PDA vs GPS

[bikermike]

OK, I'll admit it I'm a nooobie numpty, but I want a GPS !!!!!!, trouble is I don't know WHAT I WANT!!
Last week I talked SWMBO into letting me purchase a Medion PDA GPS unit from Ha***rds (yeah I know) for the princely sum of £345. It was a cracking bit of kit that offered car AND bike mounts in the price. Tried it in the car...worked OK, bit too much sunlight on the screen, but I could hear OK and could make out the map..just. The fact that I could use it as a PDA was a bonus, and made the cost a tad more justifiable.
In the box, it also included a reasonable attempt at water protection in the shape of a zipped case with another flip-up transparent jacket over that, with a "cuff" idea at the back to cover the bike mount. When I got home (guided by the rather pleasant GPS voice), I tried the bike mount...or rather I didn't. It was more cycle biased and there wasn't a suitable position for it to fit (other then possible around the bar clamps and that would necessitate undoing the bar bolts for it to slide under the bar!!) So, stuffed there then!! So I gave it a go in the tank bag. Voice instructions through the Autocom were spot on...then silence. The unit had shut down to conserve battery...mmmm!! But when it was on...I couldn't make out the screen because of the light reflection, so not ideal.
So, after much deliberation I returned it for a full refund (phew!!) But, now I have the bug. I like the PDA / GPS idea (more gimmicks for my hard-earned you see), but the waterproofing bit (otterbox etc if at all possible??) adds to the price considerably, and a Quest is good but, mmmm..no PDA......decisions, decisions. Can someone give me their opinions as to pros / cons and also if I do get a GPS only....what are the minimum bits I need to use it (mounts / connections etc) oh, and a guide to total cost.....not a lot to ask is it???? LOL

 

[themadprofessor]

I could not justify a separate Garmin type GPS. So I bought a Rikaline GPS "mouse" for about £60.00 from a chap on eBay. I bought a copy of TomTom Navigator 3 from another chap on eBay. The PDA I already had. I placed the whole outfit in the map pocket of the R1100RT tankbag and powered it from the bike's power plug. Remembered after the first time to set the PDA power and backlight to stay on permanently when plugged into external power. It works fine. I sometimes use headphones direct from the PDA's headphone socket with an extension lead. The only thing is that I occasionally find the "in ear" type get a bit uncomfortable on a long journey.

In my opinion TomTom is better than the software in the Garmin units. People's views on this vary.

I have now got a 1200 GS and I bought a very compact tankbag into who's map pocket I can just fit the PDA. I am now sorting out where and how I can attach the GPS to the exterior of the bag. I have successfully attached it with cables ties, but that does not look very elegant!

I hope that this helps

Chris

 

[RAM-man]

BikerMike,

Its often a sad fact the these saturday 'spikey hair gel' boyz in these high street shops know 'diddly sqwat' otherwise this would be an empty forum - full of 'innit' and 'you know' at the start of each sentence. I had better stop or continue in forum rant !.

I assume we are mounting onto a GS ? ...

Medion GPS .... ? (what model number ?)

To find a cradle suitable look at brodit.com or hr-autocomfort.de (HR do make cradles to hold the Medion range, see page 12 -13 of their catalog, plus you'll need the adaptor plate). These are not waterproof cradles.

I suggest a look at RAM UK site at the RAM-HOL-UN1 or RAM-HOL-UN2 as it shows how to 'mod' the adaptor plate to take RAM bits.
At this stage you can add the RAM diamond base and build a mount or get a RAM-B-149Z to attach to the handlebars.

A waterproof casing option may be a Peli-box, Otterbox or the new RAM Aqau box II, but you'll need to comapre and check dimensions so it can fit.

RAM-man

 

[Tomcat]

I've got an HP iPAQ PDA with a Haicom compact flash GPS receiver that plugs into the CF slot in the PDA. Its running TomTom Nav 2 (tho' about to be upgraded to v5). Bearing in mind it gets used mostly in the car the pros and cons are:

Pros:
Speed camera database available FOC on the web, and ties in with the TT s/w to give voice warnings when Gatsos etc are nearby. This is the star feature for me.

When working (see below) it is pretty good - good voice directions, easy to read navigation display.

Cons:
If the battery in the PDA goes flat (which it does even when not in active use) then all s/w has to be re-installed. OK, you can usually restore from non-volatile memory but its a bloody stupid concept.

It locks or crashes from time to time and is a real PITA to recover. Sometimes needs re-install of s/w But the latest v5 TT s/w may be better.

Not very easy to mount neatly on a bike. Tank bag seems to be the simplest solution.

If I could get a dedicated GPS, with full European maps included AND have voice warnings about speed cameras etc. then I'd junk the PDA system. The Garmin Quest is almost there; there've been recent postings about an overlay map of camera sites but it still doesn't have the proximity voice warning that TT & Checkpoint give. So I'm hanging on just a bit longer to see what TT's new Rider will offer.

HTH, TC

 

[ebbo]

Other than having a fully daylight viewable screen and waterproof, the Quest also comes with software you can run on the PC to plan your routes, save and store your waypoints.

Yes I know it’s not a PDA and the TomTom Rider is an unknown, but I would go with the Quest every time on that sort of budget.

 

[half_empty1]

check these threads out

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39452

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39211

im glad i persevered with putting my pda in an otterbox, i have a 1gb sd card so i can get loads of street level map data on it and also loads of room left for mp3 files, so i can listen to music while navigating, without the need for any additional gear like a seperate mp3 player, once ive got where im going i can use it to browse the web, email, make notes etc.

i cut holes in the bottom of the otterbox for the power and audio cables. a hein gericke crossbar bag holds all the power adapter and bluetooth gpsr. i have ridden in torential rain this year on the way to le mans motogp and no problems and the crossbar bag aslo stayed dry too.

i agree with ebbo's comment about a fully daylight viewable screen, but 90% of the time i have no problem seeing the map on the screen and have voice guidance anyway so not a big problem for me.

the only adavantage i see with the dedicated gps like quest and 2610 is they are easily removed from the mounting bracket and put in your pocket and that if you were crossing a river and fell over they are fully waterproof were the pda in otterbox wouldnt be, not with holes in the bottom for power/audio cable.

those are my feelings on it, hope this is some help in making your decision

 

[bikermike]

Thanks

Thanks folks....even MORE to think about now...