antokelly

hi all, ok im a total geek when it comes to gadget's but i do love them.
im half thinking of getting some kind of sat nav for touring as im crap at reading maps ,but i wont go down that road.
so what im looking for is a satnav that runs on battery's// so so simple to use,won't cost me the earth to buy
so any ideas folks thanks.

lighthorse

Antokelly,
SatNav was a system fielded years ago and has been replaced with Global Positioning System GPS. There are scores of GPS systems available for use on bicycles. I searched this forum when I was in the market and found a lot of good information and purchased a Garmin eTrex Legend Hcx. This was two years ago so you will need to get up to date information on newer systems that are available. I chose this specific unit based on battery life, map availability, functionality, and PRICE. It works very nicely for a bicycle. I have tried it on my motorcycle and don't like it because of the small screen. The small screen is fine for the low speeds involved on my bicycle. I know that there are a lot of GPS units that offer more functions than the eTrex Legend, but it has all of the functions that I want or need.
Good luck with your search.

antokelly

lighthorse thank's a million for that i'll take a look at that might just be what im looking for.

Dave Nault

Garmin makes a few models specifically for bicycles. I have the 705 but they also make a 605 and a 305 to name a few. Any of the GPS systems are easy to use and, with enough geeking, you can upload and download maps of your rides and rides of other people. While the screens are small, you can still get turn by turn directions. But keep in mind, if map reading isn't your thing then GPS won't save you either because they show you where you are on a......wait for it.......map. So, if you really want to help yourself out, take some map reading courses and then get a GPS. A GPS is great but not infallible and you have to know when it's giving you good and bad info and they sometimes do that so while they are a good aid in navigation, they do run out of battery or just plain ol crap out and a map will never do that.

antokelly

thank's dave nault,so basically i need to know how to read a map properly ah well im goosed so.but what about that little arrow that tell's me ,ok your here you want to get to there ,then follow me.

sstorkel

But, as you yourself point out, they'll also give you turn-by-turn directions (e.g. "Turn left in 100 ft", "3.5 miles to next waypoint") if you program a route. In addition, I think GPS units are somewhat easier to use than a map because they always indicate your current position and, generally, have a mode where your direction of travel is "up". As a result, you just need to worry about turning left or right rather than trying to figure out where you are and then whether to go north/south/east/west.

To the OP: I was very happy with my Garmin Edge 705 when I rode down the Pacific coast last summer. I programmed the route I wanted to follow before I left, rather than relying on the auto-routing capability of the unit. Worked great! I only made one wrong turn in 500 miles and that was mostly because I thought I'd programmed the route incorrectly.

antokelly

thank's yeah i seen the garmin 705 but it's way to expensive and complicated for me.all i want is a gps that show's me the way ,no more than that.

Wogster

The key to maps is direction, you simply need to know which way North is, this can be determined on a bright sunny day with a watch, in the Northern Hemisphere, before noon the sun is to the East, after noon it's to the West. With that you can find North. All road maps are designed so that the top is North. If you know where North is, then get off the bike, turn so that the top of the map is facing North, find the road your on, the map will now tell you which way to go on that road. In many ways it's easier on a bicycle, then when hiking because we generally follow roads. Where hikers don't.

The only time it gets tricky is on heavy overcast days, when you can't see the sun, even a cheap compass is often good enough, holding your hand flat, with the compass open, the needle will point generally North, it actually points to magnetic north rather then true north, there are things like declination to find true north, but since we are using a road map on a road, the few degrees difference don't really matter. You can turn slightly so that the road on the map lines up with reality if you like. Find your destination, and follow the road to either your destination or another road that goes to your destination. Yes, it is that simple.

Joe_Gardner

GPS is not a replacement for not knowing how to read maps. I don't think your giving yourself enough credit, try the old school paper maps, they work great and don't require batteries.

That said, Garmin makes some great GPS units, I'm very happy with my 5 year old eTrex, it has served me well, on the bike and off.

antokelly

thank's joe and wogster of course your both right i should pay more attention to reading map's.i guess these winter nights would be ideal for perfecting my map reading.
btw joe you sure a one hot kid with a camera your photos are stunning.

kayakdiver

My Garmin edge 305 will do what you want. You have to charge it via usb. Only a problem if you don't have the adapter plug or backup battery with usb.

Can program routes. Very basic route maps. It will tell you to turn right, left and of course... your going the wrong way.

Much less than a 705 also... Often find them for less than $150 with heart rate stap and cadence sensor. I really dig all the great information it saves as well.

Just an idea... cheap and simple.

Dave Nault

So are you saying that the prudent advise is to rely solely on a GPS for your total source of navigation? I doubt you planned your waypoints from a mit full of travel brochures and one restaurant to another. I'd be willing to bet a map was involved at some point and the ability to use it.

sstorkel

No. What I'm saying that using GPS isn't nearly as difficult as you're trying to make it sound.

