changing the 2610 maybe

Henski

Guest
Just come back from a week in europe where we were deciding each night where we would go the next day, I have a 2610 and the mate had a garmin quest, I was pretty disappointed with the 2610, a few times with the 2610 mounted on the bike, it lost reception while the mate who was standing next to me still had about 6 satelites tuned in. the other thing that frustrates me now with the 2610 is that it has no battery so it's not as portable as the quest. Because the quest has good reception we were able to take it to the bar and work on the next days route, where the 2610 has to be plugged in and has crap zoom back into find the route (unless I'm doing something wrong.) Does anyone else feel the reception on the 2610 could be better. I have an antenna in the car but will not put one on the bike.
So the only battery operated Gamins I can see are the Quests and the C range but the C range are out as they are not waterproof or IP rated.
Any advice or tips with the Quests or the new 27 or 28 range would be beneficial, have looked at some info on them but they don't appear to be battery operated.
 
Henski:

Pure automotive GPSRs lost their internal batteries about 3 years ago. It seems that users didn't want to put up with the additional weight and size that having batteries required. Besides, if the vehicle on which the navigation device is fitted is running, there will be 12 volt power available.

Garmin includes a mains adapter (AC transformer) with every GPSR. Just bring that along with you next time. It is quite small (smaller than a pack of cigarettes) and very light. With that, you can use the GPSR whenever you have access to normal domestic electrical power.

As for satellite reception - I don't know the answer to your question - there are too many variables that are unique to you and your friend, including how each of the GPSRs were mounted on the vehicles. In principle, there should not have been any difference between the satellite tracking performance of the two units, they both have the same GPS engine and antenna.

Michael
 
I remember a couple of years ago there was a lot of "discussion" on why the battery supply was "intermitent" :eek: . And how short the battery power lasted :eek: . Not heard them since the 26xx replaced the SP3 as the "popular" choice. :mmmm
 
Agreed. My own experience has been that I really don't miss the battery power. It's occasionally a PITA to have to fish the ignition key out of my pocket to power the bike up and view the GPSR (my GPSR is hooked to ignition switched current, not directly to the battery), but that's about the only consequence.

I use paper maps for route planning, and I still use a paper map on the tankbag. That's what I refer to when I am sitting by the roadside or in a cafe and trying to figure out where to go next.

Michael
 
No need for a battery, just plug it in to a wall socket while in your hotel room or in the bar.
Poor reception compared to the quest may be due to NOT using the Garmin mount. Using the touratech or ram one instead may interfere with reception. THe garmin one was designed by Pan/Michael, and one of its features is that it shouldn't interfere with reception.
 
gasman said:
The garmin one was designed by Pan/Michael, and one of its features is that it shouldn't interfere with reception.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words, but I didn't design it, I just helped with the testing of the designs. About the only thing I can claim 'sole credit' for on that mount is the little red warning strip that you see when the GPSR is not properly locked into it.

That notwithstanding, you do raise a good point - both of the aftermarket mounts block the antenna to some extent, however, the Touratech one is not quite as bad as the RAM one. Another major concern (and possible reason for poor performance) could be the GPSR being tilted too far off vertical. You can tilt it back about 15° without causing problems - in other words, about as far back as it will tilt on its own base if it is attached to the beanbag - but once you start tilting it further than that, it's time to start experimenting with an external antenna.

Michael
 
I actually had the power pack with me, but the problem was that when inside (admitadly the Quest wasn't always getting a signal indoors) but the 2610 will only plot start and end point to a route without a Sat signal, when you want to add Via points in it will not calculate them.
Either way thansk for you comments.
Does any one know if the whole of Europe detailed maps are pre loaded onto the quest 2. Anyone owned a quest 2 then bought a 2610 or above that in the range?What were the main reasons and benefits of the units
 
Henski said:
Because the quest has good reception we were able to take it to the bar and work on the next days route, where the 2610 has to be plugged in and has crap zoom back into find the route (unless I'm doing something wrong.) Does anyone else feel the reception on the 2610 could be better. I have an antenna in the car but will not put one on the bike.
Click to expand...
As gasman has suggested, 2610 reception when using a Touratech mount is a known problem as the mount shrouds the built-in antenna.

The easy fix is to buy a remote antenna. Having taken my remote antenna off my 1150GS to use on SWMBO's car (her car has a heat-reflecting windscreen), I have just bought a replacement from this eBay vendor who was able to supply an antenna with a 15 inch lead and a straight MCX connector enabling me to mount the remote antenna on the brake master-cylinder lid (use a sticky pad or hot glue gun) with a shor lead to my 2610 mount. It makes a massive difference.

The 2610 is a fine unit - don't dismiss it too quickly.

Greg
 
IIRC didn't PanEuropean mention a while back that having WAAS enabled restricts the number of satelites the units picks up? Could it explain the difference between the number of satelites he's picking up, and the number you're picking up, if he has WAAS disabled. :nenau
 
Greg Masters said:
The 2610 is a fine unit - don't dismiss it too quickly.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%. In fact, my own personal guess is that the 26xx series of GPSRs - especially the 2650 or 2660, if you can get your hands on one of them - are destined to become the 'classics'. I cannot support the idea of anyone buying a used Streetpilot III today (it's time has come and gone), but I rather suspect that the 26xx series of GPSRs will still be worth considering as low cost, entry level GPSRs for the resale market in two or three years time.

If you can get a 2650 or 2660 - the ones with the built-in dead reckoning - don't hesitate, grab it right away. Those things NEVER stop navigating, even in tunnels, underground parking garages, whatever. The only thing they lack is the speed camera warnings. I still have the 2650 I tested three years ago, and I still occasionally use it if I will be riding in forests or through mountain passes with lots of tunnels and cliff faces.

Michael
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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