Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => GPS => Topic started by: andyoxon on 04 April, 2022, 12:15:40 pm
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Any thoughts on suitability for either of these (or other*) for rides <200km, and what mapping is best/do people use?
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Coming from an eTrex 30, the 32x has a disappointingly murky screen (it's higher resolution but basically unreadable without the backlight unless the sun's at the right angle). But I expect the Edge has one of those too. Other than that, it's just a storage upgrade to a proven model: Runs forever on AA batteries, you'll never forget to 'start' the ride and it doesn't understand what a cadence sensor is.
Mapping wise, https://www.openfietsmap.nl/ seems quite good. Though I miss the simplicity of City Navigator maps for road use.
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I've had no issues with the 530, battery life is very impressive, from a 100% charge I don't think I've seen it <70% at the end of a 100km. Screen is pretty readable in all conditions I've encountered. I looked long and hard and decided I didn't need the touch screen and the ability to rank my performances by what I had for breakfast that morning.
It's a perfectly good GPS that has a decent battery life.
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I use open street map source data for my mapping on my eTrex.
ETrex is for pre planned rides really , following a fixed line on the mapping. The edge does turn by turn I think.
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Thanks all.
I've had no issues with the 530, battery life is very impressive, from a 100% charge I don't think I've seen it <70% at the end of a 100km. Screen is pretty readable in all conditions I've encountered. I looked long and hard and decided I didn't need the touch screen and the ability to rank my performances by what I had for breakfast that morning.
It's a perfectly good GPS that has a decent battery life.
How do you find it on the go - for say zooming in & out of the map using the buttons?
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Yes, Edge 530 does turn by turn nav
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Thanks all.
I've had no issues with the 530, battery life is very impressive, from a 100% charge I don't think I've seen it <70% at the end of a 100km. Screen is pretty readable in all conditions I've encountered. I looked long and hard and decided I didn't need the touch screen and the ability to rank my performances by what I had for breakfast that morning.
It's a perfectly good GPS that has a decent battery life.
How do you find it on the go - for say zooming in & out of the map using the buttons?
TBH I don't really bother, I set it at a zoom level that I can use while riding, I only zoom in/out when stopped. Takes a couple of button presses but not too bad.
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I used an etrex 30 for years and then bought a 530 about 2 years ago. I was very happy with the etrex and still have it but had fancied a cycling specific unit for a while, the battery life was a significant factor in the decision making as I wanted something that would cover a 200km without needing to be charged. I've been pleased with it, it's very easy to use and the screen is clear, it adjusts the backlight according to the external light, so go into a tunnel and it lights up. I only use a very small proportion of its features and almost none of the training ones but that's fine. I've not had it crash although there is an issue with rides over 500km where it stops giving turn by turn instructions but still shows the route on the map (there is a separate thread on here about that) but that's probably fixable by splitting the route into parts.
I don't think it's great for zooming on the move, or even when stationary, if you're trying to look at alternative roads/tracks then I prefer the etrex.
So much easier uploading and downloading rides (no cables needed) and much less of a faff than the etrex (no need to split routes because of the 10,000 track point limit, downloads long rides as one rather than splitting them, Strava etc recognises the recorded elevation data so no need to mess around with text files). Having said all that if I was going on a tour I think I'd take the etrex or take both.
Battery life isn't what it was when I bought it although it will still comfortably do a 200 (Saturday's took me 10.5 hours and I had 39% battery left). Last summer I bought the Garmin battery pack which fits in the out front mount, it's ridiculously expensive but works very well and extends the life considerably.
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Thanks. Wondering how easy it is to run the 530 off a powerbank if needed. Also, if you upload a track to follow, does the 'turn by turn' directions stay strictly to your route. ie does not adopt autorouting if it 'decides' the track is 'suboptimal' based on the mapping..?
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Thanks. Wondering how easy it is to run the 530 off a powerbank if needed. Also, if you upload a track to follow, does the 'turn by turn' directions stay strictly to your route. ie does not adopt autorouting if it 'decides' the track is 'suboptimal' based on the mapping..?
I don't run off a powerbank, but run off the feed from my dynamo light no probls, if so it's generally happily sitting around 99-100%. Turn by turn stays on course unless you deviate and you can set it to automatically reroute you back onto the course. There is also a feature that allows autorouting from point A to B, or another that says "give me a 30 mile circular ride" neither of which I have used yet.
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Cheers. Apparently the 530 comes preloaded with routable mapping - any good?
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It's all OSM-derived these days, so the differences are mostly aesthetic (routing is going to be a bit hit-and-miss regardless, due to OSM's inconsistent categorisation of paths). I think the OpenFietsMap rendering is prettier, but Garmin's is perfectly decent.
No reason you can't have both and switch between them.
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I have no experience of the Etrex but have had over the last 10 years a Garmin Edge 200, 510, 520 & for the last 15 months a 530. The headline reply is that I am completely happy with the 530. Its best features are the very good screen & exceptional battery life. The screen is super clear & readable in full sunlight or part shadow, I never use backlight during the day and 10% is adequate at night. I don't use any BlueTooth (Phone) or Wi-Fi connections while riding, have a Speed and a cadence sensor, follow a course but without "Turn Guidance" and I get between 40 & 50 hours of battery between charges (if mostly day use). The Speed sensor is recommended as it stops the GPS position from "wandering" when stopped.
Turn Guidance can be an issue as it plots its own route on the device using your loaded course as a "recommendation", they will mostly correspond (depends on the map) but I prefer to be 100% certain so turn the "Turn Guidance" off and just follow the displayed route on the map supplemented by "course points" for turn warning, distance to next course point etc. This also saves a potentially longish "calculation" phase at the start and uses less processing power and therefore battery.
