Sat Map Active 10

[Quint]

Anybody use a Sat Map 10, reviews seem good but reports from bike/trike users would be valuable

[cycleman]

i have been using mine without problems for the last 3 years  . what would you like to know ?

[Quint]

i have been using mine without problems for the last 3 years  . what would you like to know ?

      As the famous actress said "waddya got" 

[Adam]

I have had one for about 10 months.

Positives:
Lovely big screen - OS maps look great and it's a delight to just scroll around exploring.
Bright colours on screen.
Very handy to be able to switch to display current way up, so a left turn on the map will appear on your left.
I can get around 10 hours battery life on the built in battery if the screen's on all the time.
If the battery runs flat, it does save the data, so once you restore power, nothing's been lost.
If the battery runs flat, you can run on 3 x AA.
You can import anything you like as a .jpg to view on the screen, such as train timetables, pictures of your destination, notes etc.
Loads of memory to store all your regular routes and just load them up if you change your mind.
Button's and joystick very easy to use.
Easy to switch and display the profile if you want to know exactly how steep the last hill was (or the next one coming up).
New area maps can be easily added on the SD card.
Very easy to add on warning areas to highlight things.
The unit is very secure on the bike mount and easily removable.


Downsides:
If the screen brightness is set at 80% or higher, it can interfere with the signal to wireless cycle computers, so they stop working.
In bright sunlight, even with the filter set to enhance features, it can be difficult to spot your track.
Sound is useless.  Even on the loudest setting, you can barely hear the beep in a quiet room.
It may be just me, but if you wanted an audax instruction like "SO at X" to show up as a waypoint instruction, they have to be manually added.
Waterproofing concerns on the basic unit.
Once the battery starts running low, although the battery display turns red, as it's in the top right hand corner, you can miss it.
I had to complain to get them to update the base map on my unit, as this was 4 years out of date.
The add-on maps are expensive.
It can take a few minutes to get a lock especially if you've switched it on some way from where it was last used.
It can't do auto-routing like some Garmins.  If you go off track, all it displays is a line pointing to wherever your end destination is.

[cycleman]

standard satmap 10  . adam has covered it all very well. i will add that the option of running on rechargeable aa battery's is very useful when camping as you can charge them on a one hour charger or if necessary use disposables . i have had no no water ingress problems so far and have been caught in heavy rain a number of times while using the unit  . adam may know more than me there though as i can only speak for my experience .  auto routeing would be nice but it is not to much of a problem to me as i need to check each junction anyway as i have a poor memory .it is much quicker for me than getting a map out each time especially in the rain. garmin do os maps for there sat navs but they are more expensive than for satmap.there is a port for ethier headphones or a speaker to hear the beep as the unit does not have a built in speaker.
i am happy with mine although auto re-routeing would be nice . i hope this helps 

[Quint]

Excellent, thank you both 

[perpetual dan]

I'm sure there are other active 10 threads that might be worth a look.

All I'd add is that rechargeables work, but my active 10 objects to the voltage drop fairly quickly so they don't last all day. There's a couple of things to attach to waypoints that I've never tried on Adam's list - but I'm very happy with mine.

[Bledlow]

i have been using mine without problems for the last 3 years  .

+1

What's been said, mostly.

I get all day plus out of the li-pol battery, by using some of the power saving options. You can choose how long the screen is on before blanking out, frequency of update, brightness, etc. In dull weather or night low  backlight settings are fine.

It has a hibernate mode in which it remembers everything & keeps lock, so you can re-start immediately. You can set it to hibernate or power off after a period of inactivity. Mine didn't come with this, but it was available as a software download.

3 x AA rechargeables last all day with sensible power saving choices.

In very bright sunlight, the screen is clearest with the backlight completely off (recommended in user guide).

No water ingress, & it's been out in torrential & steady prolonged rain.

Irritating drawback:
It can freeze up if you try to get a lock from scratch while on the move, or switch it on & immediately cycle off before it gets a lock. Not a problem when re-starting from hibernate.

You can draw routes on it, but I've never bothered. I use online route planners & download. Simple drag & drop interface.

Mine was a birthday present, & completely unexpected. I decided quite quickly that I like it.

[Adam]

You can draw routes on it, but I've never bothered.

That's something I'd forgotten to mention!

I sometimes do this, and it's been very useful at times, as you can work out which alternate route has the smallest amount of climbing if you're deciding to bail out on a ride. 

You can also use the same functionality to alter or tweak an existing route you've got loaded.