GPS - TomTom910 - way points ?

Author

TomTom910 - way points ?

Jeff User

2007-05-20, 10:33 pm

Hi
Am considering the 910.
One thing I want to do is to be able to enter lots of my own points.
I do not see anything about this ability listed on the tomTom website.
Does this unit do this?
If so, is it easy to do ?

Thanks
Jeff

2007-05-20, 10:33 pm

Jeff User <jen1162@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:f9m15352e2f22pk
itojr6ohl0t5b9os9n4@
4ax.com:

> Hi
> Am considering the 910.
> One thing I want to do is to be able to enter lots of my own points.
> I do not see anything about this ability listed on the tomTom website.
> Does this unit do this?
> If so, is it easy to do ?
>
> Thanks
> Jeff
>

http://www.tomtom.com/lib/doc/go910...omTom_GO_EN.pdf
page 35 of PDF file

Roger Mills

2007-05-21, 7:33 am

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Jeff User <jen1162@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Hi
> Am considering the 910.
> One thing I want to do is to be able to enter lots of my own points.
> I do not see anything about this ability listed on the tomTom website.
> Does this unit do this?
> If so, is it easy to do ?
>
> Thanks
> Jeff

It depends what you mean by 'waypoints'.

All TomToms running current software have the ability to use POIs (Points of
Interest) - which are arranged in categories, with each POI having a unique
name and set of co-ordinates. These can be entered directly by browsing the
map to the desired location, placing the cursor on the spot and defining a
POI at that position. Or they can be created externally in a computer as a
..ov2 file and downloaded to the TomTom - as, for example, with the speed
camera locations maintained by PocketGPSWorld.

The only limitation is that unless the POIs are on navigable roads the
TomTom won't be able to navigate to them.

POIs can be used as sort-of waypoints if you use the Itinerary feature -
which enables you to define as many intermediate steps as you like on a
route rather than leaving the TT to select its own route to a specified
destination.

HTH!
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

Anthony R. Gold

2007-05-21, 7:33 am

On Mon, 21 May 2007 10:42:48 +0100, "Roger Mills"
<watt.tyler@googlemail.com> wrote:

> All TomToms running current software have the ability to use POIs (Points of
> Interest) - which are arranged in categories, with each POI having a unique
> name and set of co-ordinates.

There is no requirement that a POI has a unique name (although deciding to
try to keep them unique may make their use easier).

> POIs can be used as sort-of waypoints if you use the Itinerary feature

I don't understand the implication. What is the difference between a
TomTom "sort-of" way point and any other system's more real waypoint?

Tony

Larry G

2007-05-21, 7:33 am

On May 21, 7:00 am, "Anthony R. Gold" <not-for-m...@ahjg.co.uk> wrote:
> On Mon, 21 May 2007 10:42:48 +0100, "Roger Mills"
>
> <watt.ty...@googlemail.com> wrote:
>
> There is no requirement that a POI has a unique name (although deciding to
> try to keep them unique may make their use easier).
>
>
> I don't understand the implication. What is the difference between a
> TomTom "sort-of" way point and any other system's more real waypoint?
>
> Tony

I have a TT300... and the way this works is the Save GPS location
function.

A second menu pops up to "name" it and it suggests a name but it
usually is the name of the road that you are on - so you can then
change it to something like "my spot" or whatever.

This capability could be useful for marking spots that have no street
address but still are on the road... this capability doesn't work as
well for places that are not on it's internal road database. It can't
navigate to a point where it doesn't know the "path" to it but it
does seem to "know" when it arrives at that point.... and for some
reason .. from THAT point it seems to be able to pick a path back to
the nearest road (I think).

Roger Mills

2007-05-21, 3:33 pm

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Anthony R. Gold <not-for-mail@ahjg.co.uk> wrote:

> On Mon, 21 May 2007 10:42:48 +0100, "Roger Mills"
> <watt.tyler@googlemail.com> wrote:
>
>
> There is no requirement that a POI has a unique name (although
> deciding to try to keep them unique may make their use easier).
>
It may not be an absolute requirement, but trying to select one if you have
multiple POIs with the same name within the same .ov2 file could present a
bit of a challenge!

>
> I don't understand the implication. What is the difference between a
> TomTom "sort-of" way point and any other system's more real waypoint?
>
> Tony

I suppose that my concept of waypoints is based on the way in which my
Garmin hand-held GPS uses them - where you may have a large number very
close together to define a tortuous cross-country walking route, for
example.

To be of use in a TomTom, they'd all have to be on a road - and you wouldn't
have one at every twist and turn - 'cos the TT knows where the road goes -
you'd just have enough to ensure that the TT followed the route along which
you wished to go rather than some alternative.

In essence, they're the same thing - but their usage is different depending
on whether you are constrained to travel along mapped roads.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

Anthony R. Gold

2007-05-21, 10:33 pm

On 21 May 2007 05:07:06 -0700, Larry G <gross.larry@gmail.com> wrote:

> On May 21, 7:00 am, "Anthony R. Gold" <not-for-m...@ahjg.co.uk> wrote:
>
> I have a TT300... and the way this works is the Save GPS location
> function.
>
> A second menu pops up to "name" it and it suggests a name but it
> usually is the name of the road that you are on - so you can then
> change it to something like "my spot" or whatever.

It's the same process for all devices running v6 of TomTom software.