While "completely happy" I might have been better getting the 830 as the touch UI is easier to use especially for map zooming / panning and there are a few functions not on the 530 as they did not provide a button driven interface for them (eg you can modify the horizontal scale on the elevation profile screen but NOT the vertical scale but you can on the 830). Being a more "mature" rider I can also "see" the advantage of the larger 1030+ screen but they are a fair bit more expensive.
The other consideration, (and I have NO special knowledge), is that the 530 & 830 were released in April 2019 and on past device releases they could be due for a replacement 540 / 840 in coming months.
I also only use 20% of the features and disable / turn off as much of the "other" stuff as possible. (unless you really want to know how long you remain air borne during jumps then enable "hang time"!
PS They are not very intuitive, have a lot of user interface oddities and can have a long learning "curve", the Garmin Forums are helpful, less so the Garmin "Help" Desk. VELOGPS have many very helpful short videos on the 530 & 830 (and other Garmins)
https://www.youtube.com/c/VELOGPSTHEINNERTUBE/videos
including 530 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi9abV7-S3c
& 830 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z771IpF1KWM
Good Luck
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if you upload a track to follow, does the 'turn by turn' directions stay strictly to your route. ie does not adopt autorouting if it 'decides' the track is 'suboptimal' based on the mapping..?
My experience has been that the 530 keeps to the plotted route which tends to be via RWGPS whereas I abandoned using the turn by turn function on the etrex because of this issue (I figured out the fix for this with YACF support (think it was Kim) but it felt like too much of a faff so I stuck with using tracks and no turn instructions and that was fine).
The one thing I find slightly odd about the turn by turn instructions on the 530 is that you can't rely on them to alert at junctions, sometimes it will pop up for a sharp bend in the road but at some junctions especially those where you might go straight on at a crossroads you get nothing but I keep it on map screen so it's not an issue and it does alert for most of them. I don't think this is an issue with the unit, maybe linked to the mapping or the way that a route is plotted.
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The one thing I find slightly odd about the turn by turn instructions on the 530 is that you can't rely on them to alert at junctions, sometimes it will pop up for a sharp bend in the road but at some junctions especially those where you might go straight on at a crossroads you get nothing
That’ll be related to the inconsistent mapping mentioned above by Kim. All to do with how Joe Public labelled the roads when updating OSM. Plus how Garmin processed the labels / tags when creating their mapping from it.
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Thanks all - helpful.
I suspect that e.g. veloviewer exploring tracks (?), may be too much of a challenge for the Edge 530/830 'turn by turn' to cope with; with the 'actually I carry on here for a bit longer' scenarios... Tempted by the Edge 830 & touch screen ease of use, and more of my riding probably in the the dry. Although I find the Etrex (Vista HCx) buttons & toggle easy to use even with gloves, the 530's number of buttons/incr complexity may be trickier. Guessing the 830 chews more power with bigger screen.
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The other consideration, (and I have NO special knowledge), is that the 530 & 830 were released in April 2019 and on past device releases they could be due for a replacement 540 / 840 in coming months.
Yes, I was hoping there'd be some new models out by now, and everyone would be selling the Edge 530 off cheap.
Now £180 from Amazon, best price I have seen so far.
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Guessing the 830 chews more power with bigger screen.
No, the 830 is the same size as the 530, I suspect the hardware is identical except for the touch screen vs extra buttons.
The 1030+ is the larger one but it also has a bigger battery, Garmin quotes 24hr battery life for the 1030+ vs 20 for the 530 & 830 but experience indicates double these are common (with minor saving measures). There is a "battery save" mode on all three that also prolongs battery, it implements some of the settings I use manually, I haven't used this yet. Garmin has been converging the software on the X30s for the last half dozen releases (couple of years) to reduce development and support efforts but clearly there are differences due to touch and button interfaces.
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Thanks. I'd not really considered the Edge 830, but will take a closer look.
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I suspect that e.g. veloviewer exploring tracks (?), may be too much of a challenge for the Edge 530/830 'turn by turn' to cope withscreen.
Deals with it just fine. At least, when you meticulously design your track at home to zig-zag through the tiles (with an occasional dead end) you'll get good turn by turn instructions. Sometimes the turn by turn confuses me, for example with "turn left in 200m to XYZ street" when you're already on XYZ street and its just a bend in the road.
IMO the increase in usability of the touch screen is well worth the additional cost of the 830 (I own both). It's only in "real" rain when it falls flat. Tip: when it starts raining for real, zoom to the level you need for navigating (for me that's 200m or 300m) and lock the screen. And bring a small cloth to dry the screen afterwards (be sure to keep that cloth dry!).
Battery life of my 3 year / 30k km old 830 is still sufficient for a 9 hour tile hunt.
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Useful - thanks :)
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Meanwhile, turn-by turn on the eTrex means auto-routing. As I've said before, it's absolutely fine for finding an address amongst a twisty maze of one-way streets in a town centre, or for getting you to the nearest railway station when your bike ride goes wrong.
If you want to follow a pre-planned route on an eTrex, your options are pretty much:
1) Navigate a Track. It will appear as a blue line on the map, and you can follow it manually.
1b) Have a Track set to be displayed without navigating it. It will be whatever colour you like, and you can follow it manually. You miss out on some trip computer stats.
1c) Use proximity alarm Waypoints with descriptive names for turn instructions, in combination with a Track. Bullet-proof to follow, assuming you don't go off-route, but a *lot* of work to create and manage.
2) Navigate a Route in 'off-road' mode. As (1), but with tighter routepoint limits.
