GPS
alexgomy
Posts: 48
Sorry for more GPS related questions.
Basically i want to be able to plot an offroad route online and output my route as a gpx file. Then upload the route onto said GPS unit. I then need a map on the display of the GPS unit to pinpoint where i am and also display the route i upload. Other than that i'm not to bothered about any other features (apart from good battery life 6 - 8 hours). Which unit will do this? and do it the best?
Cheers
Basically i want to be able to plot an offroad route online and output my route as a gpx file. Then upload the route onto said GPS unit. I then need a map on the display of the GPS unit to pinpoint where i am and also display the route i upload. Other than that i'm not to bothered about any other features (apart from good battery life 6 - 8 hours). Which unit will do this? and do it the best?
Cheers
Mountain Bike: Yeti ASR - http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=12751671
Road Bike: Wilier Cento Uno SL - http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=12840889
Road Bike: Wilier Cento Uno SL - http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=12840889
0
Comments
-
Loads of units will do this, you haven't searched much yourself clearly
Garmin Dakota / Oregon / Edge
Satmap Active
Memory Map Adventurer.
All have the ability to load up routes and view the actual route on the display.0 -
If you have a Symbian phone, Android phone or iPhone you could also check out ViewRanger.. have been using it for several years on my N95 and now HTC Desire and think it's great.. the Android and iPhone versions haven't been out that long so don't have as many features as the S60 version, but they're adding features rapidly..
For creating the routes, there are several websites such as Where's The Path? that allow you to draw it over an OS (or other) map and then export as a file in various formats.0 -
frogstomp...... what's the battery life like when using viewfinder on your HTC desire?? does it have audible alarms/noises when your approach waypoints/turnings?
whats the map scale, is it 1:25,000? can you get whole of GB maps?
and how much is it mate? (viewfinder software that is, not the phone.... )0 -
LoUiS1985 wrote:frogstomp...... what's the battery life like when using viewfinder on your HTC desire?? does it have audible alarms/noises when your approach waypoints/turnings?
whats the map scale, is it 1:25,000? can you get whole of GB maps?
and how much is it mate? (viewfinder software that is, not the phone.... )
I've only had the Desire a few weeks so haven't had much of a chance to play with ViewRanger on it yet.. but I reckon I've had it going for 3-4 hours with no problems. It all depends on how often you turn the screen on etc. and what other applications are running (it's very easy to have stuff running in the background without realising it on the Desire!). At least with the Desire you can take a spare battery along too.. unlike the iPhone.
The N95 (Symbian) version used to have audible alerts for waypoints which worked great.. I can't find them on the Android version but it has only been out a couple of months (as opposed to a couple of years or so for the Symbian version) - as mentioned they seem to be adding features to the Android / iPhone versions rapidly so I would expect to see alerts appear in the not-too-distant future.
The actual app itself is free (or a nominal amount through the app store I think) - you pay for map tiles. These come in 1:25k and 1:50k and you can buy indivdual tiles, tokens (to buy tiles over-the-air) or in packs (e.g National Parks). They cover the whole of the UK as well as half a dozen or so other countries. Check them out on their website..
And no, I'm not on commission.. I just think it's a great product and they've always given great customer service (e.g getting a license key within an hour over the weekend). 8)0 -
frogstomp......thanks for info.....just a few more questions...
how much memory comes with the HTC desire phone? I've heard it's tiny, like 512Mb?
what maps do you use and how much memroy do they take up, did you need to upgrade your memory card to accommodate them?
what happens when you lose phone signal, does the mapping still work?0 -
LoUiS1985 wrote:frogstomp......thanks for info.....just a few more questions...
how much memory comes with the HTC desire phone? I've heard it's tiny, like 512Mb?
what maps do you use and how much memroy do they take up, did you need to upgrade your memory card to accommodate them?
what happens when you lose phone signal, does the mapping still work?
The Desire has about half a gig of internal memory, but you can add a microSD card which can be up to 32Gb - the maps can go on the latter. Currently the apps are stored on the internal memory, which can fill up.. but when the latest release of Android (v2.2 : Froyo) makes it onto the Desire you will be able to install apps to the SD card too..
If you buy the maps in advance and load them onto the SD then it will continue to work as long as you have a GPS fix.. conversely, if you can't get a GPS fix, the phone can use assisted-GPS (AGPS) to give you a rough location by triangulating phone transmitters.
As well as the maps you buy, it also supports a number of free online map formats such as OpenStreetMap, OpenCycleMap and OSM etc..0 -
Another vote for the Dakota its a great unit and you can get free maps as wellSpecialized Camber Expert
Specialized Allez Sport0 -
so how much would the Dakota come to with maps of the whole of GB?0
-
I picked my Dakota 20 up for £205 from a local shop who price matched Amazon
and free maps from here http://talkytoaster.info/ukmaps.htm
total cost was £218 as I had to get a bike mount got that from ebaySpecialized Camber Expert
Specialized Allez Sport0 -
camerauk wrote:I picked my Dakota 20 up for £205 from a local shop who price matched Amazon
and free maps from here http://talkytoaster.info/ukmaps.htm
total cost was £218 as I had to get a bike mount got that from ebay
Do those maps show footpaths and bridleways etc?0 -
frogstomp wrote:camerauk wrote:I picked my Dakota 20 up for £205 from a local shop who price matched Amazon
and free maps from here http://talkytoaster.info/ukmaps.htm
total cost was £218 as I had to get a bike mount got that from ebay
Do those maps show footpaths and bridleways etc?
Depends if people have added them to it, openstreetmap is basically like wikipedia, people have to physically add the content themselves.0 -
They seem to be very good here in Devon
I also use a program called Mobile Atlas Creator which gives you great OS maps although you can only load a small area its easy enough for a good ride out you load them as Garmin Custom maps it works really wellSpecialized Camber Expert
Specialized Allez Sport0