BMW Nav VI

I switched from the Garmin 660 to the Nav VI and one of the things I'm having trouble with is how to get on my route if i'm not at the beginning of the route. It wants me to pick a spot to go to and start the route. I want to start route from where ever I'm at. All of my routes are made in base camp.

It should give you a list of waypoints to select from.
Pick the last one and it should put you within the route you made on BC.

The screen that comes up when you want to start a route is literally asking you which of your planned waypoints you want to head towards from your current location. If you pick the start (first location listed), it will route you from where you are to the planned start point of your route as planned in Base Camp. If you want to skip the starting point, the list is in order showing the waypoints you planned in Base Camp. Simply select the next logical point in your route that you want to head towards and you will be routed towards that point and then onto the rest of your route as planned.

My Nav VI was driving me crazy as I attempted to do what I just described using routes I had planned in Base Camp. The routes were typically round trips back to the starting point, and even though I was selecting (for example) to go to waypoint #2 to start the route, the route would sometimes want to take me direct to Waypoint 3 or 4, thereby cutting of major portions of my planned route. I think I found the fix to that. Under Settings - Navigation, I disabled "Automatically Skip Waypoints". For whatever reason, the system was arbitrarily deciding to skip waypoints, even thought I wasn't within 20 miles of them, so when I was selecting to go to Waypoint #2, it decided to skip #2 and route me to #3 or #4, thereby totally messing up my planned circular route that might only have 3 or 4 waypoints. Once I disabled "Automatically Skip Waypoints", the system behavior settled down and gave me logical routing instructions to complete my route as planned in BaseCamp.

Hope this helps.

Plan the first waypoint a few hundred feet down the street from your true beginning point.

Thanks everyone for the help, I think that should solve my problem. I like the Nav 6 much better then the 660. I just need to learn all the features.
Bob

Bob, it is a bit of an "apples and oranges" issue.

Base Camp is a routing/mapping tool while the function most people use on a GPS is the navigation part and many never use the routing part which on the Nav-VI (V, etc.), is the "Trip Planner".

At the home screen (which is what you use to initiate navigation), rather than going into "Where To?", simply go into "Apps" (just on the right of bottom center) then select "Trip Planner" (top left), then "New Trip", then "Select Start Location", and plot your route and save the trip. You can identify starting date and time, or ending date/time, as well as durations for any way-points. I use this feature for lunch, gas, and other stops, especially if I'm plotting out a multi-day ride where I want to ensure I'm avoiding rush-hour traffic, etc. Remember to identify which points you want as Way-Points and which you want as Shaping-Points.

I use Way-Points for my actual stops and Shaping-Points for routing (to ensure the exact route I want). Because Shaping-Points don't show in the distance/time calculations, I can then easily see my time/distance between stops and, if I have entered a date/time for any of the stops it will show the correct time for each stop including your start and finish. This is especially helpful if you are trying to meet up with other riders or have to be someplace at a specific time. You don't have to use it, but if you do, it is a great tool/asset.

When you wish to use the planned trip you select it from within Trip Planner and then select "Go!" on the lower right. That will take you to a screen that allows you to choose which of the "Way-Points" you wish to start your ride from (you can't select a shaping point).

Hope that helps.

Nav vi

I just got a NAV VI. In the past I have not used a GPS much. I have always been a paper map guy (old fart). I will be going to Alaska again in 2018 and would like to record my whole route and then save it to my computer. Any hints on how to record the whole route on this long of ride?

easybiker said:

I just got a NAV VI. In the past I have not used a GPS much. I have always been a paper map guy (old fart). I will be going to Alaska again in 2018 and would like to record my whole route and then save it to my computer. Any hints on how to record the whole route on this long of ride?

Click to expand...

Use a SPOT satellite tracker and the Spotwalla website.

AlanColes most of my routing is just within a 200 miles of home. I like to ride the small paved back roads and usually a lot of turns. I'm not sure what a waypoint and shaping point is. After I make my route I will look at it in google earth to see what the roads look like. I'm new to the RT after riding a Goldwings for 40 years.
Bob

easybiker said:

I just got a NAV VI. In the past I have not used a GPS much. I have always been a paper map guy (old fart). I will be going to Alaska again in 2018 and would like to record my whole route and then save it to my computer. Any hints on how to record the whole route on this long of ride?

Click to expand...

You can save your tracks, I'd save them each day to ensure you'll have the entire route. Connect to your computer and transfer tracks you'll see your complete route with details (elevation, speed, location and lots more).

Jay

I found a copy of the Nav VI manual https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1273969/Garmin-Bmw-Motorrad-Navigator-Vi.html go to page 12. Once you connect the NAV VI to your computer I believe BaseCamp will ask you if you want to import new found tracks...

Jay

akbeemer said:

Use a SPOT satellite tracker and the Spotwalla website.

