FURKOT on line mapping program info

Thanks for posting this. I have not heard of Furkot. I just took a quick look at some of the help files, and it looks promising. Although it is targeted primarily at mobile, it may be what some of us with Garmin devices have been looking for since Mapquest discontinued support of transfer to Garmin devices. I will put it on my "To Do" list to spend some time looking into this.

Actually, MapQuest didn't have a choice. Garmin terminated support for the Garmin Communicator service because most browsers have or will soon discontinue support for "Plug-ins" in favor of HTML5 applets.

As for Furkot, the folks that develop this application are, quite frankly, the best out there. There are pages of features that Don (Norwood) didn't touch on.

If your STOPS (Waypoints) have Address, Phone #, URL, when you Export to GPX, those Waypoints will include that data coded as Garmin Extensions - just like BaseCamp would - and that includes SYMBOL.

If you have one of the newer Garmin zumo590LM, BMW NAV5 or nuvi that use the Garmin Trip Planner there is a GPX Export that will code your Routes with ShapingPoints and ViaPoints - you can have ≤29 ViaPoints and hundreds and hundreds of ShapingPoints that will get spread between the ViaPoints.

I disagree with this statement. While it is true that Garmin Communicator is no longer supported, that plugin is not required. There is no technical reason that Mapquest couldn't generate a .GPX routing file and allow it to be downloaded to a user selected folder. That is the way almost all other downloads are handled by browser applications. Mapquest decided to discontinue this feature, and the Communicator plugin was just a good excuse. Google Maps made the same choice several years ago, even while Communicator was still supported.

Furkot decided that supporting GPS & Navigation Mobile Apps was in their best interest. Google, MapQuest and many other online applications make their money if you stay within their [connected] realm of revenue - which is why they don't care about GPX exports. So, in that regard, I understand you frustration.

If you used Furkot, you'd have the export options you desire.

Furkot definitely looks interesting, and worth additional investigation.

I had never heard of Furkot until now. Thanks for the tip.

- Tom -

Looks like a great site. How do you transfer trip to Garmin Nuvi. I only see an import function.

Caution if any route program doesn't use Garmin Maps. Your routes are potentially not going to follow the routes you planned. Each map database is based on its own data and it does vary from map database to map database.

Some routing programs such as Tyre only output the waypoints, not the plot-along-the-route directions. That leaves the GPS to calculate the routes to follow. There is enough variances between these lightweight routing programs and the map database used for plotting waypoints that you may find yourself on different roads.

Something as simple as a waypoint on the northbound side of a divided highway when you are southbound, due to mapping differences between your Furkot/Tyre maps and the GPS maps, may direct you to a detour off the exit, loop northbound until you reach that waypoint, then a U-turn at the next cloverleaf to head back southbound. I've witnessed this on a ride originally made in Microsoft Streets & Trips and used on a Garmin GPS for a 40 mile pair of U-turns, TWICE along a single day ride.

If you are leading a group on a motorcycle charity run or a touring rally, the riders in each group may look like a 3-stooges chase film.

If you have carefully plotted out an historic ride, e.g. RT-66, you won't necessarily follow it.

Stick with Garmin MapSource or BaseCamp if you want accurate routes.