Author Topic: GPS, Garmin 800  (Read 17269 times)

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Offline bretonman

GPS, Garmin 800
« on: February 16, 2011, 04:57:36 pm »
I have been seriously looking at buying the Garmin 800 - base model.  My questions is, with the included base map will I be able to plan routes on my computer and input to the device or must I also purchase City Nav.
After your first day of cycling, one dream is inevitable.  A memory of motion lingers in the muscles of your legs, and round and round they seem to go.  You ride through Dreamland on wonderful dream bicycles that change and grow.  H.G. Wells<br />http://www.youtube.com/user/celticstones012957

FredHiltz

  • Guest
Re: GPS, Garmin 800
« Reply #1 on: February 16, 2011, 09:48:19 pm »
Unfamiliar with the Edge 800, I downloaded its user manual. Like the other products in the Edge series, this is clearly meant for training, not touring. You can navigate a track (they call it a course) that you have previously recorded. You can navigate from your present position to:
   a point of interest in their database,
   an address (requires City Navigator),
   a location you have visited and saved, or
   a lat/long coordinate pair.

I see no instructions for building a route from many intermediate waypoints (vias) in your computer or downloaded from Adventure Cycling. Its limit of 200 saved locations is nowhere near enough for a multi-day trip. This is really a cycle computer with GPS added, not a navigation device.

I may be wrong. You should take some skepticism to your salesperson and ask to be shown how you might set this up for a tour of, say, six weeks.

We have discussed this here at length. Try going to the GPS Discussion page that lists the topics and make searches for Edge, HCx, GPSMAP, and Dakota. The last three seem to be the popular Garmin models for touring.

Fred

Offline bretonman

Re: GPS, Garmin 800
« Reply #2 on: February 20, 2011, 05:46:08 pm »
Thank you Fred.  I have also been looking at the Dakota.  I am searching for a unit to tour with and if I end up doing the Northern Tier route I would like a unit that meets those needs.  I'll take your suggestion and check the forum you mentioned.
Claude
After your first day of cycling, one dream is inevitable.  A memory of motion lingers in the muscles of your legs, and round and round they seem to go.  You ride through Dreamland on wonderful dream bicycles that change and grow.  H.G. Wells<br />http://www.youtube.com/user/celticstones012957

Offline RoseandGary

Re: GPS, Garmin 800
« Reply #3 on: April 15, 2011, 10:48:25 am »
We used the Edge 705(similar to the 800) to travel from Chicago to Asia by bike.  When used in conjunction with an internet mapping program (free) www.ridewithgps.com it was great.

We just got the Edge 800, our 705 disintegrated its weatherproof membrane, and the City Navigator map for North America was included in the bundle.

Offline SteveVarnum

Re: GPS, Garmin 800
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2011, 07:46:08 pm »
I used the Edge 705 to ride what Garmin calls "courses" in the 48 states.  I rode at least 100 miles in each state (May 2010 - November 2010) and plan to do Hawaii in June and Alaska in July.  Then 2nd week in July, a friend and I are going to use our Edge 800's to navigate across the U.S. (using ACA's maps if we can get them downloaded correctly).

In other words, the Garmin Edge series are made for navigating anywhere you want.  I used www.mapmyride.com to make the route and then downloaded it into my Garmin.

I am now trying to figure out how to navigate the nomenclature of the Waypoints that Adventure Cycling creates in their downloads.  It appears my download of the Northern Tier has missing sections of the 11 maps.

Offline tomdett

Re: GPS, Garmin 800
« Reply #5 on: May 06, 2011, 02:44:05 pm »
Any thoughts on the 800 vs. 705?   I plan to tour using a GPS and a notebook computer along so that I don't have to put the whole tour in the GPS unit at one time.    Software?

Offline SteveVarnum

Re: GPS, Garmin 800
« Reply #6 on: May 06, 2011, 04:03:01 pm »
Hi, Tom:  Either the 705 or the 800 can be used for navigation purposes.  The 800 is touch screen (not a big deal, but I like it).  The 800 also has more pages of information; however, if you are using it strictly for navigation, there is no real advantage to the extra pages.  Both track every conceivable data you would ever need for training or races or events or whatever.  Most of that information is not necessary for a tour, but some of it is pretty good to have.  Both have heart monitors (and I like the HM on the 800 better than the 705).  As someone pointed out above, they are not primarily made for navigating across country; however, I was able to take Adv. Cycling's maps and using www.mapmyride.com, create the route for NAVIGATION PURPOSES.  It took me about an hour to create one section (400 miles).
The problem is waypoints aren't created on MapMyRide; however, with a smart phone that's not a big deal.  I looked at MapSource (as recommended by AC); however, the mapping in Map Source is very klutzy.  I don't recommend it at all...nor does Garmin for navigating across country on regular U.S. hwys/rds, etc.
The BIG ADVANTAGE to using either Edge is you don't have to look at the printed maps as you ride.  I would still want to carry them with me just in case you run into a road outage; however, Garmin (both versions) will take you to the next town or around whatever you encounter.
Back to your original question:  705 vs. 800.  I used the 705 for 3 years and found it to be a great unit and I have been using the 800 for 5 months.  I would get the 800 because it is later technology and seems very reliable.
Both units (the 705 more often than the 800) will indicate you are "off course" when you are not.  You need to be aware of that because it might "scare" you at first; however, if you are on the right road, it will indicate "course found" pretty quickly. 
Let me know you have any other questions.

