Offroad Navigator v3.0 (Download)

Version française

Version 3.0

This version works on Tomtom v8.x or v9.x, with a complementary program you can download here.

This version fixes bugs in v2.2 version : crash when trying to choose an itinerary although there is no itinerary available.

If you are using Tomtom v8.x or v9.x navcore, you must install Offroad Navigator v3.0 and another program to solve screen flickering problem with plugins .

Known problems : this version doesn't work on One V3 where it can't even be launched.

How to install Offroad Navigator ?

Offroad Navigator can not be installed with Tomtom Home because it is not known as a Tomtom software.

Proceed as follows to install it :

• Download it by clicking here
• Save the file on your computer
• Open it by double-clicking it or with an archive software like Winzip. You'll find the following content (with offroad instead of tripmaster) :




• Extract all the files on the root directory of your Tomtom, after connecting it to your computer :
  
  
  
• If you are using Tomtom v8.x or v9.x navcore, you must also install this program by following these instructions
• Then, you can disconnect your Tomtom and reboot it. In the main menu, you'll find the Offroad Navigator icon. Click on it to launchthe application.

What can you do with Offroad Navigator ?

With Offroad Navigator, you can navigate without maps, just following a course and distance to the next point. GPS datas are taken from an itinerary file, created with the Tomtom navigation application or any other software able to create an ITN file.

You may also navigate to a point, just by giving its GPS coordinates. The coordinates must be given in decimal degrees, with negative values for longitude west of Greenwich and negative values for latitude in the south hemisphere.

You may also choose a favorite to navigate to.

The waypoints can be off from any road, Offroad Navigator providing a solution to navigate on any place, even if you don't have the corresponding map.

Offroad Navigator has got several screens :

• a startup screen where you choose the different functions
• a setup screen, where you can setup the different offroad Navigator parameters
• a file selection screen
• a coordinates caption screen
• a favorite selection screen
• a navigation screen, where are provided all the necessary information to reach next point

In the navigation screen, Offroad Navigator displays :

• in the left column, from top to bottom :
  • the latitude and longitude of your current position,
  • your current course,
  • your speed
  • your current altitude and its evolution on the last 5 secondes
• in the middle of the screen :
  • a compass with turning perimeter, to show you your current course (defined by the small line at the top of the compass),
  • an arrow (ending by a square) showing the direction to the next point,
  • when the arrow points to the small line at the top of the compass, you're in the right direction to the next point
  • in the middle of the compass : top, the current course, bottom, the course to follow
• in the right column, from top to bottom :
  • the latitude and longitude of the next point to reach,
  • the distance from the current position to this point, displayed in km or meters (miles or yards) when it is bigger than 1 km (mile).
  • the target distance, preceeded by "<", defined in the setup screen and the rank of this point and total number of points in the chosen itinerary file.

At any moment, you can choose to ignore one point and navigate to the next point in the itinerary, by using the "Next >>" button. You can also choose to go back to the previous point with the "<< Prev " button.

If you approach from the current point within a distance lower than the Target Distance defined in Setup screen, Offroad Navigator will automatically consider it as visited and calculate the new course and distance to the next non-visited point.

Screens and functions

Initial screen with GPS signal	Initial screen without GPS signal
Initial screen with buttons	First setup screen
Second setup screen	Third setup screen
Coordinates seizing screen	Navigation to coordinates screen
File choice screen	Navigation thru a file screen

How can you add maps to Offroad Navigator ?

By default, Offroad Navigator hasn't got any map visible. Anyhow, you can add maps that you need to create and install yourself.

