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General => General => Topic started by: Hedgetrimmer on 27 December 2013, 11:23:05 am
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Just been wondering whether or not it's worth allowing myself to be dragged a bit further into the modern age for my planned Euro tour. I've read quite a lot on how sat nav would be especially handy when arriving in larger towns/cities to help find hotel locations etc. Also, there's a last-minute bookings site that might be useful, so internet could also be very helpful (plus staying in touch on the forums I use). Not to mention keeping track of the weather to help with contingency planning on the fly.
Soooo, what kind of system should I be looking at? I really have very little experience of all this gadgetry, even my current mobile phone is something from the dark ages! What kind of cost? (this could well be the point which decides for me which system I might plump for, or indeed, whether I get anything at all). If it means more than one unit, I'll probably give it a miss entirely. If it means replacing my current mobile, I'll consider it, but also would want to keep any monthly payments pretty low.
If answering, please bear in mind you're talking to a gadget-dimwit, terminology needs to be basic or explained!
Cheers
Nick
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I had a lot of success with a £20 chinese satnav bought off ebay, stuffed in a tankbag with a 12V lead from the battery. If you remember, that was the satnav I punched to death before my ill-fatd ride. Then again, it had lasted nearly a year and a half - a lot longer than I thought it would, and for that price, you can't complain!!
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Hi nick.....if its cheap your looking for, I use my pay as you go mobile using free wifi.great in built up areas towns etc...not too good in the mountains :'(.......got an samsung ace paid about 130.00 for it...got a 5mp camera .most of the pictures I post on here are taken with it........oh... and as a bonus your able to make telephone calls with it :lol
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If your mobile is on a contract, see if you can get an upgrade. I've got a Nokia Lumia 925 which is a Windows phone but gives internet, satnav with free for life map updates and works pretty well as a phone too.
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A good smartphone would fit the bill, but you'll need extras to run it as a waterproof sat-nav and the monthly tariff will be anything but cheap and while abroad it'll cost you to use the internet if you haven't got a wifi connection.
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Just been warned of costs of using t'internet abroad. Up to £500 bills racked up for 10 mins is one horror story! :eek Internet cafes?
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Ive covered over 30 countries with my sat nav, wouldnt leave home without it because Im geographically incompetant!
Ive got a Garmin Zumo 660 but thats the 'all singing, all dancing' version and not cheap, actually its foccing expensive but I do travel.
Poor mans version (I set this up for my mate who was travelling in the Himalayas with me this summer) is a Garmin Nuvi 310. You can find em on ebay for about £20, its has a earphone socket (3.5mm jack in) and it will take music, if thats your thing.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/garmin-nuvi-deluxe310-travel-assistant-/141150241135?pt=UK_CE_GPS_Accessories_Software_ET&hash=item20dd35c16f (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/garmin-nuvi-deluxe310-travel-assistant-/141150241135?pt=UK_CE_GPS_Accessories_Software_ET&hash=item20dd35c16f)
Wire it into the battery, 2 wires, one red, one black, obvious where they go...
Then buy a £12 waterproof GPS holder bag thingy (ebay) thats waterproof and attaches to your handlebars.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/K5M-Motorcycle-Bike-Bicycle-Waterproof-Case-Bag-Cover-Mount-For-3-5-4-3-Gar-GPS-/390681154104?pt=UK_CE_GPS_Accessories_Software_ET&hash=item5af6695238 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/K5M-Motorcycle-Bike-Bicycle-Waterproof-Case-Bag-Cover-Mount-For-3-5-4-3-Gar-GPS-/390681154104?pt=UK_CE_GPS_Accessories_Software_ET&hash=item5af6695238)
I recommend Garmin over everything else because you can 'get' (not buy!!!!) maps off the net that will go straight into your machine. You can also use Garmin Basecamp to plan your routes on the computer and upload them to your GPS ready for your trip.
