Sat navs

[fallenmikethebike]

Can anyone recommend, [ Eddie ] a reliable , and robust Sat Nav, system that works well on the Trail.
I have heard that Garmin make such a bit of kit, but some personal recommendation is probably preferable to a salesman's spiel.
Any information, will help me make an informed choice, I have been using maps but, the old mincers are most definitely struggling now, so some technology, may, help out.
Thanks
Mike

[Fungus GS]

I'm using an old Garmin Quest on my CRM.

Advantages:
It's small & runs on its own internal battery for up to 20hrs.
It's fairly robust (waterproof & solid state circuitry so shock/vibe proof).
You can buy an external aerial for it for £5 from Halfords at the moment & that gives miles better reception in woods & rocky areas.
Lots of RAM mounting kit available.
You can do loads of route manipulation & planning via Mapsource software & it's also compatible with stuff like Memory Map.
You can pick them up fairly cheaply at the moment as they're "obsolete"

Disadvantages
The screen is quite small (but vey clear) & isn't a touch screen.

Hope that's helpful...

[Eddie Evans]

I will do my best to give you my thoughts
For trail riding the mapping that the GPS uses is vital.
Memory map is in my opinion the most useful as it is OS mapping on the computer screen both 1:50000 and 1:25000 is available. Expensive to buy but I've heard rumours that some have acquired it for free in cyber space
The Garmin E Trex Legend CX (current model is HCX) that I have been using for nearly 2 years cannot display memory map but it is possible to transfer both tracks/routes that I draw in Memory map on the computer to my Garmin and that will display it as a track. I loaded the Garmin up with its city navigator mapping as I had a second unit unlock code. The unit therefore displays the majority of tarmacked roads but very few trails
I have been told that there is now a Garmin product that will display Memory map but I have not seen this.
My Garmin will run all day on 2AA rechargable batteries and in that way is ideal for the CRM. Approx £100 new on e bay.

Several friends are using the Road Angel 7000 series as this is compatible with Memory map and will display it as an OS map on units screen. The advantage over my unit is when faced with a track splitting it should be possible to pick the right course whereas I would have to ride along for a few yards before I know if I am right or not. This unit is battery powered but it will not last a days riding and needs a back up battery. Many are fitting a small battery linked to the alternator to power it. Units sell for approx £70 on ebay loading the software/Memory map may be a problem but most seem to get there in the end.(I have no experience)

The other alternative is SATMAP this again uses OS type mapping but in this case you must buy it already loaded onto a small memory card so unless you confine your riding to one area only it becomes very expensive(someone may know ways around this but i don't) I have not checked how much the unit costs but I remember being frightened off buy the mapping cost.
To conclude
The Garmin has never let me down all the time I have had it but I sometimes need to refer to a map as well when faced with more than one gap in the hedge to ride into.
The Road Angel displaying memory map is bordering on cheating. Having your exact position displayed on a OS map is the ultimate. The only question mark I have is reliability as Slider had a couple of units go bad on him.
Sat Map again displays the OS type mapping but as far as I know you must buy a memory card for each area individually and it is worth checking out before buying. Otherwise it should be ideally suited to trail riding

[fallenmikethebike]

Thanks Guys, that's all useful stuff.