Hello all , I am looking to buy a Sat Nav which will be used for Mountain Biking on bridleways, fireroads and paths in the middle of nowhere may also use it for road cycling however don't seem to get lost much on road but the problem is which one to go for. I was thinking of buying the cheapest available to get used to all the ins and outs of useing it them armed with knowledge purchase what I want but this is perhaps more expensive so rather somone with experience share with me information that may help.
Thanks
Tony
Sat Nav Which one???
Re: Sat Nav Which one???
Try a search on here, there have been loads of discussions on the various options (without a consensus I fear)
Retired and loving it
Re: Sat Nav Which one???
They fall into two categories:
Type 1. Training GPS, HR, power output, distance, speed, cadence etc. (with or without mapping), route recording and playback.
Type 2. General purpose hiking GPS, which largely come with mapping now.
The choice of GPS unit will depend on if you want the heart rate monitoring and other performance related metrics or if you just want mapping.
For type 1 with mapping there is only one choice, Garmin Edge 705.
For type 2 there are many choices, each have their advantages and disadvantages.
Type 1. Training GPS, HR, power output, distance, speed, cadence etc. (with or without mapping), route recording and playback.
Type 2. General purpose hiking GPS, which largely come with mapping now.
The choice of GPS unit will depend on if you want the heart rate monitoring and other performance related metrics or if you just want mapping.
For type 1 with mapping there is only one choice, Garmin Edge 705.
For type 2 there are many choices, each have their advantages and disadvantages.
Re: Sat Nav Which one???
I've recently bought about the cheapest hiking GPS available, Garmin Etrex H. This is the now less common but cheaper "non mapping" type (i.e. only shows your route - not a map of the surrounding area). It's *much* easier than squinting at a paper map as you ride, or stopping every ten minutes to check the map (I tend to ride on small unclassified roads with few signposts and lots of turns and junctions). About £70-80 new, though I got mine secondhand.
I plan a route on the Bikehike website, transfer it to the GPS and then use the GPS to give me simple directions (either a 'compass' type arrow pointing the way, or a line on the screen showing the route ahead). This works completely fine and gives me all the information I can take in when travelling along, and records detailed information on progress which can be transferred to a computer to store / analyse. It has more than enough memory to hold directions for several long day rides.
It won't do much more than point you along a predetermined route, but that was all I wanted and I couldn't see the point in paying more, maybe twice as much, for features I wouldn't use.
I plan a route on the Bikehike website, transfer it to the GPS and then use the GPS to give me simple directions (either a 'compass' type arrow pointing the way, or a line on the screen showing the route ahead). This works completely fine and gives me all the information I can take in when travelling along, and records detailed information on progress which can be transferred to a computer to store / analyse. It has more than enough memory to hold directions for several long day rides.
It won't do much more than point you along a predetermined route, but that was all I wanted and I couldn't see the point in paying more, maybe twice as much, for features I wouldn't use.
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simonineaston
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Re: Sat Nav Which one???
chrismcg wrote:It won't do much more than point you along a predetermined route, but that was all I wanted and I couldn't see the point in paying more, maybe twice as much, for features I wouldn't use.
Twice as much?? - if only! Once you've finished buying a raft of products from SatMap - and the GPS is just the begining... you're looking at an outlay of over £400
Active 10............£250
Bike mount..........£35
Mapping.............£50 (and the rest
)Lithium battery.....???
going on a long trip? Hoyz about a spare battery and a solar charger? No? What about a SON dynamo? Waddya mean you ain't got no credit???
Hmmm, that tattered and frayed OS map doesn't look so bad, now...
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
Re: Sat Nav Which one???
Road Angel 7000 with Memory map - shows all the bridleways on proper full colour OS maps on a 70mm x 55mmj screen and exactly where you are on them, save your route on the PC and transfer it to the RA or save your route on the RA and play it back on the PC. No longer made but widely available. Add £50 for appropriate Mem Map and you are in business. All the Garmins etc have piddly screens. You can strip down the car cradle they supply and attach it to your stem with cable ties. Switch it down to '1 minute on' and the battery lasts hours. You can load anything Memory Map supplies including French stuff.
Al
Al
Reuse, recycle, to save the planet.... Auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Boots. Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can...... Every little helps!
Re: Sat Nav Which one???
Thanks to everyone for your input, think I will be buying a cheapy perhaps even secondhand and following my needs from there. Have to agree OS maps are great and wouldn't go anywhere without one but its when you miss that crossing pathway because the signs are overgrown with and hidden by local nature etc.
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simonineaston
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- Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
- Location: ...at a cricket ground
Re: Sat Nav Which one???
al_yrpal wrote:Road Angel 7000 with Memory map - You can load anything Memory Map supplies including French stuff.
Al
Oooh, now that sounds interesting...
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
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simonineaston
- Posts: 8884
- Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
- Location: ...at a cricket ground
Re: Sat Nav Which one???
Further to my last, this product sounds like it s got a lot going for it, for someone who is looking for a cheaper alternative to the current crop of OS-reading 'outdoorsy' GPS devices, not least of which is the fact that it conforms to IPX5...
see http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/arb/roadangel7000/
Again, ta for the tip, Al
see http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/arb/roadangel7000/
Again, ta for the tip, Al
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
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simonineaston
- Posts: 8884
- Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
- Location: ...at a cricket ground
Re: Sat Nav Which one???
