Dedicated GPS vs Cell Phone

[sapest]

Thx.

I have always used Express for the update, and then Mapinstaller to move the map to the SD card.

Express (lack of) quality is why you see so few updated Garmin GPS's

-Steve

 

[juniorfjr]

I use both my Galaxy and Zumo 660 both bluetoothed to the Sena. I prefer the Garmin routing over Google Maps. Last year when going to WFO I hadn't checked the 660 before leaving and It had puked all of it's memory so was unusable. I had to rely on the phone and it was less than Ideal.

 

[Knifemaker]

I've found most times I use my phone. (iPhone 6 plus) while in the car. I'm ordering one of these to mount it to my bike:

https://reticam.com/product/smartphone-tripod-mount-with-conversion-kit.php

It basicly bolts your phone down, no springs or straps needed.

Then using a standard RAM mount camera ball that will screw into the bottom,

https://www.rammount.com/search?search_type=search&query=Camera+mount

and a handle bar mount with a short arm.

From what I understand you can't get turn by turn voice prompts using Google Maps if you have an older iPhone. (5 or less)

My Zumo 550 died a long while back, and I (being what you would call "po") just can't justify spending another $600 on a dedicated GPS, especially when my phone can do the same stuff.

But my needs for a GPS are mostly just getting me to addresses I'm not familiar with.

 

[draco_1967]

RE: phone touch screen with gloves...

I have a small stylus that is tethered to either my tank bag or the tablet mount. If I really need to mess with something, I can do it without removing my gloves. I prefer to stop anyway, but sometimes the stylus comes in handy.

 

[TomInPA]

I want to add something to Sapest's post

My comment about SD card was just that, given the map file sizes, even an 8G card will be enough storage for a while. Yes, the 66x on board storage is lacking, yes if you want all of NA, you must go to secondary storage. Maybe I am fooling myself, but I think screens load faster with the maps on the SD card.Everything you say about the smartphone is true. I was talking about interface, not technology. The garmin can find the closest Italian Rest or gas station with about 6 or 7 icon taps, something I can do while stopped at a red light. I dont have to open Google maps and type "gas station near me".Where I would like to roast Garmins cherries is the out of date POI listings. Major malfunction on occasion.-Steve

I don't disagree with what you are saying. The phone is superior in practically every way - EXCEPT software. I suspect Garmin allowed the map/POI file to grow to its current size primarily to render older GPS with lifetime maps obsolete. There is no way that a mapset for North America has to occupy that much space! A lot of devices cannot use an SD card and even fewer owners are capable of implementing that swap of storage allocation the first time the map download fails due to insufficient space. Since I don't have any plans to ride in Mexico in the near future, I haven't (yet) put my maps on the SD card but probably shall do so - especially if it speeds things up. (So far, I have managed with the internal memory by leaving out Mexico, deleting alternate languages, help files, voices and icons as well as placing routes etc. on the SD card.)

Not to turn this into a Zumo tutorial - this is what I do with maps and SD card.
Choose any segment of map to install and be sure to choose download to device and computer. (Make sure you know where the maps end up on your PC)
After the update finishes, start the zumo and let the new map load and be sure all is well.
Be sure your SD card is installed in the zumo.
Connect zumo to PC and fire up Mapinstaller.
Tell Mapinstaller you want to load maps to the SD card, not the zumo.
Highlight all the map segments you want. Go crazy, lots of room. I think I loaded 183 segements the last time.
Let Mapinstaller do its thing.
After Mapinstaller is done, in Windows Explorer, find the zumo internal storage, perhaps drive E or F; and find the map file in the .SYSTEM folder (it will be a hidden Folder) It will be the one giant .img file. Change the extension from .img to .sav.
Disconnect the zumo and fire it up and make sure all is well.
If not ok, go back and change .sav back to .img. The zumo will work and you can go ride.
Something went wrong. Ponder things before you do anything else.
If all ok, reconnect the zumo to the PC, find the file on the zumo you renamed and delete it.

Its much easier to do than describe. The extra steps are there because I have found that the update process is flaky no matter how solid your internet connection is and you can download a bad map on occasion. Garmin servers must be of the same age as their GPS code.

You should hook up the antenna in late Aug. XM gives away two weeks of free weather notification, sometime around the Aug long weekend. Its fun to be told "rain is nearby" 10 minutes after you get wet. And every once in a while some sat fradio channel

s will be free to try.

-Steve

Lots of good information in this post, but I'm going to add one more. Newer Zumo and Nuvi GPS have hidden system folders and you can't find the maps and other important stuff if you want to create a backup. The newer units are shipped with the drive in Media Transfer Protocol (MTP), and in order to access the hidden folders fand files, you have to change that to USB Mass Storage Mode. This makes the storage accessible to a PC and also to the old MapSource and MapInstaller programs.