Click to expand...

Or if you don't want to spring for a Spot, you can use Bubbler GPS App on your Android phone combined with Spotwalla.

61996 said:

Or if you don't want to spring for a Spot, you can use Bubbler GPS App on your Android phone combined with Spotwalla.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately that won't give you a full track log due to very spotty cell service in many areas of the US and Canada. On my tours, I use the Spot Messenger for both tracking at 10-minute intervals and to summon help in case of an accident or breakdown in areas without cell service.

Don

bobw said:

AlanColes most of my routing is just within a 200 miles of home. I like to ride the small paved back roads and usually a lot of turns...

Click to expand...

I'm like you regarding my preference for back roads.

bobw said:

...I'm not sure what a waypoint and shaping point is. After I make my route I will look at it in google earth to see what the roads look like. I'm new to the RT after riding a Goldwings for 40 years.
Bob

Click to expand...

I use Google Maps. Google Earth is likely better, certainly more powerful, but I've just grown familiar with using Google Maps and I'm becoming a creature of habit. Both can be very helpful in making sure your route is on paved roads and that it is where you are wanting go travel.

Think of a Waypoint as any point that you want/need the GPS to route you to specifically and for which having distance and time data would be helpful. Think of a shaping point as a point on the route that is needed to place you travelling on the road you want, but not one where you will be stopping for anything - you don't have distance or time data for shaping points.

Here's an example:

Waco - Stephenville Loop: https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Waco,+TX,+USA/Clifton,+TX,+USA/Cranfills+Gap/Carlton/Stephenville,+TX,+USA/Glass/Walnut+Springs/Lakeside+Village/Laguna+Park/Bellmead/@31.8016616,-98.0805034,9.23z/data=!4m64!4m63!1m5!1m1!1s0x864f82f1230151d3:0xfbd74b03d6d1aa10!2m2!1d-97.1466695!2d31.549333!1m5!1m1!1s0x864fc28586fcad57:0x6d56d353722e2c22!2m2!1d-97.5766862!2d31.7823798!1m5!1m1!1s0x865021b54066aa27:0xf8b8908d4804f882!2m2!1d-97.8258601!2d31.7737659!1m5!1m1!1s0x8650487bf096353f:0x7a0ad046e13f6468!2m2!1d-98.1725534!2d31.9179694!1m5!1m1!1s0x8651b72b6c6a2dd7:0x9d55a230b85ea45b!2m2!1d-98.2022633!2d32.2206958!1m5!1m1!1s0x8651d431b57d538f:0x6bfa4ae825f3a031!2m2!1d-97.836667!2d32.191111!1m5!1m1!1s0x864fd5a7e73b5dd3:0x4e52be11576b4456!2m2!1d-97.749471!2d32.0576479!1m5!1m1!1s0x864fc912cbfdf23b:0x83eb6940c4e4172c!2m2!1d-97.4939069!2d32.020986!1m5!1m1!1s0x864fbecf43ec4b9b:0x6bdf2e8b26ab8680!2m2!1d-97.3797357!2d31.8593247!1m5!1m1!1s0x864f780848745ce7:0x8ed27d7ee429c357!2m2!1d-97.1088903!2d31.5940545!2m1!1b1!3e0

If I wanted to set this up on my Nav-VI it would look something like this (I just did it quickly so there may be more Shapingpoints than necessary):

• Waypoint - Waco
• Shapingpoint - China Spring Rd & Hwy-1637
• Shapingpoint - Hwy-1637 & Hwy-56
• Shapingpoint - Hwy-56 & Hwy-6
• Shapingpoint - Hwy-219 & Hwy-22
• Shapingpoint - Hwy-1744 & Hwy-219
• Waypoint - Shell (161 E South Loop, Stephenville)
• Waypoint - Don Nico's Mexican Restaurant (210 E South Loop, Stephenville)
• Shapingpoint - Hwy-203 & US-67
• Shapingpoint - Hwy-56 & Hwy-927
• Shapingpoint - Country Road 1812 & Hwy-22 & Hwy-56
• Waypoint - Waco

Enter all of the above in the Trip Planner as regular destinations

• Save it with an easy to remember name
• Go back into the trip and tap the drop-down menu (upper left) and select "Edit Destinations"
• You will see a green flag with your starting point "Waco" on the right of the flag
• The rest of the destinations will have an orange flag to their left except the final point which will have a checkered flag
• Tap the orange flag for the first waypoint (China Spring Rd & Hwy-1637), click "Yes" when prompted to change it to a "shaping point" the orange flag changes to a blue dot
• Do the same for all the rest of the orange flags except the Shell station, Don Nico's and your end point
• Click "Save"
• Tap the "return" icon (lower left)
• You'll be back at the trip summary screen - Showing total distance and travel time
• Tap on the Shell station entry (the name NOT the orange flag)
• Tap on "Duration" and select "15 min" and tap "Save" then tap the "return" icon (lower left)
• Tap on Don Nico's and enter "Duration" (set to 1 hour) and tap save then tap on "Arrival Time" (set to 11:40 am) and tap save
• Tap the "return" icon (lower left)

That last tap of the "return icon" takes you back to the Trip summary screen and when you scroll up to the top/beginning you will see that it has you leaving Waco at 9:25 am, riding for 1 hr 55 min to the Shell and after lunch riding an additional 1 hr 45 min to get back to the outskirts of Waco at 2:25 pm.

