Navigator V - Review

[mwhite5471]

Anybody know what the little hole is for on the front face... Mic or light sensor?

Bought a sunshade that I want to velcro on the face if its a mic then its OK to block it I guess.

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

Whilst I was oot & aboot today pootling around the Fens I got a low fuel warning light on the Nav 5 which my fault as I'd set it up that way.
A quick tap on the 'fuel pump' sign on the Nav 5 brought me up a huge list of nearby petrol stations together with an arrow indicating their respective general directions & how far away they were. As I didn't actually need fuel I didn't think to take one of them to see how accurate the projected distance was, whether the indication was in 'real' miles or 'as the crow flies' miles.
I'll switch it on later & if the warning sign's still there I'll tap one of the options & see what it brings up, route wise. As it will be local to where I live I should have an indication as to whether it's real miles or not.

I didn't, however, see an option to acknowledge and/or remove the warning icon once I'd seen it which was a tad irritating. I suppose I should have 're-set' the warning option when I last filled up but completely forgot. I might just un-tick that box if I can remember where I found it in the 1st place.

 

[mwhite5471]

Added a generic 5" hood via 4 Velcro strips...verdict to follow.

Also installed the Adaptiv TPX...verdict also to follow

There's some clashing with the windshield I'll have to get a longer mount or put some 1\8" washers under it.

 

[Wapping]

I got a low fuel warning light on the Nav 5 which my fault as I'd set it up that way....'fuel pump' sign on the Nav 5 brought me up a huge list of nearby petrol stations...didn't think to take one of them to see how accurate the projected distance was, whether the indication was in 'real' miles or 'as the crow flies' miles.
I'll switch it on later & if the warning sign's still there I'll tap one of the options & see what it brings up, route wise. As it will be local to where I live I should have an indication as to whether it's real miles or not.
I didn't see an option to acknowledge and/or remove the warning icon once I'd seen it which was a tad irritating. I suppose I should have 're-set' the warning option when I last filled up but completely forgot. I might just un-tick that box if I can remember where I found it in the 1st place.

I don't think you can remove the warning once it's displayed, other than through resetting the fuel gauge or disabling it entirely. That sort of makes sense as it serves as a reminder that fuel is low, particularly if the rider has several days (maybe weeks or months) between rides.

When testing the 'Is it road miles or crow flies that's displayed', take care that you don't chose a station that is straight down the road, or the two may well be the same thing. Also, take care that you don't run out of fuel in your pursuit of knowledge.

You can if course test it by not riding at all. Simply ask the device to plot the route and compare the two mileages.

Don't forget that when plotting the route, the device will take into account your pre-set preferences. So, if you have had it set to avoid U-turns, it may well take you around the houses (literally) to get you to a fuel station that is only 100 yards behind you.

Have fun.


PS I find the fuel gauge function useful if I have a bod on a Wander with a smaller capacity tank, compared with the uber-scale litre carriers of the GS world. I set it to the smallest bike's range, a reminder to me that someone in the gaggle will be needing fuel, though the others won't. Invariably it doesn't really make that much difference, most fellows with 22 litres (220 miles) capacity being happy to stop, refuel and stretch after 140 miles, the sort of distance I'll chose for a bod with a 17 litre (170 miles) tank, the 30 miles remaining I'd rather avoid eating into as the orange light brings a special angst all of its own.

When touring (or even going for a decent day's ride) I'd much rather be driven by a comfort level of stopping than a pure theoretical tank range. 140 miles is roughly three hours riding, enough for many bods. That would allow for a 17 litre tank, with 30 odd miles of leeway. The additional 5 litres of fuel available in a 22 litre tank is all but useless on most 'normal' days. I can tell by the amount of leg stretching and standing up I can see going on in my mirrors after two and a half hours that many chaps would like a break.... Take a break and fuel up, that's the way to cover miles.

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

Yes, thanx Richard. the plan was to click on a petrol station some distance away & see if the miles shown on the actual route matched that indicated on the initial page, if you see what I mean.

However, when I switched the unit on this morning the petrol station icon had gone. Not sure if it will come back on again when I put it back on the bike, we'll see tomorrow.

Oh what fun we can have.

I like the idea of setting yours to the lowest common denominator when you're on a group ride. You really do think of everything don't you?

Interesting that you reckon someone with a 17 litre tank will do roughly 170 miles per tankful & someone with a 22 litre tank will do 220 miles. Are you aware that works out at 10 miles per litre?

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

Well I popped it back on the bike today and the fuel pump icon appeared straight away so it does appear to be clever enough to realise that you only need fuel if you're actually using the bike.

So I took one of the suggested petrol station options which was '8.2' miles away.
I was then asked if I wanted to add it to my existing (active) route or create a new one.
For the purposes of this exercise I decided to create a new route. Rather surprisingly for a Garmin it did appear to route me the most sensible way, so that's a bonus. But the actual distance to the petrol station was 12.2 miles - an increase of roughly 50%.

Worth noting and not something I'd even considered prior to this thread so thanx again chaps.

