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Mike777 Regular Visitor
Joined: Feb 12, 2009 Posts: 99
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Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 6:37 pm Post subject: Power on at way points |
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Hi all
I am really impressed by the active 10 ..........and find it great on my bike.
One thing I found difficult (with big gloves on !) was switching the screen on as I approached road junctions so I could see which way to go without stopping.
It would be great if you could set the active 10 so when you get near them the active 10 switches the screen automatiacally and then turns it off based on the power control setting.
What do people think ?
Mike
Last edited by Mike777 on Sun Dec 20, 2009 8:23 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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smashing Occasional Visitor
Joined: May 17, 2009 Posts: 27
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Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 6:53 pm Post subject: Re: Power on at way points |
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If the unit is off/hibernating and not tracking, how would it know it was even at a waypoint?
Would you be better off keeping the unit on with only the screen going off? |
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Mike777 Regular Visitor
Joined: Feb 12, 2009 Posts: 99
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Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 8:21 pm Post subject: Re: Power on at way points |
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smashing wrote: | If the unit is off/hibernating and not tracking, how would it know it was even at a waypoint?
Would you be better off keeping the unit on with only the screen going off? |
What I mean is when I screen powers down, to save battery but is still tracking you.
Mike |
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satmapian Occasional Visitor
Joined: Jan 14, 2009 Posts: 59
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 12:29 pm Post subject: |
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I like the idea. I usually set the beeper to ten beeps - then I get a clue that I need to turn - especially if it's an obscure side road, but it's not easy to hear it.
If the screen powered up that would save me turning it on at the beeps while rocketing downhill round a gritty bend while trying to avoid the oncoming vehicle cutting the corner |
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Mike777 Regular Visitor
Joined: Feb 12, 2009 Posts: 99
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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satmapian wrote: | I like the idea. I usually set the beeper to ten beeps - then I get a clue that I need to turn - especially if it's an obscure side road, but it's not easy to hear it.
If the screen powered up that would save me turning it on at the beeps while rocketing downhill round a gritty bend while trying to avoid the oncoming vehicle cutting the corner |
Great if this could relate to way points created when creating a route rather than having to input loads of places of interest.
Mike |
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PloddinPedro Regular Visitor
Joined: Mar 25, 2007 Posts: 229
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 5:27 pm Post subject: |
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I too use my A10 primarily for cycling. I was one of the early adopters and it became apparent quite early that Satmap's idea of "you can also use the A10 for cycling" differs considerably from the real world of cycling, at least as far as road cycling goes.
I recall a 'phone conversation with the Satmap CEO in which we discussed how they'd tested it "on the bike" - it turned out this comprised going out in the woods on an MTB and stopping to consult the A10 at each trail junction to see which way to go - I pointed out that this was more akin to walking use, just using a bike to go from stop to stop, and that it bore no relation to approaching a complex road junction at 20+ mph and needing to be able to discern the route quickly and clearly.
Satmap's persistent refusal to alter the colour and complexity of the Route so that yellow roads don't get confused with the Route bears witness to the fact that they are primarily focussed on walkers and cyclists are viewed as secondary.
As you appear to do, I often set my A10 to shut down the screen after [15] seconds to conserve battery life. I find that with it mounted just to the side of the stem I can reach out my left thumb and hit the lower left button to re-activate the screen, however thick my gloves are. In practice, I find I have to do this every few minutes or so regardless of whether I am approaching a junction - the longer I leave it between refreshes, the longer it takes to redraw the map; if I leave it too long, I'll be way past the junction before the map is up-to-date!
Your suggestion that it auto-refresh on the approach to a waypoint seems at first sight a good one, if it's technically possible, but I wonder whether in practice it would really work. My experience is that all my bike rides get loaded into the A10 in advance as Tracks not Routes and as such have many more waypoints than there are junctions. It would be well nigh impossible to programme the thing to distinguish between actual junction turnings and on-the-way waypoints on this basis! |
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Gwyver Occasional Visitor
Joined: Nov 28, 2009 Posts: 18
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 6:18 pm Post subject: |
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PloddinPedro wrote: | ...
Satmap's persistent refusal to alter the colour and complexity of the Route so that yellow roads don't get confused with the Route bears witness to the fact that they are primarily focussed on walkers and cyclists are viewed as secondary! |
I'm not entirely convinced that this device was tested by real walkers either!