Here are some tricks to setup maps :

• The maps must be in BMP format and have a size equal to 480*272 pixels for large screen Tomtom or 320*240 pixels for other Tomtom. If the size is not exactly one of the specified sizes, the width and height must be a multiple of 8.
• Maps are not moving maps, they are presented always with North towards the upper part of the screen.
• You may have as many maps as you want, they only need to be present in the /offroad/maps directory
• The maps may cover different areas, Offroad will adapt itself to show the current point and the next waypoint, in the right map.
• Offroad will change itself the map, when the current point goes outside of the area covered by the current map. If no map fits the new position, Offroad reverts back to the default screen and doesn't show anymore the current point and the next waypoint.
• Maps are chosen in the order of the description file. As soon as a map fits the current point, it is selected. So, if you want to have a more accurate map for a specific area, also covered by a less accurate map, you should put the more accurate map before the other one in the description file.
• Maps and their coordinates are described in the file /offroad/maps/config.map which contains as many lines as maps number.
• Its lines have the following syntax :

  <upper left corner longitude> <upper left corner latitude> <lower right corner longitude> <lower right corner latitude> <file name>

• avec :

  <upper left corner longitude> : longitude in decimal degrees (with a "." before decimals) of the upper left corner of the map

  <upper left corner latitude> : latitude in decimal degrees (with a "." before decimals) of the upper left corner of the map

  <lower right corner longitude> : longitude in decimal degrees (with a "." before decimals) of the lower right corner of the map

  <lower right corner latitude> : latitude in decimal degrees (with a "." before decimals) of the lower right corner of the map

  <file name > : file name of the BMP file containing the map with the complete path /mnt/sdcard/offroad/maps/

config.map file example

-1.6 48.4 -1.5 48.1 /mnt/sdcard/offroad/maps/carte-0-0.bmp
-1.5 48.4 -1.3 48.1 /mnt/sdcard/offroad/maps/carte-1-0.bmp
-1.3 48.4 -1.1 48.1 /mnt/sdcard/offroad/maps/carte-2-0.bmp
-1.6 48.1 -1.5 47.8 /mnt/sdcard/offroad/maps/carte-0-1.bmp
-1.5 48.1 -1.3 47.8 /mnt/sdcard/offroad/maps/carte-1-1.bmp
-1.3 48.1 -1.1 47.8 /mnt/sdcard/offroad/maps/carte-2-1.bmp

Setup general parameters

In this screen, you can setup the following parameters :

• Language : use left and right arrow to select one of the available languages
• Units : allows you to choose the units system amongt metric (km and m), english (miles and feets) or nautic system (miles and m)
• Colors : allows you to select day or night color or an automatic mode where color changes depending of time and position
• GMT offset : allows you to define, in hours and decimals, the time offset to Greenwich Meridian Time. "-1.5" means 1 hour and a hald before GMT.
• Geoïd fix : allows you to define the geoïd fix to apply to altitude if you choose "Yes".
• Target distance : allows you to define the minimal distance to a target, below which a waypoint will be considered as visited.
• Coordinates : allows you to choose the display format of GPS coordinates.

Colors setup

In this screen, you can choose the colors of the differents objects and areas on the screen.

Backgrounds setup

In this screen, you can choose the customized background that will be used when no map is available. These files are Bitmap files (with 8 bits or 24 bits color depth), with size equal to 480 * 272 pixels for wide screen Tomtom and 320 * 240 pixels for small screen Tomtom. If one of these 2 parameters is empty, then the corresponding screen is displayed without background.

You can also decide, using the "Map" parameter, if you want to use maps or not.

Add an Offroad Navigator icon to the Tomtom menu

If you've got the standard menu (eg. if you have no tomtom.mnu file on your disk), then one icon is added at the end of the main menu, as for any software with a .cap file in the /sdkregistry directory.

If you've got a tomtom.mnu file, you need to modify it to see the corresponding icon in your personalized menu. Add a line :

MENUITEM|TASK_SDKn|

with "n" equal to the right number (between 1 and 9) for the corresponding /sdkregistry entry, depending of the number and order of .cap files in your /sdkregistry directory.

Version history

Version 2.1

This version fixes bugs in v2.0 version and includes some enhancements :

• the changes in the color setup screen weren't correctly managed
• the coordinates can be entered in three formats : d.d° or d° m' s" or d° m.mm'
• you can deactivate maps thru a setup parameter
• the customized background is displayed when you're out of the area covered by your maps

Version 2.0

This version is the first version which works on any Tomtom versions, without Tomtom SDK.