Basecamp (its free) - http://www.garmin.com/en-GB/shop/downloads/basecamp (http://www.garmin.com/en-GB/shop/downloads/basecamp)
Map uploads (make a backup and read read read before you do anything mapwise) - http://www.noeman.org/gsm/garmin-maps/107687-garmin-maps-index-europe-asia-africa-americas-middle-east-australia-oceania-bluechart.html (http://www.noeman.org/gsm/garmin-maps/107687-garmin-maps-index-europe-asia-africa-americas-middle-east-australia-oceania-bluechart.html)
Give me a shout if you want more info ;)
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Mobile phone is the easy all in one gadget to go for, get a cheapish one that's unlocked then when you get into Europe buy one of their pay as you go sim cards from a petrol station or similar- all usage costs will be cheaper than using your English one, and it'll be impossible to overspend!
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If you are a gadget-dimwit then would you be able to use a laptop / smartphone? There's no point me bringing a state-of-the-art toolcase on holiday as no matter how good the tools I wouldn't know how to use them!
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Hi Nick,
I'm delighted to hear your taking the eurp-plunge next year. Good on ya'. As you may remember I did a tour of Holland, Germany, France and Belgium in September. I went to the Nurburgring yi know ;) . Anyway, I used the sat-nav in my mobile phone (Nokia lumia 900) which worked about 70% of the time. The problem there is, when you turn your sat-nav on its because you need it, so %70 is not good. It resulted in me double monkey punching my tank with both fists. My friend had tomtom on his phone too, but also lost the signal a couple of times. It seemed to happen in down-town city streets or the middle of nowhere.
As a result, I am going to buy a dedicated device. I have a tomtom xl one with full Europe maps which I used last year whilst touring in the car with the missus. It was amazing. The days we used it it worked perfect, every time. No stress or hassle. I am going to sell that one only because I want a sat-nav with bluetooth that can work with my intercom.
Sat-nav makes a huge difference on your travels. It means you can ride about all you like, but when you want to get to your digs, a petrol station or landmark, you can without dicking about. And there will probably be at least one occasion when this will happen. Another thing to consider is planning some of your route before you go. Try bestbikingroads.com (I have a few posts on there myself) to get an idea of recommended roads by local bikers. You can then load them into your device before you set off, that way you know you are not going to miss any wee gems. I drove this great road in the Alsace last year in the Saab. It was like a rally stage. We never passed another car for over an hour. We would never have found that area without the sat-nav.
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My Tomtom took me over some fantastic roads in the eifel mountains last year, that I would never have found otherwise. It's great to be able to say "give me twisties" when you want them, and still be heading towards your destination. Then when you start to get towards the end of the day, just hit "quickest route, and there you are, at your hotel.
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You don't need a satnav for the major routes between places, but it'll help you estimate journey times which is useful.
Where you really do need it is at the end of a long day when you just want to find your camp site or hotel it'll save a lot of messing around. After all you are meant to be on holiday!
I'd also suggest that if you want to do the impulsive thing where by you figure it out as you go along rather than plan everything to the last detail before you leave then mobile internet access will be very handy.
For example you might want to lookup somewhere nice to go for lunch, or somewhere to go for a beer in the evening, or you might want to look at tourist attractions along a route you've chosen.
So if you can only take one device then I'd suggest a smartphone with internet and Google Maps or similar would be best. It's not as good a sat nav as the garmin, but it does everything.
In respect of cost it's come down a lot within the EU due to new rules. I'm on a £7/month sim only contract with 3 and was automatically enabled for roaming as I got on the ferry. They do an offer where by you pay a fixed rate of £5 day for unlimited access, but because we were using my brother's Garmin fixed on his bike for main satnav I didn't bother. We just used my phone for looking stuff up as discussed above and a little pedestrian satnav etc and it came to around £20 for eight days. If I were using it more heavily or as main SatNav I'd have done the £5/day thing. I do use it as satnav within the UK with headphones and it works ok.
