Just got a Garmin 800 - some advice please

Bike-Rich

Hi all,

Just received and charged a Garmin 800, I have the 1.50k os maps and downloaded Garmin Express to ensure everything is updated.

I've started to read through the manuals and feeling a bit overwhelmed by the amount of things this device does (I have no need of sensor options as of yet).

I have downloaded a map route I am going to copy over, just wanted to know if the transferring of files is done through the Garmin Express application or folder view.
Any other points or tips most appreciated,

Thanks,

t4tomo

I load routes on direct from map creation sites - usualy ridewithgps.com, just make sure your garmin is connected to PC and turned on and it does it by following the instructions on website.

useful link for getting decent free maps if you only have the garmin free ones
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/05/download-garmin-705800810.html

kayakerchris

I f you have just got the device and not signed upto any of the route creation websites, don't worry.

I use ridewithgps in free mode and it is fine.

when you have made and saved a route, click export as gpx track.

Copy this to newfiles in the Garmin. Disconnect from the computer and switch it on. Let it find the satellites and its location

Click on menu and then courses. You will see your new route by name in the list of courses.

load the course and click the spanner.

Go down the options and make sure that you have routing turned on,

then click OK and it will go through the process of loading the route and you will see the percentage creep up. Do not turn it off during this

press start and ride. The garmin will beep to tell you that it has found the course and give you directions

Good luck

Chris

fat_cat

I have an 800 and use Strava to create routes and transfer them onto the Garmin.

There are step by step instructions on Strava that an IT numpty like me could follow so it must be easy to do.

Bike-Rich

REALLY appreciate your help guys, i've made some notes and will give it a go shortly.

As well as following a route though, I take it I can also use the Garmin 'as is' and take it out and it should follow my position?

Thank you,

camerauk

Yes you should be fine to do that, although don't forget to push the start button(bottom right button) to start recording your ride, a friend of mine loaded a route onto his, started the route but forgot to push the start button he rode the route fine with turn by turn instructions etc but his ride was not recorded to the Garmin

CiB

This is a good guide to using the 800.

http://www.scarletfire.co.uk/foolproof- ... -edge-800/

If your PC has a card reader slot your Garmin's SD card into that as it takes the Garmin hours to copy the maps across; it'll be a lot quicker in a card reader.

Bike-Rich

CiB wrote:

This is a good guide to using the 800.

http://www.scarletfire.co.uk/foolproof- ... -edge-800/

If your PC has a card reader slot your Garmin's SD card into that as it takes the Garmin hours to copy the maps across; it'll be a lot quicker in a card reader.

Thank you all again,

The link above seems very good, I never realized so many of the routing options needed to be changed! Will get on to that asap.

Quick question - what kind of brightness are you guys using %?

slowbike

Bike-Rich wrote:

Quick question - what kind of brightness are you guys using %?

As low as possible with a timeout

on the dark commutes I may stick it back on, but again, low ...

lostboysaint

Slowbike wrote:

Bike-Rich wrote:

Quick question - what kind of brightness are you guys using %?

As low as possible with a timeout

on the dark commutes I may stick it back on, but again, low ...

that. A quick tap on the screen if I'm desperate to see some information.

CiB

Bike-Rich wrote:

Thank you all again,

The link above seems very good, I never realized so many of the routing options needed to be changed! Will get on to that asap.

Quick question - what kind of brightness are you guys using %?

I think that's why Garmins - the 800 at least - have a bad rep; it doesn't seem to work intuitively and it doesn't work out of the box in the way that people might expect it to.

I've never changed the brightness - unless you're on full day rides batt life should be ok.

Bike-Rich

Thanks again guys,
Getting a bit more used to the Garmin now.

Ideally when following a course, I would like to see my speed/time/miles remaining (if possible) on the same map screen - can this be done?

Thanks

Simontheintrepid

I think on the maps screen you can have up to two customisable fields - I have speed and distance on mine.

To set these up, from the main screen: tap 'spanner' > 'bike settings' > 'training pages'.

One of the options here should be 'map'. Click that and then select '2'. You will see the map screen but if you hold the two data fields you will be able to choose what you want to display from there.