> This capability could be useful for marking spots that have no street
> address but still are on the road... this capability doesn't work as
> well for places that are not on it's internal road database. It can't
> navigate to a point where it doesn't know the "path" to it but it
> does seem to "know" when it arrives at that point.... and for some
> reason .. from THAT point it seems to be able to pick a path back to
> the nearest road (I think).

I find them useful even when the street does have numbered addresses
because often times those addresses appear to be just an scattering of
the range of numbers along the road and with no attempt to make individual
addresses accurate. So when you are at an address to which you will
return it may be useful to nail it to a POI for an occasion when one might
return to the somewhat unfamiliar building say at night or in bad weather.

But for me their best use is to "nudge" an itinerary away from one
computed by TomTom, such as where its preference for certain roads that it
has been told are faster may mislead it because of say likely congestion
of which I have local knowledge (aka my rat runs) or difficult (as in
dangerous because of fast oncoming traffic) right turns etc.

Tony

Anthony R. Gold

2007-05-21, 10:33 pm

On Mon, 21 May 2007 19:02:25 +0100, "Roger Mills"
<watt.tyler@googlemail.com> wrote:

> In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
> Anthony R. Gold <not-for-mail@ahjg.co.uk> wrote:
>
> It may not be an absolute requirement, but trying to select one if you have
> multiple POIs with the same name within the same .ov2 file could present a
> bit of a challenge!
>
>
> I suppose that my concept of waypoints is based on the way in which my
> Garmin hand-held GPS uses them - where you may have a large number very
> close together to define a tortuous cross-country walking route, for
> example.
>
> To be of use in a TomTom, they'd all have to be on a road - and you wouldn't
> have one at every twist and turn - 'cos the TT knows where the road goes -
> you'd just have enough to ensure that the TT followed the route along which
> you wished to go rather than some alternative.
>
> In essence, they're the same thing - but their usage is different depending
> on whether you are constrained to travel along mapped roads.

I see we agree on everything :-)

Tony

Jeff User

2007-05-22, 10:33 am

On Sun, 20 May 2007 19:28:28 -0400, Jeff User <jen1162@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>Hi
>Am considering the 910.
>One thing I want to do is to be able to enter lots of my own points.
>I do not see anything about this ability listed on the tomTom website.
>Does this unit do this?
>If so, is it easy to do ?
>
>Thanks
>Jeff

Thanks everyone for the input.

I was thinking of being able to mark specific spots or locations along
a highway. For example, everywhere that the Police usually hide with
radar to catch speeders.

Another use would be to mark locations of all fire hydrants in a town.
Since these are (in our town anyway) all located on some streets, it
seems this, too, should be doable.

Hmm, anyway to mark thse points with different symbols?

Jeff

Anthony R. Gold

2007-05-22, 10:33 am

On Tue, 22 May 2007 09:16:42 -0400, Jeff User <jen1162@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Hmm, anyway to mark thse points with different symbols?

Yes. Each POI category has associated an 16x16 pixel icon with 8 bit
depth for colour rendition .bmp format. TomTom supplies a library of
simple disks in various colours but you can also use any similar sized
icon of your own if you have that wish and that facility.

Tony

Roger Mills

2007-05-22, 12:33 pm

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Jeff User <jen1162@hotmail.com> wrote:

> On Sun, 20 May 2007 19:28:28 -0400, Jeff User <jen1162@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
> Thanks everyone for the input.
>
> I was thinking of being able to mark specific spots or locations along
> a highway. For example, everywhere that the Police usually hide with
> radar to catch speeders.
>
> Another use would be to mark locations of all fire hydrants in a town.
> Since these are (in our town anyway) all located on some streets, it
> seems this, too, should be doable.
>
> Hmm, anyway to mark thse points with different symbols?
>
> Jeff

Yes, as someone else has said, you can use your own icon for each POI
category. You can also have an audible warning by using a sound file (in Ogg
Vorbis format) per category.

For example, if you want to create a 'Police' category, you'll need a
police.ov2 file in your map folder - containing all the police radar
locations. Your icon needs to be in the same folder, and needs to be called
police.bmp (you'll have to go to the 'Enable/Disable POI' menu, and make
sure that the police category is checked for your icon to be displayed. Your
sound file (e.g. "Warning, police radar location") also needs to be in the
same folder, and needs to be called police.ogg You then need to go to
'Manage POIs' and 'Warn when near POI', find the 'police' category and
specify a distance for 'Warn when closer than:" Then, whenever you approach
one of these locations, the TT will play your warning sound.

There are a few more subtleties of which you need to be aware, but the above
paragraph should get you started.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

Darren Griffin - PocketGPSWorld.Com

2007-05-22, 12:33 pm

On 2007-05-22 14:16:42 +0100, Jeff User <jen1162@hotmail.com> said:

> Thanks everyone for the input.
>
> I was thinking of being able to mark specific spots or locations along
> a highway. For example, everywhere that the Police usually hide with
> radar to catch speeders.
>
> Another use would be to mark locations of all fire hydrants in a town.
> Since these are (in our town anyway) all located on some streets, it
> seems this, too, should be doable.
>
> Hmm, anyway to mark thse points with different symbols?

The 910 will happily do that for you and you can even create your own
customised Icon's for each POI set. The Icons are in Bitmap format amd
easily created.

--
Darren Griffin
PocketGPSWorld - www.PocketGPSWorld.com
The Premier GPS Resource for News, Reviews and Forums

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