It has got all the functionalities of the previous versions except the navigation to a Favorite POI. Anyhow, if you want to navigate to a Favorite POI, you just need to create an itinerary with this POI as a single waypoint and then navigate using this itinerary file. The non-snapped coordinates mode doesn't exist any more as it is not supported by recent Tomtom versions.

Version 1.7b (Download)

This version fixes the problem on GOx20, where Offroad doesn't start. It is due to the snapping disactivation functionality, which is not supported by the SIRF module of these devices. This functionality is disactivated on such devices.

Version 1.7a

This version allows a negative geoïd correction and it fixes a bug with geoïd correction, when it is not zeroed in the NMEA frames, although the altitude is already fixed.

Version 1.7

This version provides the following enhancements :

• the screen orientation may be adapted for Rider 2
• the "Next" and "Previous" buttons are handled better
• a fix when seizing latitudes or longitudes between -1° and O° : in D° m.m' ou D° m' s" format, you have to put the minus sign before the minutes part of the value
• no more crash when initiating a navigation outside of a map
• no more crash while navigating and going outside of a map
• in the compass, 360° is displayed instead of 0°

Version 1.6 Beta 2

This version allows you to really use Offroad with Real coordinates, using non static navigation mode. In such mode, the coordinates are refreshed whatever the current moving speed is.

Important : this non static navigation mode may produce a very unstable map display in the Tomtom application, it's normal. When Offroad Navigator is used in Snapped coordinates mode, eg. static navigation mode, the map display in the Tomtom application remains stable. When Offroad Navigator is stopped, even it has been used in Real coordinates mode, the static navigation mode is restored and the map display in Tomtom application must become stable.

Version 1.6 Beta 1

This version includes the following enhancements :

• You may have a map as screen background, with a coordinates calibration, so that Offroad may display your current position and the next waypoint, if it is visible in the same map.
• Two setup menus have been added to manage colors and backgrounds, as in Tripmaster.
• Latitudes/longitudes positions on screen have been inverted to be coherent with coordinates caption screen and with usual way of giving coordinates.
• The confirmation screen, after parameters saving, has been removed.
• Offroad Navigator may use a CSV file created by Tripmaster to follow an itinerary
• Speeds may be displayed in knots and distances in nautic miles.
• The interface has been modified to display a bigger compass. The buttons for the different functions of Offroad appear as soon as you touch the screen. They disappear automatically, after 10 seconds, if you do nothing.

Version 1.5a

This version includes the following enhancements :

• the GPS coordinates may be the real coordinates received from the SIRF module or the "snapped" coordinates, modified by Tomtom application to put your position on the nearer road
• the GPS coordinates may be displayed in format D° m.mmm'in addition with the formats D.d° and D m' s" already available
• the GPS coordinates may be entered in format D° m.mmm'in addition with the formats D.d° and D m' s" already available
• the altitude is correct, when displayed in feets, with the correct units label

Version 1.5

This version includes the following enhancements :

• elapsed distance since the beginning of the trip or since last reset
• elapsed time and distance may be resetted, via a button
• you may setup the screen refresh period, thru "processperiod" parameter, in the configuration file
• GPS coordinates may be displayed and/or seized in sexagesimal values
• the colors may be set, like in Tripmaster, and change automatically according to time and GPS position
• the GMT offset may be decimal
• the speed and height were not converted to imperial system
• the total remaining distance of the trip is displayed under the remaining distance to the next point.

Version 1.4a

This version fixes the following bug : it was not possible to select a favorite for navigation. It also introduces a surprise...

Version 1.4

This version includes the following changes :
• favorites and files lists are coherent with the favorites and .itn files existing on the Tomtom
• the .itn files list has got a more readable character font

Version 1.3

This version includes the following changes :
• it works with Tomtom v6.52 without screen garbage
• there is a line at the top of compass to show the followed course
• the favorites list has got a more readable character font

Version 1.2

La v1.2 version allows the navigation to a favorite, recorded in Tomtom.