GPS needed for charity ride

[doog]

Cant anyone go anywhere without the aid of gps, satnav, mobile phones, laptops ? When I was a boy scout we got along just fine with a map, a stick and a flint, I dont know.. the pampered youth of today... grumble... whinge...whine !! Seriously, its getting to the stage where people will get lost going to the local shop without the aid of a modern device.. they,ll need the mobile when they get there because they need to ring home to ask what they went for !!

Ha ha Try working out the cost of maps versus a GPS and one overview map. For me to buy detailed enough maps for my recent tour would have cost twice the amount of a GPS and the maps may never be used again (the ones that wouldnt have been binned). Financially it makes sense to buy a GPS - thats the only reason I got one.

As for a phone, I have a PAYG Nokia brick used for emergencies. Trust me I have been dragged kicking and screaming into the computer age but would I go back - nah.

 

[rollinstok]

Well, how come you communicated this knowledge to us via the internet rather than writing us all letters?

Very true. In my defence, I did find my way to PC World to purchase my computer without the aid of a satnav. I could also make my way to a letterbox in Timbuktu without the aid of a satnav ( no doubt you wish I would )

 

[amaferanga]

I will be using cycle routes especially through Germany, the Ems and Wesser valley. Once we reach the south east corner of Bavaria near the Czech border it is a 200+ mile section that will need a few maps, this all costs, hence trying to get gps. There is another option....mapmyride.com allows you to print routes off but you have to be a member, this also means stuck to a specific route

Nigel

Will you be carrying a laptop with you or will you have access to a computer where you'd be able to upload changes to your route? The reason I ask is that devices such as the Garmin Etrex HCx are really good for navigating with, but only if you plan the route in advance. Rerouting is decidedly sketchy and you wouldn't really want to use it like a Satnav in a car (except in an emergency). What you won't be able to do is wake up in the morning and decide you want to go to X, Y and Z and plot a route on the device. There may be some bike GPS's that you can do this on, but the Garmin HCx most definitely isn't one of them. You have to be quite careful with the waypoint/routepoint/trackpoint limit as well, which means splitting routes into sections and (for tracks) reducing the number of trackpoints as much as possible.

Having said that, if you're prepared to spend the time planning your route in advance then the Garmin HCx is a great tool for navigating with and they're cheap compared to most of the alternatives. I used mine for LEJOG and but for a couple of hiccups where what I thought was a road turned out to be a track (I blame Google), I couldn't really fault it. Got a good 20 hours from a set of batteries and the fact that it takes AA batteries made it worry free. There is quite a steep learning curve with them and you'd need to do plenty of messing around and riding with it before your trip, but it could work.

If you want to try one then I have an Etrex Legend HCx with Garmin Europe mapping that has been sat in a box for the best part of two years. I'd be happy to lend it to you to try as long as you agree to replace it or pay up should it get damaged or lost. PM me if you're interested.

 

[Modo]

[quote="amaferanga,
If you want to try one then I have an Etrex Legend HCx with Garmin Europe mapping that has been sat in a box for the best part of two years. I'd be happy to lend it to you to try as long as you agree to replace it or pay up should it get damaged or lost. PM me if you're interested.[/quote]

Sorry for the late reply

Thank you very much for your kind offer, but I have another sponsor http://www.innovationcentres.org who have kindly offered to supply me with an Ipad and Iphone for blogging and gps tracking. My route will be fully planned out and fixed long before I set off. We have 14 days to do the ride and we are meeting a film crew, (ORF) Austrian national tv at the German/Austrian border this doesn`t leave much scope for re-routing and sight seeing lol

 

[Modo]

As a person who has spent time wild camping in the highlands of Scotland and has driven a motorcyle and car in just about every euaropean country, I understand the benefits of covering ALL your possible options....How does it go

be prepared

 

[PaulSB]

Thank you very much for your kind offer, but I have another sponsor http://www.innovationcentres.org who have kindly offered to supply me with an Ipad and Iphone for blogging and gps tracking. My route will be fully planned out and fixed long before I set off. We have 14 days to do the ride and we are meeting a film crew, (ORF) Austrian national tv at the German/Austrian border this doesn`t leave much scope for re-routing and sight seeing lol

I've used my iPhone for GPS, route planning/recording and navigation. It's great and there are some excellent apps available.

The problem is the battery lasts about three hours when used in the GPS mode even with everything else switched off. It's great for finding out exactly where you are on Google maps but don't rely on it for any form of continuous navigation.

 

[Modo]

I know that is going to be a problem, I will only be using it as a last resort. We are taking printed maps of same route that will be in iphone so should be ok.

 

[marinyork]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-eTre...1YZ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331488092&sr=8-1 Garmin etrex Vista HCx £89.99 if you don't want to spend much. Batteries last upto 24hrs. Loads of people on this forum have them.

Or there are the newer units like the Garmin Dakota 10 (117 on amazon 159.99 from garmin - a lot more from some other places).

Or you could take a battery rig with you. NiMH AA --> micro USB.

 

[Modo]

[quote="amaferanga,

If you want to try one then I have an Etrex Legend HCx with Garmin Europe mapping that has been sat in a box for the best part of two years. I'd be happy to lend it to you to try as long as you agree to replace it or pay up should it get damaged or lost. PM me if you're interested.[/quote]


I have sent you pm regarding this.

Cheers

Nigel