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The amazing capabilities of GPS navigation can tempt first-time users
to build highly detailed highway routes. These "high res" routes are fun
to use, but they have some drawbacks. They require placing a route
waypoint at practically every curve in the road. This takes a relatively
large number of waypoints for the distance traveled. A large set of
waypoints close together can give your Custom Map a cluttered look. If
the route is very long, it takes more time for you to make it in
MapCreate. And, finally, GPS units compatible with MapCreate
versions 5 and 6 can hold 100 routes, but each route can contain only
100 waypoints.
So, take a long cross-country trip on winding roads and you can use up
100 waypoints before you reach your journey's end. This means you will
need to break up the trip into multiple routes. That's usually not a
problem, since most travelers don't prefer to run all day and night
without stopping for food, fuel or rest.
On the other hand, "low res" routes take less time to prepare and are
plenty accurate to get you there. This type of route — with a relatively
small number of waypoints per mile — is well-suited to map screen
navigation. You can cover a longer distance for the amount of
waypoints you use. "Low res" routes also tend to reduce the clutter on
your Custom Map.
A good technique for "low res" routes is to set most of your waypoints
where you make major direction changes, or where the destination is
important for one reason or another. Here are two examples:
Let's say you are heading straight north on a state highway, but need
to turn right onto a county road to reach a recreation area. Set a route
waypoint at or just a little before the highway intersection. Setting the
waypoint a short distance before your turn is useful (especially at
highway speeds) if you need some warning to change lanes or slow
down for the turn. (You can even rename that route waypoint "turn" or
"turn right.")
Now let's say you are traveling in a generally straight line. You don't
need to set a waypoint for a turn, but you want to stop in a certain city
along the way for food or fuel. Set a route waypoint at the city limits or
downtown, and your Lowrance or Eagle GPS can tell you how many
miles to town and how long it will take to get there.
If you limit the number of waypoints you make, your compass rose will
still work fine for those major changes in direction, but it won't match
the twists and curves of the pavement as closely as a "high resolution"
route would.