Been offered one. Can't find any reviews online. Yet. Any thoughts?
Garmin Quest 1
- Thread starter Posh Pete
- Start date
The quest 2 got a lot of poor reviews because it was too slow. Many people went back to the original quest because it was better.
Whilst there are better sat navs out there compared to the quest, its still pretty simple to use, waterproof, small and compact, and tough.
Had one for many years trouble free ....
Whilst there are better sat navs out there compared to the quest, its still pretty simple to use, waterproof, small and compact, and tough.
Had one for many years trouble free ....
Very small display,
Very small operating buttons.
Very small memory (256k?)
If you were going to do a run from Edinburgh down through France - you'd need to only install the maps, for a "corridor" that you intended to travel, plus a radius around where you were staying.
So - you need Mapsource installed on your PC, to download the necessary maps.
Might be worth considering just for UK mapping, but the Quest is really sportsbike-size.
Plus - the battery might be past its best by now, too?
Al
Very small operating buttons.
Very small memory (256k?)
If you were going to do a run from Edinburgh down through France - you'd need to only install the maps, for a "corridor" that you intended to travel, plus a radius around where you were staying.
So - you need Mapsource installed on your PC, to download the necessary maps.
Might be worth considering just for UK mapping, but the Quest is really sportsbike-size.
Plus - the battery might be past its best by now, too?
Al
..... Correct re the memory! One of the reasons I upgraded was because I was going on longer and longer trips and it couldn't cope with the amount of mapping I needed.
scotboxer ... Garmin has a good mapping software 'mapsource'. On the quest the maps are in segmented areas so if yer travelling from Dover to Nice then to save memory you only use the map segments you need for the trip. (Als corridor). The problem with the small memory is that a journey down through france, over the pyrenees and down to Barcelona needs more map segments leaving you with less and less memory to plot routes.
As Al says, for smaller trips and sports bikes it's ideal, but for three week long haul European stuff, yer better off with a Zumo 550 or the like ..
scotboxer ... Garmin has a good mapping software 'mapsource'. On the quest the maps are in segmented areas so if yer travelling from Dover to Nice then to save memory you only use the map segments you need for the trip. (Als corridor). The problem with the small memory is that a journey down through france, over the pyrenees and down to Barcelona needs more map segments leaving you with less and less memory to plot routes.
As Al says, for smaller trips and sports bikes it's ideal, but for three week long haul European stuff, yer better off with a Zumo 550 or the like ..
Fanum
Toubab
Batteries are fairly cheap and easily available from Ebay or various other sources.
Screen is small, but perfectly adequate IMO.....just mount it fairly high up and you get used to it very quickly. (plus you can use the audio output so you're not looking at the screen)
The other thing that goes wrong after a long time is the ribbon cable that connects the flippy up aerial with the PCB.......that can be replaced, but I just used a £10 aerial with the correct fitting which I mounted on the beak (and another on the top of the Landy)
Superb little units, very useful to be able to take it off and slip it in any pocket, plus being able to take it into the pub at night and poke around at the next day's routes is great.
The memory issue is a minor pain...(243 MB on the EUROPEAN version...the Merkin one had only 115 MB, so check which it is!!), but I used to have a route all around the UK picking up bikes, down to Plymouth/portsmouth, across Spain AND the Moroccan topo maps loaded with no problem......as mentioned above, you just do the route in mapsource and load it up with the tiles you need selected rather than everything.
Official mapping available is now well out of date, but there are lots of alternatives out there.
I reckon the Quest was the best bike GPS ever and it's a shame they stopped developing it ....I'd certainly have another one
Have seen them on Ebay for around the £60 mark with cradle, mains charger and mapping, or around £80 for the same with a ram cradle and mount.
Old review HERE
Screen is small, but perfectly adequate IMO.....just mount it fairly high up and you get used to it very quickly. (plus you can use the audio output so you're not looking at the screen)
The other thing that goes wrong after a long time is the ribbon cable that connects the flippy up aerial with the PCB.......that can be replaced, but I just used a £10 aerial with the correct fitting which I mounted on the beak (and another on the top of the Landy)
Superb little units, very useful to be able to take it off and slip it in any pocket, plus being able to take it into the pub at night and poke around at the next day's routes is great.
