Still Deeply Unimpressed with the Garmin 1000

meanredspider

So, second time round a year later with the Garmin 1000, and I'm hoping things have got better. In some ways they have but in many ways it's hardly a step up from the 800.

1. Battery life: running course navigation, an HRM and PM but no BT phone connection, I had a low battery warning after just 6 hours.
2. On a ride yesterday it refused to find either the HRM or PM - they were listed and it said "connecting" but it didn't. Both devices connected to other links later absolutely fine. I also had lots of connection issues with the PM early in another ride. With the 800 all has been ok.
3. When it detects you are "off course" it beeps, puts up a warning on the screen but "freezes" the map. You have to tap the map to find out where you are (and therefore figure out how to correct the mistake).
4. The fact that it turns on when ever you attach it to a charger or unplug it is infuriating. What's the point?
5. I turned off a path next to a canal and rode on the road. As the two routes diverged, the position arrow stayed on the path. Does it act like a car Sat Nav where it assumes you're on the route until it's absolutely sure you're not?
6. I still can't quite understand how it navigates - it takes me on some bizarre circuitous routes presumably based upon duff info in the map.

The two key plus points (and, currently, pretty much the only two from my perspective) are the fast satellite acquisition and the big clear screen. I'm very disappointed.

slowbike

1) Screen brightness? and what did you have on display - the 800 runs the battery down much quicker if it's on map display.
2) Fun ....
3) handy! But then my 800 has buzzed up "Off Course" when I'm on a perfectly straight road and I'm on course ... its probably better to be a step or two in front of the unit .. although when you do take a wrong turn ...
4) actually this was a handy feature when the power button broke on my previous 800 - have it turn off on idle and to power on again just connect it to a power source - I used it for several months like that.
5) Dunno ...
6) Ah - I don't use the 800 like a satnav - I only upload pre-determined routes

I can't see any reason I'd change to a 1000 - the only reason I'd be tempted to change to the 810 was for the bluetooth connectivity and live tracking - but as the phone can do that anyway ...

Actually, just occasionally it would be handy to be able to see a text on the garmin rather than fish out the phone from the back pocket - I gather that's a feature available on the 1000? Anyway, it's so infrequent that it's not worth the bother....

meanredspider

I think screen brightness was on auto - it was on the map but the 800 can last at least 12 hours like that.

I think the 800 buzzes off course when the satellite signal is a bit shaky. There have been certain rides I've been on when I've had that a few times and, within a few metres it's found course.

I don't think you can read a text on the 1000 only know that you've received one from a specific person/number.

I need to find the setting for turn guidance on courses (if there is one - I'd heard they might have removed it too). When the 1000 is navigating (rather than following a course) it does turn guidance with beeps,ma distance countdown and a zoomed in map (similar to the 800) but, at the current settings at least, the 1000 isn't doing that. You also can't tell it what bike you're on.

rower63

meanredspider wrote:

...I need to find the setting for turn guidance on courses (if there is one - I'd heard they might have removed it too).

The "Turn Guidance On/Off is now global rather than course-specific. If you touch the "Courses" icon from the main screen, then touch the three horizontal lines bottom right, you get to "Course Options", the first one of which is "Turn Guidance".

dhope

rower63 wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

...I need to find the setting for turn guidance on courses (if there is one - I'd heard they might have removed it too).

The "Turn Guidance On/Off is now global rather than course-specific. If you touch the "Courses" icon from the main screen, then touch the three horizontal lines bottom right, you get to "Course Options", the first one of which is "Turn Guidance".

Ta, had wondered about that too.

Re: the OP. Can't disagree with any of it. Battery life is unspectacular, routing is still pants. Screen nicer though. It's now an 800 with 5yr old mobile screen tech rather than 10yr old.

meanredspider

rower63 wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

...I need to find the setting for turn guidance on courses (if there is one - I'd heard they might have removed it too).

The "Turn Guidance On/Off is now global rather than course-specific. If you touch the "Courses" icon from the main screen, then touch the three horizontal lines bottom right, you get to "Course Options", the first one of which is "Turn Guidance".

Cool - thanks.

FoldingJoe

I remember on my commute from Gracechurch Street to Tunbridge Wells on evening (not been doing it long and decided to try a different route) I took a wrong turn.

The route my 800 took me on to get me to my destination couldn't have been more of a pain in the 'arris!!

I was ready to throw it under a bus.

lancew

I've got one and I'm finding that the routing is dire...

I'm actually tempted to re mount my phone on my handlebars just to be able to use google maps to get around London.

It loves taking you along horrid back streets with constant intersections rather than going "oh look there is one main road running that whole length lets let Lance get up to speed".

I've used it a few times and come out somewhere after 20 minutes that I should have got to in 10.

ben-----

meanredspider wrote:

3. When it detects you are "off course" it beeps, puts up a warning on the screen but "freezes" the map.

Blimey, that's what the 500 does as well. There really is something wrong with Garmin. How does the 800 handle going off course? I forgot and don't have one anymore. 200 handles it well.

meanredspider

ben----- wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

3. When it detects you are "off course" it beeps, puts up a warning on the screen but "freezes" the map.

Blimey, that's what the 500 does as well. There really is something wrong with Garmin. How does the 800 handle going off course? I forgot and don't have one anymore. 200 handles it well.

The 800 beeps "insistently" and displays an "off course" warning but continues to track progress on the map so you know where you are and what to do.

rower63

I haven't used my 1000 for anything too clever yet, mainly standard ride-logging including navigating a few pre-loaded routes which was fine until once when I got lost, and it then just seemed to give up.
Also extremely irritating is the requirement to press "OK" for any pop-up message, such as "Power Meter Battery Low" or "Course Found". To get rid of those screen-obscuring messages you have to take a hand off the bars and your eyes off the road to gently touch the OK area. Why can't these messages just disappear after, say, 10 seconds?
And the backlight seems to come on and off randomly, that can't be good for the battery life.
Perhaps there are settings for these things that I'm not aware of?

meanredspider

Yes - I'd forgotten about the course found bit - it obscures/freezes the map so you aren't sure again where to go.