What navigation hardware are you using?
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Other posts on this forum discuss if a smartphone is suitable for motorcycles and different opinion exist ranging from: "it will be broken in no time" to "absolutely no problem, I am doing this for years". Other people are using dedicated devices such as Garmin's or TomTom or something else, while others venture in using rugged tablets.
As a service to the whole community, and all of us sometimes havign to make the dcision what to buy to replace a faulty, outdated, or broken GPS: what is your set-up:
Hardware:
Main use:
Software:
Advantages:
Drawbacks:
Future:
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@Drabslab Replying to myself:
Hardware: TomTom Rider400 since 2016
Main use:
on motorcycle.
Software:
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Routeplanner: MRA Routeplanner
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never use TomTom Mydrive that seems very limited value.
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never use the "advanced" features such as roundtrip
Advantages: Easy to transfer routes from routeplanner to TomTom 400 device
Drawbacks:
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The screen of the device came of while driving in the south of france. Luckily, i was fast enough to push it back in place and it is now held in place with some tramsparent duck tape. I later realised that the motorcycle screen acted like a lens focussing all sunlight exactly on the GPS. It still functions!
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The TomTom tracks only contain positions, no time, no dates, no speed, no ... Compared to my first GPS device (second generation Garmin etrex) this is extremily poor. This is a real bummer because a detailed track is perfect for combining pictures with and make a powerpoint presentation or video of it. TomTom ensured me, back in 2018, that they are working on a solution. Apparently, I missed something or they are working very slowly.
Future:
- Dreaming of a rugged tablet with MRA Navigation in the hope that MRA would make a special package for this.
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Hardware:
Garmin Zumo (since 2010 (660, 590 & XT),
MRA Navigation (since 2016)Main use:
Motorcycle & CarSoftware:
Routeplanner: MRA Routeplanner & TomTom Mydrive (just for checking closed roads)Advantages:
Here-map. TT-map OSM-Map, various map overlays, event-planning, share routes in events, blog functionalityDrawbacks:
NonFuture:
One device for all. -
Hardware: Garmin Zumo 396
Main use: Motor cycle
Software: MRA
Advantages: h/w: Rugged. Case hardened. Specifically designed for a motorcycle underwritten by great European customer service. s/w: Garmin Basecamp not fit for purpose.
Drawbacks: MRA roadmap addresses MRA / Garmin interoperability short falls
Future: I am not a futurologist; however the motorcycle market for navigation is small but I do envisage simple turn by turn directions icons cast onto dashboard displays. It is not safe however to overwrite conventional dashboard displays with sat nav maps. Dashboard gazing whilst riding motorcycles is dangerous!
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Hardware:
Rugged Phones
Ulefone Armor X5, RamMount X-Grip
Oukitel WP5, RamMount X-GripMain use:
motorcycle
Yamaha MT09 Tracer
Honda VFR800X CrossrunnerSoftware:
MRA Web, MRA NavigationAdvantages:
easy transfer of routes through synchronizationDrawbacks:
for me noneFuture:
once the roadmap is implemented, MRA becomes something really great.
Radar detector must work again! -
Hardware:
Tom Tom Rider 550
Samsung S10 5G for recording MRA Video Track Data using MRA Navigation. (Mounted in a foam clad usb powered cradle under the pillion seat of my Tiger 900 Rally Pro)Main use:
- Navigation of preplanned routes.
- If I’m following someone on the twisty’s its nice to see severity of the bends coming up and I can record the route at the same time.
- Location of speed camera’s.
Software:
My Route App.
OS Maps App for Green Lanes only.Advantages:
My Route App is the most versatile, functionality rich software available for routing tours, day trips or just a quick blast out for a few hours.Drawbacks:
If I still had my Garmin 590LM I’d probably have a few things to say here but no issues with the Tom Tom/MRA combination for me.Future:
The silicon chip inside my head has switched to......
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Hardware:
Garmin Zumo 396 - used on bike as well in car; for hiking it's not possible because of small battery which is not changable. Second disadvantage is screen, which has low contrast.
But great advantage is receive of GPS signal also in difficult areas. I was never ever disappointed! And complete range of data in tracka like position, time, speed, distance in time and Km, hight.
Different maps are usable like proprietary cards from GARMIN as well as Open Street Map or topo cards. And it's shock resistent (important for biking) and waterproof.Main use:
Navigation along pre planned routes. Searching for fuel stations. Sometimes sponateous routing from A to B. Never using such dubious gimmicks like round trip or extra curvy routes.Software:
MRA Routeplanner, because it's mire than a routplanner which I really appreciate
Garmin BaseCamp, used before MRA Routplanner but has still some advantages for route planning in front of MRA Routplanner
MRA Navigation, to compare with real SatNav like Garmin. But it's dissapointing in many cases: information during navigation, poore data in tracks, often loosing GPS signal (mostly based on Hardware of Smartphone). In consequence: impossibility to use track from SatNav for events and others!
MRA Video, I'm nsure if I will use it, because it's too playfulnand lengthy and can only process 10 fotos!
Kurviger, for hiking, because MRA Routplanner or MRA Navigation is using during tracking only HEERE maps. But those maps doesn't contain pathes whitch hikers are using
Advantages:
As wrote in some words above. Most important advantage of MRA is: it's more than a route planning SW. It's a wonderfull community platfom to share routes, tracks, travel stories and offer events. And usable with any kind of device (PC, Android, iPhone, Tablet)
Routes can be compared with TomTom and Garmin on the fly. Routes can be transformed and downloaded in other formats. Transmission to SatNavs is easy.Drawbacks:
Restriction of using track files from own SatNav for events and travel stories!! Poor data in tracks. Non visible data of tracks (only coloured line as layer in map). Not selectable maps during tracking. Track from pedestrian are not only needed for archiving. More important is to know during walking, where I am - but without topo map, it can't be visible.Future:
Hope, to get quickly best features from Tyre as well as from BaseCamp, Relive and Route Generator combined in MRA. More freedom for users, what to see on screen (which tools, icons, dates etc.).
