Doing JOGLE, supported, in June 2012 and wondering if I should invest in a Garmin type device or if there are any decent iPhone 4 apps that will do the job!? Perfectly happy to do it by traditional maps but just like to have computer wizardary in case the weathers foul and can resort to satnav! All advice is kindly welcomed, also what are the ten best bits of kit for your daysack? Many thanks in advance!
Jaimie
iPhone apps/Garmin/Maps?
-
brother nathaneil
- Posts: 144
- Joined: 7 Apr 2010, 1:07pm
- Location: Bicester, Oxon
- Contact:
Re: iPhone apps/Garmin/Maps?
It's all personal choice... My choice was a Garmin Edge 705 which was flawless and meant that I always knew what was coming up and didn't have to stop to check directions. The only time we went wrong was if I missed a turn by not paying attention. If you go that way, do read the forums regarding the 705... Especially Mick F's "how to"
That said, I wouldn't hesitate to only use maps and road signs, but I would have the mind-set of "if I get it wrong it’s JUST PART OF THE ADVENTURE". As I was leading 3 others on my JOGLE, that wasn't an option!
That said, I wouldn't hesitate to only use maps and road signs, but I would have the mind-set of "if I get it wrong it’s JUST PART OF THE ADVENTURE". As I was leading 3 others on my JOGLE, that wasn't an option!
Last edited by brother nathaneil on 4 Oct 2011, 5:23pm, edited 1 time in total.
Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome ~ Arthur Ashe
http://www.5blokes-end2end.weebly.com
http://www.5blokes-end2end.weebly.com
Re: iPhone apps/Garmin/Maps?
Many thanks I will do that and take on board your kind advice! We will definately take maps as a last resort and make key notes on a daily basis! 
-
Mike Pearson
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 17 Aug 2010, 7:25am
Re: iPhone apps/Garmin/Maps?
I used a Garmin 705 too, and it was extremely useful. It was used through some absolutely terrible weather as well, so I can vouch for the physical robustness of the device. We did have a set of paper maps as a backup too.
We did have one incident when the Garmin refused to mount as a drive on the tiny netbook we were using, which made it impossible to add or delete data from the unit. You have to use a bit of wizardry to get it back up and running in those circumstances, so it's a good idea to have all your route data online in the event you need to reformat (that was a heart-in-mouth moment, but what happens is the next time you boot it the firmware recreates all the folders and base data automatically) and reload it.
All the data we collected on the way is here: http://www.notthehairybikers.com/?page_id=419
I have a full set of .tcx and .gpx files for our route too.
We did have one incident when the Garmin refused to mount as a drive on the tiny netbook we were using, which made it impossible to add or delete data from the unit. You have to use a bit of wizardry to get it back up and running in those circumstances, so it's a good idea to have all your route data online in the event you need to reformat (that was a heart-in-mouth moment, but what happens is the next time you boot it the firmware recreates all the folders and base data automatically) and reload it.
All the data we collected on the way is here: http://www.notthehairybikers.com/?page_id=419
I have a full set of .tcx and .gpx files for our route too.
Re: iPhone apps/Garmin/Maps?
One word of warning. Whichever method you have, make sure you have a plan B!
I used my Garmin Edge 705. I'd been using it for about a year prior and had never had a problem. Then about 5 days into our Jogle I turned it on to find that all of my routes had been wiped! I think I may have left it charging next to some other electrical equipment.
Thankfully, this was the 1 night in 14 that we were staying in a town where a friend lived and we were able to get to his house and upload all the routes again from the web!
In hindsight I was far too complacent in relying on the garmin. I had some printed maps but these were in no way detailed enough to rely on for the remainder of the journey!
So, whichever method you use, make sure you have a backup plan!
I used my Garmin Edge 705. I'd been using it for about a year prior and had never had a problem. Then about 5 days into our Jogle I turned it on to find that all of my routes had been wiped! I think I may have left it charging next to some other electrical equipment.
Thankfully, this was the 1 night in 14 that we were staying in a town where a friend lived and we were able to get to his house and upload all the routes again from the web!
In hindsight I was far too complacent in relying on the garmin. I had some printed maps but these were in no way detailed enough to rely on for the remainder of the journey!
So, whichever method you use, make sure you have a backup plan!
-
stewartpratt
- Posts: 2566
- Joined: 27 Dec 2007, 5:12pm
Re: iPhone apps/Garmin/Maps?
The main issues with using a smartphone are battery life and weatherproofing. If the GPS and display are running full-time you'll be dejuiced in 6-8 hours on most phones. And if it's raining you'll need the phone to be protected.
A Garmin doesn't have those issues, though they have inferior displays and if you like to plan your routes in detail and not have the device send you off-course then you'll need to jump through some frustrating hoops to achieve this (aee my posts here).
A Garmin doesn't have those issues, though they have inferior displays and if you like to plan your routes in detail and not have the device send you off-course then you'll need to jump through some frustrating hoops to achieve this (aee my posts here).
Re: iPhone apps/Garmin/Maps?
Thanks guys, you have all been most helpful and it's great to have advice from old hands! We are fortunate that we have an iphone each so can run one until it drops and then use the other as back up! We will take maps, I wonder if there are any preferences to the maps out there to use, OS or a road atlas etc.? Really looking forward to doing it and I know its in June but its driving me on to do the miles!