The memory issue is a minor pain...(243 MB on the EUROPEAN version...the Merkin one had only 115 MB, so check which it is!!), but I used to have a route all around the UK picking up bikes, down to Plymouth/portsmouth, across Spain AND the Moroccan topo maps loaded with no problem......as mentioned above, you just do the route in mapsource and load it up with the tiles you need selected rather than everything.
Official mapping available is now well out of date, but there are lots of alternatives out there.
I reckon the Quest was the best bike GPS ever and it's a shame they stopped developing it ....I'd certainly have another one
Have seen them on Ebay for around the £60 mark with cradle, mains charger and mapping, or around £80 for the same with a ram cradle and mount.
Old review HERE
Mr K
Registered user
Had a Quest for a few years now: Like the ability to plan a route then add via points on the unit itself.
Screen is getting a bit small for car use but still okay on bike..... and I actually feel like I know what I'm doing with it now.
Would like a Zumo 660 or whatever we're up to know, but have more pressing needs for my cash at the mo'
PS: I wouldn't have a 2nd hand sat-nag except if had never been out of the box - too much baggage with "preferences" and such by previous user.
Screen is getting a bit small for car use but still okay on bike..... and I actually feel like I know what I'm doing with it now.
Would like a Zumo 660 or whatever we're up to know, but have more pressing needs for my cash at the mo'
PS: I wouldn't have a 2nd hand sat-nag except if had never been out of the box - too much baggage with "preferences" and such by previous user.
Fanum
Toubab
PS if it IS the American version, don't touch it.......the smaller memory isn't adequate and it comes with an AMERICAN base map rather than a European one....I can't remember if a way of changing that was ever found.
There used to be a website by some family who did all sorts of mods to the original quest, and i seem to remember that they managed to add more memory to it, but it would take some time to dig out and involved some fairly major soldering on the tiny PCB etc.
There used to be a website by some family who did all sorts of mods to the original quest, and i seem to remember that they managed to add more memory to it, but it would take some time to dig out and involved some fairly major soldering on the tiny PCB etc.
Bumpkin
Registered user
Here's a post I did a while back on the Viffers that graphically explains the mapping tile limitation on the Quest.
Bear in mind that this GPS runs non NT mapping which GArmin stopped supporting in 2009. After 2007 the map tiles in non NT mapping where changed and made much bigger. Each country is made up of tiles (see the image in the link above). Pre 2008 there were something like 50 or so tiles for the UK, after something like 18. This resulted in reduced range as any route corridor had far more data per mile.
You can, however, use OpenStreetMap mapping data on your Quest, data density is quite high but I believe that the mapping tiles are smaller than the 2008 mapping and as a bonus is up to date and best of all free.
OpenStreetMap isn't perfect, I've been running NavFree (uses OpenStreetMap data) on my Android mobile. Encountered a couple of minor glitches, nothing a little common sense wouldn't sort out though.
Bear in mind that this GPS runs non NT mapping which GArmin stopped supporting in 2009. After 2007 the map tiles in non NT mapping where changed and made much bigger. Each country is made up of tiles (see the image in the link above). Pre 2008 there were something like 50 or so tiles for the UK, after something like 18. This resulted in reduced range as any route corridor had far more data per mile.
You can, however, use OpenStreetMap mapping data on your Quest, data density is quite high but I believe that the mapping tiles are smaller than the 2008 mapping and as a bonus is up to date and best of all free.
OpenStreetMap isn't perfect, I've been running NavFree (uses OpenStreetMap data) on my Android mobile. Encountered a couple of minor glitches, nothing a little common sense wouldn't sort out though.
Fanum
Toubab
Bought my Q1 in 2006, used it all over Europe and still using it.....Works a treat.
No intention of getting rid....I have spent a lot of time learning how to use it........Get your head 'round 'Mapsource' and you're off......
No intention of getting rid....I have spent a lot of time learning how to use it........Get your head 'round 'Mapsource' and you're off......
