Garmin StreetPilot 27x0
Planning a Trip with MapSource
MapSource City Navigator
is a powerful tool. It is a full mapping application that has all of
the same map detail as your 2720, and can do automatic route calculation, as
well. The other thing it does is allows you to manage waypoints/favorites
and transfer them to/from the 2720.
The following is an example of how you can use the program:
Suppose you are going on a business trip to Los Angeles. You have a few
places you are definitely going to go when you're out there (e.g. the
customer's office, the hotel, Disneyland, and the local TGI Friday's).
So you have the list of addresses for each -- or you look them up on the
Internet. You go into MapSource, and, one by one, you enter the addresses,
which will allow you to zero in on the map. (If you also use Google Earth,
you can even get a satellite view to verify that an address makes sense.)
As you find the spot, you save the waypoint under a name, such as "TGIF
Brea". (Note: the 27x0 only supports up to 20 characters in a waypoint name,
but MapSource will let you enter more. So be careful.)
Now you've got a table of all of my waypoints for the trip. You save them
into a waypoint file on disk (for safe keeping).
You hook up your unit's USB connector to your PC, click the download button
on the MapSource toolbar, and BOOM! All of the waypoints/favorites are now
in your unit.
When you get to L.A., your unit already knows all the places you want to go
(ALMOST). Before you leave the rental car lot, you will fire up the 27x0 (it
may take a minute or two to get the satellite fix), click the screen, and
mark the current position as a favorite. (So you can find your way back to
Hertz.)
Now you're on your way!
When you get back home from your trip, you can upload the waypoints to your
PC, and now you've got the airport (and some other places you may have
saved) too!
Another thing you can do with MapSource is plan the actual route between
points A, B, C, D on a road trip. You can save the route, and download that
to the 27x0 for later use. (But you may prefer just saving the places you
want to go to, and letting the 27x0 figure the routes as needed. (Route
planning is not for everyone.)
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