I picked up a 30x cheap from Facebook marketplace. I have noticed that a lot of the ultra cycling and bike packing types use and recommend these. So i thought it would make a good backup/exploring device in addition to my wahoo.
Turns out its pretty disappointing. The screen is small, so small that you have to zoom right in to make anything out which means you only see a tiny portion of your surroundings. Scrolling is sloooowwww.
So, am i doing it wrong, or are these devices no longer the best option. I get the battery life and "uses standard batteries" argument for them, but real life use is poor.
I used to use a series of garmins, last two were an Edge 810 and Dakota 20. By and large now I just use my Wahoo for 99% of it and OS maps on my phone for when detail is needed. AA batteries and so on are fine but rechargeable USB powerbanks see you past that. The crisp LCD/Amoled screens of wahoo/samsung do make a fuzzy old garmin look very outdated.
My mate uses an eTrex 30 for trail running, and he's very happy with it. The use of AA batteries is a feature, not a flaw - you couldn't (easily) run with a cable hanging off the back of the unit connected to a USB powerbank.
So now I've got eTrex envy. But at the same time I've been thinking of upgrading my bike computer - I've got an Edge 130 which works fine, but doesn't support either mapping or workouts, both of which I'd like. And my thinking is that an Edge 830 (for example) would obviously do that on the bike, but would also work as a handheld navigation device for when I'm trail running... Anyone got any experience of this?
It works fine as a simple nav aid
You won't pla. A route / scroll around a map but following a preplanned route it's all the device I need/want but I wouldn't bother with it for *exploring* it's forte is preplotted route and keeping the blue triangle on the blue line
AA a bonus for sure on multi day stuff
I use mine the whole time. Essentially I just upload a route across a whole country or multi-day trip, then follow the line (track/trail). The battery lasts for days, and it means I don't need to keep getting the map out (...or carry a map at all).
It makes doing something like the HT550 very very easy.
It's not useful for planning on the fly or moving off route. I wouldn't even really bother uploading custom maps to it unless you have a burning desire...don't find them very helpful.
I’ve just got an Oregon 600 second hand, I’m still trying to get my head around it..... I followed a route on it the other day, 5 hours and my (new rechargeable NiMh) batteries died. Obviously this is some sort of user error and need to change some settings
As S above use.mine for pre planned routes, it is an arrow on the screen and line to follow type device. Pretty strong and reliable.
I picked up a 30x new recently in a sale. Its older tech and can be a bit buggy but I've found it does the job fine. I tend to plan routes out to explore first then follow them on the device.
You don't mention which maps you're using. Have you looked at alternatives? The Garmin ones are pricey but you can pick up high quality maps from talky toaster for not very much.
Quality AA rechargeables are a good investment. I use philips eneloop pro.
You don’t mention which maps you’re using.
It came with OS 1:50.
Playing with the screen brightness settings made a world of difference with my Dakota. A barely noticeable increase in screen brightness burned through my rechargeable batteries in no time!