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

I also noted that via the 'Settings' option there is the facility to add 'buttons' to the home screen. There are a plethora of different buttons you can add, including switching off the fuel monitor setting.
There really does seem to be an awful lot of ways of personalising the unit but rather irritatingly you only appear to be able to access them with the unit in the mount on the bike.

Is anybody else interested in these inane ramblings or shall I just keep them to myself?

 

[Nutty]

I also noted that via the 'Settings' option there is the facility to add 'buttons' to the home screen. There are a plethora of different buttons you can add, including switching off the fuel monitor setting.
There really does seem to be an awful lot of ways of personalising the unit but rather irritatingly you only appear to be able to access them with the unit in the mount on the bike.

Is anybody else interested in these inane ramblings or shall I just keep them to myself?

I'm interested. Keep them coming.

 

[GrinningGSer]

.

Off topic, but what is that attractive looking vehicle top left ? I say attractive, because when one likes GS's you'll find anything attractive

 

[Emoto]

I also noted that via the 'Settings' option there is the facility to add 'buttons' to the home screen. There are a plethora of different buttons you can add, including switching off the fuel monitor setting.
There really does seem to be an awful lot of ways of personalising the unit but rather irritatingly you only appear to be able to access them with the unit in the mount on the bike.

Is anybody else interested in these inane ramblings or shall I just keep them to myself?

Please keep posting about what you discover! Here in New England I have a foot of snow on the ground and icy roads, so am not spending any time riding to find things out myself. Would love to hear how the added shortcuts and whatever else you discover work for you.

 

[Emoto]

I also noted that via the 'Settings' option there is the facility to add 'buttons' to the home screen. There are a plethora of different buttons you can add, including switching off the fuel monitor setting.
There really does seem to be an awful lot of ways of personalising the unit but rather irritatingly you only appear to be able to access them with the unit in the mount on the bike.

Is anybody else interested in these inane ramblings or shall I just keep them to myself?

Can you please post the steps for this? I just went through the settings menus and failed to find this. I was sitting in the house with the unit in my hands. Does it have to be in the cradle on the bike to have that stuff show up?

 

[Emoto]

Can you please post the steps for this? I just went through the settings menus and failed to find this. I was sitting in the house with the unit in my hands. Does it have to be in the cradle on the bike to have that stuff show up?

Nevermind! I take it this refers to the add a shortcut to another kind of search under the "Where to" screen? If so, I already know how to do it. If NOT, and you mean I can add something to the screen in the image below, then do tell, as I will be all ears.

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

Sorry, no. I was referring to additional 'buttons' you can add to the screen you see when you are actually riding along & looking at the 'map' screen. There seem to be quite a no. of them, 1 that I recall seeing was 'cancel routing' another was the 'reset fuel monitor' button.
I'll check later if the unit has to be in the cradle & post the 'walk through steps' as well.

I really must find the time to upload & read the user guide as there seems to be an awful lot you can do with this. I wish Garmin had just provided me a paper version of the bally instructions when I got given the blessed thing.

 

[Emoto]

Sorry, no. I was referring to additional 'buttons' you can add to the screen you see when you are actually riding along & looking at the 'map' screen. There seem to be quite a no. of them, 1 that I recall seeing was 'cancel routing' another was the 'reset fuel monitor' button.
I'll check later if the unit has to be in the cradle & post the 'walk through steps' as well.

I really must find the time to upload & read the user guide as there seems to be an awful lot you can do with this. I wish Garmin had just provided me a paper version of the bally instructions when I got given the blessed thing.

Thanks very much. That would be very nice.

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

Hmm, I suspect I've rather over-egged the pudding here. I've just checked & it's not rocket science really - sorry.
Yes, you can add the buttons to the Map screen with the unit off the bike & it's very simple so I'm sure you've seen it, sorry.
In case you haven't:-
1) From the Home screen (Where to, view map etc) press 'Settings'.
2) Click 'Map buttons'.
3) This brings you up a screen showing the map with 'buttons' showing. 1 or 2 of the buttons is a '+' sign in a circle (depending on whether you have any pre-set buttons) click on that.
4) You'll then be presented with a list of 'buttons' you can add to your map/navigation screen.
5) Click on the option you'd like to appear as a button on your map/navigation screen
6) You can have a maximum of 2 buttons (I suspect to stop the screen from getting cluttered).

The list of buttons you can add are:-
Traffic
Mute
Stop
Media Player
Phone
Detour
Weather Radar
Exit Services
Where am I?
Trip Computer
Compass
Fuel settings
Map layers
Brightness
Where to?
Traffic Cameras
&
Tracker.

7) Once you've made your choice click 'Save' and Bob's your uncle.

NB If you already have 2 'Buttons' on your map screen you can't add any more. You 1st have to delete one to add a different one.
To do this follow the process as above but at step 3) you won't have the + sign in a circle, just the 2 buttons you've already chosen, both with a red 'x' in the top r/h corner.
Click on the one you want to replace, you'll get a warning message 'This tool is still available from the map menu'.
Click on 'Okay' & you'll see you now have the + in the circle again.
Repeat the process from step 4.

I hope that helps. It looks complicated (my fault, sorry) but it's pretty self-explanatory as you go through it.

