New Garmin Montana

[vabuckaroo68]

I stumbled across a great topo map download today (thanks to another inmate for turning me onto GPS File Depot)
http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/432/
This is a route-able topo map that shows many fire roads that aren't shown on Garmin 24K topo. Works well on my Montana 650T. I downloaded it directly into the unit.

[FatChance]

Originally Posted by Emmbeedee

That's exactly what happened to me with my 550 Oregon and Nuvi 780. Moisture got into some part of the cable or the connection and it blew both gps units.

I guess I was lucky with my Creative Zen mp3 player using a Powerlet USB connector on my GS for the last several years. In my case, it was the $50 USB power cable that gave up the ghost and not the mp3 player...

[TowPro]

Originally Posted by Emmbeedee

. The real problem with using usb is not whether it charges or not, it's how soon you'll wear out the usb connector.

And it will happen, sooner or later. Just ask anyone who's used that method to power an Oregon for any length of time.

Do yourself a favour - buy the right mounts.

I second "buy the correct mount". Plus in order to use the USB connector, you have to remove the rubber waterproof plug cover. This opens a large hole for water to get into your very expensive GPS.

[_cy_]

another vote for buying correct mount.

$58 for entire kit with Garmin AMPS rugged mount and enough RAM hardware to mount on most any handlebar. GPS city has it

[kojack]

I have the Dakota 10 as of right now, great little unit for basic nav duties. However.....Mbd put me on to the Montana. The Dakota will now live on my atv mountain bike and snowmobile. The Montana will live on my new to me strom, and my jeep adventure rig.

[Emmbeedee]

Originally Posted by kojack

The Dakota will now live on my atv mountain bike and snowmobile. The Montana will live on my new to me strom, and my jeep adventure rig.

I've heard that kind of reasoning before - the reality is you'll sell the Dakota before long to buy the right mounts to put the Montana on all those other vehicles too.

Once you get used to that beautiful map display, and the extra features, there's no going back... Portrait/Landscape mode, awesome shortcuts, lockable powered mount, load as many maps as you want each in separate files.

What more could you ask for?

[Emmbeedee]

Originally Posted by FatChance

I guess I was lucky with my Creative Zen mp3 player using a Powerlet USB connector on my GS for the last several years. In my case, it was the $50 USB power cable that gave up the ghost and not the mp3 player...

This is only the case for inexpensive devices you don't care too much about, I've found. MP3 players are a dime a dozen.

Some would argue that the $50 cable is worth more than the Zen.

[dvwalker]

I field tested the 4.01 beta over the weekend on a 2 day trip and it generally performed well. I did loose the connection to the SD card one time, but on cold reboot the connection was reestablished. This may have also been caused by the rock garden trail conditions .

Slighty off topic, but on the topic of a companion mp3 to the montana, I've been using the Scosche remote and transmitter plugin for my ipod, works great. I use a piece of velcro on the back of the remote and stick to the top clamp. Easy, peezzy. Battery on the mp3 player (ipod) is quickly recharged via powerlet usb adapter when needed.

[TowPro]

I take a GPX file, open it in BaseCamp, convert it to a route, send it to montana, and only 1/3 of the original Track file shows up as a route (The whole route is only 125 miles long). It this because all the GPX points are turned into route points, and I am exceeding the max limit for the montana?

Guess I need to start over, then tell it to filter to like 450 (I forget what the limit is)

This sucks. I think I need to ALSO bring my PN40 since it don't seem to have these built in limits that might screw me up on my ride(s).


also I have 2 tracks, one is an "optional loop" that fits in along the middle of the other track. I was trying to edit the original track, cut and paste the optional loop into the original track, then clean up the short connector that was used to bypass this optional loop. Then the short cut I removed can be the optional route.
But every time I do this the optional loop is north bound while the rest of the loop is south bound. Even if I invert the loop then add it back in, it's still always backwards to the main loop :(

[TowPro]

I think I got it. In base camp I had a folder with the 2 tracks I am working with. With these 2 tracks shown on the basemap screen, I made a new route, clicking on the track as I went so I ended up with a new route with enough points that garmin don't try to reroute it.

One problem: There is one section of the track that does not follow any roads in City Nav. I assume there is roads there because I am pretty sure the person who created the track for me recorded it while riding. (but he might have used google earth)

I then sent that new route to the Montana along with the original track.

Now I need to prove this (unless someone hear guarantees it will work) but here is my plan.

