SATMAP active 10

[robs1972]

4 hours and some first evening playing around with my first set of batteries on the initial ride....today's ride the battery life was over 8 at which point I arrived home....settings were screen at 70, on all the time, no data boxes and a bit of panning around every now and then....I think I can live with that.

One thing that is getting on my nerves is the Trip Log....not something that influenced my initial purchase, I wanted it purely for navigation whilst using my existing cycle computer for my all important trip distance.

I thought the problem on my first ride (31st Oct) was my own fault for not seeing the trip log is reset independently of the track but now I think there is a bug.

This is what happened today:

At the start of the ride I cleared Wednesday's trail and reset the trip log and set off for my ride. After 5ish miles the batteries from Wednesday died so I replaced them with fresh 2500 mAh, looked at the trip log and saw the Trip Started box read 31 Oct...I can't remember what the other boxes read so I reset the trip log and carried on....during the next couple of hours I looked at the trip log and the various boxes were filled with realistic figures compared to my cycle computer taking in to account the lost 5ish miles. At 45 miles the Active 10 froze, needing a battery taken out and put back in...looked at the trip log after turning it back on to find....Trip Started 31 Oct...distance was about 29 miles....not even todays plus 31 Octobers distance...max speed was 5mph and Total Time was just over 69 hours!!! The unit froze again at 80 miles...I reset the trip log and it said Trip Started 1955hrs...even though it was 1725hrs...looking at the clock on the data box was wrong...so that needed changing in settings Then to finish for the remaining 22 miles the GPS showed me consistently 100-150ish metres to the west of where I actually was. Do GPS not like the dark, or something?

It would seem the Trip Log is only good if you can finish your ride before it freeezes, after that it just makes all the figures up.....as gimmicks go I think a customisable screensaver is far more useful...especially if you can upload your own pictures!!!!
_________________
I like mapping, I like mapping, I like mapping and I like to map!

[mikealder]

I used mine today for a quick trip up the tallest of the Three Peaks - Whernside, I have to say it worked very well the detail of the 25K mapping was excellent and I only used the backlight at 50% even though it was unusually warm (sunny) considering the time of year.

The issue of it drawing a trail across the screen as the GPS position initialises is a pain leaving rubbish all over the screen and strange values in the Trip Log (perhaps this is also what is messing up your trip log robs1972? when you re-insert a battery it will cold boot the device), fortunately this is soon to be resolved with a software fix, once its made available we can see how well this works.

My only other main issue is knocking it out of GPS mode back to planning when re-inserting the device into its case, one slight touch of the cursor is all it takes - I did this three times today, minor but it is annoying when you next switch on the screen for an update only to notice it is in planning mode and not where you thought you had left it. - Mike

[robs1972]

[Yasack]

[mikealder]

It is not down to the type of batteries you are using as it does this with a large variety of different cell types.
Good news is that there will be an option to turn this on/ off with a software update as well as a few other desirable changes I will leave it up to Richard/ Howard to say when and what the exact details are though - Mike

[robs1972]

Better news would be that they could fix the Trip Log rather than have an option to switch it off...unless that would save the battery life a bit.....but I'd rather they spend their time sorting out the program needed to move GPX files to the Active 10....Satmap can never be Way Ahead without this pretty basic function.

I've had a reply about the inaccurate A road labels on the mapping....they belive it's Ordnance Survey's error.

I saw the 'First Review' in Trail magazine in the today....with all due respect to the author it looks like it's based on reading the information that was on the net 6 months ago and gives no insight in to the use of the product. The only evidence he appears to have held one is he comments on the USB socket cover being easy to lose. I rarely blow my own trumpet but Trail magazine should've asked to use my review....with a few tweaks, it was wriiten whilst watching Strictly Come Dancing!!!
_________________
I like mapping, I like mapping, I like mapping and I like to map!

[Yasack]

[ocam]

I've used it; Satmap's Active 10 is fantastic. We all know the outdoors community has been waiting for it ever since GPS became a reality in 1993.

Sincere comments are one thing, but moaning is unproductive and unpleasant.

I say we all consider the bigger picture.

It's a high-tech start-up, not a massive corp with endless resources so it's unsurprising that they encountered delays. Richard himself said how frustrating it was for them; he and the team will have encountered infinitely more frustrations than the rest of us put together.

Satmap are a young company and have already gained recognition with the Innovative Product Award from the Outdoor Writer's Guild. (See Satmap's website.)

I'm an outdoors leader and I've used the device a fair bit now. It is a cracking bit of kit. Great for walking/cycling in all conditions and at night, even in the car (although they play that down because TomTom is so good and they're not out to compete with car nav systems).

I see the life-saving potential. Snail trails and the ability to key in co-ords to go to, will be invaluable to mountain rescue. For those who have night nav'd, the backlight makes life sooh much easier. No more worries about getting caught out there in the dark (so long as you're warm)!

Opportunistic forays are great fun (esp running or biking), setting out without being sure how long you want to be out there (eg weather closing in, tiredness), yet with ready means of planning the best way home.

Unbelievable flexibility eg driving to a climbing area, then biking, then walking, then being able to use the thing on the rock.

I hear that marine charts are planned. That continental mapping is in the pipeline. We'll be able to use the unit to navigate to a ski area, then use it on the slopes. Staggering potential.

So I suggest we all be positive. Enjoy the product and its developments.