The trick is getting the Android phone yourself so you only need to buy the sim only contract, then it's only a few quid a month on a rolling monthly contract that can be cancelled any time. I might be able to lend you an android phone if you need, but I would need to check if I can find my old one and if it works. And remember, there's nothing wrong with hand-me-downs if you have a mate who wants to sell their old one!
Andy
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Dont trust Google map routes 100%!
Experience has taught me that Google maps will make almost unrideable tracks appear as roads.
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Google maps sent me here, off road, 5000 meters up....
Higher than Everest Basecamp, no wonder I was a bit breathless :eek
(http://i42.tinypic.com/m8meyx.jpg)
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Head is already starting to spin...... :lol
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Google maps sent me here, off road, 5000 meters up....
Well it does say off road, can't really see your problem!
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Google maps sent me here, off road, 5000 meters up....
Well it does say off road, can't really see your problem!
Google maps said it was a road, my Zumo realised it wasnt.
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Google maps sent me here, off road, 5000 meters up....
Higher than Everest Basecamp, no wonder I was a bit breathless :eek
([url]http://i42.tinypic.com/m8meyx.jpg[/url])
Everest base camp approx. 17,500ft.
Summit of Mont Blanc (highest point in the Alps) approx. 15,500ft.
Just sayin....... :lol
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Where were you?
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I went higher than Everest basecamp, just sayin ;)
(http://i42.tinypic.com/15gyom0.jpg)
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Where were you?
Himalayas in India.
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Mattsplat 1
Nick Crisp 0
Game to you Matt! :lol
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Mattsplat 1
Nick Crisp 0
Game to you Matt! :lol
:lol :lol :lol
Back to the original topic, believe me when I say dont trust Google maps 100%, even in Europe it'll take you down some 'interesting' tracks.
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So will any sat nav, they all need to be treated with caution...
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Anyway, what were you riding over the khardung la? Please say 'twas an Enfield :-)
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Anyway, what were you riding over the khardung la? Please say 'twas an Enfield :-)
No way, I wanted something I could trust :rollin
Bought a Hero Honda, Pulsar 220.
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Navfree is a brilliant app for either android or iphone. Maybe on windows too. Maps are updated often and are stored on the phone so no data/wifi needed.
Used it manytimes and cant fault it. My dad used it recently in spain and worked flawlessly. Well worth a look
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Navfree is a brilliant app for either android or iphone. Maybe on windows too. Maps are updated often and are stored on the phone so no data/wifi needed.
Used it manytimes and cant fault it. My dad used it recently in spain and worked flawlessly. Well worth a look
Thank you NorthWestern, will check that out on tomorrow's ride.
Andy
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Navfree is very good- and free, but it does use a lot of memory space- just incase you was thinking of filling your phone with shawaddywaddy's greatest hits!
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Tch! Don't you know anything?! It's Showaddywaddy. :rolleyes
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I use my mobile phone which works great as long as charging system is without problems ie dodgy lead and ciggy lighter. I've also got an old PDA with a navman expansion case. Not used it for a long while but when I did I installed tom tom software which covered Europe.
Whichever system you opt for you need it to connect to in helmet sound to reduce need to look at the maps
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Depends how much money you want to spend. Advantage og Garmin or Tomtom bike specific is that they are 100% waterproof and are easy to see, mounted on the handlebars at the right angle. No roaming fees either. My Tomtom Rider 2 works 100% of the time and has taken me right across Europe and back I've had it now 6 years and it's bulletproof. But they are £300+. My mate's Garmin resets itself occasionally .....
The trouble with the car ones, or the phone ones, is they are not waterproof. No box is 100% waterproof, and if they are in a tank bag they are difficult to read. I've ridden with mates using them and they have had to rely on mine.