This is just a quick example of what the waypoint / shapingpoint stuff looks like and does when you plot a route with it on the Nav-VI or its predecessors. Many don't want to go through these step as for them it is too long and involved. It seems quick and easy to me, but each person has what they like and dislike. YMMV

easybiker said:

I just got a NAV VI. In the past I have not used a GPS much. I have always been a paper map guy (old fart). I will be going to Alaska again in 2018 and would like to record my whole route and then save it to my computer. Any hints on how to record the whole route on this long of ride?

Click to expand...

In addition to the things already mentioned, you can also use the following apps:

- Nav-VI "Tracks" app in the "Apps" section, although I've had very mixed success with it, but it does work.

- Rever. This is installed on your smartphone but uses "mostly" the GPS function and very little data. It be set to pause when up pull over and resume when you re-start within something like 4-6 hours (can't recall exactly). IIRC, you can set it up so that someone can follow on line.

I've used a few others but these are the easiest ones for me.

Its just to damn hard to put a route in Nav 6 if you are taking a lot of back and side roads. Much eaisier to use basecamp where I can just click on the road without having to know the name of it. Thanks AlanCoes I finally figured out what a shaping point and waypoint is. I've been using them but didn't know the name.

Firmware 4.90 introduced new "bugs" - contact myGarmin.com and setup a case...

Folks, there are a few threads on this forum and others (e.g. K1600GL forum, S1000XR forum, etc.) where the BMW Navigator VI is discussed. This is why I think there is a lot of confusion about how to operate it. Thing is, it has some serious "bugs" in the software that still are not fixed with software update 4.90. In fact, that update has introduced new "bugs". How do I know? Garmin has confirmed them to me and have opened up "cases" for at least two of them. Please see my posts on this thread...

https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthrea...Nav-VI)-Tips-and-Tricks&p=1114810#post1114810

Skipping of waypoints and shaping points are the most serious issues. As noted in this thread, if you go "off route" with multiple shaping points the Nav 6 will constantly try to re-route you back to the missed SHAPING POINT until the end of your trip (I've tried it). No way to skip it other than to close out the trip and start it again, picking the next destination point. My only workaround to these programming flaws is to NOT use SHAPING POINTS. Only use WAYPOINTS (which of course is damn annoying as they each announce).

So please, if you read my posts and are experiencing the same things, contact Garmin and register a case with them on it. Get them to confirm the case number to you otherwise the Support person is simply agreeing with you rather than opening a case file that then needs to be addressed by "engineering". As I posted in the link above, they are encouraging us to do this in order to get attention on it. Thanks!

I plot all my routes in Base Camp (Nav V). I use lots of shaping points but no waypoints other than start, end, and actual destinations enroute. Waypoints stay in memory even if the route is wiped so if you just want to go to a place you've been before you'll find the waypoint memory cluttered up with what should have been shaping points.

One thing I figured out is that you get off your route it can calculate a new one to the next waypoint according to whatever routing preferences you've set up in the Nav (fastest/shortest/curvy roads). If your "next" waypoint is your destination, and you have 200 miles to go, that can be a problem - you'll miss all the fun/scenic roads you'd planned to take. The solution is to turn auto recalculate completely off and figure your own way back to the purple line, then wait until the Nav figures out you're back on track (I've had it take 10 miles to figure it out after I went 100 feet offroute to buy gas).

I convert the routes I make to tracks in Basecamp and then load the tracks on my GPS. If I deviate from the preplaned track, I have to get back via my own direction, I don't really trust the machine to put me back on track. In the back country, I've not found this to be a problem.

Most of my experience is off road or back roads, BDR type stuff.

Is there a good reason to use routes on the street over tracks? The GSA is a new addition, I still ride a KTM 690 with Garmin Montana.

searching for an address

This has to be the most confusing GPS I ever had. I've tried several times to type in a address and it can't find it. I don't know if I'm supposed to put the full address of just the street and number. I have tried it both ways.
The address i'm trying to put in is 125 First Street, Hewitt, TX and I'm in Waco, Tx about 6 miles away.
I don't know what I'm doing wrong and I will need to learn how to save the address once I find it.

I have no problem finding it using my phone.
Bob