In France it is illegal to have any device that shows speed camera locations. If you have this option on a sat nav, you are supposed to disable poi's and be able to prove it if plod stops you. Fines are large apparently. So MRA is obviously being contentious. Personally I think MRA is the best route planning and nav company around. But each to their own, you do have to learn how to use it.
The Navigation Wars!
- Thread starter IrishGaucho
- Start date
I didn't know that but I normally run a Google maps route to our destination on my phone in the background in case of MRA/Calimoto implosion. Even more reason to now. I'll just open Google maps and show them that
I heard that from someone else this summer, but thanks.
I used MRA a lot during my tour around France and enjoyed some of the features, but it felt very clunky to generate routes and fussy about re-routing. I learned to expand the route into lots more waypoints (99 was a favourite), then learned how to skip waypoints if it failed to register us passing one. With the tiny speedo and no camera notifications, it always felt like it was harder than it needed to be. The positive side was being able to set up a route then share it easily with my companion or vice versa.
Each to their own. I actually think MRA is probably the best solution. But it takes some effort to learn. But nothing like base camp. But we are all different
Correct MRA is nothing like Basecamp. It’s not even close to Basecamp in either route plotting or being user friendly. My Garmin Zumo 660 doesn’t talk to MRA either. MRA takes you the route it wants, Basecamp is just so easy to make it go the route I want. Plus, and it’s a massive plus. Basecamp costs nothing, it’s free. Routes can also be very easily shared with all the lads going on our trips. The day routes can be in different colours too. To change the route one just picks up the route and moves it. MRA doesn’t work like that, shaping points etc none of which make one iota of common sense. So MRA costs money and is nowhere near as user friendly or as easy to use.
I have gold for both the route planner and navigation(bought years ago). Planning routes is really easy, I share routes with several other riders, you can view a route for garmin, tom tom or whatever and overlay to ensure it will be the same on all devices.
You are using an old 660, things move on, I use an XT, I just save the route I have planned on my phone, it saves it to Garmin drive, which then uploads it automatically to my XT. Routes for others, I just export and email to them, they can load as they wish. Or on my other bike that has car play, I just use MRA Navigator.
There are 1000s of users of MRA. a thriving community and the developers offer brilliant support, the product is moving forward.
Not sure why shaping points don't make any sense. You put your own shaping points in, so if they don't make sense it is because you have placed them wrong.
Anyway, crack on, you have your views, which I think stem from a lack of user knowledge of MRA. But hey ho, happy route planning. I have no affiliation with MRA so don't really care if you want to use something else.
I don’t need to use shaping points whatever they are. I don’t need to upload to Garmin drive. I don’t need to export to anything. No need to place anything.
I just draw a route along whatever roads I want, job done.
Well then you’re sorted. Enjoy
IrishGaucho
Registered user
Episode #3 - Aoocci U6
We will all have opinions on this, all I can say is that I have used a Chigee AI05 and now AI06 with MRA, planned all my routes with MRA, and honestly I have never had an issue with the routes I have planned, it's never become sentient and done it's own thing on me, this summer my 3,500 mile trip around Eastern Europe and the alps was all planned using MRA, a lot of it done the night before in the hotel on my iPad pro and apple pencil thing. I also like the streetview integration so I can take a peek at what a road looks like in reality, rather than just from the mapping side. The redesigned version of the MRA app has improved the on bike experience to.
That's been my experience as well, once I knew how it worked whilst planning and using it on the bike.
IrishGaucho
Registered user
A clear winner in my book:
Fantastic device!
Fantastic device!
I've just bought one.
Mine had a torx screwdriver included, although you've got to be careful with the screws as they are VERY small. I also bought the tempered glass OEM screen protector for £12.00.
I completely agree with your views on it, although the idea of having an action cam sends shivers down my old spine!
In addition to your comments, I also thought it was great value at £220.00.
It was a breeze to set up and connect and I was particularly attracted to it because of its uncluttered OS/UI and lack of silly features that I would never use.
IrishGaucho
Registered user
I've just bought one.
Mine had a torx screwdriver included, although you've got to be careful with the screws as they are VERY small. I also bought the tempered glass OEM screen protector for £12.00.
I completely agree with your views on it, although the idea of having an action cam sends shivers down my old spine!
In addition to your comments, I also thought it was great value at £220.00.
It was a breeze to set up and connect and I was particularly attracted to it because of its uncluttered OS/UI and lack of silly features that I would never use.
I'm not going to say that they now include the screw driver because of me, but they did tell me that they were going to after my video haha
Curious as of why having an action cam cause you such reaction? You don't necesarily have to have it on your helmet if that's your concern, a lot of people will mount them at the front or back of their bike to both record their rides or use it as a "dashcam".
When I was commuting and I was using my bike all the time, having my camera on saved me from what it could have been a nasty legal battle from a very unscrupulous individual. And as such, having the ability to control it with the wonderwheel is absolutely fantastic in my book... also, very clever feature!
Agreed 100% on everything else!
Cheers!
I thought you might mention it! I'm currently exploring how the action cam option could be used for a dashcam of some description. I agree that the ability to control it from the WW is a bonus. It's just......tech........and I'm allergic to it.
IrishGaucho
Registered user
I thought you might mention it! I'm currently exploring how the action cam option could be used for a dashcam of some description. I agree that the ability to control it from the WW is a bonus. It's just......tech........and I'm allergic to it.
haha, that's fair enough.
IrishGaucho
Registered user
Here's the latest episode on the Navigation Wars: CarABC, nice little sleek device!
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