Dave Nault

"Garmin makes a few models specifically for bicycles. I have the 705 but they also make a 605 and a 305 to name a few. Any of the GPS systems are easy to use and, with enough geeking, you can upload and download maps of your rides and rides of other people. While the screens are small, you can still get turn by turn directions. "

Note my first sentence from my first post on the subject. My point isn't that they are hard to use but a GPS doesnot replace map reading or having some basic navagational skill. A GPS becomes dead usless weight when the batteries go dead.

antokelly

i seen a lot of videos on utube on how to orientate a compass with a map ,but these videos are all backpackers .surly that woulden't work cycling as in, the road ahead is not always straight they twist and turn in all directions.im proberly trying to explain this all wrong ,but i do find it confuseing trying to orientate map and compass while cycling,am i alone on this i wonder.

kayakdiver

If you have a local rei you might want to take one of those navigation courses they offer. Or a local hiking clubs. Would go a long way in getting you familiar with compass, map and not getting lost.

Map along with compass is the way to go... but only if you know how to use them.

sstorkel

I understand your point, I just don't happen to agree with it. As long as you know left from right, you do not need map & compass skills to follow a pre-programmed route using GPS.

antokelly

excellent piece of advice thank's,im a long way from a rei store and backpacking i don't think i
would be able to carry such loads.if i could just get somebody with a bit of patience to teach me on that
great skill of reading maps/compass properly i would be a happy camper.

Wogster

That may be true, but then your stuck using someone else's idea of a tour. Your also lost if the batteries go dead. There is also the issue of changes to a route, for example your pre-programmed route says turn right at County Road 17. The problem is that county road 17 is under construction so the road is closed. There is a detour sign, you follow that, but it takes you to an expressway that you can't legally ride on. Reading a map, especially a road map is quite easy.

Wogster

Actually it works quite well, it's harder to read a map as a backpacker, because there may not be physical features to orient yourself towards, especially in deep forest, so directions are very critical. On a road oriented bicycle, this is actually easier, because the road itself is a physical feature. Say you are going to a village that is 25km North East of you. The road your on heads generally East, it crosses another road, that goes generally North into the village. Both roads are on your map, as long as you check your position on the map occasionally, you will know your going the right way.

nwmtnbkr

Once you start shopping, if you have specific questions about different units and their capabilities you might check these forums https://www.gpspassion.com/FORUMSEN/default.asp I have the MIO C320, which is slightly over $100 and has a 4.3 inch color screen. A hack is available (MioPocket) that basically turns it in to a PIM. This allows you to run various other Windows CE navigation programs, like Ozi Explorer CE. I love Ozi Explorer CE and use it for off road biking and hiking. (I live in a 2.2 million acre forest west of Glacier National Park, most commercial maps and software don't have data on the unimproved forest roads that I ride in good weather. I downloaded the USGS topo maps of the forest and open them in Ozi Explorer--I now can see where I'm going.) The other advantage of running MioPocket is that I can use my GPS unit to surf the Internet when traveling without having to carry a larger netbook or laptop. I simply pop in an SD WIFI card into the SD slot and I can get online while on the road.

sstorkel

Why? I program my routes before I leave. If you're not capable of doing that yourself, you can probably find someone to help you do it...

You're lost if you spill dinner on your map, too. FWIW, the battery in my Edge 705 seems to last quite a while; I never worry about it running out. If you're worried about batteries, buy a GPS unit that has a replaceable battery pack and get an extra one, or buy one that will run on the AA or AAA batteries available at most convenience stores.

My Edge 705, and most modern GPS units, will redirect me to my route if I make a wrong turn or need to detour for some reason. It has a bike-specific routing option, so it rarely tries to send me onto an expressway.

Maybe, maybe not. The OP seems to think it's a bit difficult...

bykemike 

I have a GPS (Garmin) in my car, on my motorcyle, my bike and use one (everyone does now) on a boat. Buy one and use it all the time even if you don't need to. The more you use it the better you will get.
They are invaluable and provide you with huge amounts of information. Embrace the new technology gentlemen!

Mike

superslomo

For navigation on a road, you shouldn't really need a compass even.

It can't hurt, but it isn't really vital. If you know to read signs, check your tripmeter, and can tell left from right you should really be pretty well okay.

That being said, having a GPS device is not a bad deal... I have one in my cell phone that does turn by turn directions (blackberry) with voiceover, and we got a tomtom one for the car this christmas. The only thing I would be concerned with is how well the device route plans for bicycles, and also how you would keep it charged. They do have a certain demand for battery power, even the Garmin Edge's consumption is such that you couldn't plan for a multi-day tour with one without having to consistently recharge (daily?)

Wogster

If you program your own routes, then you probably consulted a map, of some kind, if you can't read a map, then your stuck with downloading a tour online, and it's not yours. All other comments I made are related to this. Reading a map is easy, if you know how, relying on a GPS without the rudiments of map reading and navigation, will only work in ideal conditions. Learning to read a map, hiking clubs, sports stores, bicycle clubs all have people that can show you enough to get by.