FYi...
IPX waterproof specifications are specified on instruments and equipment. Below is a table of waterproof test level definitions based on the IPX Waterproof Specification.
Test Level Definitions
IPX-0
No special protection
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IPX-1
Protected against falling water Equivalent to 3-5mm rainfall per minute for a duration of 10 minutes. Unit is placed in its normal operating position.
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IPX-2
Protected against falling water when tilted up to 15 degrees - Same as IPX-1 but unit is tested in 4 fixed positions - tilted 15 degrees in each direction from normal operating position.
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IPX-3
Protected against spraying water - Water spraying up to 60 degrees from vertical at 10 liters/min at a pressure of 80-100kN/m2 for 5 min.
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IPX-4
Protected against splashing water - Same as IPX-3 but water is sprayed at all angles.
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IPX-5
Protected against water jets - Water projected at all angles through a 6.3mm nozzle at a flow rate of 12.5 liters/min at a pressure of 30kN/m2 for 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.
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IPX-6
Protected against heavy seas - Water projected at all angles through a 12.5mm nozzle at a flow rate of 100 liters/min at a pressure of 100kN/m2 for 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.
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IPX-7
Protected against water immersion - Immersion for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter.
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IPX-8
Protected against water submersion - The equipment is suitable for continual submersion in water under conditions which are identified by the manufacturer.
IPX waterproof specifications are specified on instruments and equipment. Below is a table of waterproof test level definitions based on the IPX Waterproof Specification.
Test Level Definitions
IPX-0
No special protection
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IPX-1
Protected against falling water Equivalent to 3-5mm rainfall per minute for a duration of 10 minutes. Unit is placed in its normal operating position.
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IPX-2
Protected against falling water when tilted up to 15 degrees - Same as IPX-1 but unit is tested in 4 fixed positions - tilted 15 degrees in each direction from normal operating position.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IPX-3
Protected against spraying water - Water spraying up to 60 degrees from vertical at 10 liters/min at a pressure of 80-100kN/m2 for 5 min.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IPX-4
Protected against splashing water - Same as IPX-3 but water is sprayed at all angles.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IPX-5
Protected against water jets - Water projected at all angles through a 6.3mm nozzle at a flow rate of 12.5 liters/min at a pressure of 30kN/m2 for 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.
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IPX-6
Protected against heavy seas - Water projected at all angles through a 12.5mm nozzle at a flow rate of 100 liters/min at a pressure of 100kN/m2 for 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.
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IPX-7
Protected against water immersion - Immersion for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter.
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IPX-8
Protected against water submersion - The equipment is suitable for continual submersion in water under conditions which are identified by the manufacturer.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
Re: Sat Nav Which one???
Thinks I know what I want and I think its the little triangle moving about on the OS mapped screen more expensive I know but riding on unclassified walkways bridleway etc I beleive its the type for me. Not needed for the fastest time set 10 mile route or heart rate either may give up cycling altogather if I knew that
Re: Sat Nav Which one???
simonineaston wrote:al_yrpal wrote:Road Angel 7000 with Memory map - You can load anything Memory Map supplies including French stuff.
Al
Oooh, now that sounds interesting...
The replacement model
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simonineaston
- Posts: 8884
- Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
- Location: ...at a cricket ground
Re: Sat Nav Which one???
Yes, the Adventurer looks cool, - what's interesting about the RA7000 is its mix of features: screen size, waterproof performance, bike mount, usb port - meaning you can use all sorts of battery packs, mapping, and finally, and to me this is the important bit, the price. First looks on a 'certain on-line auction site' indicate that s/h examples might be had for under £100... 
- what's interesting about the RA7000 is its mix of features: screen size, waterproof performance, bike mount, usb port - meaning you can use all sorts of battery packs, mapping, and finally, and to me this is the important bit, the price. First looks on a 'certain on-line auction site' indicate that s/h examples might be had for under £100... S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
Re: Sat Nav Which one???
al_yrpal wrote:Add £50 for appropriate Mem Map and you are in business. All the Garmins etc have piddly screens.
Al
How much memory map can you get for £50? I've got IGN25 for the most of the western side of France and it cost considerably more than that. I'm underwhelmed by it. Ok, it's got mapping that looks like the paper map - in fact it *is* the paper map scanned in with GPS functionality - (and I suppose Memory Map can't be blamed for the fact that IGN mapping is full of mistakes).
The major problem with it is that it's a raster map. When you zoom out the map stays exactly the same, only smaller. Vector maps loose detail as you zoom out and gain detail as you zoom in, making them far more useful for small screens. Memory Map isn't much good for route planning that involves anything more than drawing a track on the map, and you've got to be very careful, there isn't an undo button, a major omission IMO. It's all to easy to delete a route or track you've spent some time working on.
It's true you can get elevation information from it, but it doesn't seem that accurate, when comparing the predicted elevation with the actual roads, and (speaking about France) how much do you want to trust a map that for most of the countryside away from major roads was last re-drawn over thirty years ago?