GPS old and new

[ThunderGuts]

Rooting around in the loft, came across my old GPS from about 15 years ago (at least!); a Garmin GPS60

https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/6446

Got me thinking; does a unit like this actually have any advantage over say a mobile 'phone or smartwatch? I expect it's more rugged, but otherwise it's very basic and essentially is limited to giving you coordinates of where you are, sunrise/sunset and the current time (actually all very valuable information for when out in the hills, which is why I got it in the first place), plus an accuracy display to tell you to how many feet your coordinates are accurate to.

It does still work like new though, which I guess is something you wouldn't expect of today's 'phones in 15 years.
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TG.

[MarJay]

Maps will be out of date.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[blurredman]

I still use my 12-15year old sat navs.

The last time I was driving abroad however was 2019 and after getting us to our destination fine, when we were done and setting off for home, it never caught any satellites. Indeed and never did all the way back home.
Had to use my wife's mobile and her data to get back to the UK.


Checked both my local (UK map) and international tom tom sat navs when we did get home and both just stopped seeing satellites.

I had encountered the GPS week number rollover problem just in the perfect time that I was using the satnav...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS_week_number_rollover

Updated both satnavs (for free) and both still thankfully work now, hopefully until 2038.. Sure, the maps are old but that's not too much of an issue for me.



I don't have mobile phone data or anything like that, and these satnavs I have were given to me.. So their continued use is free.... Why not use them still!?
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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S.
Current: 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (bored to 295cc) - 38k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 49k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 9k, 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 17k.

[stinkwheel]

1) Buy motorolla G7 with broken SIM holder for
2) Buy cheap Chinese waterproof holder for the above.
3) Connect to the internet and download Navmii or OSMand offline GPS app with current maps.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[ThunderGuts]

Sounds like it doesn't have anything over modern equivalents then. I use OSMaps on my iPhone (and have a waterproof case for it, even though it's supposedly waterproof already) and it does work extremely well, I was just curious if there was anything the "old school" GPS units could do that modern ones don't. Apparently not!
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TG.

[stinkwheel]

[Evil Hans]

[Easy-X]

I found my old Garmin in a drawer a few years and blow me I could still update the maps! Stuck it in the glove box of my car and it's languished there ever since

The thing I like about google maps is checking a route on my PC and then when I jump on my bike the recent searches automagically appear on my phone. Creepy obviously but handy.
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[Robby]

The old units work. That's all I can really say in their favour.

Moore's law is a thing, and the more calculations your GPS can do, the better it can fix your position.

I first had one back in about 2004. Took more than 5 minutes to get a fix from a cold start, often got confused, didn't like certain types of weather, and it got really hot.

18 years on and my phone is doing a much better job, all the time, using a tiny chip and barely using any battery.

[Copycat73]

[panrider_uk]

Use my Garmin (Etrex Touch 35) anytime I go out walking a new route.

Rugged, waterproof and the batteries last for ages and as they're just AA can be swapped out.

You can upload routes from websites/other people.

Using Garmin's Basecamp software you can make a route on the pc and upload it to the GPS.

I use maps from Talkytoaster
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Current bike: Honda ST1100

[A100man]

I like to know where I'm going before I set off.
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Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[MCN]

I recently purchased a Garmin Zumo XT.

Nice tool. Big screen, easy controls.

Try working a phucking phone in a mount on a bike whilst wearing gloves.

Phone maps are Meh but purpose built sat nav do wot they say on their tin.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.