3) Navigate a Route in 'follow road' mode. The device will plot a route between each routepoint using the map, and give you turn-by-turn instructions. The problem is that if you want it to follow specific roads, you have to put work into positioning the routepoints to game the algorithm (typically, placing points in the middle of sections of road you want to use). This is subtle, and only about 95% reliable, due to differences in the algorithms used by Basecamp[1] and the device. There's also a limit of 50 routepoints for auto-routing, so you need a separate Route for every 100km or so.
My preferred approach is to combine (1b) with (3). That way I get prompts at junctions, but can see when it's trying to lead me astray.
[1] For this to stand a chance of working, you pretty much need to be using Bascamp and the exact same map as the device will be following.
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Thx Kim.
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Well, picked up the Edge 830 in the end; not road tested it yet.
Bit of a culture shock compared to Etrex Vista HCx, with all the syncing to Garmin Connect, Ridewithgps, & Strava (free only atm). Everything seems to filter through the android apps, so don't think there's a direct connection to PC, apart from USB cable(?) Nice to be able to directly access routes in rwgps, which is generally where all my tracks were filtered through before anyway. 830 screen a bit bigger than HCx; a bonus. Edge comes with 'out front' mount (good nitto noodle fit), and a couple of 1/4turn silcone band mounts.
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My 1030 connects to my PC via wifi as well as via the Garmin Connect app on the phone. I don't think I need the phone to be present for data uploads to happen, but I do for wifi downloads of routes.
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For want of a better thread, I did my first >100km ride with the eTrex32x yesterday. I was after Veloviewer tiles and passing through urban areas, so I was actually using it to navigate (using my preferred method of hand-crafted auto-routing route, with a track displayed on the map in BLACK), rather than just to record. This was using the excellent OpenFietsMap map, rather than the Garmin supplied one.
I was somewhat relieved that the auto-routing wasn't actually terrible. (I'd tried to use it for my local loops with the Garmin mapping and it had gone astray at several points). No more unreliable than it was with City Navigator, though the tendency was to use bollocks cycle infra rather than lead you onto a Scary Dual Cabbageway.
The main difference from the eTrex 30 was that, since it was a sunny day, I had to use the backlight at full power to read the screen when the sun wasn't behind me. (The 30 screen would be readable without illumination in those conditions.) Though I note the BLACK track was generally visible in most conditions, even when everything else wasn't.
I was more than a little disappointed to get a 'Battery low' alarm after 60km. I suspect this is due to my ~10 year old 7dayshop 2900mAh NiMH cells being due for retirement, rather than a fault of the unit. To confirm this, I've just spent a quality 10 minutes with my oscilloscope and µCurrent to confirm that the actual power draw of the eTrex 30 and 32x, with and without backlight, is near-as-dammit identical. (Though obviously if you're making heavier use of the backlight, the 32x will use more power.) The rule of thumb here is that the backlight at full power approximately doubles the power consumption, and the effect of dimming it is linear.
I'd normally expect to get round a 200 with the backlight illuminating at turn instructions without changing batteries, so I've ordered some decent Ansmann cells to replace them. I'm following Big Clive's advice and seeing if the old ones can be rejuvenated by a long soak on a low-current dumb charger.
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Interesting that you say the Etrex 30 screen would be legible with no backlight with the sun behind you. Strong sun behind me is the conditions in which I find the screen of my 20 least legible. Though that's with bog standard pinky-purple track line; changing the colour seems to not work on the 20.
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Possibly an angles thing due to the way it's mounted on the Streetmachine (derailleur post, so out in the open unless I strategically position a knee). Generally direct sunlight illuminates the screen nicely, unless the angles are just right to reflect the sunlight off the surface of the screen straight into my eyes. If the sun's in front of me, the screen's in shadow and I'm being dazzled.
The newer screen is most disappointing in normal overcast conditions, where the 30 would generally be readable and the 32x would generally be a bit too murky. (Similar problem to the Dakota and whatever the Edge was that Cycleman had two of that I investigated poor battery life[1] on a while back.)
[1] Concluding that the battery life was poor by design, rather than due to a fault.
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My 20 is on top of the stem, so almost flat. Also, it has some condensation inside the screen, which obviously doesn't help.
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I find them significantly easier to read on the uprights, due to the handlebars being closer to my face (but not as close as on the Baron, where it's a bit too close for me to read with my glasses on).
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The ETrex 30x will last a 600km ride with 2900mAh batteries. That with my heart rate strap talking to it as well. Your batteries are well and truly knackered.
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I've done a few 'turn by turn' rides (non-vv explorer) now navigating a 'course' with the Edge 830, and it seems fine. If I deviate, briefly, from the track the unit has 'Off course' for a min or two, then gets back on track. The only thing (in a few rides) I've noticed is that I went off course through a village (as didn't notice rwgps had chosen a diff route), and when the 'turn by turn' came back on it was directing me on road through a dog-leg junction, rather than the original NCN5 track corner short-cut. I've turned off "Lock on road" to see what diffs this makes. The data screens when selected, go to 'turn by turn' directions until through the junction then return to data screen, which works quite well when on familiar roads. I have also tested turned off navigation (red X on map) - to leave just the logging.
Screens without back-lighting. I've taken the Vista HCx & 830 outside in sunny conditions and held side by side, and tilted them around, and can't really see much difference at all in the way the mapping screens display. Will try the Edge soon on a ride without auto-back light & see what happens.
Edge 830 touch screen. Works fine & well implemented. Very sensitive, and it's a good thing that the screens have up & down arrow as well, to avoid selecting options by mistake if swiping up & down instead. Having used the Vista HCx, I always thought I'd stick to button control, but so far so good (in warm/good weather) with the 830.
