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10 Jan 2017
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7 Jan 2017
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I'm with those who have said bring both, the dedicated motorcycle GPS units are tough, waterproof, glove operable, and reliably sunlight readable. The smartphone is a great backup should the GPS fail or should the maps you have on it be unreliable in some way.
Not many smartphones are waterproof out of the box, the ones which are not are a pest - many will overheat when put in a waterproof case and left switched on. They're also not very tough, particularly the USB ports - charging on the go will be essential and rough terrain (and vibration, particularly on a thumper) will destroy your USB port eventually. Then you can't charge and you are lost. This only phone I know which gets around these problems is the Sony Xperia range, which is waterproof and can be used with a magnetic charger on the side. The mag charger falls off sometimes but that's a damn sight better than a broken USB.
Personally I consider my Garmin to be primary navigation, my smartphone has the same way points and one or more offline map loaded into it for the appropriate areas. If the GPS died I would be comfortable using the phone, but I would replace the GPS once I got home - it is that much better when on the bike.
The phone is better for finding services, helping work out where you are and for using alongside paper maps, which you should also bring. One unlucky off could kill both phone and GPS...
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[ Tim | History - NW Italy/French Rivera, Swiss Alps, Morocco | 2016 - Greece > Albania > Macedonia > Kosovo > Montenegro > Bosnia > Slovenia > Austria ]
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8 Jan 2017
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A GPS isn't a safety device unless you plan on doing any serious trans-saharan routes.
A big downside of a GPS (or a hard-mounted smartphone) is that it's one more expensive-looking thing that must be removed and secured at every stop.
I have never used a GPS or smart-phone for navigation while travelling. This is more difficult but much more fullfilling. You are forced to rely on and interact with the local culture dozens of times each day. All my memories around the world... almost none of them would have happened if I had any sort of navigation. Being lost is a good thing.
So whatever you choose, I encourage you to turn it off from time to time. Insert worn out travel cliche here.
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8 Jan 2017
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jordan325ic
A GPS isn't a safety device unless you plan on doing any serious trans-saharan routes.
A big downside of a GPS (or a hard-mounted smartphone) is that it's one more expensive-looking thing that must be removed and secured at every stop.
I have never used a GPS or smart-phone for navigation while travelling. This is more difficult but much more fullfilling. You are forced to rely on and interact with the local culture dozens of times each day. All my memories around the world... almost none of them would have happened if I had any sort of navigation. Being lost is a good thing.
So whatever you choose, I encourage you to turn it off from time to time. Insert worn out travel cliche here.
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You saved me from having to write the same.
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8 Jan 2017
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Arma
I'm with those who have said bring both, the dedicated motorcycle GPS units are tough, waterproof, glove operable, and reliably sunlight readable.
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I would say get a old car Garmin for 100 Euro from Ebay insted of buying an expensive iPhone. It does not have to be waterproof just put it in your tank bag if its raining...
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8 Jan 2017
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Join Date: Jul 2014
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Whatever you choose, also make sure you have a good compass and paper maps - and are confident in using them. Much more adventurous looking at a map and tracking your progress than relying on electrickery gizmos
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
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8 Jan 2017
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One of reasons I only ride night is that it allows me to do celestial navigation. I also never leave the house without my sextant.
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8 Jan 2017
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Try one of these Chris
Works with any Sun Compass and just plugs into the cigarette lighter.
Andy
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9 Jan 2017
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chris
One of reasons I only ride night is that it allows me to do celestial navigation. I also never leave the house without my sextant.
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Have you got the Touratech mount part number handy for your sextant Chris?
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9 Jan 2017
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bertrand
Have you got the Touratech mount part number handy for your sextant Chris?
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Funny you should ask Bertrand, yes I do: 4r5374Lk1nG
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9 Jan 2017
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Tobias will along in a minute with a description on how to make one for 16cents I'm still looking for that place in Thailand where he managed to rent a motorcycle with insurance for 10 dollars... Tobias any info please?
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11 Jan 2017
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Firstly clearly GPS is not essential otherwise none of us would have been going anywhere 20 plus years ago. The main requirement is a map preferably with at least 1:1m scale. IGN does maps of most of the countries you are visiting. Mauritania is at 1:2,5000,000 but all you need to do is follow the main road.
Some days when I'm being carefree I head off and navigate by the sun. If you know the time, you can roughly work out which is north from the position of the sun.
A smartphone running Google Maps will go a long way towards basic navigation. When you have wifi, download the map areas you will be going through. When you are offline, the inbuilt GPS receiver will pinpoint your position on the downloaded map. However, the unit will quickly overheat if mounted in sunlight, so this is best used as an in-pocket resource.
You can download a compass app for the smartphone, so that's one less bit of kit to worry about.
I use GPS extensively in Morocco for real remote off-tarmac stuff where there's tracks headed in all directions and you would have little idea where to go. In circumstances like that I sometimes just put a rough waypoint in of where I generally want to go, and then use this as aid, but in reality choosing my route from what I see on the ground.
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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)
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11 Jan 2017
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Cullis
Mauritania is at 1:2,5000,000 but all you need to do is follow the main road.
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Not if you have to find embassys to apply for Visa or want ot find a special place in a big city etc...
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12 Jan 2017
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Super Moderator
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Cullis
The main requirement is a map preferably with at least 1:1m scale. IGN does maps of most of the countries you are visiting. Mauritania is at 1:2,5000,000 but all you need to do is follow the main road.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ta-rider
Not if you have to find embassys to apply for Visa or want ot find a special place in a big city etc...
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You learn to make do with what is available. When I first rode to Africa on a motorbike in 1972 there were no downloadable maps, no GPS units, no tourist guidebooks. If you needed to find something, you stopped and asked someone.
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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)
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9 Jan 2017
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Have you tried Here Maps. I usually take a gps unit (garmin ) and my phone as a backup, and last year, on my trip to Marrocos it was a life saver. My garmin died and i had to rely on my phone (worked fine). I installed two apps: Maps.me and Here maps, both free and with offline maps installed. For me, Here Maps was a little more accurate, complete and up-to-date.
I always (try to) take a dedicated gps unit because is much easier to use on the go. In my phone, with the wp cover is almost impossible to interact with the device without stopping.
I recently bougt a new garmin zumo 340 for this year adventure (aka trip somewhere) and it works fine. You can always spend much less and buy a car unit that costs 1/4 and does the same. If it rains you can always put it inside your tank bag or buy a cover (or even take some plastic bags and ties).
I also take a paper map with me everytime i leave home. Nothing replaces a true map when you have to plan or find a place, or if you get lost.
Hope it helps.
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