Displaying map detail

You can't. 300ft or smaller zoom scale. The map would get quite cluttered at higher zoom levels and would slow the display refreshes to intollerable levels.

Cluttered? Maybe in the city centre, but NOT in light subsurban and rural areas . . . . besides, so there's be a background of gray thatch . . . you can always zoom in to get the details, if you need tham

A gray background when zomed out is no less legible than Garmin's unfortunate gray road over a green background that is displayed when you are in a park that is barely readable at ANY zoom level.

The older units (my 760, for example) will display street detail and such to 1.2 km where the newer units will only display detail to 500 meters. I'm certain that Garmin will be messing with those unjits on their next updates - I DO know that they reduced screen detail on the last Zumo 550 update.

The 760 will display POI names - the 765 will not.

The 760 has 5 levels of map detail, the newer ones only 3.

As an avid rider, I often explore roads that I can see and the change in detail levels has been particularly frustrating for me.

This is just another in along series of changes that Garmin has implemented of late that will serve to drive me away from the brand.

Those who have never had the various features (like the display of upcoming street names in the banner box when the unit isn't actively navigating) is one example.

Yes, I know new units show upcoming exits onm limited access roads - why not all the time, like they used to?

There's more.

I could understand them not puting their own poi's out since they claim theres more than a million in the USA, but surely we could our own POS's displayed. Noone would have that many that they'd clutter up the screen.

Gee I'm dreaming, why would they do anything that good.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

You might be interested in the following article on the Garmin Tricks, Tips, etc. Web site:

THE POI'S THE THING - Seeing Custom POIs At Various Zooms -- Yes You Can!

http://bit.ly/garmin_gps_tricks

It's on POI Page 5

"Act III" is the area that addresses this point.

Gary Hayman

Well that sure made for entertaining reading, but I took the time to explore the features of my kenwood/garmin a little deeper, and found that I can set the unit to display a host of different items at varying zoom levels. So for instance I have the Custom Poi's set at 8 miles, and the supplied poi's set to 1/2 mile. Maybe I wasnt dreamin at all. But thanks for pointing me in the right direction

Perhaps we all jumped the gun by not asking what it was you had before responding . . . we all presumed you had a Garmin Nuvi, since that was the likely scenario given the overwhelming popularity of Garmin's products on this site.

What you really have is an older customised-for-Kenwood firmware release embedded into your unit . . . .

A Kenwood in-dash is NOT the same as a typical current Garmin Nuvi.

Perhaps you are better off that Garmin doesn't apply their latest updates to OEM products . . . .

Oh - and given the apparent tone of your reply, next time you should perhaps give consideration to RTFM before posting.

No apparent tones meant to anyone on this board. I appreaciate all the help. But directed to Garmin/Kenwood Maybe yes.

To say the least the manual for this unit's navigation system is less than sketchy. It describes the very very basic functions of the unit, like how to get from point a to point B and maybe a few other things. So I make no excuses for not reading the manual, on this subject, there is none and Slogging though the unit displays can be time consuming.

The speed that you are traveling will adjust the zoom level. For example - traveling at freeway speeds will be zoomed out while slower speeds and approaching intersections will zoom in.

I too am frustrated by the lack of detail shown on the newer units. The excuses that Garmin gives a pretty lame... like the screen being too cluttered.

Please Garmin.... let "ME" decide what is too cluttered or not.

The only reason that makes any sense is that re-writing the maps with that much detail slows down the refesh rate.... but... once again.... let "ME" decide if it's too slow for "ME" !

I prefer to have the ability to customize my unit. I know that sometimes it's confusing to newbies but they can always have a default set-up out of the box but I want the option to display what I think is useful.

I have sent emails to Garmion about this and I hope that enough people request the ability to display the level of detail the user wants and at what zoom level, maybe Garmin will give us back what we used to have.

There is a problem with your ultra customizable unit in that that means that much more testing for bugs and quirks at every new firmware release!

Garmin doesn't seem to do much testing these days, given the state of the Zumo 660, their Bluetooth implementations and such.

Also note that Garmin USED to provide the features and configurability in products like the GPSMAP series.

Further, watch what happens when you zoom out. When you from 500 meters to 800 meters (whatever that is in miles for the Yanks & Brits). It displays the streets, and then makes them disappear.

So it isn't a question of capability.

I use the 'Normal' setting for the simple reason that if you display more information on your screen the refresh rate seems to slow down a little. Also, I do not find that the 'More' setting provides any type of benefit with respect to doing what you want the GPS to do, simply follow a road.

Perhaps it does what YOU want it to. But it certainly doesn't do what I need it to . . . I realise that the attribution was generic, but in my case it is inappropriate, for reasons I've always explained.

However, clearly you never leave the big city and interstate highway system when zoomed out.

Because in rural areas on what we term 'secondary roads', even in the 'better' detail setting the new navigators will not display these roads farther out than 500 meters (about 1/3 mile) which is absolutely unacceptable . . . . not even the road you are driving on.

And you believe this to be aceceptable?

I ran in to this same problem and found that POI's only display when zoomed way in (as mentioned above) too.

....it all boils down to preference. Some people only want the main road they are driving on to display, others want the world to show, regardless of the distance. I personaly am OK with the way it's set up. Is there room for improvement? Of course there is, if and when it's available and the price is right I will be more than happy to jump on the offer of a new GPS with exceptional detail.

Like I said - not even the road you are driving on . . . . That isn't a preference issue, that's just plain stupid.

Duplicates . . . again?

there is no such thing as a perfect GPS and there never will be one.

If my GPS takes me to my end destination, it's done it's job. If I have no faith in a gadget then I won't use it.

ryaxin said: "....it all boils down to preference. Some people only want the main road they are driving on to display, others want the world to show, regardless of the distance. I personaly am OK with the way it's set up. Is there room for improvement? Of course there is, if and when it's available and the price is right I will be more than happy to jump on the offer of a new GPS with exceptional detail."

I agree that some people dont; want the details, but from what I've heard and read... MOST seem to want as much detail as they can get. Unfortunately, Garmin has completely taken away the ability for the user to choose to get the same level of details at various zoom levels as some of their slightly older models.

I know that a high level of detail will slow down the refresh rate, but I wish Garmin would let ME decide if that is acceptable to me.

Garmin.... Please give us back our intense level of detail and then let users pick the detail level on the menu.

Garmin keeps spouting the excuse that "People complained about the screen being too cluttered". OK, if that's true, then let those user select a "Less" level of detail.

I feel like I'm driving with Horse shutters on now-a-days as all I see on my GPS is the purple road and not much else.

I want to see the names of upcomign roads... Malls off to the side, the names of the little ponds and lakes when I drive by.... that's how it used to be.

I agree with pratzert. Let the user choose how much/how little detail to display. Why force it one way or the other? Seems as if Garmin expects too little of the user's intelligence. Forcing low detail onto a user is just as bad as forcing too much detail or "clutter" onto the user. If I want "clutter" and a lower screen redraw rate on the map screen, let me choose it. If I want no roads displayed and only my nice purple route line on the map screen, let me choose that as well.

To assume the user is incapable of setting the map display level insults the intelligence of those who desire and want to do so.