Finding something along route

Just do a search as you would with any other search, but at the initial search screens, select "near" and select "current route" or other options that fits your needs ...

Once selected, you should then have the option to set the new location as a via point or new end point ...

jc

My nuvi 205 doesn't seem to have a distance, it just list the closes one, then the next closes and so on.

I'm sorry perhaps I didn't phrase the question correctly. I know how to do a search.

What I wanted to know is how far off the route does it search. 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile on either side of the route?

burt

I'm also curious on what is the maximum radius it searches for based on the location that you are searching and can this radius be configured or change ?

Thanks

I don't think there's any public information regarding how far out it searches.

And it's not configurable.

The best thing to do would be to use it a few times and get a sense of what results it is producing.

I thing it doesn't have any specific radius for search. I have impression that is searching until it finds maximum number of items (guessing it to be 52 on my nuvi 650) then it just stops.
Distance to items it finds may be 0.1 mile or 200 miles.
Do simple test: look for gas stations and then You can see how many items will be found before search is finished (it will probably fit in range of a few miles around bigger cities). Than look for something less popular (like state park) and it will show items a few hundred miles away.
My impression is it is searching whole map as long as it got maximum amount of results allowed and then it stops.
It may be annoying, as when You trying to find something in big city not knowing full name of it. Sometimes You just have to set "near..." to different parts of city to get what You looking for.

I think you have broken the code. Yours is the only explanation for what I have found to be really strange responses. I was trying to use it with relatively small POI files and it was saying that places 200 miles off my route was "near my current route". Nice analysis.

The results of a search, and a search near current route are way different things. I've sent the question to Garmin and will let you know what they say.

Burt
The older I get, the better and faster I was!

Are you talking about searching Custom-POI files or the built-in files?

If you are searching a custom-POI file, the explanation provided by grzesja works. If you are talking about searching the built-in files, it would appear that they limit the search to less than a mile from the route, maybe as little as 3/4 of a mile. Have you run a test? You'll see what I mean.

Thanks, bentbiker! I was trying custom POIs and was disappointed that search doesn't work (well).

Not to go off on a tangent, but I discovered an interesting bug trying a Search built-in POIs along My Current Route for Fuel.
It also returns Convenience Stores mixed into the results.
See http://www.poi-factory.com/node/19938

Probably not a bug. Some of them do (or used to) sell fuel, too.

That is true, several times when I'm traveling and filling up at certain gas stations using my credit card. When the monthly bill arrived it shows up as convenient stores purchase. I was surprise, then it took me a while to figure out that convenient store purchase is actually purchasing gas.

Searching for eateries, the Nuvi 350 finds restaurants that are 60 miles away. Problem is there's this thing called Lake Erie between me and the restaurants in Ontario. If I had to guess, I would say that it does indeed search a radius.

Yes, unless you search Near/Along-Current-Route.

OK, here is what Garmin said:

"I will be happy to help you out with this.

It is going to search within the proximity of your current location. There is no set distance of how far it is going to go out and search."

burt

If your question was about searching a custom-POI file, by Near/Along-the-current-route, I believe that to be a surprisingly accurate response. If your question was about searching the built-in POIs by Near/Along-the-route, this is obviously an erroneous response. I'm sure you've tested and found nothing more than 3/4 mile from the route.

When I do a search for a POI, the unit displays the list by nearest hit first, and it shows the distance and direction from my current location. It lists approximately 50 POI's and it will go as far afield as necessary to fill those 50 slots if there are that many POI listings in the category.

My 2720 seems to find locations very close to the route, allow I cannot say with certainty, it does appear to be within 0.5 mile of the route. And, when necessary it will look as far down the route as necessary - I've seen 40+ miles ahead along the route in rural areas.

Guys, if I drive from NYC to Miami on I95, for example, and I use "search near my current route", it won't ever take me more than 1 mile or so off the highway? I'm trying to sort this out...

Thanks.

Are you searching custom-POIs or built-in POIs? If the latter, there is nothing to figure out -- that is the way it works. That is the way it should work for custom-POIs, but it doesn't.

I guess I'd like to know the answer for both the built-in database and POI Factory POIs.

Thanks.

(From what I can tell, it doesn't appear it would ever take you very far off your route of travel.)

On my 660, if I select "Near... My Current Route" and then search any POI file, all the locations in the POI file still show up, regardless of distance from my route. Are you saying you get a different result with your 360?

Here's what I'm doing on my 760, I'll double-check on the 360.

I start a trip and say I want to go to Miama from my current location. I let it calculate and then go back to the "Where to" screen. I then press "near" and select "my current route" and say OK. I then go to my custom POI file and select "Dunkin Donuts". (At this point I'd expect it to return every DD location along my plotted course.) It then goes about its searching and starts to identify, what, 50 locations? and then quits. I can go in and select any of those locations, view the map and it seems to be right next to the highway I'd be traveling on.

This is the response I'd expect. I just wasn't clear (and still am not) how far it would take you off the highway. 5 miles? 10 miles? etc.

(I see a bug in the software when doing this, but won't go into at the moment.)

Instead of your route for Miami, pick a destination only a mile or two from you, and see if you don't get the same 50 closest DD's. If not, and you only get a couple, yes, please try the 360 -- maybe the new units work.

now I see what's happening. It does function as expected on the 760...it will search for and locate places in the custom POI database. The 360 will not. I'm surprised I never noticed this before.

Both units work as expected when searching the built-in POI database.

This is good to know - - the 760 will be my dedicated roadtrip co-pilot

Thanks, Bent!