Using "cross street" when not in a city or town!!

[shiflerg]

I have oftened tried to use the "cross street" button to add a location but I've had limited success. An example, I want to go from Waynesboro, VA to Myrtle Beach, SC but not by I95. I want to pick up 288 from I64 west of Richmond and then travel toward Petersburg to pick up I95. How do I do this? I tried for the intersection of US Rt60 and Rt288 but I could not enter them.

A second part of this question: can I specify an interstate exit as a "travel to" point? If so, how do I do this? Example can I specify Va I81 exit 222 as a "travel to" point?

 

[Arno]

The easiest way is to make it two legs.
Current_Location to Petersburg, VA (City center)
Petersburg (City center) to Myrtle Beach, SC.

You can make them as Custom POIs or save them as Favorites.
You could also start running a Demo on them and stopping the Demo as soon as started. Those 2 destinations now will be in your Recent destinations.

While still on I-95, once past Chester, select the Myrtle Beach location. This will ignore the off and on instructions from Petersbugh city center.
===================

Since you are using Google maps already to plan your trips, enlarge the map at your "travel to" point so that the correct lane is shown, put your mouse on it right click and the coordinates for the location will be put into the Command box at the top of the map.
Click example.

For your example I'll pretend you are on I-81 SB and you want VA exit 222.
On your 730 Navigate to ... (or Route A...B if not starting from current device location) > Latitude Longitude and enter the first coordinate from the Google map, preceded by "N" for north.
Tap OK then "W" (west) and enter the second set of numbers from the map, not including the - (minus). Tap OK. Select (.) Fastest route and Done.
If you are not programming a route from the exact current location of the 730 I would recommend you use Route A...B and start at some city center a bit further back but on the route that goes through the place from where you want to start. (I will not try to go backwards, the device will always try to find the shortest route, time wise to destination.

I tried to go from Harrisonburg to Exit 222 but there is no way, unless you specify US250 as the cross road.
As any exit will always be on another road, named or numbered you will have to select the as the Crossroad.

 

[shiflerg]

This worked great. I have added those coordinates as a favorite for the future. Can I find out the coordinates of a place from the GO730 itself? What I did on Google maps was to get generally in the area and then zoom into to a particular place. Is this possible on the GO730 itself? I tried using the browse map but I didn't have much success.

 

[Arno]

Yes, they solved the technical problem now all you need some tiny needle pointed fingers to do it.
;->)
Using my mouse pointer in HOME it took me 2:45 minutes to get the mouse pointer onto the exit 220 off ramp.
At the computer it would be much faster to transfer the coordinates from Google maps.

I wouldn't even attempt to use my fingers on the screen.
At the very least an acute angle stylus with a blunted tip.

 

[Andy_P]

Can I find out the coordinates of a place from the GO730 itself?

Yes you can.
On the "Browse map" screen (i.e. the scrollable 2D map) tap the Options button at the bottom, and you will see a menu entry for "Show coordinates". That will put a permanent display of the coordinates in the bottom left corner of the screen for wherever the blue cursor is currently placed. Just tap the map to move it around.

What I did on Google maps was to get generally in the area and then zoom into to a particular place. Is this possible on the GO730 itself? I tried using the browse map but I didn't have much success.

Yes, you need to "tap and drag" to move the map around and use the zoom bar at the side of the screen to zoom in and out (ither drag the button along the slider or I find it easier to tap the plus or minus buttons).
Later TomTom models with the capacitive "multi-touch" screen allow you to also use two fingers to "pinch zoom", but that's not available on the older screens.

Once you have got used to scrolling around and zooming in and out on the Browse map screen, that positionable blue cursor is your biggest friend. You can place it wherever you like and use the cursor button at the bottom of the screen to navigate straight to it.
In other words, although the above method for seeing the coordinates is great for when you want to copy the coordinates of a place into something else (like Google maps), you don't need to use it to set locations on the TomTom itself.
You can also use the "Point on map" option in several of the other menus and then use the blue cursor to add destinations or via points to a route and to create Favourites and POIs.

 

[shiflerg]

Thank you both for your help.

 

[Arno]

Yes, you need to "tap and drag" to move the map around and use the zoom bar at the side of the screen to zoom in and out (ither drag the button along the slider or I find it easier to tap the plus or minus buttons).

