GPS Down (or why you should always carry paper maps as well as GPS).

[2_Flat_Erics]

We had a little trip to Norfolk and Suffolk at the start of this week. Plans were made, routes were sorted out, plotted and uploaded onto the Etrex Legend.

We had an uneventfull train journey into Norwich and I did the geeky stuff like checking how fast the train was going using the GPS.

Off the train at Norwich slot the GPS onto the handlebar mount, check panniers etc all secure. Fire up the Etrex again and load the first days route... and we are off.

Out of the station around the corner up the road then less than a mile into our route... CLUNK CLATTER.... Oh sh*t there goes the GPS bouncing across the road. Quick check over the shoulder and pull into the kerb. The GPS in the middle of the road. A couple of cars straddle it third one just misses it. Get eye contact with next driver and hand in the air so he stops.

No cars actually ran over it and it looks pretty intact as it lays forlorne in the middle of the road. Give the driver a nod and wave of thanks as I recover the GPS. Definately all in one peice but turn it over and look at the screen and clearly there is a big problem.



I tried switching it off and removing the batteries but even with no power the screen is now clearly knackered.




I had planned ahead for a possible GPS failure by packing the goldeneye maps and printing out relevent sections of the OS maps. I always expected any GPS failure to be electronic rather than me being a prat and not slotting it into the mount properly  

We did go into the nearby Currys and then off into town to find a Blacks with the intention of picking up a new unit and just slotting in the SD card from the busted one. On the way to blacks I realised that it was probably pointless. We would not have the routes and tracks as they are on the inernal memory not the SD card and the new unit may not even read the maps from the old unit because of Garmins stupid process of locking maps to specific devices.

From here on in it was back to the old fashioned maps and signposts. We did simplify our original plans a bit and switched to mainly using the NCN1 as far as possible. We had a brilliant few days away and going back to old school navigation even added to the fun.

So folks the moral of this story... Always take the paper maps, you never know when you are going to have to revert to them.

[Greenbank]

Unlucky.

That's why I always tied the lanyard around the handlebars with my old eTrex.

I'm wondering how to do the same with the Edge 705 as it has no lanyard attachment thingy and the mount doesn't fell amazingly secure. I was considering gluing a patch of velcro onto the back and using a cable-tidy velcro thing from a kensington laptop lock to secure it to the bars.

[Jord]

I had the same problem with a GPS as well - not funny!! On a 300 and about 40k in - luckily I had a route sheet but found it difficult to follow without any way of telling mileage.

I also now tie the lanyard around and had chance to test it last night - on a fast decent I went over a bump and the GPS popped out of the mount and the lanyard saved it. I know it sounds obvious but make sure the lanyard not so long that the Gps can drop so far into the spokes!!

[Greenbank]

There's another way, much more secure but makes it a bit of a pain to get the GPS in an out, also solves the 'turning off from vibration' problem:-

http://www.greenbank.org/misc/le13.jpg

(That's a normal ziptie and I could still get the GPS in/out of the mount without having to cut/undo the ziptie, even did it on the move once when I had to change batteries.)

[2_Flat_Erics]

When I first put the mount on the bike I added a couple of layers of insulation tape to the mount so it all fits nice and snug with no movement at all even on the roughest of roads. This time I just did not push the GPS down to the bottom of the slot, so it wasn't locked in place.

I like the idea of using the lanyard as a backup just in case. I will be doing that once I get the insurance money through and buy a replacement unit.

Just done a few tests and it looks like it is just the screen that has gone. Mapsource has hapilly recovered all of the waypoints, routes and tracks from memory and Memory map grabs an accurate position. May be worth investigating the cost of a replacement screen rather than a full replacement.

[andygates]

I really must use my lanyard more.

[tonycollinet]

I have a Ram mount for my oregon cable tied to the stem.

A couple of weeks ago, as I removed the GPS at home, the mount came away as well (easily, no resistance)

Cable tie broken. The mount is now held with two cable ties. One tight to hold it still, and one loose to catch it when the first breaks.

Be warned folks - cable ties are not as tough as they feel after 18 months vibration.

[piedwagtail91]

never use it without a lanyard, i got one for the oregon, which for some reason doesn't come supplied with one.
you're right about paper maps as backup though!

[Jules]

You don't even need to tie the lanyard. Clip the gps into the mount, wrap the lanyard twice around the bars and put the remains of the loop over the gps. To detach lift the loop off the gps, unclip the gps and pull and the lanyard will follow. No tricksy knots!

[Manotea]

You don't even need to tie the lanyard. Clip the gps into the mount, wrap the lanyard twice around the bars and put the remains of the loop over the gps. To detach lift the loop off the gps, unclip the gps and pull and the lanyard will follow. No tricksy knots!

Genius. Though I've always favoured a clove hitch!

[robgul]

You don't even need to tie the lanyard. Clip the gps into the mount, wrap the lanyard twice around the bars and put the remains of the loop over the gps. To detach lift the loop off the gps, unclip the gps and pull and the lanyard will follow. No tricksy knots!

Genius. Though I've always favoured a clove hitch!

