Which sat-nav for teethgrinder?

[teethgrinder]

I had a bit of a play with that Ian. No luck. I couldn't plot a route on a map. Not that I tried hard or spent much time at it.
I guess I get a map onto it from elsewhere, put it onto the website you linked, which cuts down the trackpoints and puts it into the GPS?
I'll have to have another play around.

Is there a thread around these parts to tell a numpty to plan a route and get it onto a GPS unit?

You'd think that Garmin would have done all this and made it very easy, wouldn't you?

[Wowbagger]

Just had a play with that Wowbagger.
I could upload a track, but not a useable route because it needed over 400 trackpoints for a 30 mile route. I couldn't get it to reduce the trackpoints.
So I can get a track to follow, but not a route. I'd prefer a route because the sat-nav beeps at me when I have to make a turn. I like that because my mind always goes wandering when I'm on my bike.
Or is there a way that I can get the GPS unit to beep at me to keep me on route when I'm following a track?
I'll have to mess around a bit more.

I hardly ever get the garmin to do my navigating for me. If I do, I'll have made a mental note of the villages I'm going through and only let it navigate to the next village. It's far too error-prone in my experience to allow it a whole ride.

In Bikehike, you can reduce the number of trackpoints to 500 by using the "options" menu before you download the track, otherwise it will truncate it.

I think it's possible to tell the garmin to follow a track backwards but that's a feature I never use. I suppose I'm always keeping my eye on the garmin because I'm pretty anal about navigating and following the route I've planned in advance.

[Ian H]

I guess I get a map onto it from elsewhere, put it onto the website you linked, which cuts down the trackpoints and puts it into the GPS?

Yes, that's all I use it for. It seems to make a better job of simplifying tracks than Garmin's software.

[Alouicious]

When there's a .gpx issued by the Organiser, I open it in Mapsource and use it as a guide to create 'Sections' between controls and Infos.
I have to insert 'Viapoints' in the Mapsource generated route ( Drag/Drop ) to force it to follow the .gpx.

I also compare the .gpx with ViaMichelin and TomTom. I make a personal decision about which route I will take.

On Mapsource, one can chop up the .gpx by deleting rows out by using the 'Track Properties' window.

Spend a lot of time and I have the .gpx chopped up into the 'Sections' I created on Mapsource earlier.

I then upload the .gpx sections to BikeRouteToaster to see the kCals value.

I can then play around with BikeRouteToaster to see if there is a less kCal expensive alternative route.



Tis all good fun.
 

[Euan Uzami]

...
It would have been handy to know beforehand that with a mini SD card, you can't put the mapping into your computer, but you can with the CD.
...

I wouldn't have too many regrets about that, because the rendering on the mapsource program that displays the maps that come on the CD is *rubbish*

[teethgrinder]

I guess I get a map onto it from elsewhere, put it onto the website you linked, which cuts down the trackpoints and puts it into the GPS?

Yes, that's all I use it for. It seems to make a better job of simplifying tracks than Garmin's software.

Haha.
Simplifying things doesn't seem to be a strong point with Garmin.
I'll see if I can do that.

I hardly ever get the garmin to do my navigating for me. If I do, I'll have made a mental note of the villages I'm going through and only let it navigate to the next village. It's far too error-prone in my experience to allow it a whole ride.

I thought it was good once it got a good route, which took a lot of stubborness from me when I was using the "goto" mode. It's very handy having something that beeps at me before I need to turn rather than me relying on keeping an eye on a screen just incase I have to turn soon. That's one of the hazards on an Audax. You can have a gap between instructions on a routesheet of about 10 miles and your mind goes astray, especially when you're tired, or you start chatting to someone. You forget all about the turning and carry on happily for miles...
Also, if I do go off route, it's nice to know that I'm off route and also handy to have a way of getting back on without stopping to look at maps. Not so important for touring though, where going a different way can be part of the fun.

In Bikehike, you can reduce the number of trackpoints to 500 by using the "options" menu before you download the track, otherwise it will truncate it.

I tried reducing the number of trackpoints by clicking options, then changing it to 50 (I can only have 50, was 500 a typo?)
It deleted my route and I was back to square one. I got the route onto my GPS, but it wouldn't work because it had too many waypoints. When I looked at the route on the map of my GPS unit, I saw lots of waypoints and they looked unnecessary.

