Author Topic: New eTrex Touch  (Read 9127 times)

Re: New eTrex Touch
« Reply #25 on: 05 April, 2017, 07:01:46 pm »
BTW does anyone know if the Etrex bike mount can be made to fit on Brompton M bars, as I also intend to do some touring on my M6 when that turns up?

Yes, I had mine mounted on my ?Brompton when I took it to Brittany last summer

On M bars with the standard mount? Would it still fold without removing the mount (I don't mind taking off the Etrex itself)?
Old enough to know better, but young enough to do it anyway

Re: New eTrex Touch
« Reply #26 on: 05 April, 2017, 07:36:31 pm »
BTW I found a (German) video of the eTrex Touch 35 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_jKUX8jhSk - the screen looks pretty responsive (compared to some I've seen for the Edge 820. anyway) and the map panning looks faster than I remember when I had an old Etrex Vista HCx unit
Old enough to know better, but young enough to do it anyway

Phil W

Re: New eTrex Touch
« Reply #27 on: 05 April, 2017, 08:40:09 pm »
BTW does anyone know if the Etrex bike mount can be made to fit on Brompton M bars, as I also intend to do some touring on my M6 when that turns up?

Yes, I had mine mounted on my ?Brompton when I took it to Brittany last summer

On M bars with the standard mount? Would it still fold without removing the mount (I don't mind taking off the Etrex itself)?

Yes standard mount and folded as well.

Re: New eTrex Touch
« Reply #28 on: 05 April, 2017, 09:22:56 pm »
BTW does anyone know if the Etrex bike mount can be made to fit on Brompton M bars, as I also intend to do some touring on my M6 when that turns up?

Yes, I had mine mounted on my ?Brompton when I took it to Brittany last summer

On M bars with the standard mount? Would it still fold without removing the mount (I don't mind taking off the Etrex itself)?

Yes standard mount and folded as well.

Thanks, am now quite tempted to get an Etrex 35 for Touring, seems to have a decent-sized screen, less buggy software then the Edge series, and from what I can tell from videos, a less problematic touch screen than the Edge 820 and 1000. It's perhaps a bit large for everyday usage, though, especially compared to the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt I recently bought (and might need to return or sell, if I get the Etrex), though the two units have quite different use cases, really
Old enough to know better, but young enough to do it anyway

dim

Re: New eTrex Touch
« Reply #29 on: 05 April, 2017, 09:37:10 pm »
BTW does anyone know if the Etrex bike mount can be made to fit on Brompton M bars, as I also intend to do some touring on my M6 when that turns up?

Yes, I had mine mounted on my ?Brompton when I took it to Brittany last summer

On M bars with the standard mount? Would it still fold without removing the mount (I don't mind taking off the Etrex itself)?

Yes standard mount and folded as well.

Thanks, am now quite tempted to get an Etrex 35 for Touring, seems to have a decent-sized screen, less buggy software then the Edge series, and from what I can tell from videos, a less problematic touch screen than the Edge 820 and 1000. It's perhaps a bit large for everyday usage, though, especially compared to the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt I recently bought (and might need to return or sell, if I get the Etrex), though the two units have quite different use cases, really

I have the Edge 1000 ... touch screen is not a problem if you get the remote button ... the remote button should be sold with the unit and not as an accesory

lots of bugs though .... unit switches off sometimes, but you don't loose the info .... Garmin are aware of the problem, but I think theres a problem between the Edge 1000 and ridewithgps as everytime that the unit switches off, it seem to be at the same place (usually when you take a turn/new road on the route)

battery life on the edge 1000 is approx 6-7 hrs on my unit, but I have the garmin radar unit, heartstrap, cadence and speed sensor connected .... I have an Anker power pack as a backup if needed

not sure if the edge 1000 would be good on longer audax rides though

“No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.” - Aristotle

Re: New eTrex Touch
« Reply #30 on: 05 April, 2017, 09:45:03 pm »
BTW does anyone know if the Etrex bike mount can be made to fit on Brompton M bars, as I also intend to do some touring on my M6 when that turns up?

Yes, I had mine mounted on my ?Brompton when I took it to Brittany last summer

On M bars with the standard mount? Would it still fold without removing the mount (I don't mind taking off the Etrex itself)?

Yes standard mount and folded as well.

