Satmap - new Open Cycle Maps

walkingbootweather

I've got a Satmap which I have found to be a good all purpose GPS/Sat nav with a decent bike mount. The biggest problem with it has been accessing map data for the areas I want without spending an arm and a leg. I see that Satmap have just released Open Cycle Map data and wondered if anyone had used this data for navigation, and if so what you think of it.

bails87

I've used the OpenStreetMaps on my Garmin and they're great.

They're also free, I don't know what else Satmap do to justify the £50.

asquithea

That's what I was thinking. I have a Satmap unit, and I paid (grudgingly) for the OS maps at 1:50K on the basis that most of that went on license fees.

So how does Satmap justify the price?

walkingbootweather

I had had a number of long 'conversations' with Satmap over their data pricing policy and have explained to them that there is now lots of free map data available (OS OpenData, OpenStreetMap etc.) and that rival systems allow these to be loaded. We know that more and more people are accessing live mapping through smartphones and tablets. Satmap's strategy seems to be a bit like domestic printer suppliers - offer good value hardware then make your profit on the consumables.

At the end of the day my Satmap is still just about the best device I have found for what I need - tough, withstands the elements, accurate and sensitive GPS (it even works inside vehicles or indoors), can plan routes on the device or from your computer, 20 hour battery life, good bike mount, ability to upload and download routes, good mapping (if you pay for it).

asquithea

Mmm, I'm not quite so in love.

Dunno how you get 20 hours' battery - I get about 5 with the lithium pack, and precious little warning when it's about to give up. (about 30 min from full bars to nothing). The "sensitive and accurate" GPS is neither, in my experience; it can take forever to lock on, especially if you're not prepared to stand still and wait for it (I once walked several miles with the unit in my pocket without ever getting a lock), and the CPE jitter means it over-reads distance travelled by 5%-10%. Most of the stats aren't reliable; even max speed tends to give randomly high values.

Panning is painfully slow, and map loading requires a card reinsert every time on my firmware. Likewise, new routes need a full restart on my unit. There's no audible alert if you wander off your planned route, only beeps as you hit waypoints. There's no distinguishing sound between a minor point on a route and a turning point. When your route crosses itself, it's really hard to see the direction arrows without coming to a complete stop and squinting at it.

The bike mount is, as you say, excellent, but if you bail there's a good chance that it'll separate from the back and you'll spend the next 10 minutes trying to find your batteries.

Can't really fault the shock-proofing and water resist - it's basically a much more robust platform than a smartphone for a bit of biking - but the limitations above, and the sheer cost of the maps (especially since you can't upload your own) don't make it a fantastic platform IMHO.

walkingbootweather

I agree it is in no way perfect but my experiences have clearly been better than yours. I can't honestly say I have 20 hours out of the Lithium pack but I have been out for 7 or 8 hours walking or on the bike without any problem. I have also used it over three days (for 2-4 hours per day) without charging. I have never seen less than 50% charge remaining but I guess these things can drop from 50% to nothing quickly.

I have found that if the unit 'knows where it is' e.g. the same location as it was when last switched off then it locks on quite quickly - if you drive somewhere else and switch on then it does take a few minutes to lock on.

I have found stats pretty reliable - certainly better than those from my phone.

Panning can be slow at the 'wrong scale' but I have been able to live with it

I agree it's not great when you wander from the route and direction arrows are hard to read - especially when travelling at any speed on the bike.

Never had any problems with back coming off. The only time I experienced any reliability problems was when I did a 65 mile sportive and it didn't stop raining. At the end after about 5 hours it started behaving very strangely. Took the battery out and allowed it to dry properly and it was fine again.

If it was possible to source and load mapping yourself I would certainly give the Satmap a thumbs up, but the charges mean I could only recommend to intensive users.

Dog Breath

Recently got myself a Garmin Montana 650, and really pleased with it. Has a lithium battery which is supposed to last 16 hours, but that can be replaced with A4 cells, so no issues of finding you are out of battery power. It also has a nice big touch screen and scrolls really well.

I already have Garmin Mapsource road maps, so I just upload these as and when I need them But the beauty of the Montana is that you can create your own custom maps (see Mobile Atlas Creator) and upload these to your device.

Brilliant.