6. Navigating with the RoadMate 1430

Figure 25: Main Menu

The Main Menu is the center for all the available functions for the Magellan RoadMate. The Main Menu consists of two pages, with the most frequently used functions on the first page.

Let's take a closer look at Main Menu:

Figure 26: Main Menu

The Main Menu consists of the following six functions:

1. Show Map - Displays the map with your current position shown as a blue triangle
2. Enter Address - Displays the Enter Address menu. Addresses can be entered using a street address, zip code, intersection of two street names, or by selecting a city from a list of cities you have previously used. This icon also provides access to the saved address book (my addresses)
3. Points of Interest - Displays the Search Points of Interest menu. Search for POIs by entering the name or by category (i.e. restaurant, garage, hotel, etc.)
4. Home - Once set, the Home button provides one-touch routing back to your saved home address
5. Roadside Assistance - Displays the Locate screen (shows your current location and proximity to nearby major roads and emergency services)
6. Right Arrow - Displays the Main Menu's page 2

Figure 27: Main Menu - Page 2

Page 2 of the Main Menu is home to the following functions:

7. ReRoute - While navigating to a destination, ReRoute allows you to re-calculate the route using a different routing method (i.e. shortest time, distance, most use of freeways, least use of freeways)
8. Active Trip - Used to create or edit a route with multiple destinations
9. User Options - Configure various system and user settings
10. Left Arrow - Back to Main Menu - Page 1
11. Detour - Routes you around a problem area. You can choose to go 3, 5, 10, or a custom number of miles around the current road
12. Roadside Assistance - (also displayed on Page 1 of the Main Menu) Displays the Locate screen (shows your current location and proximity to nearby major roads and emergency services)

Figure 28: Map Screen

Whether navigating to a destination, or simply driving around, you'll spend most of the time looking at the map screen on the RoadMate 1430. A well designed map screen that's easy to read is critical for any GPS, and, for the most part, the RoadMate 1430 gets it right.

Let's take a closer look at the Map Screen:

Figure 29: Map Screen, Explained

1. Direction of travel - tapping this icon displays the Locate screen
2. Current Street - Displays the name of the current road/street you are traveling on
3. Satellite Status - Displays current satellite signal strength. Tap to display additional satellite information
4. Zoom Out - Zooms the map out so you can see a larger area of the map
5. Highlighted Route - The path the GPS has calculated you should follow to reach your destination
6. POI Icon - Displays POI icons for the categories you have chosen to display on the map. You can route to a POI icon by tapping on it
7. Zoom In
8. Volume Control / Mute
9. Vehicle Position - represents your vehicle's position on the map
10. Next Street - This area displays the street name for the next maneuver
11. Turn Instruction for Next Maneuver - Tapping this icon displays the maneuvering list (when routing to a destination)
12. Current time/Distance to Next Turn - When not navigating to destination, this box displays the current time. When routing to a destination, this box displays the distance to next maneuver. Tapping this area repeats the last verbal instruction
13. Main Menu
14. Present speed/Arrival Time/Remaining Drive Time - When not routing to a destination, this box displays the current speed. When routing to a destination, this area displays distance to destination. Tapping on this box cycles between displaying remaining distance, arrival time, or remaining drive time

Figure 30: TrueView

TrueView is a useful feature that makes it easy to understand upcoming maneuvers. As you approach an upcoming turn, the RoadMate 1430 displays the "TrueView" rendering of the turn.

This split-screen view displays a 3D view of the turn on the left side of the screen, and a more traditional 2D map on the right side of the screen. A chime also sounds, letting you know the turn is approaching (the chime can also be disabled, if you prefer).

Figure 31: Viewing the Maneuver List From the Map Screen

When navigating to a destination with the RoadMate, a list of all upcoming turns can be viewed at any time by touching the turn icon in the lower-left corner, as shown above.

Figure 32: Maneuver List

The Maneuver List screen displays a list of all upcoming turns. Each line in the maneuver list provides details about the maneuver in the order they are to be made, with the next (closest) maneuver at the top of the list. The bottom bar displays the distance and time to the next maneuver, as well as the total distance to the destination.

If the GPS loses satellite signal reception, the Roadmate 1430 automatically displays the Maneuver List. This is a nice feature that allows you to view a list of upcoming turns when satellite reception is poor (i.e. when driving through a long tunnel).

7. Avoiding A Specific Road or Highway

Figure 33: Route Exclusion

The RoadMate 1430 has the ability to exclude, or avoid, a particular road/highway from the planned route. The is a powerful feature that lets you browse through the list of turns along the route, and force the GPS to avoid a particular stretch of road.

To exclude a specific road from the planned route, simply tap on the street you want to exclude from the Maneuver List and then tap "Exclude". The RoadMate will then re-calculate the route to your destination, avoiding that particular road.

This a great feature that really comes in handy when you want to avoid a road you know will be problematic, or if you find yourself stuck in traffic and want to find an alternate route.

8. Using the Detour Function

Figure 34: Detour

There may be times when you don't want to exclude a particular road from the planned route, but simply need to detour around a problem area and then resume the planned route.

Detour is a quick one-touch way to detour around a current problem area without having to specify roads to avoid. For example, if you find yourself stuck in traffic on a highway, you may not want to exclude the entire highway from the route, but you might want to take surface roads for the next 3 miles to get around the traffic, and then get back on the same highway.

Figure 35: Using the Detour Feature

Tapping on the Detour icon brings up the Detour menu, shown above. You can choose to detour off the planned route for the next 3, 5, 10, or a custom number of miles.