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By way of illustration (ironically, I couldn't see the phone screen when taking some of these photos due to the sunlight):
Direct sunlight, no backlight:
(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/garmins/2022_04_17_12_09_05.sized.jpg)
Shade, no backlight:
(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/garmins/2022_04_17_12_11_10.sized.jpg)
Shade, with backlight:
(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/garmins/2022_04_17_12_11_16.sized.jpg)
It's clear that the 32x screen performs less well than the 30 or the HCx when used without backlight.
Of course we had a similar winge when the C series came out... The old mono LCDs were better all-round performers, in spite of their low resolution and terrible backlight.
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This is my no backlight, no direct sunlight, outside screen comparison. 830 is not bad, but think the Vista HCx wins - slightly brighter.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52010969338_923f0e2e00_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nf2P9E)PXL_HCx_830 (https://flic.kr/p/2nf2P9E) by a oxon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/145942400@N06/), on Flickr
Although, with the HCx trying to follow that thin magenta line always has its challenges...
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That's pretty decent. Wonder why they put such a bad screen in the eTrex 32x? I expect it was what was available in the appropriate size...
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This is my no backlight, no direct sunlight, outside screen comparison. 830 is not bad, but think the Vista HCx wins - slightly brighter.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52010969338_923f0e2e00_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nf2P9E)PXL_HCx_830 (https://flic.kr/p/2nf2P9E) by a oxon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/145942400@N06/), on Flickr
Although, with the HCx trying to follow that thin magenta line always has its challenges...
What does it look like if you have maps on both at same scale?
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...
What does it look like if you have maps on both at same scale?
Another shot... HCx on normal detail (OSM Generic routable). 830 on "High Contrast". More detail.
Edit.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52011266559_1be57acf68_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nf4kva)PXL_VHCx_830 (https://flic.kr/p/2nf4kva) by a oxon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/145942400@N06/), on Flickr
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...
What does it look like if you have maps on both at same scale?
Another shot... HCx on normal detail.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52011266559_1be57acf68_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nf4kva)PXL_VHCx_830 (https://flic.kr/p/2nf4kva) by a oxon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/145942400@N06/), on Flickr
I’d say Edge is clearer at that scale
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Comparison at 120m zoom level, with 20% backlight on both units. Shade.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52011292382_3b7a2a4a81.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2nf4tbo)PXL_20%BL_HCx_830 (https://flic.kr/p/2nf4tbo) by a oxon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/145942400@N06/), on Flickr
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I'd agree the Edge is clearer, to my eyes, but I wonder how much is down to mapping as opposed to screen? Also, looking at photos of things is not the same as looking at things.
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Is the Edge 830 a USB-C device? That might change my view of GPS with built in batteries for audax. You’d be able to plug a usb-C battery pack or cable / mains and charge very quickly at stops.
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The other consideration, (and I have NO special knowledge), is that the 530 & 830 were released in April 2019 and on past device releases they could be due for a replacement 540 / 840 in coming months.
I see that most of the Garmin Edge range (and much else besides) is significantly discounted via the Blue Light Card NHS / Services discount thing, which tends to only be the case for models that are not going to be around too much longer.
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Is the Edge 830 a USB-C device? That might change my view of GPS with built in batteries for audax. You’d be able to plug a usb-C battery pack or cable / mains and charge very quickly at stops.
No, it uses a Micro USB plug. Don't think any Garmin devices are USB-C (yet).
And USB-C does not necessarily allow fast charging. Depends on whether the device supports it. The Edge 830 has a fairly small battery, so fast charging may not help much.
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And I'm not sure a USB-C connector is necessarily an improvement over Micro when it comes to the sort of abuse that the connectors on GPS receivers get, other than avoiding the wrong-way-up problem. There are a lot of very small pins on USB-C.
(Micro was an improvement over Mini, as it at least put the wear-prone springy bits in the cable rather than the socket.)
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I'd agree the Edge is clearer, to my eyes, but I wonder how much is down to mapping as opposed to screen? Also, looking at photos of things is not the same as looking at things.
Yes. Holding the units (with no backlight) side by side and moving them around the VistaHCx screen has a better inherent reflectiveness than the edge, but, the mapping itself / track lines etc seems easier to see on the Edge (et al).
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The Vista's map rendering is basically just a colour version of the Legend's, where pixels were at a premium, necessitating thin lines. It can make cluttered urban junctions slightly clearer, but the newer units do a much better job of showing more map detail using the higher resolution colour screens.
I'm still waiting for someone to make a GPS receiver with an e-paper display.
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I'm still waiting for someone to make a GPS receiver with an e-paper display.
Here's one I prepared earlier (with a front light being used as a powerbank):
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52017742798_f63a85fb4c_z.jpg)
Slightly more integrated versions are available and in use by paraglider, hangglider and sensibleglider pilots.
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The ETrex 30x will last a 600km ride with 2900mAh batteries. That with my heart rate strap talking to it as well. Your batteries are well and truly knackered.
Over the last two days, my eTrex 32x has run for a total of 16:40 on a pair of Ansmann 2850mAh cells, with GLONASS+GPS, the backlight constantly on full, listening for a heartrate strap that wasn't being worn, and calculating a route occasionally when I thought to prod it.
ETA: And I've just ridden a 200 with HRM and the backlight coming on full with turn instructions, and there are 3 of 4 bars left on the battery-o-meter.
That's more like it. :thumbsup:
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Hmm, so over the last couple of weeks, I've killed my old Edge 800 (again) by drowning.
Previously, I've repaired it with new daughter-boards, but I can't get them any more.
I might fix it again with board-level repairs with replacement USB connectors, but now is not the time.
I have a big event coming up, and need to be confident in the device; so I got a new 830 a couple of weeks back.
Things I like:
-The screen is *much* better. Higher res, and better visible in sunlight; text is much better resolved.
-Hot-shoe power charging. USB charging in the wet was the main cause of death of the old 800.
