I have noticed that a number of riders, many of whom are newbies, keep asking for advice as to what to look for in choosing a GPS.
No problem. That's what we here for, but many people answer the same questions over and over again.
So I was wondering if we could not create a "HowTo" with summary recommendations that we can just keep up to date and then refer the asker to for background info.
So I did a little work on a draft and would appreciate input if you think it is feasable, desirable or plain dof. I have stayed out of the "brand bashing" area and I would like the HowTo to be brand-agnostic as mentioning makes or models just leads to "Mine's better than your's" debates that really just confuse
The Howto will eventually be a PDF attachment, but since I can't attach one I have just included the text.
Comments please
----------------------- DRAFT ------------------------------------------
HowTo : Choose a GPS for Dual-Sport Motorcycling
Background
Many Dual Sport Motorcyclists end up regretting their GPS purchasing decision. This HowTo attempts to alert a potential GPS purchaser to the pitfalls of selecting an inappropriate GPS and attempts to guide the potential buyer towards an informed buying decision.
This guide does not recommend any makes or models of GPS.
For those new to GPS every make or model will require climbing the learning curve, and what the rider gets from the device will depend far more on the effort made in understanding the device than the capabilities of the device itself.
A more basic unit in the hands of an expert may prove far better than the most expensive unit in the hands of someone who has not taken the time to learn to use it.
“System” requirements.
It’s not just about a GPS unit. For DS riding at least the following will be required:-
The GPS unit itself.
These can be from basic to very sophisticated. Requirements for DS riding are detailed later in this HowTo.
A way of powering it.
The screen on a GPS unit consumes most of the power and in general large colour screens consume far more power than smaller screens. Monochrome screens are not common on all but the most basic units, but have the advantage of low power consumption.
Power can be supplied by :-
(a) Docking cradles.
These are normally specific to the make and often the model. A docking cradle designed for car use is unlikely to be a viable solution
(b) Power cables.
These are a normally specific to the make and model and may be supplied with the unit or an optional extra.
(c) USB power.
The standard USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection may carry both data and power. Not both are always implemented. For instance some cell phones use a USB interface to synchronize data with a PC and a separate power jack for charging. Some devices use USB interfaces purely for power requirements and the data interface is not implemented. Some devices that have or can use internal rechargeable batteries use USB power only for operation of the device but not for recharging the batteries.
USB power is supplied at 5v and will require a DC-DC voltage converter to operate off a 12v bike supply. Off-the-shelf cigarette lighter / cell phone adapters may be used.
The USB standard defines a number of different size connectors depending on space requirements as seen in the following diagram:-
<Pic of connector types here>
(Credit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus )
(Pin use : 1:+5v 2
ata- 3ata+ 4:-5v 5evice Ground)
The most common interface is a mini “B” socket on the GPS Device.
From Wikipedia:-
“As of January 30, 2009 Micro-USB has been accepted by almost all cell phone manufacturers as the standard charging port (including Apple, Motorola, Nokia, LG, RIM, Samsung, Sony Ericsson) in the EU and most of the world. Worldwide conversion to the new cell phone charging standard is expected to be completed between 2010 to 2012.”
Whether this standard will be implemented by GPS vendors remains to be seen.
(d) Batteries
Some of the smaller screen devices have power consumption low enough that make battery use feasible. Rechargeable batteries may sometimes be used but NiCad, NiMh and LiIon batter supply voltage is 1,2v when compared with 1,5v for disposable alkaline batteries and this may cause problems if the GPS device is not configurable for the different supply voltages.
PC based Software & Interface Cable.
This is almost as important a part of the GPS “system” as the unit itself.
In the context of DS riding the software will be used for:-
(a) Planning a route and loading it into the GPS to ride.
(b) Marking waypoints for navigation and navigating to them.
(c) Downloading a track ridden from the GPS, editing and filtering it for sharing with other riders.
(d) Keeping a consolidated library of ridden tracks for nostalgia !
A way of mounting it on the bike.
See below.
Special Physical Requirements of the GPS Unit
Many GPSs designed for use in a car or hand use are unsuitable for DS use for the following reasons:-
Vibrations
Far more vibrations are transmitted from the tyres up to the handlebars or tank of a bike than to the dashboard of a motor car. For this reason a DS GPS must be more robust than devices designed for car or hand use.
Most GPS enabled devices such as PDAs or cell phones cannot endure these vibrations and fail as a result.
Careful selection of a good quality mount such as Touratech or Ram can go a long way to reducing these vibrations and should be budgeted for. It is suggested that, if the rider has a limited budget, it would be advisable to purchase a good quality mount rather than a more expensive GPS unit and have to resort to a lower quality mount.
