Author Topic: Garmin 810 LIVETRACK (Read 9168 times)

bikey-mikey · « **on:** 20 May, 2013, 11:44:28 am »

I did the BCM and I'm learning about the 810 - uses up my iPhone batteries faster than shit though when connected to 'live track'.

I thought this facility would be great for my wife cos she worries when I'm out of touch.

However when the iPhone loses connection, which happens in wildest Wales all the time, the live track goes loopy and it does not seem to reconnect when your phone regains it's connection. You get an error message and so I tried stopping and restarting livetrack BUT I now know that if you do that live track via the iphone tells the Garmin to save the ride, and you get a message on the Garmin saying 'save' or 'discard', neither of which was appealing. So for my BCM I have two sections not one, and spent hours struggling with mental arithmetic adding saved ride distances to current ride distance to see route sheet progress.

I had the LIVETRACK set to 'automatic upload' but not sure how that affected things.

Anyone out there understand all this connectivity and able to explain what to do ?

Andrew · « **Reply #1 on:** 20 May, 2013, 11:56:32 am »

I can't help but am interested in the discussion.

I was looking at the 510 wondering about the functionality of the live tracking. Your post answers some of my questions (in rural France I'd face the same issues with connectivity). I'm also interested in the data cost as I'm on a PAYG contract and have wondered how configurable the live tracking might be. Is it 'on' all the time or can it just ping periodic updates?

I believe there's a smartphone app (Glympse?) that offers similar live updating, though I've no knowledge of how that works either. It might be a more workable/reliable option than the 510/810.

Kim · « **Reply #2 on:** 20 May, 2013, 02:36:14 pm »

I'd suggest that if you're having to use a smartphone to do the tracking anyway, then you might as well do it all in the phone, leaving the GPS to get on with GPSy things.

FWIW, I use Google Latitude on Android for live tracking. With the Backitude app to tweak parameters, it works well enough.

Power is always going to be a problem on smartphones.

DrMekon · « **Reply #3 on:** 20 May, 2013, 03:20:24 pm »

If you can be arsed to figure it out, it's possible to sms your gps or cell network location using tasker or locale. You can trigger the sms texts via incoming text (ie location on demand), timer (eg every hour), or by location (eg when at a control). Saves battery compared to 3g services.

Unfortunately, when I used it on the Seething 600, almost nowhere had even a 2g signal, and my wife got v. cross that I'd not checked in. I didn't know until I got back to civilisation when a brace of increasing anxious then angry texts poured in at once.

I now try to avoid promising any contact.

Andrew · « **Reply #4 on:** 20 May, 2013, 03:30:28 pm »

Quote from: DrMekon on 20 May, 2013, 03:20:24 pm

I now try to avoid promising any contact.

I know what you mean. Unmet expectations only create concern. Almost makes you hanker back to the old days, pre-mobiles! 'Bye, see you when I see you' sort of thing.

Thanks for the pointers re locale/tasker. The SMS thing sounds useful, I might explore.

marcusjb · « **Reply #5 on:** 20 May, 2013, 03:34:09 pm »

Quote from: DrMekon on 20 May, 2013, 03:20:24 pm

I now try to avoid promising any contact.

Agreed!

I know Cass worries - but in Wales, there isn't any signal at all really.

I've promised that I will do whatever is needed to contact her if I was in trouble (pay phone, someone else's phone, local kind person's landline etc.) and to check when I can. On the BCM, it wasn't until I got to Mennai that I got any signal at a stop.

All these apps and Garmin cleverness are all well and good - but we simply don't yet have to rural infrastructure to make it work.

Greenbank · « **Reply #6 on:** 20 May, 2013, 06:03:52 pm »

SPOT tracker. Doesn't rely on mobile network as it communicates back to the satellite(s).

Viking · « **Reply #7 on:** 21 May, 2013, 08:25:29 am »

Quote from: Greenbank on 20 May, 2013, 06:03:52 pm

SPOT tracker. Doesn't rely on mobile network as it communicates back to the satellite(s).

Sounds technical. How much does that cost. In my experience, anything that transmits to a satellite is going to be expensive.

