Tangled Metal wrote: ↑30 Sep 2021, 10:15pm ..........
It I was buying one, might be soon, I'd get Montana 700i or satmap a20. The former is better overall but the latter has the better screen.
Phones have their uses but I do not believe the gps antenna is as good as the quad helix one in gpsmap66 range. Plus without the full ABC ( altimeter, barometer and 3 axis electronic compass). Hiking or offroad I've wanted to get height accurately for navigation reasons a fair few times.
Phone GPS accuracy might be 5m. GPSMap64S/66S will be about 1.8m. Does anyone use the GPS to say which side of the road to ride along ?
I'm also not convinced that an electronic compass is useful on a bike. A GPS based one will give orientation with a move of 5m or so...
Altimeter, on a bike handlebars will be erratic due to variation in air pressure due to movement through the wind(*). It will give a height reading, but so will GPS satellite altitude (to about 20-30m). The extra accuracy (provided one understands how it can go wrong!) might useful for cross-country mountain biking, but really question where that level of detail on a road helps with navigation.
I think the GPSMap range of devices are excellent for hiking, mountaineering, ski-touring, etc.. That's why I've bought one a few weeks ago. But on a bike they're a so-so device, with many others offering much better options. If primary use is in the hills, then to save buying a second device its OK on a bike.. (I'd also suggest getting the "TalkyToaster" Open Streetmap data alongside any OS map data - being able to jump between the two (use profiles in the GPSMap device) is very useful ).
(*) I have a brand new GPSMap64S. Its first week of serious walking was last week. One example day involved 1000m of map contour counting assent over a couple of Munros. The weather was blowing a strong wind (gusts to 40-50mph). GPS in mesh pouch on front strap of my rucksac, so exposed to the air changes. The altimeter recorded 1650m of assent (60-65% more than true assent), and the assent track record showed a spiky-hedgehog pattern of random movements up/down (as would my ancient and no-longer waterproof Garmin Vista Cx, so no significant change in how the devices performs on that detail in 15+ years). A bit of computer based post-processing of the recorded track got the height gain down to a believable 1050m of assent.
- Nigel