On the upcoming 1200, I will have the device fully-charged, and 2 Garmin power banks. I will run off one, till it is low. Then swap it for the other, whilst re-charging the first from a HBFO battery pack. Yes, not the best, charging-a-battery-from-a-battery-from-a-battery. But the bike I'm using doesn't have a dyno-hub. The same set-up will be used later in the year on another longer ride, on a bike where there is a dynohub, and the plan is to charge / swap alternately.
Things I don't like:
I've disabled the WiFi connection. (It's brainez are too feeble to connect to the type of WiFi I have here.) But it keeps turning it back on again!
I've always used Garmin City Nav maps before (perhaps not always legit copies...), but the new unit came with Garmin's OSM-derived cycle maps. They are very good. Garmin have put in some effort to make then useful on a bike unit. I will use their South America maps later in the year, they seem OK too.
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And today the Edge 1040, including a solar charging version, announcement arrived in my inbox (https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/731136?utm_source=EMEA&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=en-GB%20Delivery,%20EMEA-FIT-ANMT-16711-Edge%201040%20Series%20Announcement).
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And the review is live on DCRainmaker (https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/06/garmin-edge-1040-with-solar-in-depth-review.html). Up to 100-hour battery life. But the price...
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At least it has a USB-C port.
Hopefully will be a similar Edge 540/840 coming soon.
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Someone should design a bigger solar panel which is compatible with the charger port underneath the garmin out-front mount. I can't really see the area of solar panel on the 1040 being too much use unless it's very sunny.
ETA. Apparently 1040 solar panels top & bottom = 100% PV level, rest of the screen = 15% PV level. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0B77V2wAw8
Very pleased with the 830 so far.
The other day my gate propped up bike toppled over, cue my phone making loud noises with a warning I have n seconds to cancel before my emergency contact notified; so the incident detection seems to work.
So far max ride ~105km / 8hrs elapsed (I took it easy!) + varia radar connection, left about 60% battery. Auto-backlight on.
Maps clarity good. Zooming in & out of the map otg very easy.
I like the ProClimb feature for larger climbs - gradient, your progress on profile map.
If using data screen, like the way turn by turn map appears for a time nearing a junction (though I gather some turns can be missed).
Courses & turn by turn seem to work pretty well for explorer rides, including a 'spider' jucntion for bagging multiple surrounding tiles. I tend to proceed until I get an 'off course beep', U-turn and then the unit finds the course again. I set the unit to NOT recalculate.
I've mostly been using 'IQ' RwGPS connection courses to navigate - very easy.
Haven't yet worked out how to use/navigate a basic gpx track, manually imported into the 830 with USB connection. Any ideas?
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Someone should design a bigger solar panel which is compatible with the charger port underneath the garmin out-front mount. I can't really see the area of solar panel on the 1040 being too much use unless it's very sunny.
ETA. Apparently 1040 solar panels top & bottom = 100% PV level, rest of the screen = 15% PV level. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0B77V2wAw8
Very pleased with the 830 so far.
The other day my gate propped up bike toppled over, cue my phone making loud noises with a warning I have n seconds to cancel before my emergency contact notified; so the incident detection seems to work.
So far max ride ~105km / 8hrs elapsed (I took it easy!) + varia radar connection, left about 60% battery. Auto-backlight on.
Maps clarity good. Zooming in & out of the map otg very easy.
I like the ProClimb feature for larger climbs - gradient, your progress on profile map.
If using data screen, like the way turn by turn map appears for a time nearing a junction (though I gather some turns can be missed).
Courses & turn by turn seem to work pretty well for explorer rides, including a 'spider' jucntion for bagging multiple surrounding tiles. I tend to proceed until I get an 'off course beep', U-turn and then the unit finds the course again. I set the unit to NOT recalculate.
I've mostly been using 'IQ' RwGPS connection courses to navigate - very easy.
Haven't yet worked out how to use/navigate a basic gpx track, manually imported into the 830 with USB connection. Any ideas?
On my 530 I just copy them to the NewFiles folder then they magically appear in the list of available courses.
Having said that the most recent one went a bit wappy and kept on telling me to do a U-turn even though I was on track. I have since turned recalculation off but not yet checked to see if this has sorted it.
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On my 530 I just copy them to the NewFiles folder then they magically appear in the list of available courses.
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OK thanks for that. Had not been saving to NewFiles, & also I'd changed the filename in windows, so was looking for that changed name in the list on the unit, but had not noticed that the file was there displayed under the original name stated within the gpx file itself e.g. <name>RideName_km</name>
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Do the Topo maps on the 32x enable navigation of a route same as city navigator?
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Do the Topo maps on the 32x enable navigation of a route same as city navigator?
no they don't! I bought the 22x which looks the same as my own 30 apart from no elevation plot. The Topo routes only take you off road. And they aren't even very Topo in my area a few extra rivers and woods no contours.
So I took the SD card from my old unit and used the City Navigator map which does do turn by turns; bit of a PITA but I'm back where I was until my 30 failed.
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There's always https://www.openfietsmap.nl/
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I've got an even older 20X, which I am quite happy with except it does not do turn-by-turn directions, does this mean that if I bought City Navigator it would give me this facility ?
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I've got an even older 20X, which I am quite happy with except it does not do turn-by-turn directions, does this mean that if I bought City Navigator it would give me this facility ?
my CN2009 does perfick turn by turn navigation anywhere in Europe on all the 3 devices I've owned so I would say yes. It all seems to come down to the maps. My 22x does the beeeeep then the bing bing before the actual turn but it's way before the turn and can't see how to reduce it
YHPM!
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I've got an even older 20X, which I am quite happy with except it does not do turn-by-turn directions, does this mean that if I bought City Navigator it would give me this facility ?