Andrew · « **Reply #8 on:** 21 May, 2013, 09:01:14 am »

Quote from: Viking on 21 May, 2013, 08:25:29 am

Sounds technical. How much does that cost. In my experience, anything that transmits to a satellite is going to be expensive.

I looked at it some time ago and it's too expensive (not to mention overkill!) for my purposes. As I recall, a basic unit is €90-100ish to which you have to add an annual subscription and I don't think I ever found a € price for that! I think it was as much again (when I looked at £ prices).

It's doubtless a quality product, and definitely has a place and a market but imho it's value-for-money usage is for the real wilderness stuff where a rescue helicopter is your way out. That's not to say you can't use it for audaxing of course.

Ningishzidda · « **Reply #9 on:** 21 May, 2013, 09:07:08 am »

If your nearest-and-dearest is concerned, she can pay for this.

http://www.mobilelocate.co.uk/?gclid=COiW86veprcCFU3KtAodgCIAww

Just leave your phone switched on and she can track you from home.

Andrew · « **Reply #10 on:** 21 May, 2013, 09:17:26 am »

So I guess what we're saying is that live tracking on the 810/510 is a bit of a gimmick rather than a functionally reliable solution?

Greenbank · « **Reply #11 on:** 21 May, 2013, 10:48:52 am »

Quote from: Andrew on 21 May, 2013, 09:01:14 am

Quote from: Viking on 21 May, 2013, 08:25:29 am
Sounds technical. How much does that cost. In my experience, anything that transmits to a satellite is going to be expensive.

I looked at it some time ago and it's too expensive (not to mention overkill!) for my purposes. As I recall, a basic unit is €90-100ish to which you have to add an annual subscription and I don't think I ever found a € price for that! I think it was as much again (when I looked at £ prices).

€39 a year for the "Track Progress" service:-

http://www.findmespot.eu/en/index.php?cid=110

(If that link doesn't work, go to http://international.findmespot.com/ and click on Europe and then English. Then go to "Spot Overview" -> "Additional Services Overview")

Ningishzidda · « **Reply #12 on:** 21 May, 2013, 12:00:58 pm »

Its nice to have a lady who is worried about your whereabouts.

All you should need to do is show her the Brevet card to prove you haven't been round your girlfriend's.

L CC · « **Reply #13 on:** 21 May, 2013, 12:22:03 pm »

Quote from: Ningishzidda on 21 May, 2013, 12:00:58 pm

All you should need to do is show her the Brevet card to prove you haven't been round your girlfriend's.

You do know there's females who ride brevets, don't you? Some of us are right floozies.

We use endomondo for following each others' rides, on the rare occasions we're not on the same bike. It's laggy where the reception is poor, but so far is OK. Glympse is better but greedier on the batteries.
Really, a text from controls to report on how you're doing is enough when doing a 'proper' ride. I'd rather get "Wells. Still ducking raining. Feel like Shite. Saw little girl trying to catch seagulls, laughed" or "South Cave. Best Audax food evah" than watch a wiggly line, really.

Feline · « **Reply #14 on:** 21 May, 2013, 12:26:09 pm »

Sorry I have nothing useful to comment, but reading this thread has made me feel glad I got an Edge 800 rather than wait for the 810 to come out. The tracking facility did sound useful but from your description I'm sure I wouldn't have found it very useful anyway! I keep my iPhone on aircraft mode except for at controls to preserve battery life especially in areas like Wales where it runs down fast constantly searching for a signal where there isn't one.

The SPOT tracker on the other hand sounds very interesting. Simon does worry a bit about where I am when we are riding separately like on the BCM600.

Andrew · « **Reply #15 on:** 21 May, 2013, 01:21:40 pm »

Quote from: fboab on 21 May, 2013, 12:22:03 pm

Really, a text from controls to report on how you're doing is enough when doing a 'proper' ride.

I'm inclined to agree. During last LEL, I used an SMS to email gateway thingy to send messages to my wife (she's not a mobile phone user) and that proved adequate. I set up an sms template on my phone with the necessary email address etc and just added a location plus 'wet', 'still wet', 'even wetter' etc. Hit send, done. Simple and reliable.

