First 4 hours with my new Garmin GPSmap 60Csx GPS unit and City europe mapping
- Thread starter Bigtallfatbloke
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Bigtallfatbloke
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I think I just managed to use the GPS unit to programme a route between two waypoints on my usual loop...only it is taking me a different (more hilly) way than I usually go....I guess this is where closer waypoints are needed?..unless I kust accept the route.
This thing is eating batteries...gone through 4 already! I have a solar charger with me to re charge the batteries, but although I left it on charge all last night they were dead this morning...must have done something wrong I suppose. ...this is good, I'd rather cock up now and fix it, than cock up on tour and face a long days ride with no clue where I am going.
This thing is eating batteries...gone through 4 already! I have a solar charger with me to re charge the batteries, but although I left it on charge all last night they were dead this morning...must have done something wrong I suppose. ...this is good, I'd rather cock up now and fix it, than cock up on tour and face a long days ride with no clue where I am going.
As an aside, I got my FreeLoader solar charger out a few days back to test it. Now, it's been nearly a year since I last used it but it took 3 DAYS to fully charge it! Certainly not the 6 to 7 hours I seem to remember that was quoted. (In fairness, that has fully charged my Edge 305 but I can drain that in a day.) Maybe it'll do better with future recharges.
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Bigtallfatbloke
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Mine charges quicker..well it did yesterday in the sun and I have the larger panel extension as well. My problem was getting the power from the free loader into the re chargeable batteries via the battery pack. I think I may just have had some duff batteries.
Right now i am trying (and failing miserably)to find POI files compatible with Garmin GPS map60csx containing German and Fench campsite locations, so i can upload them using POI Loader which I downloaded. I did manage to get som poi message saying congratulations you hav ejus tuploaded 1238 poi into waypoint manager but then i can find a single one of those in waypoint manager...hmmmI wonder if I'll ever have time to ride a bike again..
...so I just found something called 'Highway'....which looks more like th eTom Tom display as you travel...a big moving arrow to follow ....erm but without the streets...hmm...
Right now i am trying (and failing miserably)to find POI files compatible with Garmin GPS map60csx containing German and Fench campsite locations, so i can upload them using POI Loader which I downloaded. I did manage to get som poi message saying congratulations you hav ejus tuploaded 1238 poi into waypoint manager but then i can find a single one of those in waypoint manager...hmmmI wonder if I'll ever have time to ride a bike again..
...so I just found something called 'Highway'....which looks more like th eTom Tom display as you travel...a big moving arrow to follow ....erm but without the streets...hmm...
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Bigtallfatbloke
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I mamaged to plot my local loop into this thing via mapsource. Only it is still listed under tracks and not routes. My son figured out that if he went back over each waypoint int mapsource with the route tool and then took it into the GPS it would save as a route...but that is hellish time consuming. I then went back to bikeroutetoaster and re did the route using the red course points instead of the blue track points...and each time it allowed me to fill in a comment on the point...I then took it into mapsource expecting it to allow me to take routes into the GPS...but it did not and I still am only allowed to take tracks into the GPS.
Garmin help is only Mon Fri 9-5...anybody know the answer a bit quicker??
Ta.
Garmin help is only Mon Fri 9-5...anybody know the answer a bit quicker??
Ta.
CopperBrompton
Bicycle: a means of transport between cake-stops
- Location
- London
These things are always difficult to diagnose remotely. Your best bet is to bring it along to a meet where there are other Garmin users. It's really very simple once you know what you're doing.
But I do recommend that people buy the City Navigator mapping on DVD rather than card.
Ben
But I do recommend that people buy the City Navigator mapping on DVD rather than card.
Ben
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Bigtallfatbloke
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yep...I think that would have been easier...although Garmin and the dealer told me it wasnt any easier and was just a waste of my money!
...two days in and I am wishing I had never heard of a GPS unit.
...two days in and I am wishing I had never heard of a GPS unit.
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Bigtallfatbloke
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ok I just did my first ever GPS 'ride'...just 10 km though to test the unit on the move.
I had loaded a route I programmed in bike route toaster and put into the Garmin. The Garmin still only recognises it as a track not a route.
I treied to follow the map minimised to 50m. I got about 100m when it missed a turn ( well I am sure I did programme the turn but I suppose pilot ewrror is more likely than unit error at the moment).
I had it re calculate and off I went still trying to follow th emap. I was kind of ok but not ideal.
I then hit the 'Highway' icon and the route line was in front of me like i was looking at the road (i.e not a crows eye view but a cyclists view). This was much better. The map does not display the surrounding streets on this option, just the road you are supposed to be following. It does throw up the name of the street you are on and the street you are looking for next as you ride...all of which is good.