At start of my trip:
1-Display the original track on the map.
2-start the route and follow it.
3- record a new track while doing both 1 and 2.
If the track shown in step 1 does really follow roads not shown in the route (step 2) I will follow the track.
But my end result needs to be a true track to capture "as rode" results.

Will it work?

[Rocky TFS]

Originally Posted by Emmbeedee

You could use one of these as the base, on one of your handlebar mount bolts. (Click on the images to see the parts on the GPSCity web site)

Wow, I wish I'd seen that before I bought the short clamp Rugged Mount. However, that combo works really well for me 'cause I have bifocals.

I can bring the Montana up just close enough to see it really well through the near vision section.

I've had no problems since I re-soldered the SAE leads correctly....

[DRTBYK]

Originally Posted by TowPro

I think I got it. In base camp I had a folder with the 2 tracks I am working with. With these 2 tracks shown on the basemap screen, I made a new route, clicking on the track as I went so I ended up with a new route with enough points that garmin don't try to reroute it.

One problem: There is one section of the track that does not follow any roads in City Nav. I assume there is roads there because I am pretty sure the person who created the track for me recorded it while riding. (but he might have used google earth)

I then sent that new route to the Montana along with the original track.

Now I need to prove this (unless someone hear guarantees it will work) but here is my plan.

At start of my trip:
1-Display the original track on the map.
2-start the route and follow it.
3- record a new track while doing both 1 and 2.
If the track shown in step 1 does really follow roads not shown in the route (step 2) I will follow the track.
But my end result needs to be a true track to capture "as rode" results.

Will it work?

Sure. I almost always run with Tracks (colored Green) "under" my Routes (never trust a route - even with the latest software update ). If the Route deviates for any reason, the green track pop's out easy to see.

Cheers,

[DR. Rock]

Originally Posted by DRTBYK

Sure. I almost always run with Tracks (colored Green) "under" my Routes (never trust a route - even with the latest software update ). If the Route deviates for any reason, the green track pop's out easy to see.

Cheers,

I do the exact same, but with a long route I'd make a map overlay of the tracks. It can be unfiltered, thus highly detailed, and has no trackpoint limit and takes almost no memory.

[DR. Rock]

importing routes with auto-recalculation OFF works perfectly, provided you have the same maps loaded and enabled on the GPS with which you made the route in BaseCamp.

In fact, this was the only way I could get the Montana to route precisely as I had my routes set up in BaseCamp. I struggled with various Activities and Avoidance settings on the Montana, and there always would be a few little sections that would deviate.

My BaseCamp routing selections are Motorcycle Activity (though it could probably be almost anything since BaseCamp has the full list of Avoidances available except cablecar and climbing trail), Minimize distance, and Avoid nothing. On the 60/76's, I'd save the route as Direct, and then let it recalculate as "Follow Road, Shortest Distance" using "Car/Motorcycle" and Avoiding nothing, and they always calculate the same route as on BaseCamp*.

I really wish Garmin would eliminate these preset Activities. The selections aren't consistent across Basecamp and the various units. If they want to keep them, at least offer a "Multi" or "Custom" Activity which would route on anything routeable, have Prompted Minimization options, and have access to ALL the avoidance options. It would also be of tremendous benefit if the Help file contained info as to how each Activity routed.

*Once there was a really tight switchback that the 76 refused to route across unless "Avoid U-turns" was selected.

Also, if you import the route pre-routed, and then intentionally recalculate it using a different activity, when you stop navigation, and then re-open the route, it opens as the original un-recalculated route again. Whew.

[JThompson]

One more advantage to the RAM mount system is that it is easy to change the angle of the screen quickly. Ram now makes a cradle for the Montana that works very well for less than $10, great for battery use. Just please don't use the USB for power, as noted above, it will fail.

I just did a 3 day dual-sport ride on the roughest FS roads/trails I could find in the Ozark NF and the cradle worked great on my KDX220 (no DC). The Montana runs all day on 3 AA Ni-mh rechargeable. The free Arkansas topo map / MyTrails overlay maps from gpsfiledepot make a great combo for exploring or following tracks.

JT

Originally Posted by Schannulleke

Ok guys, thanks for the heads up about the long term wear of the USB connector. It looks like that is a no go.

What I don't like about the rugged mount is it needs to be attached via the ram mount kit:

Too much pieces and no added functionality for me, I don't like it.

Here is where the Montana should be mounted. Where the black KTM cushion in the middle is:


So I would like to have it mounted as close to the handle bar as possible.