Zumo: gps for dummies ?

[rodskogj]

Tracklog

Q: Can a current trip be tracked and saved?

A: Yes. If you clear your Trip Log and start a trip, at the end of the trip you can then convert that Trip Log into a route and save it to the device.

This is another big concern for me... I use my GPS as a diary, ie I download the tracklog and it tells me exactly where I was, at what time, how fast I was going etc, etc. I can even match my photos to the spot taken by matching the timestamp on the digital camera. Extremely nice when you are on a long trip.

If Zumo saves tracks as routes I loose all this info! The tracklog is half the reason I have a GPS! 99% of the time I know where I am going and can get there relatively easy by following good old street signs and highway markers. I can understand if you ride exclusively in the city that there is no point to a tracklog, but it is when I travel that I use my GPS, and that’s when I really, really want the complete track log with all the info. My old Vista may need to do another tour of duty instead of a new Zumo because of this…

Motorcycle riders are not soccer moms (no offence). We tend to like to tinker and we tend to like gadgets. So Garmin, give us a gadget we can tinker with, not just a gadget for the brain dead.

 

[shedracer]

I see a lot of guys are making various complaints or suggestions about the Zumo, which I perfectly understand, but most likely the only way Garmin will improve their product, is if they receive feed back from customers or potential customers. I have sent e-mails to Garmin via there web site and have always received a reply. Below is the last I received:

Thank you for contacting Garmin Europe

The highest complement a customer can give a company is to be concerned
enough to offer suggestions for improvement of a product. We appreciate you
comments & opinions regarding our products.

I have forwarded your email to the design team as they are always interested
on customer feedback. Many of the comments/suggestions we receive (such as
yours) are often evaluated towards potential implementation into future
GARMIN products or current unit software releases. We cannot guarantee that
what you have suggested will occur, however we do appreciate you passing
along your opinions.

Regards,
Andy Phillips
Product Support Garmin (Europe) Ltd

If you haven't already, may I suggest if you have any feedback for Garmin, do e-mail them. The more they receive, the more likely they will give us the features we so wish.

[email protected]

As an overall package, I think the Zumo is excellent, I am very happy with it. As others have said, there are some features that I would like to see added and these I hope, will be added as updates.

 

[rodskogj]

Thanks shedracer, email sent to Garmin. Lets hope it helps

 

[xpi0t0s]

OK, so when you go off route why not press the "stop navigation" soft key - the map remains and a compass rose is displayed. When you want to return to your route reselect navigation

Because Stop Navigation stops navigation altogether and the highlighted route disappears. On the 2610 when you go off route the unit politely waits till you're back on the planned route then resumes directing. If you want it to recalculate then you can tell it to. If you want it to auto recalculate then you can tell it to do that as well. But if you cannot switch auto recalc off then you lose the route you originally planned.

 

[Blackal]

Have I read this thread correctly, some people use the GPS as a co-driver for what bends lie ahead?

What's wrong with the two eyes the good lord stuck in the front of our heads?

Andy T


PS: I'm a dummy who basically wants to plan my routes on road and get from A to B maybe sometimes via C.

What's wrong with your legs that you need a motorbike?
What's wrong with your cranium that you need a helmet?
What's wrong with your eyesight that you need headlights?

GPS is brilliant for laying out the road ahead (especially at night).

Al

 

[Bert]

MY 2pence worth

IMVHO the 276C is hard to beat- classified as a Marine unit-(with autorouting facilities) where navigation has to be more accurate!

I still haven't seen any GPS with the same or improved adjustability or quality.
The smaller 60CS or 60CSx is second best; again IMHO.

As for MapSource..., despite the yearly £ updates... a huge hospital is still showing in Bromley in V8......despite the fact that has been demolished and replaced by flats and houses over 3 years ago..........
So it does make one wonder what else is still there and changed or vice-versa!!
What are the odds it is still in V9?

PS
re: Launch Ximage
Very useful but only one way....
Having designed some custom waypoints, it is handy to be able to send them TO the gps. BUT sadly...when you upload your waypoints BACK TO MapSource...... there is still no way (according to Garmin) to keep those....and they all get replaced by a blue dot.
I've asked Garmin about this and they have emailed Garmin USA...back when Ximage first came out I think about 2 years ago... - still awaiting reply.

Hey ho
Merry Xmas Garmin - Our units still beat (in Europe) using a soggy paper map and compass! when you've frozen fingers
(and when is WorldMap going to improve???? or better still, when can we have the facility of integrating TTQV mapping into our Garmin units.... now that would be a great xmas 'present' Garmin)- hoping you are reading this....

Email sent again today to Andy Phillips

 

[Eastriding2002]

What's wrong with your legs that you need a motorbike?
What's wrong with your cranium that you need a helmet?
What's wrong with your eyesight that you need headlights?

GPS is brilliant for laying out the road ahead (especially at night).

Al

You are taking the Michael I take it? Relying on a GPS unit to guide you as opposed to what you can see yourself?

Absolute madness in my opinion, but then again each to their own.

 

[chasr]

IMVHO the 276C is hard to beat

Ok

How much is a 276C with all European maps on board?

How much is a 2610 with all European maps on board?

Wasn't very hard, was it?

 

[Blackal]

You are taking the Michael I take it? Relying on a GPS unit to guide you as opposed to what you can see yourself?

Absolute madness in my opinion, but then again each to their own.

Course I was , but you have to look at the GPS as being "additional" information - I don't think anyone was suggesting steering by it

Al

 

[Eastriding2002]

Blackal,

I thought as much. However I did get the impression that that was exactly what the original poster was suggesting using it as.