[merroarc]

I've just bought a Satmap Active 10. I waited quite a while for it and am now waiting for the bike mount. I don't mind really, I think its fantastic. I've done 4 rides and even track myself to work !
I have the southern half of the UK at 1:50,000. I think I'll need 1:25000 though for the local Parks - Richmond, Bushy etc. I'd like to log my times , distances and ascents etc.
I usually go riding every evening and Sat, Sun mornings with a mate. we often get lost in the woods or faf with map in wet/ windy weather. This is very disruptive and I expect us to get along a lot more quickly with the Satmap.
I was very impressed with the packaging as well. It just looks and feels like a high quality unit.
More soon...
Thanks,
Simon

[GJF]

[Ciclismo_Chris]

Hi all, I have had my Active 10 for 2 weeks now. (I am on my 2nd unit because the 1st unit kept locking up, but Richard from Satmap exchanged it immediately).

I am extremely pleased with the unit, it is fantastic to cycle and have an OS map in front of you all the time without having to stop and get a map out of the saddlebag - especially when its raining! I personally like to have the screen on all the time, and using standard alkaline batteries meant that the unit was only on for about 2.5 hours. Now, I'm using high capacity rechargeable batteries, and leaving the screen on all the time, I can get 6 hours - so with a couple of spare sets of rechargeables in the saddlebag I'm sorted.

I agree with the most recent comments, this is a really useful bit of kit, it has a lot of potential and the service from Richard is absolutely first class.
Chris

[merroarc]

Since my last post 2 days ago, I left mine on for 4 hours and it went dead. I think the standard alkaline batteries look to last about 6 hours.
I must get some rechargeables too, or go for the Satmap rechargeable unit - is it available yet ?
Proadventure tell me the release date for the bikemount is now 15th November. I really need this !
My favourite application so far is converting the snail trail into a route. It seems to be a lot more accurate than pre plotting a well known route on the 1:50000 map. I like comparing hills I've biked up in Wales, Dorking etc.
I'm wondering what the website will bring us, will they charge for downloading routes ? (even if you already have the map on your unit)
I've tried Memory map, quite complicated I thought, but very good. I wonder if Satmap will come up with this sort of virtual 3D map. I can see it would be very useful when planning your route on the website then converting to a flat 2D map on the Active 10 unit. It looks like it would be too much for 3D on the unit itself given the screen size.
So far, very good unit and I'm really excited to have such a brilliant gadget. Such a thing was unimaginable even 5 years ago.
Thanks,
Simon

[Physicist]

I too have had the freezing fault though removing and reinstalling the batteries solved it.

My major problem has sometimes been trying to get enough satellites to lock on. I have conducted a number of tests at the same place with a virtually unobstructed view of the sky and at the same time each day so the satellite constellation is the same. One day I will get one or two satellites (and of course no lock as you require 4) even after waiting 30 minutes; the next day I may get 6 or 7 satellites and a lock within a minute or two. By comparison my Garmin 60CSx (which has the SirfIII receiver but a better built-in aerial) never gets less than 6 satellites at the site and consistently locks on within 15 seconds. I have also walked through dense forests holding both receivers and invariably find that the 60CSx picks up more satellites and with stronger signals (though absolute intensities cannot be compared as the bars may read different values on the two sets). So I think there is a hardware issue.

Of course, I find the same unwanted trails when I switch off and on as everyone else. And there are some silly messages (e.g. to use an inserted SD card map you have to press 'cancel') and missing screen information (e.g. the scale only appears briefly during zooming). These should be easily sorted out in a software update.

Were Garmin to market OS maps (other than their UK Topo map which is of very limited value to walkers) I would say go with them to get a higher sensitivity product which is free of bugs. They won't of course. The Magellan Explorist XL does have a 3.5" screen but it is a heavy unit and you can only get the same UK topo maps as Garmin sell. (I can no longer find the UKTopo disc listed on the Magellan site.) The Explorist does not have the SIRF III receiver though its overall sensitivity tested in woodland cover is comparable with the Active 10s.

My motivation for buying the set was to get 1:25k OS mapping for my county and further afield (I am a walker) and I am a little disappointed that the promises that 1:25k county mapping would be available at launch have not yet materialised.

Despite these problems the Active 10 is a unique product. So I forgive its failings and hope we wont have to wait as long for the fixes that will make it truly a class winner. I too thankfully echo the willingness of the company to replace a faulty unit (a broken display in my case). A round of applause is deserved but not yet a standing ovation.

[PloddinPedro]

I've just received my Active 10. This will no doubt be the first of many questions - once I have created and saved more than one route, will they all show on the screen at the same time? Unlike my Garmin, there doesn't seem to be a "track properties" page with the option to "show on map" or not. Has anyone got far enough into the thing yet to know this?

(And why is the date and time showing on this message in the future, when I'm posting at 4.51 p.m. on Friday 9th November?)

[mikealder]

From what I have tried you can have multiple routes stored on the device or the SD card, either way they appear on the device when you view the map.
If you tap the Bottom Right button then select Routes Menu you will find your multiple routes displayed at the bottom of the list, the icon to the left of each route depicts whether it is stored on the device or the SD card. Making a route Active is easy, just use the cursor to select it, this route will then appear on screen in a different colour to the others.

As for the time being wrong on the site, please go to your profile and make sure it is set to the correct time zone for where you are - Mike

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