Many riders place the GPS in the transparent window of the tank-bag but this is not a good long term solution for reasons listed below.
Sunlight Readability and Usability
Screens on devices designed for in-car use are often not usable in bright sunlight. This is often worse in the case of colour screens while most monochrome LCD screens do not have this problem. In purchasing a GPS it is strongly recommended to test the screen usability by taking it into bright sunlight and holding at various orientations with respect to the sun and viewing position.
Usability wearing Gloves
It is often necessary to operate the GPS while moving and while wearing riding gloves. This necessitates a device with either a large touch screen or buttons that can be operated with gloves on. It is recommended that a potential buyer takes his/her winter gloves and tests the GPS wearing these gloves.
Screen Size.
Apparent screen size is more important than actual screen size. Some of the larger-screened GPS devices have to be mounted in the bike’s console, while smaller devices may be mounted on the handlebars with adjustable mounts allowing the device to be brought closer to the rider’s face. The screen must also be viewable in both a seated and standing position
Waterproof.
If you are certain that you will never be caught in the rain then this attribute may be unnecessary, but in this case you are probably not a DS rider !
The wiring system or cradle must also be waterproof.
Basic Function Requirements
The following are the basic requirements for a suitable GPS for DS riding:-
Enter a waypoint Lat Lon, and ride to the point.
Often a meeting point is published on the forum as Lat/Lon coordinates. A requirement is to be able to enter these coordinates into the GPS unit and then ride to the point.
GPS units that support auto routable maps will find a route to the point and then give turn-by-turn directions as to how to ride to the point.
The more basic GPSs that do not have auto-routable maps will normally just show a direction and distance to the waypoint and leave it up to the rider to find a path to the waypoint. This in itself can be useful and will certainly help those riders who are directionally challenged.
“Mark” a waypoint Lat/Lon and save the coordinates to the GPS.
There will be times when you need to save a location so that you can find a way back to the point or to relay the location to another rider. An example may be when a few riders have separated from the pack, or you need to relay a location to a recovery bakkie or trailer in the case of breakdown or injury.
Load a forum-published route or track into the GPS and ride it.
A typical use of this capability would be at a “bash” or DS festival where the organizers provide suggested tracks or routes to ride. These tracks or routes will be provided as a file which is uploaded to a computer and then downloaded to the GPS for riding. Typically the route or track is displayed as a line on the GPS screen. The GPS should allow the track or route to be reversed or ridden in either direction.
Caution:-
A “track” and “route” in GPS terminology are not the same thing. A “track” is a set of “trackpoints”, each of which has a lat/lon. The “track” will appear as a continuous line composed of short straight segments. The resolution of the line will depend on the “trackpoint” spacing.
A route is a starting location, and end location and may contain “via” points along the way. A “track” is converted to a “route” inside the GPS unit or PC software by accessing the routable maps and applying the user setting with respect to “avoid toll roads”, “Shortest Route” or “Shortest Time”. If a GPS does not support routing then a “Route” is displayed as a set of straight lines from the start, to each “via point”, to the end waypoint.
Save a ridden track to a file, edit and publish it.
This functionality allows the rider to save a track that he/she has ridden and share it with other riders, or follow it again at a later date. The software used on the PC must allow for:-
(a) Filtering, or reducing the number of points constituting a track.
(b) Cutting a track into segments.
(c) Joining segments of tracks together.
(d) Manually creating or drawing segments.
(e) Creating/moving/deleting waypoints from the file.
Nice to have features
The following features are not considered essential for a DS GPS, but may add value to the “experience”
Trip information recording and computation.
(a)Average speed;
(b)Maximum speed;
(c)Trip odometer
(d)Sunrise, Sunset, Moonrise, Moonset times for current location.
Etc
While navigating a track or route
(a)Estimated time of Arrival (ETA) at destination.
(b)Distance to destination.
(c)Estimated time to reach destination.
Etc
Points of interest (POIs) shown on the map
(a) Garages, shops, pubs, Monuments etc
Topographical information shown on map
(a) Rivers, Dams, Lakes, Altitude Contours etc.
Advanced Features
(a) MP3 Player (Bluetooth)
(b) Rider to Rider communication (Bluetooth)
(c) Voice turn-by-turn navigation. (Bluetooth)
(d) Virtual Fuel Gauge.
Conclusion and Recommendations:-
Let the buyer beware! In choosing a GPS for DS riding use more expensive does not always equate to better , or even usable. There are many salespeople who, although they may be familiar with GPS technology and operation, have no knowledge of the requirements for DS riding. It is suggested that you take these requirements with you when purchasing a GPS and supporting software and satisfy yourself that the desired GPS can perform all basic functions. A bit of research and evaluation may save a lot of heartache at a later stage.
