Route navigation

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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meic
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Joined: 1 Feb 2007, 9:37pm
Location: Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen)

Re: Route navigation

Post by meic »

Newer phones are much improved at this.

Mine isnt old it is just cheap.
I think the recommendations to use a mobile phone for your navigation are perfectly sound if they are based on the assumption that you already own a phone which is up to the job (even if that includes the added expense of a back up battery and a waterproof case). If it involves buying a new (more expensive) phone that you wouldnt otherwise need or want, then a dedicated GPS becomes a more attractive option.
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climo
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Location: Warminster

Re: Route navigation

Post by climo »

LeBrignall wrote:Thanks again for the interesting replies.

So if I wanted to plot a route between say Cambridge and Harwich, how would I get that on to the phone app?

Do I go onto onto one of the mapping website create the route using the mouse and then once I'm happy click on create GPx file?

Can I do this on a computer or do I have to do it on the handset?
Has anyone found an article that explains how to do it.... ideally in idiot proof terminology
Thanks
If you use komoot then you plan on your desktop (or phone) and the route is automatically transferred to your phone. It's the most seamless way to plan a route. Try it for free then pay £30 for unlimited maps worldwide.
Or use the vastly superior Osmand but its not easy to understand.

Komoot is fundamentally flawed though. Its maps are small area but big to download and not half as detailed plus you can't add your own poi's such as campsites. Komoots routing isn't as good as using as cycle.travel and osmand. Komoots turn warning isn't as good as osmand
If, as you seem, you're not too good with tech then komoot is better and when you're used to it then it's fairly easy to plan in the fantastic cycle.travel, export the GPS track and then import it into komoot
If you are feeling you want to start with osmand then it's free.



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scottg
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Re: Route navigation

Post by scottg »

I use OSMap as a map only, when the evil Garmin Touring gets confused
OSMap lets me navigate till the Garmins magic line appears again.
I don't use OSM navigation, but as a self scrolling paper map w/compass.
That is easy to understand. Good in GB since so many road signs are missing
or point in vague directions.
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MrsHJ
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Re: Route navigation

Post by MrsHJ »

Garmin and intuitive don’t really go together. The easiest is just to use google maps or similar to check where you are and get one of those batteries that plugs into the back of the phone. I’ve recently got a cheap(ish) garmin explore1000 and I've been using that with cycle.travel so I don’t have to fight the garmin to devise the routes.
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Paulatic
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Re: Route navigation

Post by Paulatic »

LeBrignall wrote:Thanks again for the interesting replies.

So if I wanted to plot a route between say Cambridge and Harwich, how would I get that on to the phone app?

Do I go onto onto one of the mapping website create the route using the mouse and then once I'm happy click on create GPx file?

Can I do this on a computer or do I have to do it on the handset?
Has anyone found an article that explains how to do it.... ideally in idiot proof terminology
Thanks

Take a look at Lezyne it simplifies getting a route from PC -phone -device. You’ll see in these videos https://www.lezyne.com/gpsroot/gps_support-videos.php
Remember that gpx will give you a breadcrumb. You need tcx for turn by turn. I was initially excited using TbT but it throws up a few anomaly’s and find a breadcrumb more than adequate.
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ANTONISH
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Joined: 26 Mar 2009, 9:49am

Re: Route navigation

Post by ANTONISH »

meic wrote:I ruled out the Garmin Etrexes (despite being my long term favourite gps) because they dont do good turn by turn instructions.
In order to get that from a downloaded route you would want a GPS which accepts .tcx files or is better than the Etrex in some other way which I am not familiar with.

My etrex 30 gives turn by turn instructions using the "where to" function.
I use it for touring and day rides - other than that I'm happy to follow a track - usually for audax.
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meic
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Location: Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen)

Re: Route navigation

Post by meic »

Yes they give turn by turn in that way BUT the gps unit itself is working out that route and it will not normally be the same route as the track which you have downloaded from the internet.
If you want turn by turn actually as part of the downloaded track you need .tcx.

