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Satnav Time......

Discussion in 'Clothing, Gadgets & Equipment' started by Lizzyfan, Jan 16, 2022.

  1. I'll be picking up my new Multistrada V2s on March 1st. I'd like to do some UK tours on it which I've never done before so it'll mean a new sat nav for me. I've always used TomTom in the past so will prob stick with them. I'm looking at the TomTom Rider 550 at the moment but it's coming up 4 years old. Does anyone know if TomTom will be releasing a new model soon? The Garmin Zumo XT has a strong following with the screen size & resolution being much better than the Rider 550. I see that TomTom recently released a new truck satnav with updated screen etc, so hopefully the bike version will be along soon. I'm going to continue using my old Iphone XR coupled with the quad-Loc system with the TomTom app for a while so I'm in no rush but I'd be annoyed if I bought a Rider 550 then the next week the new model came out !!
     
  2. Garmin Zumo XT is brilliant, so much better and clearer than the old Garmin units. It's a good idea to mount it above the clocks, there are a few options to do this, much easier for navigation.

    I'd also recommend using MRA (my Route App) for planning trips, it's about a million times more intuitive than the Garmin Basecamp software.
    https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/home
     
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  3. Comparing TomTom and Garmin is like the Apple OS vs Windows debate. Generally speaking you're either a fan of one or the other, no point in trying to convince the user of one to convert to the other.

    Long time Garmin user myself. Out of curiosity I bought a used TomTom car unit just to try it out and compare, couldn't get on with it and flogged it on ebay. I'm sure a seasoned TomTom user would have a similarly frustrating experince with a Garmin.

    For that reason I'm not going to try and explain the superior features of a Garmin Zumo, especially the current XT version especially in conjunction with MRA:rolleyes::D
     
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  4. After going through the obligatory Google search/Youtube route about both the TomTom Rider 550 & Garmin XT I'm leaning more towards the Garmin XT & learning MRA at the moment. If & when I do buy it I'll be asking you a lot of questions so thanks in advance !!
     
  5. I was an avid TomTom fan, and tried moving to a Garmin about 10 years ago, but couldn’t get on with it. Then, when the new GS came in 2013 had no choice but to have a Garmin, if I wanted the integration.

    Fast forward 9 years, and I wouldn’t ever go back to a TomTom. In fact, I tried moving back to TomTom in 2017, and after 4 years with the Garmin, it was bloody awful!

    Garmin Zumo XT would be my recommendation for the OP now.
     
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  6. In the interest of balance, it's worth noting that MRA works with both TomTom and Garmin devices, as well as mobile phones using MRA's own navigation app. The latter uses the same routing as Garmin (HERE), and is what I use, though I would probably opt for the XT if I did more touring on the bike.
     
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  7. Just bought a Garmin XT for the 899.
    Just working up the courage to wire it ino_O
    Have a Nav5(Garmin) on the Panzer so should be ok with using it.
     
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  8. Happy to run another MRA tutorial via Zoom later in the spring. 'Many ways to skin a cat' so my workflow might not be the one those of you already using it employ now or you may use in the future if you're new to the app. Works for me though. Would recommend the paid for subscription Gold version of MRA as that has the bells and whistles that make it the real replacement for the awful Garmin Basecamp.

    And yes, MRA works with TomTom too, Gold has features to match the TT mapping and routing algorithms.
     
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  9. If you do go down the Garmin Zumo XT route, I found a link to a very useful document on the Garmin Zumo XT while browsing another forum (ADV Rider). It is a well written and researched document that includes how to use the Zumo XT with Garmin Basecamp and Explore (and a bit on My Route App).

    The full URL is https://issuu.com/jfheath/docs/zumo_xt_-_discovered_information_-_6_dec_2021/54

    Well worth a read to get an understanding of the differences between Via Points/Way Points/Shaping Points/Favourites and Routes/Tracks.

    Enjoy

    [I had posted regarding this document before]
     
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  10. I have just installed a Tomtom 550 - I bought it in a sale last year, so did not pay full price for it.

    Have a look and see if it is discounted anywhere.

    It replaced the 400 series Tomtom - after many years the touchscreen stopped working altogether - but still went with another Tomtom
     
  11. Better screen than the Garmin, but I haven’t seen the Garmin XT though.
     
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  12. March is coming up fast & I've given up waiting for TomTom to release a new model so I bought the Garmin Zumo XT. I've been playing with it for a few days and so far I'm liking it. I've done a few test routes in MRA & got them onto the Garmin which was fairly easy & that seems to work well. Still to try it on the bike but I'm confident it'll perform well. I've got a Evo-Tec satnav mount ready to be fitted & hard wired in. Just need the bike now !!
     
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  13. I did the same - buying the XT was almost a no-brainer as I get 40% off with perksatwork.com
    Lots of great features on the device - traffic avoidance, weather, real-time photos of motorways, phone integration, music player, and lots of other clever stuff. But I can't believe the desktop route planning with Garmin Basecamp is so poor.
    I'm coming from using Calimoto which is very intuitive and actually pretty easy to integrate with Garmin by just exporting GPX (which I can do on my mobile as well). I'm going to take a look at MRA - but seems mean they make you but the planning app and the mobile app separately.
    Got my Iconic mount wired in at the weekend. But as you can see - my low sports screen doesn't offer much protection if it does rain. Mount seems solid at speed from the short test I've done. I'll probably swap from my MRA low sports screen to Puig racing screen which is high enough to go over the sat nav.
    [​IMG]
     
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  14. Agreed that Basecamp is not a great route planning tool. I find MRA is much better because it supports multiple maps (esp. Michelin and Google).

    I started using Basecamp about 12 years ago so have had plenty of time to understand how it works - saying that I still learning about is many features. Basecamp's user interface is definitely of it's time and hasn't been brought up to date.

    I still use Basecamp to organise all the routes, tracks and waypoints for a multi-day tour using the folder/list feature. Being able to display alternative routes side by side and flick between them for editing is much better than MRA. Basecamp is also good for downloading multiple routes/tracks/waypoints. I also use it to upload actual tracks from the XT after a tour - OK maybe this is a step too far :)

    To be honest if I was starting off today I wouldn't bother to learn Basecamp as MRA (Gold) is now more than adequate and keeps getting better whereas Basecamp has fossilised Garmin now seem to be pushing their Explore App as their route planning/organisation software. The Zumo XT can link to Garmin Explore however I've not yet got my head around Explore and probably won't bother.

    As @Bumpkin has said "there are many ways to skin a cat" and you tend to discover the software tools / workflow which work for you and then stick with them.
     
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  15. I've played with using Garmin explore - but this only does routes (where you define stopping points, but not the actual roads to follow). And you need to choose the exact directions - it's not like Calimoto that can choose the types of route for you. So basically no good for proper route planning.
     
  16. Not very helpful route plan from Garmin Explore.
    upload_2022-2-15_10-21-7.png
     
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  17. The mobile app is for navigation using those routes you've planned. Presumably you wouldn't need this if you're using the XT?
     
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  18. Agreed. But I'm keeping my XT mounted on my Multi - I've got other bikes I might just use my phone on for simplicity ... ? Good point though.
     
  19. I was just looking at one of the MRA tutorials.
    @steveb123 is it the case I still need to use GPX to transfer routes from MRA to Garmin XT?

    upload_2022-2-15_12-51-36.png
     
  20. Hi Ian,

    Have a look at page 70 of the document I linked to above - it says GPXv1.1(route, track & POI) is recommended.
     
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