To change to Mass Storage:

1. Bring up the volume screen on the GPS.

2. On the upper right hand corner. Press your finger on screen and hold for 10 seconds.

3. Shortly you will see the developers screen.

4. Find MTP Settings and touch it.

5. It will show 3 selections. MTP Auto Detect,Mass Storage and Mass Storage Single Session.

6. Touch Mass Storage as your selection.

7. Select save

Once the device is changed from MTP to Mass Storage you do not have to switch it back. Don't delete any files if you don't know what you are doing, and do make a complete backup of the GPS and system files.

 

[sapest]

Ok then.

More Zumo stuff.

I am pretty sure that 66x Zumos are by default in Mass Storage Mode. If Windows assigns a drive letter to the Zumo internal storage when you hook it to a PC, then you are OK.

To speed up the process, you can have the SD card in the PC rather than the Zumo. Prep the SD card by creating a /GARMIN Folder off the root of the drive. (the SD card) Mapinstall will find that card and allow you to place maps on it, even if its not installed in the Zumo.

A couple of usage tips -

If you are using the sat radio, you can flip the green top bar of the display from "song info" to "next street" mode by tapping the bar.

No matter how far into the menu tree you are, press and hold the 'back' button and the display will go back to the main screen. This can save you quite a few taps.

-Steve

 

[eflyguy]

Edit: Looked at downloading Google Map segments and while decent for a local ride, not practical for a journey that uses up significant portions of continents!

I'm not trying to position it as a replacement for our expensive dedicated devices and associated "feature rich" software, I would absolutely choose my Garmin, but you can make it work quite well with pre-journey planning and segment customization, which can be pulled up on-demand while in areas with coverage if your device can't accommodate all of them at once.

 

[sapest]

Went for a ride today, and guess what, at least in Canada, free traffic and weather.

-Steve

 

[Mossyrocks13k]

I normally use an older NUVI 550 (8 years old), but lately it has been having some issues with initialization. I have used Co-Pilot on several android phones as backup. Co-Pilot loads all the maps to local storage. It uses *.trp files (same as TomTom) which can be loaded via the computer to the phone.

The basic Co-Pilot app is free. It will cost you $10 (USD) to add voices and the ability to load routes.

 

[Daverrt62]

I also use a Tom Tom Rider and it works fine, I can plan my trip on the computer and load it to the gps. I use my iPhone as a back up when needed. I use a ram mount with the short mount for the gps, and the long mount for the iPhone. In bright sunlight it can be a bitch to see either one.

 

[Fred W]

I wrote up a tutorial on loading the full map set on a zumo 450/550 about 10 years ago and posted it on this forum. That also works on the zumo 66x series. To me, that is a non issue. Since you know it wont fit, just load the full map set to your PC and then transfer the full map set to your SD card. I make copies of the SD cards, but in using this method over the last decade Ive never had a card corrupt.

Heres the link to my prior post:

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/144834-garmin-zumo-550-memory-limitations/?do=findComment&comment=953018

The last garmin gps with good daylight visible screen was the zumo 450/550, which is why I still run a 550. They still havent made anything better.

I ride for weeks at a time with highly limited cell service. The state of Vermont doesnt believe in erecting cell towers. A cell phone is not an answer for me.

 

[ogopogo]

I ride for weeks at a time with highly limited cell service.

There are many offline options for phone navigation. I considered using one on a permanently-mounted retired phone with no sim. I tried several offline nav apps but found I preferred Google Maps with its offline capabilities. Here are a couple articles describing some options. https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-3-free-offline-gps-apps-android/ https://www.androidpit.com/best-offline-gps-apps-for-android I decided that all things considered, it was slickest to use the phone I carry all the time instead of adding another device. Even though I'd decided to use Google Maps, I installed a couple of fully offline options and made sure I knew how to use them. But it turned out I've never needed them.

 

[RichDoyle]

I'm up to my ears in GPS receivers:

Zumo 590 on the bike (also iPod music player, cell-phone control center and TPMS monitor)

Zumo 590 for the pickup

Built-in unit in the Prius.

Samsung with Co Pilot, mostly used for walkabout in North America and Europe.

Three units in the airplane, one of which also gives me inflight weather and traffic on my iPads (yes, plural).

Somewhere around here is a Zumo 660, a 550 (I think) and an Aera 795. I no longer use these.

FWIW, I have found the 590 display completely fine in bright sunlight, though certain sunglasses can sometimes be a problem. So I just view it below helmet visors in such cases. The Samsung is definitely problematic in bright sunlight.