Thanks, am now quite tempted to get an Etrex 35 for Touring, seems to have a decent-sized screen, less buggy software then the Edge series, and from what I can tell from videos, a less problematic touch screen than the Edge 820 and 1000. It's perhaps a bit large for everyday usage, though, especially compared to the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt I recently bought (and might need to return or sell, if I get the Etrex), though the two units have quite different use cases, really

I have the Edge 1000 ... touch screen is not a problem if you get the remote button ... the remote button should be sold with the unit and not as an accesory

lots of bugs though .... unit switches off sometimes, but you don't loose the info .... Garmin are aware of the problem, but I think theres a problem between the Edge 1000 and ridewithgps as everytime that the unit switches off, it seem to be at the same place (usually when you take a turn/new road on the route)

battery life on the edge 1000 is approx 6-7 hrs on my unit, but I have the garmin radar unit, heartstrap, cadence and speed sensor connected .... I have an Anker power pack as a backup if needed

not sure if the edge 1000 would be good on longer audax rides though

I was more thinking of 7 day cycle tours covering about 80-100Km a day...
Old enough to know better, but young enough to do it anyway

Kim

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Re: New eTrex Touch
« Reply #31 on: 06 April, 2017, 12:28:37 am »
Thanks, am now quite tempted to get an Etrex 35 for Touring, seems to have a decent-sized screen, less buggy software then the Edge series, and from what I can tell from videos, a less problematic touch screen than the Edge 820 and 1000. It's perhaps a bit large for everyday usage, though, especially compared to the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt I recently bought (and might need to return or sell, if I get the Etrex), though the two units have quite different use cases, really

Or the eTrex 30?  There's not a lot in it screen or size wise, and you get a clicky joystick thingy that works (even with winter gloves), rather than a touchscreen.  Seems to be the best of the current lot bugs-wise (the only one I can think of is that it sometimes adds a point from your previous location to the start of the track log when you switch it on).  Depends on whether you value the Bluetooth features and extra internal storage, I suppose.

No issues with the size for 'everyday use' that I can see.  There's either room for it on the bars or there isn't, regardless of whether it's a special occasion.  The only thing with a real 'everyday' advantage is a basic cycle computer that's cheap enough to leave attached to the bike at all times, whereas anything with a GPS in it is going to be valuable enough to need removing while parked, and require regular battery swaps/charges.

Re: New eTrex Touch
« Reply #32 on: 06 April, 2017, 07:51:31 am »
Thanks, am now quite tempted to get an Etrex 35 for Touring, seems to have a decent-sized screen, less buggy software then the Edge series, and from what I can tell from videos, a less problematic touch screen than the Edge 820 and 1000. It's perhaps a bit large for everyday usage, though, especially compared to the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt I recently bought (and might need to return or sell, if I get the Etrex), though the two units have quite different use cases, really

Or the eTrex 30?  There's not a lot in it screen or size wise, and you get a clicky joystick thingy that works (even with winter gloves), rather than a touchscreen.  Seems to be the best of the current lot bugs-wise (the only one I can think of is that it sometimes adds a point from your previous location to the start of the track log when you switch it on).  Depends on whether you value the Bluetooth features and extra internal storage, I suppose.

No issues with the size for 'everyday use' that I can see.  There's either room for it on the bars or there isn't, regardless of whether it's a special occasion.  The only thing with a real 'everyday' advantage is a basic cycle computer that's cheap enough to leave attached to the bike at all times, whereas anything with a GPS in it is going to be valuable enough to need removing while parked, and require regular battery swaps/charges.

One of the things that quite appeals about the eTrex 35 *is* the slightly larger screen size - when wearing contact lenses to correct short-sightedness and  astigmatism, my vision for reading things relatively close to (e.g. GPS units on the handlebars) suffers, so every little thing helps!

BTW I was wanting to have a look on the Garmin Forums (https://forums.garmin.com ) to see if I could find the current state of bugs/patches for the Garmin eTrex units, but can't see any sections listed for the eTrex units, you think these would be in the "On the Trail" section, but they're not - does anyone have any idea where the forum for these units is located? Thanks!
Old enough to know better, but young enough to do it anyway

Re: New eTrex Touch
« Reply #33 on: 06 April, 2017, 10:27:40 pm »
There's a review on Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B010UPWVGU/ ) that states that the Etrex 35 doesn't support a single route with more than 50 waypoints in it, is that really true? That's quite a limitation, I'm aware than RWGPS doesn't use waypoints as such for it's routes, but I can see that being an issue for other types of map routing.
Old enough to know better, but young enough to do it anyway

Kim

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Re: New eTrex Touch
« Reply #34 on: 06 April, 2017, 11:05:56 pm »
There's a review on Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B010UPWVGU/ ) that states that the Etrex 35 doesn't support a single route with more than 50 waypoints in it, is that really true? That's quite a limitation, I'm aware than RWGPS doesn't use waypoints as such for it's routes, but I can see that being an issue for other types of map routing.

