but only for TomTom's - I would like to know of alternative solutions, particularly using a Garmin SatNav)

Many Thanks

[jimred]

I've been looking for exactly the same thing


Can anyone say how good tyre is

[Andy_P]

[dhn]

[post deleted]
_________________
David

[Scarecrow]

Sorry for the delay in replying, but it's been a while since I last logged on to this forum.

In reply to the OPs question with specific regard to Garmin units and pre-planning a route on a PC, yes it is possible and I do it all the time.

I use Microsoft Autoroute for planning the route on my PC, adding as many waypoints as necessary to force the route that I specifically want to drive. Once planned I save the file. On my version of Autoroute (2006) this is as a .axe file; I'm not sure if later versions give you additional options.

Unfortunately a .axe file isn't a format that can be directly used with your Garmin. This is where a handy, and free to download, utility comes in handy. It's called ITNConv and will happily convert the .axe file to a .gpx file that can be used in your Garmin. Incidentally ITNConv will also convert between a few different formats, including TomTom if anyone else is interested.

All you need to do then is copy the .gpx file to your Garmin. On my 760 it just goes in the GPX folder. After that it's just a case of finding the 'Import Route From File' option within the menus, and away you go.

Sometimes it's worth checking the route once it's imported. The reason I say this is because sometimes the navigation algorithm in the Garmin will select a slightly different route between waypoints than the Autoroute navigation algorithm. If necessary, a small tweak to the waypoints is enough to sort it out.

I know that there are other route planning software out there for use on the PC, but I haven't used any of them and cannot confirm if the files they produce can be converted by ITNConv to a format acceptable to Garmin units.

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