 

[walti]

IMVHO the 276C is hard to beat- classified as a Marine unit-(with autorouting facilities) where navigation has to be more accurate!......

etc...

I've read about different GPS units and bought a Street pilot 111 as a start...

Where can you see the different devices working side by side to make a reasoned choice?

 

[Howard Millichap]

You are taking the Michael I take it? Relying on a GPS unit to guide you as opposed to what you can see yourself?

Absolute madness in my opinion, but then again each to their own.

Think FOG!
I'm sure some of you, I know I have, have ridden over a mountain pass and riden up into the cloud. Zooming the GPS map into a certain scale allows you to see that hairpin bends coming at you well before you get to it. Shows you which way the road is goingwhether a juction/turning is approaching. It adds safety to a ride in poor conditions.

Also, I use my GPS at a scale of 0.2~0.5 so that I can see the road detail well ahead. If I'm following a line of cages and I see a nice twisty bit of road coming up in a few miles, I'll make an effort to get past the cars so that I can enjoy the twisties unhindered. I don't want "Autozoom".

If I've misread the screen at a junction and gone the wrong way I don't want it to re-calculate. I'll find my own way back to MY route.

As has been said many times. The option to turn off these features is essential IMHO.

 

[ebbo]

I can just see the headlines, the media will love it...

“Guy rides off the road while following his GPS”

So, when they pull you out of the ditch, please, please don’t tell them how you got there



Opps, sorry about that last one, my finger slipped, just ignore it

 

[Howard Millichap]

For those that have posted above that do not understand what we're on about. Maybe my my mail to Garmin below will explain.

Hi Garmin,
I've been reading a thread on the UKGS'er website (http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86572&page=1&pp=16) about the functionality of the Zumo GPS which interests me because sooner or later my Street Pilot 3 will give up the ghost and the Zumo seemed to be a replacement candidate. The discussion is about the "Auto-recalculation" and the "Autozoom" functions.
On my SP3 I've got both these funtions disabled because they do not suit the way I use a GPS unit. I plan my routes very carefully on a PC at home or on a small laptop which I take with me on my holidays. I study detailed maps at home or hotel, in comfort, to decide where I want to ride to and which way I want to get there. It's not often the most direct route.
On a motorcycle, in a lot of instances, it's the journey that is most important. The riding. The enjoyment of a particular twisty road. But, if I see a castle on a nearby hill, slightly off route, and I decide to go and have a look, I don't want the GPS to recalculate MY route. I want the route to remain as I designed it until I rejoin it where and when I decide to rejoin it.
I also like to ride with the screen at a particular scale (typically 0.2~0.5) so that I can "read" the road further ahead than my own vision. This helps in poor visibility conditions and unfamiliar roads. Autozoom doesn't allow this. By zooming out to include the next waypoint, maybe 20 miles away, the screen is unreadable and useless as a navigation tool.
It would seem that the product designers at Garmin either do not appreciate how a lot of riders use their products or deliberately designed these features out of the Zumo to keep it simple for new users. Can I suggest that they have a rethink. Maybe have the "Auto" features as the default settings but allow more advanced users to access another menu to customize the functionality.
I look forward to seeing a Zumo that suits me on market soon.
Many thanks.

 

[HMR]

Blackal,
I thought as much. However I did get the impression that that was exactly what the original poster was suggesting using it as.

Then you read that post as the devil reads the bible. Poor you.

 

[HMR]

Think FOG!
I'm sure some of you, I know I have, have ridden over a mountain pass and riden up into the cloud. Zooming the GPS map into a certain scale allows you to ......... I don't want "Autozoom".

If I've misread the screen at a junction and gone the wrong way I don't want it to re-calculate. I'll find my own way back to MY route.

As has been said many times. The option to turn off these features is essential IMHO.

Also said many times are that you can't beat the 276C and that the 60CX is second best. It seems as most Power Users have converged to this opinion.

People who don't understand may not (yet) have tested using the GPS as we suggest. Why not do so? Maybe they then will find that they can benefit more from their GPS than they do today?

 

[Cole]

HMR - have you had the chance to test the Zumo yet? Has it arrived?

 

[tonym]

I agree with Howards post whole-heartedly.

For those of you that cannot understand this you are not using the GPS to its full potential.

I also still use a SPIII (for 3 years now) and as of yet although coming close cannot see the reason to update.

At the NEC bike show I looked at the Zumo and then found the Garmin 278 on the Toutatech stand which I my opinion is the way forward for all our needs as expierenced GPS bike users.

The 278 I believe is like the 276C with all Europe preloaded and has removeable cards in addition.

You don't need MP3 in a GPS in my opinion just stick an MP3 player in your pocket with your ultimate ears and play your favourite list while demolishing the bends presented to you.

You don't need voice instructions either - turn them off just glance at the screen when you need info, zooming in and out when required manually.

Remember GPS is a tool to supplement your navigational instincts so you need to monitor road directinal info as well not just blindly follow the GPS, so diverting off route without auto re calc is paramount as is being able to see your original route diverging / converging on screen.

In my opinion in its current state the Zumo is of no use to the experienced GPS bike user!

 

[HMR]

HMR - have you had the chance to test the Zumo yet? Has it arrived?

Nope. One week late now. Hope it arrives soon. Roads up here will turn white any day now!

 

[HMR]

The 278 I believe is like the 276C with all Europe preloaded and has removeable cards in addition.

As far as I know they are very similar except for the preloaded map. The removable cards are the same as before.

One difference is that the 278C runs the NT map while the 276C runs the standard map. Two interesting questions following from the fact that the 278C runs the NT map are:

- Can you do full post code search with the 278C?

- Can you use the POI-loader to upload POI's to the 278C?

Anybody knows?