BUT...when you make a turn the unit defaults back to the crows eye map view whilst you make the turn and then does not orientate itself back again...so for a while I was cycling along in the opposite direction to the on screen arrow even though I knew I was riding in the correct direction...very odd.
Another thing...although it had newly charged batteries before I left, they are already showing30-40% useage and a simple 10km ride!...really not good....that cannot be right, I must be doing something wrong. I have th eback screen light off and am using the correct type of re chargeable batteries.
The thing I really need to get around now is how to import the gpx files as ROUTES not tracks.
Then I need to get this thing to re orientate itself quicker on the turns somehow.
Then I still need to get some decent POI campsite files installed for Germany and France. Any ideas where I can get this info anybody?
Thern I need to spend a long time programming in my routes a smuch as I can.
The idea being that I will navigate through Germany on Paper maps and a wing and a prayer whilst learning how to drive this unit fully. I may ned it to dig me out of a few holes in the towns but mostly it wont be needed. If I do decide to carry on down into France then I would like to have installed the routes before I leave next weekend so i can follow them easily, as by then I will be riding alone.
The screen view was pretty clear out there today even with shades on and no back light. I am slightly concerned about the vibrations through the handlebarmount sthow...that cannot be good for it over the kind of distances this thing i s about to travel.
So all in all the learning curve is HIGH and it is frustrating, but I will get there i am sure and it will all have been worth it.
I had loaded a route I programmed in bike route toaster and put into the Garmin. The Garmin still only recognises it as a track not a route.
I treied to follow the map minimised to 50m. I got about 100m when it missed a turn ( well I am sure I did programme the turn but I suppose pilot ewrror is more likely than unit error at the moment).
I had it re calculate and off I went still trying to follow th emap. I was kind of ok but not ideal.
I then hit the 'Highway' icon and the route line was in front of me like i was looking at the road (i.e not a crows eye view but a cyclists view). This was much better. The map does not display the surrounding streets on this option, just the road you are supposed to be following. It does throw up the name of the street you are on and the street you are looking for next as you ride...all of which is good.
BUT...when you make a turn the unit defaults back to the crows eye map view whilst you make the turn and then does not orientate itself back again...so for a while I was cycling along in the opposite direction to the on screen arrow even though I knew I was riding in the correct direction...very odd.
Another thing...although it had newly charged batteries before I left, they are already showing30-40% useage and a simple 10km ride!...really not good....that cannot be right, I must be doing something wrong. I have th eback screen light off and am using the correct type of re chargeable batteries.
The thing I really need to get around now is how to import the gpx files as ROUTES not tracks.
Then I need to get this thing to re orientate itself quicker on the turns somehow.
Then I still need to get some decent POI campsite files installed for Germany and France. Any ideas where I can get this info anybody?
Thern I need to spend a long time programming in my routes a smuch as I can.
The idea being that I will navigate through Germany on Paper maps and a wing and a prayer whilst learning how to drive this unit fully. I may ned it to dig me out of a few holes in the towns but mostly it wont be needed. If I do decide to carry on down into France then I would like to have installed the routes before I leave next weekend so i can follow them easily, as by then I will be riding alone.
The screen view was pretty clear out there today even with shades on and no back light. I am slightly concerned about the vibrations through the handlebarmount sthow...that cannot be good for it over the kind of distances this thing i s about to travel.
So all in all the learning curve is HIGH and it is frustrating, but I will get there i am sure and it will all have been worth it.
RedBike
New Member
- Location
- Beside the road
tracks are a bread-crumb trails of every twist and turn of the trail.
When using tacks I always use the screen below (instead of the map). The arrow points out every twist and turn. It's obvious when you've gone wrong because the arrows pointing in the wrong direction.
With routes you have a waypoint at every major turn in the route and these waypoints are then linked by straight lines, (regardless of how much the path twists and turns between points).
To turn a track into a route with Garmin map source is relatively easy if a little time consuming. You just right click on one of the track points and select "begin route". You then left click at every major turn plotting a waypoint there. The software automatically joins these waypoints up into a route.
When using tacks I always use the screen below (instead of the map). The arrow points out every twist and turn. It's obvious when you've gone wrong because the arrows pointing in the wrong direction.
With routes you have a waypoint at every major turn in the route and these waypoints are then linked by straight lines, (regardless of how much the path twists and turns between points).
To turn a track into a route with Garmin map source is relatively easy if a little time consuming. You just right click on one of the track points and select "begin route". You then left click at every major turn plotting a waypoint there. The software automatically joins these waypoints up into a route.