I think it's possible to tell the garmin to follow a track backwards but that's a feature I never use. I suppose I'm always keeping my eye on the garmin because I'm pretty anal about navigating and following the route I've planned in advance.

Yes, it does have a backtrack mode and I think that's what it does. Never used it myself either. I think that might be for going back the way you've been, so would give all the beeps at each turn, not just following the breadcrumbs.

Anyway, even if I can't get it to beep at me where I turn, your method is still workable. It'd just mean that I'd need to use my tired brain a bit more.

[teethgrinder]

...
It would have been handy to know beforehand that with a mini SD card, you can't put the mapping into your computer, but you can with the CD.
...

I wouldn't have too many regrets about that, because the rendering on the mapsource program that displays the maps that come on the CD is *rubbish*

I have no regrets about that. It saved me the dilema of; do I want mapping that only works on one GPS, which I could damage or it could pack up, or do I want a map that I can use in any GPS, which would mean I won't need to buy a new map if I guy a new GPS. It looks as if having the mapping on my computer can be overcome anyway, so actually, I think the mini SD card was the best choice. It was just a bit frustrating trying to get the map off my SD card oto the Garmin mapping and have to investigate their website to find out why I couldn't get it to work. Gits.

[frankly frankie]

On the Vista, Trackback will give you turn prompts (beep, backlight, unhelpful message) on a Track.
Obviously it's designed originally for retracing your steps, but you can invoke it on any Track, in either direction.
The prompts are a bit hit-or-miss though, there will be some missing ones and several 'false positives' - basically it just detects any change of direction of about 30deg or more, and uses that to generate a prompt.  About halfway as good as a proper Route then.

500 wasn't a typo - that is the max number of points available in a stored Track.
50 is a Route-related number -
a) the number of Routes your Vista can store
b) the max number of points in a Route if you use 'follow road' (or autorouting) mode - more than that and you get an unhelpful error message.
The cure for that is in the Setup Routing menu - do not opt for 'follow road', instead opt for 'prompted'.  That way instead of an unhelpful error, you get something more useful -

In 'off road' mode (aka direct mode) you can use up to 250 points in one Route.  With your sort of daily mileage, 100-150 would be enough points for a day on UK lanes, and fewer than that in rural France.
More your style, I think, would be to route in an ad-hoc sort of way by just doing 'Go To' in short hops, say 20-30km at a time.  This minimises planning and utilises the units autorouting power, but by limiting the distance you restrict it from the wildest excesses.  Just leave the routing in 'car' mode when in open country, though in big towns 'delivery' works well.  'Bicycle' is, needless to add, worse than useless.

[Kim]

I switched off the compass (The mapping told me which direction I was heading in anyway, so the compass seems redundant for using on road at least)

A subtlety you may be missing: the compass sensor (that which you can switch off to save power) is only beneficial when you're stationary.  As soon as you're moving in any sort of consistent way, it can derive your direction from the GPS alone, and will rotate the map or compass display accordingly.

With the compass turned off, the map will stay in the same orientation until you move.  With it turned on, it will know which way the unit is pointing and refresh the display when you turn round.  As such, this is a feature that's occasionally handy on foot, and as you say, redundant on road in a vehicle.

[Euan Uzami]

... or do I want a map that I can use in any GPS, which would mean I won't need to buy a new map if I guy a new GPS. It looks as if having the mapping on my computer can be overcome anyway, so actually, I think the mini SD card was the best choice. It was just a bit frustrating trying to get the map off my SD card oto the Garmin mapping and have to investigate their website to find out why I couldn't get it to work. Gits.

Git. BTDT...  

[zigzag]

I bought myself a Vista HCx in the end ...

i've been using this unit for two years now with separate mapping cards for uk and europe (only found out about cd and mirco sd differences from this thread!). can't fault really, apart that the rubber grip has detached on the left side. i hope you have many happy miles with it. at least it has changed my cycling completely - from being afraid to go further and get lost staight to lel!

[Wowbagger]

Garmin will replace units whose rubber grip has come adrift.

[zigzag]

Garmin will replace units whose rubber grip has come adrift.

that's good to know, thanks! do you know what's the turnaround time for getting a replacement one? should i contact garmin customer support, or the dealer (handtec in my case)?

[Wowbagger]

In my case it was very quick - from memory about three days. I sent it to them on 21st Dec and the replacement returned on Christmas Eve.

Just found it.

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=27885.0