Anyone using SatMap Active10?

[TimO]

On the SatMap where does the bike mount fit – is it around the mid point of the unit, or more towards the bottom half?  Also, is the bike mount bulky?  I really am short on space on the handlebars!

The mount is pretty much in the middle of the case.  It's a short stubby cylinder about an inch and a quarter in diameter.

This image gives you some idea of how it's fitted.  You can get the Rixen & Kaul Klickfix mini-adapter, which takes slightly less space on the handlebars.  See this thread for some mutterings about the mounts.

[Bledlow]

  Also, is the bike mount bulky?  I really am short on space on the handlebars!

It might fit on the stem.

[nashd]

Thanks for the links.  I’ll need to sit down on the bike and maybe build a mock-up to see if it’s going to fit.  There isn’t a stem in the normal sense of the word.  The ‘stem’ behind the handlebars is cluttered by gear and brake cables.  I have a bracket for mounting my lights, but if I put the GPS there it’s going to be sitting way up in the air at about eye-level, and will really obstruct my view.  I’ve got thumb shifters and they take up more space, plus I need a bit of space on the bars to operate them.  I managed to lash the Garmin to the centre bit of the handlebars even though they’re curved there.  The SatMap is wider, and it looks like the mount uses a thick strap which means it won’t wrap around the centre bit of the handlebars.  Also, anything sticking below the handlebars is going to catch my knees.  I think I might try and make a route sheet holder first, as that will be of similar height and width, and see if there’s any way of fitting that in a position where it won’t get in the way, and where I can see it.  There are a lot of downsides to a recumbent!

[TimO]

The fitting supplied with the Satmap cycle mount does have quite a wide fabric strap.  The Rixen & Kaul Klickfix mini-adapter has a smaller metal strap, although the actual bit that the Satmap fixes to is identical.

[Quisling]

Anyone here used the A10 for serious walking in the mountains? I'm considering a GPS purchase before heading off across Snowdonia in August, and then up to the Cairngorms. I'm guessing it's just as handy as an OS Explorer map, but with a restricted screen view and some fancy route tracking software so your relatives at least have the comfort of knowing which precipice you fell off.

Any one here with suitable experience (not of falling off precipices!) who can assist with handy comments please?

Cheers
Colin

[PloddinPedro]

Anyone here used the A10 for serious walking in the mountains? I'm considering a GPS purchase before heading off across Snowdonia in August, and then up to the Cairngorms. I'm guessing it's just as handy as an OS Explorer map, but with a restricted screen view and some fancy route tracking software so your relatives at least have the comfort of knowing which precipice you fell off.

Any one here with suitable experience (not of falling off precipices!) who can assist with handy comments please?

Cheers
Colin

I use mine for walking as well as cycling, although my walking is very gentle, lowland stuff, just local lanes in Esssex and Suffolk. What are you really asking? Are you seeking info as to how well you can navigate with a Satmap or are you wondering if the unit will withstand the rigours of mountainous terrain/foul weather?

For the navigation, I find it excellent. It depends in part on how much you spend on the maps but I've bought a 1:25,000 tile of my local area and I have the GB 1:50,000 map for my cycling. You get the 1:250,000 Road map free. I can zoom in and out through the layers and navigate without pre-planning quite easily if I need to. If I pre-plan a route, it shows on the screen as an overlay on the map and is easy to follow. I tend to prepare routes in advance on the desktop PC and then transfer them to the Satmap. This does require separate software - I use Memory Map but there are a number of on-line alternatives . Or you can compose the routes on the unit itself. For walking, this is fairly quick as the distances aren't great (in my case!)

Used on powersave mode and with the screen on auto shutdown after say 30 seconds means I can get long life from one lithium polymer battery charge; easily a whole day. I have spare li-pols to extend this, although changing them is a bit fiddly and need to be with care. Alternatively, you can use AA battery cells.

So far as the robustness is concerned, I have had a few issues with damp getting into the unit but this was when cycling on long rides and with the unit fully exposed at all times. When walking this is not a problem as you tend to carry it in a pocket or within your jacket and it's much less vulnerable.

Hope this is of some help.