She still has the emails and they serve as an incredibly powerful reminder of how I actually felt at the time! Though I must admit, I didn't own up to just how rough I was feeling towards the end.

Viking · « **Reply #16 on:** 21 May, 2013, 01:26:01 pm »

If you have Iphones, you could use "Find my Friends" to check where your loved one is. As long as both phones have a signal, FMF will tell you where to other phone is. Could be dodgy though with all those audax floozies about.

Feline · « **Reply #17 on:** 21 May, 2013, 02:11:31 pm »

Quote from: Viking on 21 May, 2013, 01:26:01 pm

If you have Iphones, you could use "Find my Friends" to check where your loved one is. As long as both phones have a signal, FMF will tell you where to other phone is. Could be dodgy though with all those audax floozies about.

Simon and I both have the app (and my daughter is currently compelled to have it installed or I wont pay for her phone contract!) but it was pretty much useless in the BCM this weekend.

We were never both in a mobile signal zone with our phones switched on at the same time, and at one point I had 3 goes at sending a reply to a text Simon had sent me but all 3 failed so I gave up. I think one disadvantage of having an iPhone in this situation is that it won't automatically keep trying to resend a failed text again as you keep riding, so if it fails while at a control then that's it unless you stop somewhere else to have another go, by which time the info you were imparting is out of date anyway! I would like an option that doesn't depend on mobile signal and doesn't run down navigation or emergency phone device batteries.

Viking · « **Reply #18 on:** 21 May, 2013, 03:14:40 pm »

I know what you mean Cat Woman. It is a bit of a pain when you discover a text you thought you had sent hours ago has not gone. I am not sure that any phone would keep trying by itself. Any system that relies on a mobile signal will be unreliable in vast swathes of the UK, mainly the bits we like audaxing in. According to marketing hype, 4G will be the answer to all our prayers. Quite how it will do this is a mystery to me. If half the country does not even have any kind of mobile signal now, how will 4G cover the whole country? Beats me.

Jaded · « **Reply #19 on:** 21 May, 2013, 03:39:45 pm »

Yes, but it will be a faster No Signal. That is why it is better.

TimC · « **Reply #20 on:** 21 May, 2013, 06:05:39 pm »

Quote from: Jaded on 21 May, 2013, 03:39:45 pm

Yes, but it will be a faster No Signal. That is why it is better.

And it will have greater cascading redundancy, through 3G No signal, EDGE No Signal, GPRS No Signal, to vanilla 2G No Signal.

Miles better.

bikey-mikey · « **Reply #21 on:** 21 May, 2013, 06:36:37 pm »

Quote from: Andrew on 21 May, 2013, 09:17:26 am

So I guess what we're saying is that live tracking on the 810/510 is a bit of a gimmick rather than a functionally reliable solution?

Unless you are riding around a big city and not going into the wilds at all, I think it is a complete rip off...

Then again I had to buy another Garmin anyway, and even if the connectivity only enables me to upload without cables, that's fine.

I have to say that the 810 interface is by and large far better, and although the screen resolution is the same, the unit used in anger is actually a LOT better IMHO. Of course nothing has gone wrong yet, other than a premature save caused by me not understanding LIVETRACK, and me having set it to automatic upload....

fuaran · « **Reply #22 on:** 21 May, 2013, 07:05:13 pm »

It seems most of it is just software problems. Both with the Edge firmware and the mobile apps.
Garmin do seem to be working on improving it, and they have released a few updates. So hopefully it will be a bit more reliable soon.

DrMekon · « **Reply #23 on:** 21 May, 2013, 07:17:36 pm »

Quote from: Feline on 21 May, 2013, 12:26:09 pm

Simon does worry a bit about where I am when we are riding separately like on the BCM600.

With tasker, you can trigger location texts based on 2g/3g availability + signal strength.

Glover Fan · « **Reply #24 on:** 21 May, 2013, 08:15:39 pm »

Quote from: fuaran on 21 May, 2013, 07:05:13 pm

It seems most of it is just software problems. Both with the Edge firmware and the mobile apps.
Garmin do seem to be working on improving it, and they have released a few updates. So hopefully it will be a bit more reliable soon.

The words "Garmin" "Software" "Fixed" are mutually exclusive, no?