Having a 'warning beep on Waypoint' volume which is so weak that it can't be heard unless you're wearing carpet slippers & walking in the dead of night on wood block flooring doesn't seem too clever. (Walking on icy paths, or on snow is a noisy process!) _________________ Chris |
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Bosun Frequent Visitor
Joined: May 02, 2005 Posts: 473 Location: Wakefield,West Riding of Yorkshire
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 7:43 pm Post subject: |
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PloddinPedro wrote: | Satmap's persistent refusal to alter the colour and complexity of the Route so that yellow roads don't get confused with the Route bears witness to the fact that they are primarily focussed on walkers and cyclists are viewed as secondary. |
Personally this is my only real remaining gripe about the Satmap,the colour of the routes and the inability to change the colour/width/transparency etc.I was disappointed that it wasn't in the last software upgrade as I shouldn't imagine it is that hard to achieve for them that do these things.
I asked Satmap at the Earls Court Cycle show if it would be included in the then up and coming software update and the chap didn't really know what I was talking about.
Think I will e-mail Satmap so at least they are aware,will mention the "bleep" volume as well.
Ian |
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PloddinPedro Regular Visitor
Joined: Mar 25, 2007 Posts: 229
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 8:33 pm Post subject: |
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Bosun wrote: | Personally this is my only real remaining gripe about the Satmap,the colour of the routes and the inability to change the colour/width/transparency etc. | Broadly I agree; that and the fact that the direction indicator is just a single thin line rather than say, an arrowhead - this just disappears against the background road when on a bike!
One of the benefits of my Garmin is that I can edit the colour of any stored Track and choose whether or not that particular Track is displayed on the map. So when I get to the shortcut or alternative route, it's there on screen to remind me and in a different colour so I don't get confused. I mentioned this to Satmap well over a year ago but still no change. I have no idea of course how difficult this might be from a technical perspective. |
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Bosun Frequent Visitor
Joined: May 02, 2005 Posts: 473 Location: Wakefield,West Riding of Yorkshire
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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I know nothing about software programming or electronics and it has just occurred to me that we keep suggesting all these things that we would like to see on the Active10.
Is there a limit as to what can be programmed/installed on such a unit before there is a need to bring out a "super duper" Active10 ( Active 20 ?? ) with a new motherboard,uprated chips and a bigger battery to run these things and we start complaining of short run times ?
Or is it just a case of reprogramming which requires minimum battery power and is more or less infinite to a certain degree ?
Ian |
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Bosun Frequent Visitor
Joined: May 02, 2005 Posts: 473 Location: Wakefield,West Riding of Yorkshire
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 10:23 am Post subject: |
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Got a very prompt reply from Satmap this morning in response to my request for louder "beeps" and the route colouring/size problem.
Many thanks for your email and feedback. We are very grateful for your
information and suggestions, some of which we are working on at present.
I will forward your email to the relevant teams.
Best regards & Merry Christmas,
Margarete@Satmap
So Margaret has it in hand.
Ian |
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satmapian Occasional Visitor
Joined: Jan 14, 2009 Posts: 59
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 2:32 pm Post subject: |
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I use the Satmap mainly for walking for which I think it's very very good. I agree with Bosun about the route colour/ width/ transparency. If it weren't for that I'd give it an excellent rating. Improvements are always being made, for which I'm truly grateful, but even without further development the unit is well worth the dosh to me.
This was my 1st GPS unit. Before it I used a map. For cycling I think the unit is also v v good. before the Satmap I used to stop, work out where I was at the junction, and then try and memorise the next few turns. Now navigation's just a click away, and can be done on the go (in most cases) so you can keep that momentum going - which is such a joy on a bike. You can see exactly where you are, and a click at each junction isn't so bad. I might ask for more features, but really it's a fantastic piece of kit. |
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SallyAndKev Occasional Visitor
Joined: Feb 04, 2009 Posts: 9
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 9:09 pm Post subject: get a tandem! |
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I recommend using the active 10 on the back of a tandem, I have my hands free to activate the screen whenever I want and it's much easier than unfolding an OS map on my partner's back
We generally find the tandem more suitable for road biking than extreme trails though
Sally
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