I'm sure most of you have seen it & know how to use it, so apologies again for that.

On a different note I'm very jealous as:
A) I love Boston 'Let's go Murphys, let's go!' &
B) I love snow.

 

[Emoto]

Hmm, I suspect I've rather over-egged the pudding here. I've just checked & it's not rocket science really - sorry.
Yes, you can add the buttons to the Map screen with the unit off the bike & it's very simple so I'm sure you've seen it, sorry.
In case you haven't:-
1) From the Home screen (Where to, view map etc) press 'Settings'.
2) Click 'Map buttons'.
3) This brings you up a screen showing the map with 'buttons' showing. 1 or 2 of the buttons is a '+' sign in a circle (depending on whether you have any pre-set buttons) click on that.
4) You'll then be presented with a list of 'buttons' you can add to your map/navigation screen.
5) Click on the option you'd like to appear as a button on your map/navigation screen
6) You can have a maximum of 2 buttons (I suspect to stop the screen from getting cluttered).

The list of buttons you can add are:-
Traffic
Mute
Stop
Media Player
Phone
Detour
Weather Radar
Exit Services
Where am I?
Trip Computer
Compass
Fuel settings
Map layers
Brightness
Where to?
Traffic Cameras
&
Tracker.

7) Once you've made your choice click 'Save' and Bob's your uncle.

NB If you already have 2 'Buttons' on your map screen you can't add any more. You 1st have to delete one to add a different one.
To do this follow the process as above but at step 3) you won't have the + sign in a circle, just the 2 buttons you've already chosen, both with a red 'x' in the top r/h corner.
Click on the one you want to replace, you'll get a warning message 'This tool is still available from the map menu'.
Click on 'Okay' & you'll see you now have the + in the circle again.
Repeat the process from step 4.

I hope that helps. It looks complicated (my fault, sorry) but it's pretty self-explanatory as you go through it.

I'm sure most of you have seen it & know how to use it, so apologies again for that.

On a different note I'm very jealous as:
A) I love Boston 'Let's go Murphys, let's go!' &
B) I love snow.

That is fantastic! I thought only those two original buttons could be used. Do you mind if I repost your content in another forum?

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

No that's fine.


I noticed a couple of other things yesterday when I was pootling around. These are probably old hat but I thought I'd add them anyway.

As I was approaching my final destination, Rainbow BMW in Rotherham, about 3 miles away I got a grey line across the top of my screen asking me if I would like it to 'Search for parking?'. As Rainbow have parking I ignored it & within another mile the grey line had gone but I had a small Parking icon 'P' embedded on the l/h/s of the screen. I hadn't set it up to do this as far as I'm aware, & didn't need it as rainbow have plenty of on-site parking but neither option was obtrusive & when I head to larger towns that I don't know so well I will be delighted if this function appears again.

When you're riding along if you tap the screen (outisde any information/icons/buttons) you get the zoom option, tap it again & all buttons & icons & your dashboard disappear leaving you with just the map on full screen, all 'clutter' gone. This is quite nice and I would imagine I'll use it when I'm doing big miles & don't really need anything else on there.

And finally, the Nav 5 has a great facility when you're on motorways/major roads in that it shows a picture of the 'actual road & signpost' you see when your approaching the junction you need to exit at. I like the fact that it only shows it at this point as it means there can be little confusion about whihj junction to take & which lane to head into. This 'photo' does take up half of the screen though but again, once you're confident of where you're going, tap the 'photo' & it disappears bringing you up the normal map screen (including dashboard/buttons/icons etc.

I have to say I'm not a Garmin fan but really, really rate this bit of kit.

 

[Wapping]

Keep up at the back, Timaloy....

Having used the Nav V for about 400 miles over the weekend, I am happy to report:

(G) When you approach a final destination site, it asks whether you would like the device to suggest parking places.

The more I used the Nav V, the more I appreciated how much better it is over the old 660 / 550 and earlier Garmin GPS devices. If anyone is thinking of buying one or trading up, I think it is worthwhile.

PS The 'tap on the screen to remove clutter' feature was also present on the 660. As you have found it is very useful. As a rule, I ride along with the 'More data' view running. This shows less map but allows me to see 'Time to turn', the basic compass N, S, E, W and distance to destination and arrival time at destination. I chose these as I find them useful on Wanders, particularly the information relating to distance and arrival data relative to our destination.

I do though use the 'Tap on the screen' function if we go on a detour or if I need to drop a shortcut in. You can zoom in and out and drag the map around, change its orientation or whatever, all whilst exuding an appearance of cool calm to the cygnets behind.....Think swan on a smooth lake, paddling like mad below the water line.

 

[Andy B]

The more I hear about this unit the more I am salivating,

How sad that it has taken a tie-up with BMW to produce something half decent (all bar the price!)?

I've been hoping it will appear as a Garmin-only branded model too, but the more I hear about it the more I suspect this might not be the case.

 

[ghiribizzo]

Does the info. still have the madness of showing every Pa... Asian convenience store, Spar, CoOp when you really just want fuel in the UK?