Not sure what the difference between a 20 and 20x is but when I bought a 30 it was the only etrex 10/20/30 model that did turn by turn navigation, the 20 apparently didn't but the 22x does
edit; it may have just been the 10 that didn't
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I've been totally wedded to the Etrex series since 2006. Currently Sheila and I use an etrex 30 and two Etrex 30x (we prefer the older 30 - slightly clearer screen).
Having read this page and read the Rainmaker review of the new Edge Explore 2, last week I bought one and have lived with it for a week now. Usage will be day rides and touring. While there are pros and cons, on balance it is a big improvement on the Etrex, and can be configured and used in just the same way - that is, dumbed-down without any of the connectivity stuff or ANT sensors.
I set mine up as a standalone without - I repeat without - any phone pairing or use of Garmin Connect, and it gives a bigger and better screen than the Etrex in a slimmer and lighter package, with modern USB-3 charging. Although the pre-installed map looks decent, I have added my own map file, the same one as we use in our Etrexes, and this renders perfectly.
In 'dumb' mode - that is simply viewing a map screen with a coloured Track Course overlaid - which is the way Sheila has used her Etrex for years now - the screen is bigger and clearer and especially the text fonts rendering is much improved. It's also nice to have one-touch switching between Track Up and North Up. Navigating - I must say so far we've had experiences that are 'mixed' at best. That is, both navigating an imported Track from RideWithGPS, and trying a map-based 'Go To'. We're still learning. All this is, I emphasise, without any phone pairing.
I happen to detest touchscreen UIs, and this is no exception - for me it is alternately obstinate and hair-trigger, and largely unintuitive. I think a touchscreen on the handlebars is a really bad idea. Sheila (age: late 70s) is taking to it much better and clearly expects to use the Explore 2 in preference to her Etrex 30 for her upcoming French cycle tour.
Pros:
* Bigger and clearer screen with much improved font rendering.
* Smaller and lighter physical package, better handlebar mounting system.
* Easy to add a 2nd (and 3rd) data screen. You can add graphical elements (such as an elevation plot) into the 2nd data screen. By re-ordering the screens list you can get it to swipe one way (from the map) for data screen 1, and the other way for data screen 2.
* Easy access to some things (such as Track Up/North Up, backlight brightness, alternative screens).
* Easy to switch between 3 'Profiles' (which I use for 3 different map setups).
* Sleep Mode (brief dab of the on'off button) works very well - left it in Sleep overnight and no battery drain. It can be configured to auto-Sleep.
* Rechargable (assuming you think that is a Pro) via USB-3
* Generally fast and responsive (eg Courses load quickly, long ones recalculate in background).
* The pre-installed map has optional (and easy to access on/off) 'Popular' (ie with cyclists) and 'Busy' overlays. These work without any phone pairing.
* In sum, in 'dumb' mode (viewing/following a coloured track overlayed on the map) it all works very well and improves on the Etrex (in the same mode).
* Obviously, there is all the connectivity stuff, and the sensors stuff - which I haven't explored.
* Notably, there is a 'group tracker' mode - for riding with friends, you can see their locations on your GPS screen (provided of course they are using similar kit). Great for tour leaders afflicted with a strong Duty of Care.
Cons (possibly setup via phone could overcome some of these, I don't know):
* The Start/Stop button is an irritation. I have configured it to auto-start but the minimum threshold for this is 10kph.
* Recorded tracklogs are (when converted from FIT to GPX) very over-large.
* The 'other' physical button has (for us) no useful function and cannot be reconfigured. Meanwhile the On/Off button is multi-function.
* Touch UI is (IMHO) a 'mare. (Others may love it.)
* Poor access to many of the setup options. The map options (zoom threshods, text sizes etc) are particularly obscure. Whereas on the Etrex they were easy to access.
* I haven't found a screen that displays the satellite constellation. Documentation surrounding the GPS options (GPS, Multi-GNSS) is inadequate.
* I could be wrong, but I don't think it has an electronic compass. This makes the 'Track Up' map display unstable at walking speeds. OK when cycling though.
* Navigation is limited to imported Courses (can import GPX track), or Go To, or planning on-device. (Phone pairing would obviously improve this).
* Popup navigational overlays obscure the map too much (can be turned off, but then no navigational prompts at all).
* Navigation seems (so far, early days) quirky. (Nothing new there.)
Edit to add:
The pre-installed map seems decent, but in my 'dumb' mode it's not very suitable, because an overlaid coloured Track is not very visible against the heavy rendering of the roads. Adding my own map (a mashup of Garmin Metroguide Gold, OpenStreetMap, and SMC Contours, and all carefully styled) has improved this a lot. If limited to the pre-installed map, then proper Navigation (which boldens the visual Track overlay) would seem the better option. I'll maybe do a few screendumps to illustrate this later.
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Interesting review.
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Cons (possibly setup via phone could overcome some of these, I don't know):
* The Start/Stop button is an irritation. I have configured it to auto-start but the minimum threshold for this is 10kph.
* Recorded tracklogs are (when converted from FIT to GPX) very over-large.
* The 'other' physical button has (for us) no useful function and cannot be reconfigured. Meanwhile the On/Off button is multi-function.
* Touch UI is (IMHO) a 'mare. (Others may love it.)
* Poor access to many of the setup options. The map options (zoom threshods, text sizes etc) are particularly obscure. Whereas on the Etrex they were easy to access.
* I haven't found a screen that displays the satellite constellation. Documentation surrounding the GPS options (GPS, Multi-GNSS) is inadequate.
* I could be wrong, but I don't think it has an electronic compass. This makes the 'Track Up' map display unstable at walking speeds. OK when cycling though.
