Garmin upgrade

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old_windbag
Posts: 1869
Joined: 19 Feb 2015, 3:55pm

Re: Garmin upgrade

Post by old_windbag »

I thought the dakota 20 may have been slightly better with a 2.6" display ( touchscreen ), takes maps but they may be pricey from garmin but opencyclemap with contours is available. Uses AA batteries and seems functionally nigh on identical in spec, will also work with garmin HR belt if you want to use for fitness. Seems about £30 below etrex 30 price. I may be missing the point but just my thinking on it.
Samuel D
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Re: Garmin upgrade

Post by Samuel D »

The Dakota 20 has under a gigabyte of internal memory, which often won’t matter since you can add a memory card. The current eTrex 20 and 30 have about double that and the newly announced eTrex 20x and 30x double again. Maybe more importantly, the eTrex models can store more waypoints, etc., regardless of memory space.

I think a touchscreen, even the small and rudimentary type used on the Dakota 20 (or my Edge 800), is quicker and easier to use than a button interface for most users. But there are advantages to buttons, especially in bad weather.

The other main difference is that the eTrex models hook up with the Russian GLONASS satellites in addition to GPS. The Dakota 20 doesn’t. The extra satellites give a quicker fix and more robust tracking in poor conditions, such as under tree cover or in cities. Or so goes the marketing.

But the eTrex 30 and Dakota 20 are definitely more alike than different. The upcoming eTrex 30x does have a higher resolution display, though.
old_windbag
Posts: 1869
Joined: 19 Feb 2015, 3:55pm

Re: Garmin upgrade

Post by old_windbag »

It seems there's too many products in Garmins range that perhap overlap too much or not sure what market they're aimed at. The Dakota talks of hotfix satellite acquisition etc.... it is a specification minefield. My edge 500 takes a good 30secs - 1 min to get sattelites, its not stunning but if I use it for navigation it's purely as a waypoint reminder as I tend to remember most of route in my head but with many small country roads and farm tracks its easy to make a turn too early. Also for speed/distance I still back up with cycle computer as GPS distance measurement cuts corners and doesn't account for gradient etc, wheel sensors for every bike are pricey. When I was looking at bike GPS's I looked at holux ( it's not cockney rhyming slang ) which were surprisingly functional for their price v the edge.....

I've just looked at the etrex 20e it's £180 at cotswold but as not on offer there'd be 15% ctc discount on top I'd imagine but from your input the etrex30x with larger screen looks a better choice for OP if available.
Samuel D
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Re: Garmin upgrade

Post by Samuel D »

old_windbag wrote:It seems there's too many products in Garmins range that perhap overlap too much or not sure what market they're aimed at.

I think Garmin doesn’t really know what people want so throws all these variations at the market to see what sticks.

old_windbag wrote:I've just looked at the etrex 20e it's £180 at cotswold but as not on offer there'd be 15% ctc discount on top I'd imagine but from your input the etrex30x with larger screen looks a better choice for OP if available.

Just to clarify, the eTrex 20x and eTrex 30x (the new models that will ship in a few weeks) have identical displays, which are nominally the same size (2.2" diagonally) as the eTrex 20 and eTrex 30 but have about twice the pixels (so should be sharper and show a little more map detail at a given zoom level – provided your eyes are good enough to see that extra detail on the small display!).

The 30 and 30x have a barometric altimeter, magnetic compass (shows your heading even while stopped), and wireless support for things like heart-rate monitors, whereas the 20 and 20x do not have these features. Those are the big differences between the twenties and the thirties.

I agree it’s a minefield. I am far from an expert on these devices, though I’ve recently been researching them with a view to getting one sooner or later.
don1
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Joined: 14 Jun 2013, 8:06pm

Re: Garmin upgrade

Post by don1 »

Watching some YouTube videos of the Garmin edge navigation, it looks pretty good.
Will the etrex give similar navigation? ie turn left in 200metres ?
old_windbag
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Joined: 19 Feb 2015, 3:55pm

Re: Garmin upgrade

Post by old_windbag »

I'd expect the etrex 20 to support similar waypoint notifiers, a user will confirm this or not. It may be that due to screen size they show differently as RT-200m or similar. My Edge 500 puts up a framed text box for a chosen time in seconds with an alert. The waypoint type is chosen from a fixed selection, turn right, bear right, turn left, bear left etc and you can set the distance of notification prior to the turn so your warning is say 100mtrs before the manoevre. I use bikehike.co.uk and it works well you can set up a route quickly and add waypoints along the way at important turnoffs. I find this method of navigating an unknown route excellent as it means you're not looking down at a map screen, simply waiting for next bleep to warn you of the turn. On the edge it has sometimes bleeped 20mtres after a junction... did that once( though I'm not alone on this )... but your brain acts as backup to sense it wasn't right. Software updates have also messed up previous routes so they warn "off course" several times but within 50mtres would be on course again, thats simply Garmins poor software development setup. I think this method of navigation fits with how we do it in real life i.e. travel 1 mile, turn right, travel 3mile, turn left and so on, only the turns being important. My edge has 200 waypoints which may seem small but think of a commonly ridden loop you may ride of say 50mls and there won't be many turns overall, someone on the web seemed to indicate they'd made a lejog route with 38 waypoints.
I use my edge 500 predominantly for fitness but the breadcrumb navigation is a bonus. In conjunction with sites like bikehike, GPSies etc its a useful function to have. As I say only let down by the edge's software which has caused me problems..... most other GPS's seem to offer similar breadcrumb navigation. For yourself the map is a bonus not having to carry paper maps for locations you visit and taking random routes but the waypoints are probably just as useful if you're planning ahead or doing audax/sportive type rides.
don1
Posts: 107
Joined: 14 Jun 2013, 8:06pm

Re: Garmin upgrade

Post by don1 »

Thanks. I've used the breadcrumb trails on my edge 200. They're ok as long as you put the work in beforehand on the likes of bikehike.
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