Stoopid question about GPS/Tom Tom etc

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davidwalton

New Member
PrettyboyTim said:
You can probably get everything but the long battery life from a motorcycle GPS system. If you were to stick a motorcycle battery into your pannier and connect it up, you'd be set.

I really do find it hard to believe that what I want from a road navigation unit just isn't available. My situation is nowhere near unique, and I am sure there are many who just want and need a road navigation system that runs without carrying around a huge battery, and is weather proof.

There are people who use their cycles just for getting from A to B.

If Garmin or any other manufacturer decide to make something that fits my requirement, I will buy it. Until then, nobody gets my money;)
 

davidwalton

New Member
You seem to be having difficulty separating what you want from what other people want/use/are happy with.

Feel free to have your own requirements without feeling the need to have them supported by the majority.

Sorry, I am not having a go at you or anyone else that wishes to use the GPS systems that are designed for cyclists. They are NOT designed for what I want, and I do NOT have any unique requirements. Just want to use a cycle to get around the roads safely and without getting lost.

To me, that is a fairly obvious thing to want to do. Not so with the available products though, unless I make them do it, rather than having something designed for the job.
 

davidwalton

New Member
That's the bit I don't get about what you're saying. You don't just want that, because you can do it with the current technology. You also want it delivered in a specific manner.

I don't think you're getting at anyone BTW.:angry:

What I want is basic, so it's operation should also be basic and not require mapping on a PC to workout routes etc, etc. They can do it for motor vehicles, but not for cyclists:angry:

BTW- I have no idea about any of the roads in my area. I don't want to use the A127/A13/A12, but that is what I will be doing until I have better knowledge of the area. A Road Navigation system would make my cycling life far less dangerous.
 

davidwalton

New Member
As would a map.

I know I own a GPS system (probably because I'm a man and like gadgets) but whatever did car drivers do before GPS came along? They didn't need them to learn areas did they?

No, and neither do I. I can use the major trunk roads in the area until I know of safer routes where I don't get lost.
 
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User482

Guest
I use turn-by-turn satnav on my mobile phone with a GPS receiver. Works very well - I use it for navigating through unfamiliar town centres, but stick to maps on the rural routes.
 

davidwalton

New Member
OK, I phoned Garmin. They said to buy something like the eTrex Legend HCx plus "MapSource City Navigator Europe NT" and then you can use it as a road navigation system, just like you would in a car.

It is the mapping software on the unit that makes it run like a road nav system. MicroSD addition would allow whole of England map to be uploaded, so could then work everything on the unit, or use a PC/Mac if you want for pre-planning routes.

Only thing is that this works out to cost over £300 all in:ohmy:
 
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Bigtallfatbloke

Bigtallfatbloke

New Member
I use turn-by-turn satnav on my mobile phone with a GPS receiver. Works very well - I use it for navigating through unfamiliar town centres, but stick to maps on the rural routes.

ok...this sounds interesting.

How is it done and exactly what gizmos are required?
How much does it cost in terms of the 'gizmos' and any ongoing costs when using etc?
If I got lost in the backstreets of a big city could it get me out and on my way without having to get off the bike every junction?
 
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User482

Guest
Bigtallfatbloke said:
ok...this sounds interesting.

How is it done and exactly what gizmos are required?
How much does it cost in terms of the 'gizmos' and any ongoing costs when using etc?
If I got lost in the backstreets of a big city could it get me out and on my way without having to get off the bike every junction?

Right...

I have a "smartphone" which runs on Symbian OS. It's a Nokia 5500 but there are a few others that do the same. Didn't really cost me anything as I needed a new phone anyway, and it was free with my contract. The 5500 is water resistant so a good choice for cycling.

I have a Nokia GPS unit which cost about £50. It's quite small (smaller than the phone) and can be kept in a pocket or in your pannier.

I loaded "nokia maps" onto my phone. Price varies depending on how long you want the licence for. I think three years is about £70. Alternatively you could buy TomTom's software on a DVD for a little more.

It works in exactly the same way as a car satnav. Typically, I would ask it to navigate from my current GPS position to a known postcode. It got me from Essex into the middle of London (in the car) without getting lost once. The screen is too small to be much use (unless you're a passenger), but the voice directions are good.

Battery life? I don't know as I only used it sparingly when cycling, and it was plugged in when in the car. You can get solar chargers for nokia mobiles though.
 

PrettyboyTim

New Member
Location
Brighton
Bigtallfatbloke said:
ok...this sounds interesting.

How is it done and exactly what gizmos are required?
How much does it cost in terms of the 'gizmos' and any ongoing costs when using etc?
If I got lost in the backstreets of a big city could it get me out and on my way without having to get off the bike every junction?

You can get bluetooth GPS modules on eBay for less than £30 including packaging. Just search for 'gps bluetooth'. I couldn't really tell you which one is best - they seem to have moved on a bit since I bought mine.

Anyway, they're about the size of a matchbox with a couple of LEDs on the front, and that's it. With no display to power, they'll work for a good 20 hours or so (probably better than that now) and they connect via bluetooth to your mobile phone.

Which software you can get will depend on your phone, and some will run on fairly low-end phones without difficulty. Something to have a look at is activepilot, which will work on most mobile phones, and works on either a pay-as-you-go or monthly subscription basis, which costs up to £9.99 a month. As the routing is done on their servers however, it sends data to your phone via GPRS or 3G so you should expect some data charges as well.

If you have a Windows Mobile or Symbian-based phone, you may be able to get TomTom for your phone.

My guess is that you'd be able to get several hours of navigation on audio only with something like activepilot if you can turn off the screen backlight. Also, you may be able to find several solutions for keeping your phone charged from a backup battery.
 
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Bigtallfatbloke

Bigtallfatbloke

New Member
Many thanks..

...the Mrs has just aquired this:

http://www.nokia.co.uk/A4275003

on an upgrade on her contract or something...i was wondering if it might do the job...but the battery life worries me...also she's got all possesive about her new toy.
the 6100 navigator looks just the job though...but £300 ish...erm...
 
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User482

Guest
Bigtallfatbloke said:
Many thanks..

...the Mrs has just aquired this:

http://www.nokia.co.uk/A4275003

on an upgrade on her contract or something...i was wondering if it might do the job...but the battery life worries me...also she's got all possesive about her new toy.
the 6100 navigator looks just the job though...but £300 ish...erm...

It will do the job, and furthermore doesn't require an external GPS receiver as it has one built in. I don't know how well it works though.
 
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Bigtallfatbloke

Bigtallfatbloke

New Member
..well i just got 'feedback' from the Mrs on my e mail pleading to swap phones:

The free trial is not valid on my phone.



It will still cost money to connect, and using the maps will drain the battery very quickly. You would probably not get more than 3 hours of mapping out of the phone, before it will need re-charging.

...I think that was a NO:biggrin:
 
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User482

Guest
Bigtallfatbloke said:
..well i just got 'feedback' from the Mrs on my e mail pleading to swap phones:



...I think that was a NO:biggrin:

3 hours sounds about right, but as I said, a solar charger could lengthen this considerably. In any case, you could turn it off for sections where you know where you're going.

What was the "free trial" comment about?
 
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