Normal for Routes.

(Terminology is important here:  In Garmin language a Route is a list of places to go to in order, and a Track is a line drawn on the map, typically by recording you walking/cycling/driving along.)

On the eTrex 30 the limit is 50 routepoints[1] for auto routing, or 250 routepoints in 'off-road' (crow flies lines between points) routing.  As you don't need to represent every turn, just persuade the algorithm to pick the right roads, 50 routepoints should be good for about 100-200km of cycling with autorouting, and you can always use more than one Route for a ride.

Most people here don't use Routes at all though, they use Tracks.  Those have a limit of 10,000 points - good for representing every little turn for hundreds of kilometres, but following a Track doesn't give you intelligent prompts at junctions.


[1] The points that make up a Route.  Distinct from Trackpoints[2] or Waypoints[3].
[2] Points that make up a Track.
[3] Think of them as pins you stick in a map.  You might navigate to one, but they're often just used to mark things.

Re: New eTrex Touch
« Reply #35 on: 07 April, 2017, 07:35:18 am »
There's a review on Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B010UPWVGU/ ) that states that the Etrex 35 doesn't support a single route with more than 50 waypoints in it, is that really true? That's quite a limitation, I'm aware than RWGPS doesn't use waypoints as such for it's routes, but I can see that being an issue for other types of map routing.

Normal for Routes.

(Terminology is important here:  In Garmin language a Route is a list of places to go to in order, and a Track is a line drawn on the map, typically by recording you walking/cycling/driving along.)

On the eTrex 30 the limit is 50 routepoints[1] for auto routing, or 250 routepoints in 'off-road' (crow flies lines between points) routing.  As you don't need to represent every turn, just persuade the algorithm to pick the right roads, 50 routepoints should be good for about 100-200km of cycling with autorouting, and you can always use more than one Route for a ride.

Most people here don't use Routes at all though, they use Tracks.  Those have a limit of 10,000 points - good for representing every little turn for hundreds of kilometres, but following a Track doesn't give you intelligent prompts at junctions.


[1] The points that make up a Route.  Distinct from Trackpoints[2] or Waypoints[3].
[2] Points that make up a Track.
[3] Think of them as pins you stick in a map.  You might navigate to one, but they're often just used to mark things.


Thanks, I did know the difference between a route and a track, but are you saying you don't necessarily need a waypoint for each TBT prompt?

Does RideWithGPS (which does provide TBT hints) use something other than waypoints? If so, how does it manage that with many, many TBT direction hints?
Old enough to know better, but young enough to do it anyway

pdm

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Re: New eTrex Touch
« Reply #36 on: 07 April, 2017, 12:57:13 pm »
With eTrex routing, you only need sufficient route points to ensure the correct track is calculated. The Turn by turn notifications are independent of the locations of the route points.
I usually divide long rides up into legs - eg between controls or stops of interest. Each usually has between about 5 and 15 route points; I have yet to hit the buffers on maximum route points!
Tip: if you need to route down a specific road, don't put a route point at the beginning of the road but a little way along after the turn onto the road and check that the road is then used as expected.
What I usually do is set up the beginning and end points, check the route and then add intermediate points as above until the calculated route matches the desired one.

Re: New eTrex Touch
« Reply #37 on: 07 April, 2017, 04:28:52 pm »
With eTrex routing, you only need sufficient route points to ensure the correct track is calculated. The Turn by turn notifications are independent of the locations of the route points.
I usually divide long rides up into legs - eg between controls or stops of interest. Each usually has between about 5 and 15 route points; I have yet to hit the buffers on maximum route points!
Tip: if you need to route down a specific road, don't put a route point at the beginning of the road but a little way along after the turn onto the road and check that the road is then used as expected.
What I usually do is set up the beginning and end points, check the route and then add intermediate points as above until the calculated route matches the desired one.

Thanks, that's helpful
Old enough to know better, but young enough to do it anyway