No need to power it from the bike so no issues with interference from electronics - fit a new battery (dead easy and about £10) and it will give you a couple of days touring before a recharge is needed
Seems to be a Merkin one with a smaller memory. Here's the response from the vendor ...
"Approximately 115mb of available space for map data. but there is a micro sd card slot to extend the memory by 4 Gb plus"
So no good?
"Approximately 115mb of available space for map data. but there is a micro sd card slot to extend the memory by 4 Gb plus"
So no good?
Bumpkin
Registered user
Micro SD card slot
Not a Quest then.... Personally I would avoid this as the seller doesn't know what he's selling, you could wind up with anything...
Well spotted Bumpkin: The Quest has no SD card slots.
I still have my Quest 1 and its superb, but not as good as my Zumo, which isn't as good as the Nivi's...which aren't as good as whatever comes next.
Route recalculation is slow and you'll need to select maps around the routes, if its a big route. The screen is now too small for my eyes and it doesn't play mp3's or bluetooth to your phone. Also there is no postcode search, which is its major disadvantage.
I still have my Quest 1 and its superb, but not as good as my Zumo, which isn't as good as the Nivi's...which aren't as good as whatever comes next.
Route recalculation is slow and you'll need to select maps around the routes, if its a big route. The screen is now too small for my eyes and it doesn't play mp3's or bluetooth to your phone. Also there is no postcode search, which is its major disadvantage.
Dunk
Registered user
Still using my Quest and it still does the job.
Farmer Palmer
Registered user
Still using my Quest 1 aswell!
I'm using the Quest 1 mostly on my Thorn Sherpa EXP mountain bike when touring with the Touratech locking bracket and the battery lasts ages when you turn the screen illumination right down.
No problem with routing time either as i'm only pedalling at around 15mph although it spat the dummy proper in Europe last year as it had too much info to process when i was on the GS.
The Zumo 220 i bought at Touratech Niederschach was like a different world though and the lane assist is excellent when you're travelling around on some European motorway sytem but the Quest is still good for 'out in the sticks'........!
FP.
I'm using the Quest 1 mostly on my Thorn Sherpa EXP mountain bike when touring with the Touratech locking bracket and the battery lasts ages when you turn the screen illumination right down.
No problem with routing time either as i'm only pedalling at around 15mph although it spat the dummy proper in Europe last year as it had too much info to process when i was on the GS.
The Zumo 220 i bought at Touratech Niederschach was like a different world though and the lane assist is excellent when you're travelling around on some European motorway sytem but the Quest is still good for 'out in the sticks'........!
FP.
Fanum
Toubab
Micro SD card slot
Oops. missed this post, but Bumpkin is right........if it's got a Micro SD slot, it ain't a Quest or Quest 2.......he might be mistaking the USB port for a Micro Sd card port, but in that case, he's a pratt anyway
As above, it it's a Merkin one, walk away.......unless you only ever want to use it for local Topo maps or a few county's worth of road data, forget it
I've got a BMW Nav IV on my 800GS and a Quest on the Xcountry ....
I love the Quest, it doesn't play music and it doesn't answer the 'phone for you, but it does the job admirably. I couldn't get the latest maps for mine, Garmin don't sell them, so I just bought another one s/h that has later mapping City Navigator Europe 2008 .... which has Ireland down to street level, the earlier mapping didn't
As said, memory is limited but I carry a small Netbook with me on longer trips anyway, for emailing, uploading photographs and video from camera, so I can always download maps of the area I'm in the day before I get there, if you know what I mean
A great trustworthy unit that I certainly wouldn't get rid of. As said, mount it in the line of sight and just use it as an aid.
I love the Quest, it doesn't play music and it doesn't answer the 'phone for you, but it does the job admirably. I couldn't get the latest maps for mine, Garmin don't sell them, so I just bought another one s/h that has later mapping City Navigator Europe 2008 .... which has Ireland down to street level, the earlier mapping didn't
As said, memory is limited but I carry a small Netbook with me on longer trips anyway, for emailing, uploading photographs and video from camera, so I can always download maps of the area I'm in the day before I get there, if you know what I mean
A great trustworthy unit that I certainly wouldn't get rid of. As said, mount it in the line of sight and just use it as an aid.
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