No problem. That's what we here for, but many people answer the same questions over and over again.
So I was wondering if we could not create a "HowTo" with summary recommendations that we can just keep up to date and then refer the asker to for background info.
So I did a little work on a draft and would appreciate input if you think it is feasable, desirable or plain dof. I have stayed out of the "brand bashing" area and I would like the HowTo to be brand-agnostic as mentioning makes or models just leads to "Mine's better than your's" debates that really just confuse
The Howto will eventually be a PDF attachment, but since I can't attach one I have just included the text.
Comments please
----------------------- DRAFT ------------------------------------------
HowTo : Choose a GPS for Dual-Sport Motorcycling
Background
Many Dual Sport Motorcyclists end up regretting their GPS purchasing decision. This HowTo attempts to alert a potential GPS purchaser to the pitfalls of selecting an inappropriate GPS and attempts to guide the potential buyer towards an informed buying decision.
This guide does not recommend any make
For those new to GPS every make or model will require climbing the learning curve, and what the rider gets from the device will depend far more on the effort made in understanding the device than the capabilities of the device itself.
A more basic unit in the hands of an expert may prove far better than the most expensive unit in the hands of someone who has not taken the time to learn to use it.
“System” requirements.
It’s not just about a GPS unit. For DS riding at least the following will be required:-
The GPS unit itself.
These can be from basic to very sophisticated. Requirements for DS riding are detailed later in this HowTo.
A way of powering it.
The screen on a GPS unit consumes most of the power and in general large colour screens consume far more power than smaller screens. Monochrome screens are not common on all but the most basic units, but have the advantage of low power consumption.
Power can be supplied by :-
(a) Docking cradles.
These are normally specific to the make and often the model. A docking cradle designed for car use is unlikely to be a viable solution
(b) Power cables.
These are a normally specific to the make and model and may be supplied with the unit or an optional extra.
(c) USB power.
The standard USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection may carry both data and power. Not both are always implemented. For instance some cell phones use a USB interface to synchronize data with a PC and a separate power jack for charging. Some devices use USB interfaces purely for power requirements and the data interface is not implemented. Some devices that have or can use internal rechargeable batteries use USB power only for operation of the device but not for recharging the batteries.
USB power is supplied at 5v and will require a DC-DC voltage converter to operate off a 12v bike supply. Off-the-shelf cigarette lighter / cell phone adapters may be used.
The USB standard defines a number of different size connectors depending on space requirements as seen in the following diagram:-
<Pic of connector types here>
(Credit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus )
(Pin use : 1:+5v 2
ata- 3ata+ 4:-5v 5evice Ground) The most common interface is a mini “B” socket on the GPS Device.
From Wikipedia:-
“As of January 30, 2009 Micro-USB has been accepted by almost all cell phone manufacturers as the standard charging port (including Apple, Motorola, Nokia, LG, RIM, Samsung, Sony Ericsson) in the EU and most of the world. Worldwide conversion to the new cell phone charging standard is expected to be completed between 2010 to 2012.”
Whether this standard will be implemented by GPS vendors remains to be seen.
(d) Batteries
Some of the smaller screen devices have power consumption low enough that make battery use feasible. Rechargeable batteries may sometimes be used but NiCad, NiMh and LiIon batter supply voltage is 1,2v when compared with 1,5v for disposable alkaline batteries and this may cause problems if the GPS device is not configurable for the different supply voltages.
PC based Software & Interface Cable.
This is almost as important a part of the GPS “system” as the unit itself.
In the context of DS riding the software will be used for:-
(a) Planning a route and loading it into the GPS to ride.
(b) Marking waypoints for navigation and navigating to them.
(c) Downloading a track ridden from the GPS, editing and filtering it for sharing with other riders.
(d) Keeping a consolidated library of ridden tracks for nostalgia !
A way of mounting it on the bike.
See below.
Special Physical Requirements of the GPS Unit
Many GPSs designed for use in a car or hand use are unsuitable for DS use for the following reasons:-
Vibrations
Far more vibrations are transmitted from the tyres up to the handlebars or tank of a bike than to the dashboard of a motor car. For this reason a DS GPS must be more robust than devices designed for car or hand use.
Most GPS enabled devices such as PDAs or cell phones cannot endure these vibrations and fail as a result.
Careful selection of a good quality mount such as Touratech or Ram can go a long way to reducing these vibrations and should be budgeted for. It is suggested that, if the rider has a limited budget, it would be advisable to purchase a good quality mount rather than a more expensive GPS unit and have to resort to a lower quality mount.
Many riders place the GPS in the transparent window of the tank-bag but this is not a good long term solution for reasons listed below.