* Navigation is limited to imported Courses (can import GPX track), or Go To, or planning on-device. (Phone pairing would obviously improve this).
* Popup navigational overlays obscure the map too much (can be turned off, but then no navigational prompts at all).
* Navigation seems (so far, early days) quirky. (Nothing new there.)
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Checked the system menu? The Edge 830 appears to have a magnetic compass function. Access is via 'hamburger' icon on main screen>System>Calibrate Compass [move 830 in figure of 8 pattern until calibrated]. ETA. The compass was apparently hidden at first, until it came to light with the cailbration setting, in a subsequent software release.
I've not used my 830 in the wet or cold yet, and so far have no issues with the touchscreen, though I recognise the hair trigger aspect when swiping through menus - so it's useful to have up/down arrows at the bottom of the screen to tap. Find the touchscreen v.useful for zooming in/out of the map otg.
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No Compass in the System menu, no options attached to the 'Compass' display screen. Software update - that's a good point I haven't done that. DAMN - that means I have to install Garmin Connect, something I wanted to avoid doing.
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No Compass in the System menu, no options attached to the 'Compass' display screen. Software update - that's a good point I haven't done that. DAMN - that means I have to install Garmin Connect, something I wanted to avoid doing.
Or install Garmin Express on your PC, should be able to update with that. Probably quicker than Garmin Connect.
No mention of a compass in the specs anyway, most of the other Edge models do (listed as magnetometer).
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I don't think you can update a Garmin using the Garmin Connect app, either use Garmin Express on a computer or some Garmins can use wifi to update system software (my 830 can) but not maps as the files are rather big (>4 Gb).
Modern cycling GPS units are designed to be used with a smartphone and if you don't then it rather limits what you can do with them. Certainly applies to Garmin and Wahoo. The Hammerhead Karoo is essentially a modified android phone which is probably why it doesn't have or need a companion smartphone app.
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I don't feel limited at all. The Explore 2 can do anything the Etrex 30 can - often better, sometimes not so well - without any phone pairing. The improved data screens especially are a joy.
Garmin Express pops up on my PC when I connect this device, however it just then prompts me to install Garmin Connect before it can properly 'see' it. Express can't access the Ex2 to update it, without. No doubt I will bite that bullet, eventually.
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You need to sign up for a Garmin Connect account, and link the device to that. But should be able to do that without actually installing the Garmin Connect app.
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It’s slightly confusing as ‘Garmin Connect’ can refer either to the smartphone app or the website.
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I notice a lot of places are offering the Edge 530 for £159.99 at the moment.
As the owner of an Etrex 30 that's falling apart, I'm in the market for a new GPS. I had kind of decided to get the Wahoo Roam V2, but at around £350, the price of the 530 is very appealing. In fact, many places are even flogging the Edge 1030 plus for £299!
I don't know what to do! I guess these discounted Garmin models are pretty old and are maybe on the way out? What to do....
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The Edge 530 came out in 2019, so isn’t that old. It hasn’t been replaced yet, that’ll be the Edge 540 which rumour has it is imminent, but does not invalidate the 530.
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The Edge 530 came out in 2019, so isn’t that old. It hasn’t been replaced yet, that’ll be the Edge 540 which rumour has it is imminent, but does not invalidate the 530.
OK, ta. I'm struggling to find a reason not to get a 530 now at that price. After reading/watching lots of reviews, I know some people don't like them, but it looks like it will suit my needs just fine. I'll sleep on it and maybe pull the trigger tomorrow...
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I bought a 530 for £200 a few months ago to replace my aging Etrex30X. A friend recommended it but it was only later that I discovered that hers was an 830 ::-)
I found it took a bit of getting used to and using the buttons to scroll around is tedious but if you just want it to direct you on a pre-prepared route and record where you have been it seems OK. The screen is pretty clear and the battery life is extremely good.
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Well, I got a 530 and so far I'm very pleased. It arrived yesterday and I spent the (rainy) afternoon setting it all up. Went for a ride today and did a bit more tweaking and have got it set up pretty much how I want it for minimal faffage.
I can understand why the endless menu options are seen as a negative compared to the app set up of something like the Wahoos, but coming from an Etrex, I'm kind of used to pressing lots of buttons. Once you know where the things you want are, it's straight forward enough and I'm more than happy to live with it for the price. It was less than I paid for my Etrex 8 years ago!
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I had a colleague ask me a very similar question. I have a 530 and at £150 there's no reason to turn it down.
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(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52566885389_2ce839ee9d_b.jpg)
After my trusty Garmin 810 (https://www.plsmith.co.uk/my-reviews/garmin-edge-810-gps-review) fell off and got run over by a lorry I decided to replace it with another Garmin, as on the whole I had been happy with the brand.
The replacement considerations were all the more 'cycling' focused rechargeable Garmin Edge range (https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/c/sports-fitness/cycling-bike-computers-bike-radar-power-meter-headlights/?series=BRAND482&sorter=price-desc)as apposed to the Etrex (https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/c/outdoor-recreation/handheld-hiking-gps/?series=BRAND472&sorter=price-desc); I never go anywhere overnight with no access to power so the replaceable battery advantages you get with Etrex range were for me not a consideration. My short (ish) wish list were the 530 (https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/621224), 830 (https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/621232), and 1040 (https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/731136), plus I also really like the Explore 2 (https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/802162) interms of features but the battery life is not quite as impressive as the others. For me in the summer of 2022 the clear winner was the 830 as the 1040 is too big for my liking. The 530 is in many ways a cheaper version of the 830 but with 'buttons' versus 'swipe screen', the latter I find more intuitive to use plus as it was one of the buttons that failed on my 810 the 830 was my personal choice over the 530; (click for pictures of my 'home made' button repair that worked perfectly) (https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50987159717_db44b8296f_b.jpg).