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Yeah the tank bag or even the phone holders with the vynl windows are poor. You can get aluminum ones with gorilla glass that you fit your phone in (on ebay for around a tenner) these are waterproof and can be made so good you can leave it in the bath with a smear of instant gasket on the join. Nice fitting arm etc and your set.
Like people say it depends on money. I have a galaxy s3 that I use as I only need it rarely, certainly not enough to buy a sat nav.
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I use a Tomtom with full Euro maps , cost me about £ 90 from Halfords , in a tank bag sat nav holder , I only find them difficult to see if it's pissing down , I used to have a dedicated Garmin bike satnav which was mounted on the handlebars so easier to see , but eventually the charging bracket fucked up due to water ingress although it was supposed to be waterproof , but it still took your eyes off the road , but I don't look at it unless i'm lost , I just follow signs and take a good map as a back up , cos gadgets tend to fuck up when you need them most .
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I have a TomTom Urban Rider. It's pretty good for what I paid, it was a discounted factory refurbed example. Battery lasts well and it's never cocked up in a major way. Took it to France and it was good there too. I have a smartphone but the TomTom takes a lot of the faff out of it and if you keep it for a few years would probably be a worthwhile investment.
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Forgot to say, it is waterproof and mounted on my handlebar, it clips into a spring loaded holder/mount fixed there. Screen is easy to operate with gloves. Can link up to your phone and/or Bluetooth headset (so it can shout directions at you or so you can take phonecalls) although I've never felt the need to bother.
I just follow signs and take a good map as a back up , cos gadgets tend to fuck up when you need them most .
Like esetest, I still keep a map in my tank bag as backup though
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I was reading an article recently (unfortunately I can't remember where right now) saying that using Sat Navs in the mountains can be dodgy as the maps aren't always up to date and they won't tell you eg if a particular pass has been closed due to snow etc!
Also don't forget that, in France, it's illegal to have Speed Camera warnings operating (although you can have warnings of speed camera zones).
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I was reading an article recently (unfortunately I can't remember where right now) saying that using Sat Navs in the mountains can be dodgy as the maps aren't always up to date and they won't tell you eg if a particular pass has been closed due to snow etc!
Aye, cos a paper map covers that one for you :rollin
Also don't forget that, in France, it's illegal to have Speed Camera warnings operating (although you can have warnings of speed camera zones).
I think the term there is danger zones, not camera zones?
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I was reading an article recently (unfortunately I can't remember where right now) saying that using Sat Navs in the mountains can be dodgy as the maps aren't always up to date and they won't tell you eg if a particular pass has been closed due to snow etc!
Aye, cos a paper map covers that one for you :rollin
Also don't forget that, in France, it's illegal to have Speed Camera warnings operating (although you can have warnings of speed camera zones).
I think the term there is danger zones, not camera zones?
He does have a point though. I take it there'll be places where you can check for mountain weather forecasts and current pass status before heading fruitlessly up one road or another?
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This is a handy site Ive used for the passes :)
They list all of the passes, opening times, tolls and they rate the rides with gold, silver and bronze routes, all for bikers.
http://www.alpineroads.com/passes.php (http://www.alpineroads.com/passes.php)
I probably should have put this post in your touring thread :rolleyes
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This is a handy site Ive used for the passes :)
They list all of the passes, opening times, tolls and they rate the rides with gold, silver and bronze routes, all for bikers.
[url]http://www.alpineroads.com/passes.php[/url] ([url]http://www.alpineroads.com/passes.php[/url])
I probably should have put this post in your touring thread :rolleyes
Not to worry, don't mind a bit of digression here and there!
Thanks for another tip Matt. It is kinda relevant here though, as it prompts another question regarding use of tech: What's the prevalence of internet cafes like in the regions I'm looking at? Would it be a viable way to keep track of such things, or would it be too expensive/time consuming?
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Youll get wifi at most accomadation, cafe's and the like, but, I still stand by my original post and recommend a £20 Nuvi 310.
As for problems with GPS in the mountains, I have NEVER had that!