Route Planner

[ColinJ]

It can be beaten when for one reason or another your GPS can't pick up a signal to allow it to operate. The only time I set off without a map (because i thought I didn't need one and that I had GPS on my phone) I got hoplessly lost and added around 12km to a 100km DIY audax because my phone couldn't lock onto enough satellites to pin down my position.

Are you sure that your phone actually has a proper GPS receiver built-in, or is it triangulating from mobile phone mast positions to calculate position? If the latter, then it was lack of signal from masts rather than from satellites that was the problem. Unless you are in a deep canyon, under very heavy tree cover or surrounded by tall buildings, you should always be able to pick up enough satellites. My old, cheap Garmin Etrex has been extremely reliable.

 

[CopperBrompton]

It can be beaten when for one reason or another your GPS can't pick up a signal to allow it to operate.

Literally never happened. With a phone with a cheap GPS chipset and antenna, maybe, but not a Garmin.

 

[bluemint]

My Garmin fails to get a satellite lock on a train (faraday cage effect?), my phone manages it but eats more power I should think. But the garmin is waterproof, just sits on the handlebars and lasts for ages. Unlike my phone.

If the OP is any way swayed towards GPS, there are cheap options out there (£50ish +mount) for a second hand Garmin, like mine. You don't really need the maps; just upload the route via a website and perhaps take some sort of backup. There might be a couple of technical hurdles to overcome but nothing that can't be easily rectified with the right advice.

I find the reassurance and the time its saves well worth it. Plus you can get all kinds of nerdy stats.

 

[CopperBrompton]

My Garmin fails to get a satellite lock on a train (faraday cage effect?)

On all trains, or one particular one? Mine gets a lock on the trains I've tried it on, and even on planes (though you have to be in a window seat).

 

[ColinJ]

On all trains, or one particular one? Mine gets a lock on the trains I've tried it on, and even on planes (though you have to be in a window seat).

Very old Garmins (like mine) have old insensitive chipsets and satellite signals are incredibly weak at the best of times so it doesn't take much to disrupt the signal. New models are much better.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Mine's now middle-aged (Vista HCx) but keeps doing the job well so I haven't yet managed to talk myself into an 800 ...

 

[Yellow7]

Microsoft's AutoRoute, just an old copy such as 2007 (ebay) is fine, as you're not too interested about the latest roads. Sometimes the plotted route will take you down motorways but with your 50+ weypoints added you'd be fine, you can also add 'avoid area' boxes to keep of certain roads and set 'prefered roads' in the settings. I've used it for all my tours as a guide to distances, and runnig on your own pc (not web) it runs fast. I also used it for plotting the US route 66 tour, although I needed the US version (Streets & Trips).

Mark Wallisonwheels