Having just typed all that I just discovered you don't need to go through the menus once you have them set up to display. Just hold the fields to bring up the selection menu.

Hope that's useful. Now, while I'm here does anyone know if you can tell it I'm in the UK and riding on the left (you think it might know from the maps but apparently not!!!)? It sends me the wrong way around roundabouts and almost every time I get the off course warning when I go the correct way round. Thanks

Bike-Rich

That worked, thank you.

wongataa

Simontheintrepid wrote:

Now, while I'm here does anyone know if you can tell it I'm in the UK and riding on the left (you think it might know from the maps but apparently not!!!)? It sends me the wrong way around roundabouts and almost every time I get the off course warning when I go the correct way round. Thanks

The maps should have the correct direction to go round roundabouts. What maps are you using? Are you sure that the route you have put on the device has you going round roundabouts the correct way?

duckson

Slowbike wrote:

Bike-Rich wrote:

Quick question - what kind of brightness are you guys using %?

As low as possible with a timeout

on the dark commutes I may stick it back on, but again, low ...

I have a 500 and was thinking of getting an 800, i have the 500 on all the time but can press a button to turn the backlight on (and i've set it to stay on not timeout) for when its dark?

Can you do this with the 800?

freezing77

wongataa wrote:

Simontheintrepid wrote:

Now, while I'm here does anyone know if you can tell it I'm in the UK and riding on the left (you think it might know from the maps but apparently not!!!)? It sends me the wrong way around roundabouts and almost every time I get the off course warning when I go the correct way round. Thanks

The maps should have the correct direction to go round roundabouts. What maps are you using? Are you sure that the route you have put on the device has you going round roundabouts the correct way?

I use openstreetmap and it routes me the correct way around roundabouts. Some of the route creation websites route you incorrectly around roundabouts in the uk.

I have found ridewithgps to be the best route creation website for my personal preferences.

Offline route creation using garmins basecamp routes correctly in the uk using city navigator europe maps and osm.

duckson

Is that the Talkytoaster OSM maps?

freezing77

I usually get the maps direct from source here.
http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/

IShotYou

Bike-Rich wrote:

Quick question - what kind of brightness are you guys using %?

You can quickly change the brightness of the device by (with the device already powered up), pressing the power button on the left briefly. Each press brings up a brightness preset level. You can simply change each level by adjusting the scale on each screen i.e. Press the power button, press +/- to the brightness you want for that preset, press the power button again, and repeat that procedure.
When riding press the power button that shows the level you want,(it will cycle through the levels) and press the red X to exit out of the screen. This sets the brightness for the other screens.
I have them set to full ON, OFF, and a couple of notches up from bottom, but often adjust them whilst riding.

Simontheintrepid

Sorry for the slow reply. In answer to to your response - good point. I usually use Strava (and export GPX if that makes a difference???) so that might be the issue. I find the route popularity function quite useful sometimes. However I've just checked one of my routes on Strava and it is going the right way, so something must be happening in translation. Strange.

I'm using Garmin City Navigator Europe maps.

freezing77

Just looked at creating a route on strava, it routed the wrong way around a roundabout. in fact it seems to treat them as turns. But it is inconsistent in this behaviour as it does not route the same on different roundabouts.

Simontheintrepid

Thanks for looking into it. I was hoping it was an option somewhere on the Garmin unit but it looks like it's more complicated than that. Strava's got some nice features but that is a bit daft. Maybe I'll have a go with Ride With GPS instead.

ben@31

I've only used Garmin Connect for route making. What I like about it is you can click point A then point B then it will automatically calculate the route in-between for you.

On Garmin Connect there is an icon to export to device. But I have Garmin Express still running in the background and give it a sync or two afterwards.

freezing77

ben@31 wrote:

I've only used Garmin Connect for route making. What I like about it is you can click point A then point B then it will automatically calculate the route in-between for you.

On Garmin Connect there is an icon to export to device. But I have Garmin Express still running in the background and give it a sync or two afterwards.

Personally I prefer more control over the routing than is afforded by garmin connect, I also find it rather clunky it also routes incorrectly round roundabouts.

Rather than sync with garmin express I usually just download the gpx track file. This makes for easier promulgation and sharing across different platforms, programs and devices.

Garmin connect routing screenshot.