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Bigtallfatbloke
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Ok...so how close do the way points need to be to the actuall road route....i mean what constitutes a 'major turn'? Would that perhaps be say from one street to the next, or one village to the next, or maybe town to the next? Or are we talking about any change in direction ? I think I have a limit of 50 wayponts per route for me to be able to navigate it or something..or at least I think thats what I read in the manual.
I just did this a moment ago...
again what constitutes a 'major turn'....I mean I could do any loop with just 3 waypoints but I doubt that is enough or anywhere near close enough to the actual road (track).
Also when I tried to upload this route to the GPS I got a route error not enough memory....am I right to assume this means I need to break the route down into smaller componet 'legs'? What would be a good length of route to save for each leg roughly? I was thinking of say 100km blocks, with each route containing a max of 50 waypoints...does this seem reasonable ?
My favor ite thing on this so far is th ehighway thing...
..another question...this thing allows me to have pressure displayed in millibars on the barometer field. I know this is an indication of wether changes, but what doe sit tell me specifically? I mean right now it shows 1008Millibars...now is that high or low? will it rian or be sunny and warm? What can I assume from this reading?
Thanks for helping
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Bigtallfatbloke
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I tried again this morning to upload this route into the GPS:
But I got an error message att eh end of 3 minutes calculating saying there was not enough memory in the gPS for this route.
OK now I am worried. This is just one days ride (poss 2) on a 4-6 week tour. If I cannot figure out why this thing cannot store the routes then I have a problem because I dont have access to a PC with Mapsource installed en route.
AT NO POINT HAS GARMIN EVER STATED THIS WAS NECESSARY. IN fact the bloke on the phone said it was possible to store such routes on the unit before I bought it.
...right now this thing is looking like a seriously expensive nightmare.
Also when It does manage to take in smaller routes (say 40km) I cannot seem to name those routes in a user freindly way, say I wanted to call the route Pub to Home for arguments sake...at the moment it reads something like...City to 02 or similar nonsense.
Also I cannot delete individual routes..it seems like I can only delete all of them or nothing!
Also I tried to put in a waypoint of a campsite for which I have the GPS co ordinates...but the Co ordinate format is totally different on the gPS to that on the Ppaer map...so i can tdo that either.
...anybody got a hammer...I feel like ending it's life.
..I dont suppose there is any way I can just increase this things memory to MEGA proportions is there?
But I got an error message att eh end of 3 minutes calculating saying there was not enough memory in the gPS for this route.
OK now I am worried. This is just one days ride (poss 2) on a 4-6 week tour. If I cannot figure out why this thing cannot store the routes then I have a problem because I dont have access to a PC with Mapsource installed en route.
AT NO POINT HAS GARMIN EVER STATED THIS WAS NECESSARY. IN fact the bloke on the phone said it was possible to store such routes on the unit before I bought it.
...right now this thing is looking like a seriously expensive nightmare.
Also when It does manage to take in smaller routes (say 40km) I cannot seem to name those routes in a user freindly way, say I wanted to call the route Pub to Home for arguments sake...at the moment it reads something like...City to 02 or similar nonsense.
Also I cannot delete individual routes..it seems like I can only delete all of them or nothing!
Also I tried to put in a waypoint of a campsite for which I have the GPS co ordinates...but the Co ordinate format is totally different on the gPS to that on the Ppaer map...so i can tdo that either.
...anybody got a hammer...I feel like ending it's life.
..I dont suppose there is any way I can just increase this things memory to MEGA proportions is there?
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Bigtallfatbloke
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Garmin online support sucketh...how user unfriendly can a help page get???
http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/home/support/searchsupport
http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/home/support/searchsupport
btfb, I fear you're getting too wound up by the GPS. Put it down, forget about it for a while. Get the other bits and pieces sorted for your tour. Take the GPS with you and play with it, get to know it but don't rely on it. Seriously, I reckon right now it's something you just don't need to concern yourself with.
I've just come back from a week's holiday in the Lakes, so have missed this thread. A chap on another thread recommended I pop in to try and help, which I'm more than happy to 
Can I ask how you came to the conclusion that Garmin GPSmap 60Csx was the right tool for the job (touring)? I'm struggling to understand why you didn't go for the more obvious Garmin Edge cycle specific range?
Dave.
Dave.
Can I ask how you came to the conclusion that Garmin GPSmap 60Csx was the right tool for the job (touring)? I'm struggling to understand why you didn't go for the more obvious Garmin Edge cycle specific range?
Dave.
Dave.