-
WoodyWheeler
- Posts: 25
- Joined: 11 Oct 2011, 11:32am
- Location: Ivybridge, Devon
- Contact:
Re: iPhone apps/Garmin/Maps?
I'm also a Garmin edge 705 man.
The only thing I can add to the abive is that the battery on the edge 705 will only last for about 12 hours (and that on min backlight - if you have it on max it will discharge a lot more quickly). This was a limiting factor when I did my JOGLE and I relied mainly on Audax sytle routesheets I laboriously made myself, using the edge in the trickier areas.
I now have a portable charger pack that will recharge the edge over 2 x. You just charge the unit and when the battery on the edge gets low plug the unit into the edge and it will recharge as you go!. Smart bit of kit and only cost about £20 (which is nothing compared to the edge itself!). I used it on the Kernow and SW 600km Audax and it gave me over 36 hours of life (including the original charge on the edge).
If you want any advise on how to create your route and to create a gpx file for the edge there are a couple of good pages on http://www.landsend-to-johnogroats.co.uk which show you how to do it in Google Maps.
The only thing I can add to the abive is that the battery on the edge 705 will only last for about 12 hours (and that on min backlight - if you have it on max it will discharge a lot more quickly). This was a limiting factor when I did my JOGLE and I relied mainly on Audax sytle routesheets I laboriously made myself, using the edge in the trickier areas.
I now have a portable charger pack that will recharge the edge over 2 x. You just charge the unit and when the battery on the edge gets low plug the unit into the edge and it will recharge as you go!. Smart bit of kit and only cost about £20 (which is nothing compared to the edge itself!). I used it on the Kernow and SW 600km Audax and it gave me over 36 hours of life (including the original charge on the edge).
If you want any advise on how to create your route and to create a gpx file for the edge there are a couple of good pages on http://www.landsend-to-johnogroats.co.uk which show you how to do it in Google Maps.
Riding - Monoc TC2
Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use. ~ Charles M. Schulz
Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use. ~ Charles M. Schulz
-
brother nathaneil
- Posts: 144
- Joined: 7 Apr 2010, 1:07pm
- Location: Bicester, Oxon
- Contact:
Re: iPhone apps/Garmin/Maps?
WoodyWheeler wrote:I now have a portable charger pack ... and only cost about £20...
Have you got a link?
I charged mine up every night... usually in a pub!
Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome ~ Arthur Ashe
http://www.5blokes-end2end.weebly.com
http://www.5blokes-end2end.weebly.com
Re: iPhone apps/Garmin/Maps?
stewartpratt wrote:The main issues with using a smartphone are battery life and weatherproofing. If the GPS and display are running full-time you'll be dejuiced in 6-8 hours on most phones. And if it's raining you'll need the phone to be protected.
A Garmin doesn't have those issues, though they have inferior displays and if you like to plan your routes in detail and not have the device send you off-course then you'll need to jump through some frustrating hoops to achieve this (aee my posts here).
Yes, I have a motorola defy which is a great weatherproof phone with a fantastic display for maps. It also doubles as a camera and web browser which can be very useful on tour. Battery is a problem as it will drain within 6h with the gps on full. I thought I had the perfect solution by coupling it to an ewerk dynamo charger. This does keep the battery nicely topped up, howver, the USB connector into the phone is not easy to hold in place. I tried a variety of bodges and ended up bending the usb. In the end I connected a powermonkey to the charger and left it in the bar bag, then charged the phone when stationary. The Defy also does not work well in the rain. While it is basically waterproof, the touch sensitive screen does all sorts of weird things when wet and it even responds to the touch of intense raindrops by opening and closing apps. So I concur with folk who suggest having plan B. I now use a mixture of traditional maps and the Defy but will work on a better mounting option to enable the safe use of the ewerk.
-
stewartpratt
- Posts: 2566
- Joined: 27 Dec 2007, 5:12pm
Re: iPhone apps/Garmin/Maps?
Interesting point on the effects of water on a capacitive screen.
I wonder how long it will be before we see a decent ruggedized touch-screen phone, with good battery life and dust/weatherproofing. And I wonder if it'll be possible to do it with a capacitive screen or whether a resistive one will be required. (I have phones of both types, and I was surprised when I found that the capacitive one actually worked much better through gloves and/or sandwich bags than the resistive one.)
The piggyback charger/battery option works reasonably well. Mine has a slightly annoying feature whereby it shuts down once the phone's fully charged - which is probably useful in a number of cases, but when you want to just start with everything fully charged and let it run, it just turns off; you have to wait for the phone's battery to run down and then plug the charger in. Which isn't really a big deal I suppose - but it's nice to always have a full phone battery if possible.
I wonder how long it will be before we see a decent ruggedized touch-screen phone, with good battery life and dust/weatherproofing. And I wonder if it'll be possible to do it with a capacitive screen or whether a resistive one will be required. (I have phones of both types, and I was surprised when I found that the capacitive one actually worked much better through gloves and/or sandwich bags than the resistive one.)
The piggyback charger/battery option works reasonably well. Mine has a slightly annoying feature whereby it shuts down once the phone's fully charged - which is probably useful in a number of cases, but when you want to just start with everything fully charged and let it run, it just turns off; you have to wait for the phone's battery to run down and then plug the charger in. Which isn't really a big deal I suppose - but it's nice to always have a full phone battery if possible.