Steve Varnum

FredHiltz

  • Guest
Re: GPS, Garmin 800
« Reply #7 on: May 06, 2011, 04:45:15 pm »
... As someone pointed out above, they are not primarily made for navigating across country; however, I was able to take Adv. Cycling's maps and using www.mapmyride.com, create the route for NAVIGATION PURPOSES.  It took me about an hour to create one section (400 miles).
The problem is waypoints aren't created on MapMyRide; however, with a smart phone that's not a big deal.  I looked at MapSource (as recommended by AC); however, the mapping in Map Source is very klutzy.  I don't recommend it at all...nor does Garmin for navigating across country on regular U.S. hwys/rds, etc.
The BIG ADVANTAGE to using either Edge is you don't have to look at the printed maps as you ride...

Steve, would you be interested in writing up your procedure for getting a route into an Edge? I think it would be useful as a chapter in our GPS Data User Guide. Even though other units are better suited for long routes, quite a few people are interested in the Edge series, perhaps owning one for training. If you want to explore this a bit, please PM me. (I wrote the User Guide.)

About MapSource, Garmin writes what they think it's good for at http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/cache/offonce/us/maps/tripplanningsoftware/mapsource. I use it and find the mapping just fine. But "klutzy" is exactly the right term for its user interface, which I have called old-fashioned and unconventional before. Definitely not user-friendly, but it works well once learned.

+1 on not having to look at printed maps as you ride. It is nice to have the turns called out for you.

Fred

Offline tomdett

Re: GPS, Garmin 800
« Reply #8 on: May 08, 2011, 11:17:11 pm »
Hi, Tom:  Either the 705 or the 800 can be used for navigation purposes.  The 800 is touch screen (not a big deal, but I like it).  The 800 also has more pages of information; however, if you are using it strictly for navigation, there is no real advantage to the extra pages.  Both track every conceivable data you would ever need for training or races or events or whatever.  Most of that information is not necessary for a tour, but some of it is pretty good to have.  Both have heart monitors (and I like the HM on the 800 better than the 705).  As someone pointed out above, they are not primarily made for navigating across country; however, I was able to take Adv. Cycling's maps and using www.mapmyride.com, create the route for NAVIGATION PURPOSES.  It took me about an hour to create one section (400 miles).
The problem is waypoints aren't created on MapMyRide; however, with a smart phone that's not a big deal.  I looked at MapSource (as recommended by AC); however, the mapping in Map Source is very klutzy.  I don't recommend it at all...nor does Garmin for navigating across country on regular U.S. hwys/rds, etc.
The BIG ADVANTAGE to using either Edge is you don't have to look at the printed maps as you ride.  I would still want to carry them with me just in case you run into a road outage; however, Garmin (both versions) will take you to the next town or around whatever you encounter.
Back to your original question:  705 vs. 800.  I used the 705 for 3 years and found it to be a great unit and I have been using the 800 for 5 months.  I would get the 800 because it is later technology and seems very reliable.
Both units (the 705 more often than the 800) will indicate you are "off course" when you are not.  You need to be aware of that because it might "scare" you at first; however, if you are on the right road, it will indicate "course found" pretty quickly. 
Let me know you have any other questions.

Steve Varnum

Thanks Steve.   I have used a hiking type GPS (GPSmap 60CS) with City Nav on a laptop doing daily downloads of map and routing on a previous tour so I have some experience with those false turn things.   Would like to have something that includes heart rate and cadence for training and less mass to be dealing with road shocks.  705's are discounted more than 800s since they are older so I want to be sure the 800 is better in order to save.   Perhaps the more important question is what package of mapping software should I get as the price varies widely as one loads up a 705 (or 800). 

Offline ropper

Re: GPS, Garmin 800
« Reply #9 on: June 09, 2011, 02:33:57 pm »
I am just now trying to learn how to download ACA maps into my Edge 800.  Can you steer me to any helpful sites or books I can use?

FredHiltz

  • Guest
Re: GPS, Garmin 800
« Reply #10 on: June 09, 2011, 08:37:26 pm »
As you see from reading here, the Edge series emphasizes training on routes that you have already ridden, not navigating in new terrain. Unlike the units made for touring, they cannot load the route files from Adventure Cycling. Steve wrote upthread about getting them into his Edge with third-party software. I hope he will tell us how, as this would be useful to many of us.

Fred

Offline tomdett

Re: GPS, Garmin 800 - getting ACA Waypoints & routes into Edge
« Reply #11 on: July 23, 2011, 10:29:34 pm »
As you see from reading here, the Edge series emphasizes training on routes that you have already ridden, not navigating in new terrain. Unlike the units made for touring, they cannot load the route files from Adventure Cycling. Steve wrote upthread about getting them into his Edge with third-party software. I hope he will tell us how, as this would be useful to many of us.

Fred

I have been able to open the downloaded file with MapSource, City Nav 2009, trip and waypoiint mgr v5 and then transfer the waypoints and routes to my edge 705.  How well I will be able to use them when I ride remains to be seen as previous attempts with a CS60 resulted is spurious turn indications as I passed by waypoints.   



FredHiltz

  • Guest
Re: GPS, Garmin 800
« Reply #12 on: July 23, 2011, 11:36:14 pm »
Great! Please let us know how this works out.

The spurious turns are an unavoidable consequence of positioning waypoints on one map and using them with turn-by-turn routing on another. They often appear a few feet or even a few hundred feet away from the intersection on the other map, leading the receiver sometimes to call for a turn in the wrong direction, followed by a U-turn to the right direction.

There are two ways around this. You can use straight-line navigation or you can move the waypoints to the intersections on your map--at home on your computer--before putting them into the receiver.

Check the "Considerations for Mapping Receivers" post in the sticky thread "Using Adventure Cycling GPS Data" at the top of this forum. It has more about this and other points to consider. That thread refers to the GPS Data User Guide, which has even more detail.

Fred