Likewise I much prefer to just follow a track but the OP clearly wanted turn by turn.

Or can you successfully run a track as a route, that wasnt possible on my first two Etrexes due to 20 and 500 point limits, I hadnt thought about doing it on the 30 with much larger limits.
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Paul Smith SRCC
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Re: Route navigation

Post by Paul Smith SRCC »

LeBrignall wrote:..She needs a unit that she (or me) can easily pre-load a route - or download GPX files - that will last all day battery wise and cope with a bit of rain/ abuse. She needs turn by turn navigation. She's not interested in data anal - just getting to her destination.

f you wanted to treat yourself then the Garmin Explore RRP £219.99 maybe worth considering as it seems to tick the boxes you have referenced.

I personally use Ride With GPS to plan a route and then import that into my Garmin (an old 810). Like any piece of 'tech' you need to invest a bit of time learning how to use it and for sure on occasion mine 'sends me around the bend' instead of navigating me around it but I wouldn't be without it now.
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Ray
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Joined: 27 Jan 2007, 11:10am
Location: West Yorkshire

Re: Route navigation

Post by Ray »

Love my satnavs (bike and car), but had to smile at this:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... vs-cartoon
[img]https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2018/nov/10/stephen-collins-on-satnavs-cartoon/img]
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Ray
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DGG1941
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Joined: 7 Jul 2011, 5:45pm

Re: Route navigation

Post by DGG1941 »

Another option for you to consider is Locus Maps. It can be downloaded onto an Android phone for around £6 and gives turn by turn voice instructions and allows you to superimpose information of your choice over the map, such as elevation profile, time, miles to destination etc. Maps can be zoomed and there is a host of other useful stuff such as where is the nearest shop. Makes Garmin look completely out dated!

I do my planning with RidewWithGPS (basic version is free and quite adequate) and then download the route to my phone.
I navigated from Bilbao to St Malo using these tools (plus an iPad as backup) without paper maps and managed well.
willem jongman
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Re: Route navigation

Post by willem jongman »

I use an Etrex 30 with OS map and downloaded tracks. For longer European tours I get the tracks from the route guides that I buy. For more local tracks in the Netherlands I use the Fietsersbond routeplanner. Garmin is not particularly user friendly, but on balance I still think it is the best bet. Downloading tracks and following them is relatively easy. It is only the more ambitious things that are a pain.
LeBrignall
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Joined: 12 Nov 2014, 6:20pm

Re: Route navigation

Post by LeBrignall »

Thanks to all who posted - very interesting and I think I now have a much better idea oh how these work. And I now know what a breadcrumb route is.... I think will try and pick up a Mio on ebay and see how that goes....
thanks again
st599_uk
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Joined: 4 Nov 2018, 8:59pm

Re: Route navigation

Post by st599_uk »

I have a cheap-ish cycling specific GPS that I bought on sale for £85 - the Navman Bike 1000 http://www.navman.com/en/bike-1000.htm

I use plotaroute.com to generate a GPX file which stores both the track and turn instructions as waypoints. Turn-by-turn navigation works with these files, no TCX needed. (Device beeps, shows graphic with distance to turn). I haven't tested with files without waypoints embedded.

Device has Open Street Map maps for most of Europe available included in the price (unfortunately not enough storage to store them all at once - but I've got UK, Channel Islands, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Denmark and Italy in mine). You can route to an address, a point on the map or via a track and choose to route away from A-roads, mainly on cycle lanes etc.

Shows up as a USB drive when plugged in to PC - just drop GPX files in to the tracks directory.
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EmmaS
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Joined: 12 Oct 2018, 5:30pm

Re: Route navigation

Post by EmmaS »

Hi
I got a Garmin Etrex - really good you can load OS maps on it. I got an OS Leisure subscription plotted the route that way save as gpx import it into my garmin so you can have your map and your route together. Also the OS Leisure lets you print out the route on the map. Also through Garmin you can buy European maps at different scales. Rechargeable batteries also last ages.
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