Sunlight Readability and Usability
Screens on devices designed for in-car use are often not usable in bright sunlight. This is often worse in the case of colour screens while most monochrome LCD screens do not have this problem. In purchasing a GPS it is strongly recommended to test the screen usability by taking it into bright sunlight and holding at various orientations with respect to the sun and viewing position.
Usability wearing Gloves
It is often necessary to operate the GPS while moving and while wearing riding gloves. This necessitates a device with either a large touch screen or buttons that can be operated with gloves on. It is recommended that a potential buyer takes his/her winter gloves and tests the GPS wearing these gloves.
Screen Size.
Apparent screen size is more important than actual screen size. Some of the larger-screened GPS devices have to be mounted in the bike’s console, while smaller devices may be mounted on the handlebars with adjustable mounts allowing the device to be brought closer to the rider’s face. The screen must also be viewable in both a seated and standing position
Waterproof.
If you are certain that you will never be caught in the rain then this attribute may be unnecessary, but in this case you are probably not a DS rider !
The wiring system or cradle must also be waterproof.
Basic Function Requirements
The following are the basic requirements for a suitable GPS for DS riding:-
Enter a waypoint Lat Lon, and ride to the point.
Often a meeting point is published on the forum as Lat/Lon coordinates. A requirement is to be able to enter these coordinates into the GPS unit and then ride to the point.
GPS units that support auto routable maps will find a route to the point and then give turn-by-turn directions as to how to ride to the point.
The more basic GPSs that do not have auto-routable maps will normally just show a direction and distance to the waypoint and leave it up to the rider to find a path to the waypoint. This in itself can be useful and will certainly help those riders who are directionally challenged.
“Mark” a waypoint Lat/Lon and save the coordinates to the GPS.
There will be times when you need to save a location so that you can find a way back to the point or to relay the location to another rider. An example may be when a few riders have separated from the pack, or you need to relay a location to a recovery bakkie or trailer in the case of breakdown or injury.
Load a forum-published route or track into the GPS and ride it.
A typical use of this capability would be at a “bash” or DS festival where the organizers provide suggested tracks or routes to ride. These tracks or routes will be provided as a file which is uploaded to a computer and then downloaded to the GPS for riding. Typically the route or track is displayed as a line on the GPS screen. The GPS should allow the track or route to be reversed or ridden in either direction.
Caution:-
A “track” and “route” in GPS terminology are not the same thing. A “track” is a set of “trackpoints”, each of which has a lat/lon. The “track” will appear as a continuous line composed of short straight segments. The resolution of the line will depend on the “trackpoint” spacing.
A route is a starting location, and end location and may contain “via” points along the way. A “track” is converted to a “route” inside the GPS unit or PC software by accessing the routable maps and applying the user setting with respect to “avoid toll roads”, “Shortest Route” or “Shortest Time”. If a GPS does not support routing then a “Route” is displayed as a set of straight lines from the start, to each “via point”, to the end waypoint.
Save a ridden track to a file, edit and publish it.
This functionality allows the rider to save a track that he/she has ridden and share it with other riders, or follow it again at a later date. The software used on the PC must allow for:-
(a) Filtering, or reducing the number of points constituting a track.
(b) Cutting a track into segments.
(c) Joining segments of tracks together.
(d) Manually creating or drawing segments.
(e) Creating/moving/deleting waypoints from the file.
Nice to have features
The following features are not considered essential for a DS GPS, but may add value to the “experience”
Trip information recording and computation.
(a)Average speed;
(b)Maximum speed;
(c)Trip odometer
(d)Sunrise, Sunset, Moonrise, Moonset times for current location.
Etc
While navigating a track or route
(a)Estimated time of Arrival (ETA) at destination.
(b)Distance to destination.
(c)Estimated time to reach destination.
Etc
Points of interest (POIs) shown on the map
(a) Garages, shops, pubs, Monuments etc
Topographical information shown on map
(a) Rivers, Dams, Lakes, Altitude Contours etc.
Advanced Features
(a) MP3 Player (Bluetooth)
(b) Rider to Rider communication (Bluetooth)
(c) Voice turn-by-turn navigation. (Bluetooth)
(d) Virtual Fuel Gauge.
Conclusion and Recommendations:-
Let the buyer beware! In choosing a GPS for DS riding use more expensive does not always equate to better , or even usable. There are many salespeople who, although they may be familiar with GPS technology and operation, have no knowledge of the requirements for DS riding. It is suggested that you take these requirements with you when purchasing a GPS and supporting software and satisfy yourself that the desired GPS can perform all basic functions. A bit of research and evaluation may save a lot of heartache at a later stage.