No, if you were in the Scouts you would know that it should be a round turn and two half-hitches for that sort of task 

My GPS has a small loop of thin nylon cord (it's actually from a bricklayer's plumb line) attached to it - hook it over the bar/brake lever and then fix the GPS in the mount - stops it  a) falling off, and  b) being nicked (or at least slows down) by a sneak thief (until he realises it's a loop of cord)

Rob

[nuttycyclist]

Most lanyards are a loop.  I just pass the lanyard under the bars and poke the GPS through the loop.  Lo and behold you're "tied on" and the GPS can't fall to the ground.

[TimO]

I always lanyard my Active 10 to the bike, although the Asus mount that Satmap use is pretty solid.  The GPS is either mounted in it, or not.  There's not really an "almost mounted" position to fall out of.

I don't use maps as a backup, I always make sure I ride with someone else who claims to know the route.  One Mr Legg later this evening, and Wowbagger on WARTYs.

[frankly frankie]

I naturally assumed from the title that all the sats had fallen out of the sky - because all you have to do to insure against loss, failure or damage of your GPS is - carry a spare one.

[MattH]

I also thought it was a satellite problem from the thread title - like the military running a jamming test again.

My 705 has bounced down the road a couple of times, I really must sort something out for that.

[andrew_s]

Just done a few tests and it looks like it is just the screen that has gone. Mapsource has hapilly recovered all of the waypoints, routes and tracks from memory and Memory map grabs an accurate position. May be worth investigating the cost of a replacement screen rather than a full replacement.

It may be worth asking around for a dead Garmin Etrex C??, and having a go at DIY. Getting a weathertight seal would be a problem, so you'd want the top half of the case as well as the screen.

IIRC Garmin charge a flat rate for repair/replacement - about $90

[Tail End Charlie]

And talking of knots, passing the GPS through the loop makes a cow hitch 

[2_Flat_Erics]

And talking of knots, passing the GPS through the loop makes a cow hitch 

but if you pass a cow through the loop does it become a GPS hitch ?

[2_Flat_Erics]

My new Etrex arrived yesterday afternoon. I upgraded from Legend HCx to Vista HCx because it was only £1 more on Amazon.

All of the waypoints etc rescued from the old unit and transfered onto the new one. Lanyard attached for extra security when on the bike. I don't want to have another "Incident"

I thought I was going to have a bit of a nightmare unlocking the GB Topo and Euro city navigator maps for the new unit but in the end it was painless. The Joys of warez   So much quicker and easier than doing things Garmins way.  

[Domestique]

Whoo-hoo \0/   

[RW]

Using a lanyard is good advice that I ignored.  My etrex bounced out of its mount this afternoon and was promptly run over by a car then a caravan.  It was fairly comprehensively squashed - even the batteries were dented.  Funnily enough when I transferred the card to my partner's etrex and looked at today's track, there was nothing from before the incident, but everything from after it, which I find a little bizzare.

This is the unit that's just been replaced for free because of the rubber seal problem.  The maps don't work now, and I've been having a protracted email correspondence with them regarding unlocking the maps.  Hopefully they'll unlock my City Navigator to a new device.

[2_Flat_Erics]

Using a lanyard is good advice that I ignored.  My etrex bounced out of its mount this afternoon and was promptly run over by a car then a caravan.  It was fairly comprehensively squashed - even the batteries were dented.  Funnily enough when I transferred the card to my partner's etrex and looked at today's track, there was nothing from before the incident, but everything from after it, which I find a little bizzare.

This is the unit that's just been replaced for free because of the rubber seal problem.  The maps don't work now, and I've been having a protracted email correspondence with them regarding unlocking the maps.  Hopefully they'll unlock my City Navigator to a new device.

I have a little keygen proggy that will provide an unlock code for most of the city navigator versions.

If you get bored of tooing and frooing with Garmin then drop me a PM wih the garmin device ID and the version of City Nav that you are trying to unlock and I can generate a code for you. Downside is that once the maps are unlocked for the new device in mapsource then you need to upload them to the card again (probably still quicker than waiting for Garmin).

[RW]

Thank you 2_Flat_Erics, you've answered the question I haven't yet asked.  I've sent a couple of emails and then waited half an hour on the phone to Garmin, gave up and bought a new one from Hand tec, arriving tomorrow (fingers crossed).  We're riding to South West France starting on Friday.  If we were staying in the UK I'd be happy enough with OSM but there are vast tracts of our proposed route in France totally untouched by it. 

On the bright side, there's something for me to contribute.
I'll send you  a pm.
Thanks

[RW]

Thanks for the progy 2_Flat_Erics

Garmin answered my email, evenutally, and have now given me a unlock code for my new eTrex.  To be fair to them, they were apologetic for the amount of waiting I've had and the fact that they forgot to generate an unlock code when they replaced my faulty unit.  I think they are under resourced and when you actually get their attention, they're helpful.  That still doesn't make waiting days and days for a reply to an email, or hanging onto the phone line for half an hour any less frustrating.

[2_Flat_Erics]

Thanks for the progy 2_Flat_Erics

Garmin answered my email, evenutally, and have now given me a unlock code for my new eTrex.  To be fair to them, they were apologetic for the amount of waiting I've had and the fact that they forgot to generate an unlock code when they replaced my faulty unit.  I think they are under resourced and when you actually get their attention, they're helpful.  That still doesn't make waiting days and days for a reply to an email, or hanging onto the phone line for half an hour any less frustrating.

Glad you are up and running again and hope you enjoy your trip to France.

Most people seem to say the same about Garmin. Very helpfull but take too long to respond.