My GPS connundrum

[BreninBeener]

Ive got more and more into longer rides and events and im really enjoying myself. I have used a rigid mtb and a grevel bike for several multiday trips. I have an SP dynamo hub that fits either bike, and i also have battery packs.

So far so good. I have a Garmin edge 810 that has just died. I can get another exchange from Garmin for c.£90. I alrady have a smaller gps for road rides and run/swim etc.

However the broken 810 lets me buy a different unit for bikepacking. When i did Italy divide i saw a lot of Etrex 20 or 30 units. I also have a Garmin GPSmap 62s which will take and sd card and 2xaa batreries.Its quite a big unit but will link to my HRM. Its quite old but seldom used.

What is the best way to proceed with my nav and ride record needs? Can anyone shed any light for me? Everyone likes something new, so i dont mind buying a new Etrex. I have Eneloop aa batteries and just want something that i can make reliably work out for multiday and local exploring recording.

Thanks

Ian

[whitestone]

The Etrex are popular with quite a few on here using them. I've an Oregon which can be thought of as further up the product line in the same way an 810 compares to a 520: it's a bigger screen and contains a battery charger.

My typical use is exactly how you describe: multi-day recording with a bit of exploring or trying to figure out wherethefugawi!

A set of fully charged Duracell AA batteries will give me up to 20hrs or so of use depending on how much I use the screen and/or mapping. You can use an external power supply but Garmin's software is a bit weird in this area and flips some of the power saving things around and it most definitely doesn't play nicely with dynamos since every time you stop it thinks power has been taken away and wants to turn off! Consequently I find it better to charge a powerbank from the dynamo during the day then charge things back up at night from that. At last weekend's Jennride I did both days on one set of batteries, but I took another set of AAs just in case, didn't bother with a powerbank.

[BreninBeener]

Im quite happy to charge a powerbank as i ride for longer trips, or just a 2nd set of batteries for shorter adventures.

I had heard that the Etrex will take a NiMh battery pack, or normal NiMh batteries as long as you depress a tiny switch inside 'fooling' the unit into thinking it has the Garmin rechargable pack installed. Hopefully a regulated dynamo supply would work in this scenario.

[whitestone]

Im quite happy to charge a powerbank as i ride for longer trips, or just a 2nd set of batteries for shorter adventures.

I had heard that the Etrex will take a NiMh battery pack, or normal NiMh batteries as long as you depress a tiny switch inside 'fooling' the unit into thinking it has the Garmin rechargable pack installed. Hopefully a regulated dynamo supply would work in this scenario.

That trick works in the Oregon/Montana/Dakota series using a couple of bits of old toothpaste tube to depress the nipple so the unit thinks it's got the Garmin rechargeable pack. Not sure about the Etrex as I don't think you can recharge the batteries in-situ in the Etrex but it will run off NiMh batteries.

Running the device directly from a dynamo is fine, so long as you are moving. As soon as you stop, the device thinks there's no power so asks you if you want to turn it off. If you don't hear the warning beep or are away from the bike it turns off by default and there's no option to change that default.

I'd take two powerbanks, charge one from the dynamo and use the other one as an external power supply for the Etrex then swap over.

[BreninBeener]

Ok ace. I need to find out if the Etrex has that recharge facility or not. That may well change how it works out for me.

I will do a little more research.

Thanks for your help so far

Ian

[whitestone]

Ok ace. I need to find out if the Etrex has that recharge facility or not. That may well change how it works out for me.

I will do a little more research.

Thanks for your help so far

Ian

No it doesn't, that's the difference between the Etrex range and the bigger units like the Oregon. The Etrex can use external power to work as a unit but not to recharge the internal batteries.

[BreninBeener]

Ah ok. Thank you.

It seems like an Oregon may be the unit for me

[jameso]

Running the device directly from a dynamo is fine, so long as you are moving. As soon as you stop, the device thinks there's no power so asks you if you want to turn it off.

FWIW, this is true but as you said a battery or a small inline cache battery solves it - the B+M USB Werk is good as it has this built in.

[Lazarus]

as noted etrex if you want to use batteries

Some of the expensive rechargeable [enloop pro] and two spares give me about 48 hours of on time [ mainly with the display off to save power and AA are available everywhere - its the option if you dont want have a dynamo set up and cannot be recharged in the unit - you can charge from a dynamo and or battery bank with a usb charger [ £3 from ebay]but i have never needed this as I will just get more batteries or take more with me [ still weigh less than a dynamo and /or battery bank.

[BreninBeener]

I already have the dynamo and a big pile of aa eneloops, so i have plenty of optuins for power.

Im goin to go and see an Oregon and Etrex and compare to my gpsmap 62s for functionality etc.

Thanks for everyones input.

Ian