If plus or minus buttons existed on maps on the 730/930 that may be an alternative.

Now, let me invite you to Drive to Exit VA 222 on I-81 SB by using your finger on the device.

As far as I am concerned, it is not possible without a map, be it paper or electronic.
But I love to be proven wrong, same as I just learned from your post to tap "the cursor button at the bottom of the screen to navigate straight to it."
I have never done that as I find the Google / make POI approach so much faster when planning a trip.

 

[Andy_P]

If plus or minus buttons existed on maps on the 730/930 that may be an alternative.

Are they not? I keep my GO720 on very old software (v7) for reasons we don't have to go into here, and I know the plus and minus buttons are not there on that old software. But as far as I know, a GOx20 or x30 can run v9.510 software and the plus and minus buttons ARE there on my XL LIVE IQ which is running that software, so I assumed they would be there on the x20's and x30's too.
Are you fully up to date?

Now, let me invite you to Drive to Exit VA 222 on I-81 SB by using your finger on the device.

If I had a US map in my old GO720 I would be happy to try, but I'm afraid you're on your own there....

 

[Arno]

Are they not? as far as I know, a GOx20 or x30 can run v9.510 software and the plus and minus buttons ARE there

GO 930, OS v9.510, Map 'USA_Canada' v915.5074

BTW, that is the spot in question but exit numbers are not shown in Browse Map.
I tapped to there with me own little fingers. What a pain, although acceptable in an emergency.
I cannot imagine how such a scenario would come about as someone surely would drive to the road at the exit or a place (name) that would required the exit number to be watched.

If I had a US map in my old GO720 I would be happy to try, but I'm afraid you're on your own there....

Nice one, that.
I must remember to use it at appropriate times.
;->)

 

[Andy_P]

"....on my XL Live IQ."

Weird that they should go to the trouble of writing separate chunks of code in order to keep the old zoom bar style on the older unit, when they have obviously decided the new style is "better" otherwise they wouldn't have changed it.

 

[Andy_P]

Oh, I meant to mention.... On the subject of "exit numbers"....

In the UK, one of the nice folks at PGPSW created a pair of user-POI categories, called "Motorway Entrances" and "Motorway Exits" to solve that very problem.

"Exits" are located at the top of the slip road (ramp) off the motorway and "Entrances" are located on the main carriageway just after the junction. If you think about it you'll realise why there need to be two separate types.

They work really well (they cover some of the major A roads too), and I've found them invaluable for all those times when someone says "Don't go the way your satnav says... come off the M6 at junction 12 instead". It just takes a few taps to add the appropriate "via" point.

I don't know if anyone would be brave enough to consider tackling the job for the whole of the USA!

 

[Arno]

Weird that they should go to the trouble of writing separate chunks of code in order to keep the old zoom bar style on the older unit, when they have obviously decided the new style is "better" otherwise they wouldn't have changed it.

What is you smoking, mon! I want some.

Are you insinuating that TT only makes changes for the better ???????????????????????

 

[Arno]

In the UK, one of the nice folks at PGPSW created a pair of user-POI categories, called "Motorway Entrances" and "Motorway Exits" to solve that very problem.
[ ... ]
They work really well (they cover some of the major A roads too), and I've found them invaluable for all those times when someone says "Don't go the way your satnav says... come off the M6 at junction 12 instead". It just takes a few taps to add the appropriate "via" point.
I don't know if anyone would be brave enough to consider tackling the job for the whole of the USA!

I can see the benefit of that for creating waypoints but would think it as fast to select M4 (Crossroads) / A412 instead of opening a POI category.

For the States that would be a major endeavour. Example, I-80 runs through NY, NJ, PA, OH, IN, IL, IA, NE, WY, UT, NV and CA.
Most number their exits in mileage from the State Line. Usually W to E, exception CA where it starts in SF.

 

[Andy_P]

I can see the benefit of that for creating waypoints but would think it as fast to select M4 (Crossroads) / A412 instead of opening a POI category.

That would certainly be true, except that in the UK mapping (as I should have mentioned), very few roads are listed in the map database by their number, so the "crossings" aren't listed at all.