Initial findings compared to my old 810 is that although overall the unit is smaller as you can see in that picture above the screen size isn't actually that much different, being slightly wider but not quite as high; in use the size is so similar I can't really tell any difference. In reality for me it ticks all the same boxes the 810 but with bigger ticks; longer lasting battery, much brighter screen, neater design and bearing in mind the demise of my 810 this one has a 'Tether' that allows you to secure the unit to the bike handlebar. I only bought the head unit as the cadence sensor still works from the 810. The settings and menus are similar, you can definitely tell it has the same DNA; I have found the transition quite painless. I still use www.alltrails.com to compose a course and upload them to the unit by dragging the file into the 'new files folder' using the genuine lead; I have found that other leads that seem to fit perfectly may not transfer the data accurately. I also only upload a route from the site I composed it from; I never compose one on one site then add that to Connect Garmin (https://connect.garmin.com/signin/?service=https%3A%2F%2Fconnect.garmin.com%2Fmodern%2F) so I can then 'Bluetooth' that to the unit via the phone app for example.
Like the 810 the 830 offers so many features that I just don't use; but I dare say many of us can say that about a piece of tech, I can't deny I only use a fraction of what it has to offer; if the Explore 2 battery life was a good as the 830 (16 v 20 hours) then I'd bought that and saved myself £100.00! In the end I factored in how long I got out of the 810, if this one lasts as long my reasoning is that over nine years the extra investment was worth it.
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Like you, I've moved from the 810 to the 830 and pretty much agree with everything you say. The screen resolution and brightness on the 830 is so much better so I can actually read the small print clearer than I could on the 810.
One thing I would like to ask is how did you find the bluetooth on the 810? With mine, I had great difficulty getting it to sync with Garmin Connect on my phone, it was very hit and miss, many times it would say it was connected but completed rides would not upload and planned routes would not download. It was so unreliable that I gave up, switched off bluetooth and just used a cable connection to the computer. The 830 is much, much more reliable in this respect and has often uploaded the route to my phone almost as soon as I've pressed the stop button and not even got off my bike!
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Like you, I've moved from the 810 to the 830 and pretty much agree with everything you say. The screen resolution and brightness on the 830 is so much better so I can actually read the small print clearer than I could on the 810.
One thing I would like to ask is how did you find the bluetooth on the 810? With mine, I had great difficulty getting it to sync with Garmin Connect on my phone, it was very hit and miss, many times it would say it was connected but completed rides would not upload and planned routes would not download. It was so unreliable that I gave up, switched off bluetooth and just used a cable connection to the computer. The 830 is much, much more reliable in this respect and has often uploaded the route to my phone almost as soon as I've pressed the stop button and not even got off my bike!
I'm not one for looking back at the data from a ride I have just completed that much, most of the time I can quickly see what I need on the unit, so I seldom used Bluetooth to sync it with my phone for clearer analysis; plus I always use a genuine Garmin lead to drag new routes into the 'new files' folder as apposed Bluetooth; so most of the time to conserve battery I turned it off; plus like you it often struggled to connect in the first place so to be honest I kind of gave up trying to use it. Personally I found uploading routes to the Garmin via a genuine lead resulted in a more stable and accurate experience, it 'crashed' in use far less and the route replicated what I actually composed. I recall plotting the odd route through London across the Thames that would often include a long section in the North sea where it couldn't handle going across the river! Arguably more out of habit the method that I found gave me the most stable accurate user experience on that 810 and the features that I actually want out of it I have simply carried forward to the 830
I bought mine far more to use as a small neat device to enjoy planning a course on my laptop (in the past that would have been sitting on the toilet with an Ordnance survey map...), then following that course on my Garmin and for that role the 810 did work well enough for me; yes occasionally it did drive me around the bend instead of navigating me around it but I confess if it hadn't fallen off I'd till be using it; it worked well enough for me wanting a replacement when the 810 got run over that's for sure. In reality I use the 830 in pretty much in same way and using the same features I had been with the 810, although I have yet to feel the need to carry a powerbank (https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50075034567_3724544bed_b.jpg) and I do prefer the brighter clearer display; I am pleased with it :thumbsup:
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Having read this page and read the Rainmaker review of the new Edge Explore 2, last week I bought one and have lived with it for a week now.
That's useful. Mrs Santa has suggested one of these and I'm hopeful. Wish I'd seen this before that happened actually, but don't think it would have changed things. Roll on Christmas...
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I’ve had the Edge Explore 2 since September. Seeing about 30 hours battery life in battery saver mode. Pleased with its other functions and a great clear screen. I have a screen protector on the touch screen and touch works just fine with that. After a ride it syncs to Garmin Connect through the phone before I get in the house.
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It's certainly looking good. Tested positive on Christmas morning :( which scuppered trying it out in (and riding to) the Boxing Day 10, but looking forward to giving it a go in a few days.
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After over a year, Edge 830 battery still seems pretty good. 6hrs ride, with linked varia, & HRM, screen on constantly - down to 65% remaining.
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Anyone know how to set always on direction field to the top of the map on the 830? It's the L/R arrows turn in e.g. 200m directions, with road name...
I had this set, but a week or so ago while on a ride and trying to find some other setting, I managed to turn it off somehow...
ETA. Ok, think it's...
Activity Profiles> Profile > Navigation > Navigation Prompts > Map
& also turn on "Turn Guidance" in Courses settings under main 'homescreen' "Navigation"...
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Activity Profiles> Profile > Navigation > Navigation Prompts > Map
More the Activity Profiles > Profile > Navigation > Map > Guide Text (Always/Never/When Navigating)
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Ah, thanks for that. :) Not sure how I managed to turn it off.