Abu Dhabi Off-Road Club Forums

Anything that has more than one function won't do any of them properly ( personal openion ) if you want camera get a camera. Want GPS get GPS. Candy crush iPad
I vote for Montana 600 accuracy and functionality which I'm still hoping to learn
This is because I used to compare car's vs iPhone's vs Montana at the same time ( on road and At marked exit waypoints) Montana wins all the time. Only problem I had with it is the "trrrrrrrrrrrrrr" buz I hate when charger gets disconnected.


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Really enjoying this discussion.

I have not used IPAD/Motion X and so can't comment.

The Montana 600 has worked for me. My home made heat shield has stopped any overheating issues.

Dave

Must try the heatshield for my 600. I'd had the shutdown issue a few times but didn't think it was heat related as happened in Denmark on my motorcycle this year - and is sure was not HOT. It always starts up again instantly on pressing the button and then resumes navigation as though nothing has happened. Is this the same issue as the oveheating. (Apologies for warping the thread)

Martin

Ancient Mariner wrote:Must try the heatshield for my 600. I'd had the shutdown issue a few times but didn't think it was heat related as happened in Denmark on my motorcycle this year - and is sure was not HOT. It always starts up again instantly on pressing the button and then resumes navigation as though nothing has happened. Is this the same issue as the oveheating. (Apologies for warping the thread)

Martin

This could also be down to the charger or mount. Sometimes happens to me.


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Yes Andy, sound like a momentary power interruption.

Dave

Thanks - also wondered if that could be it although I have different mounts on my car and bike. I think the mount contacts very sensitive.

Martin

They are and often mine had a static sound which could be down to dust or sand in the connectors. Also you can unscrew the 12v plug to clean inside and the fuse that's in there and connectors.


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As a multi-decade sailor, I can say there is one large difference between an iPad and a true GPS - ruggedization.

If you are SURE that you will only use your GPS for a few dozens of off-road trips, and usually with another leader, then by all means use an iPad. They are fairly reliable, GREAT screen (that does suffer a bit in sunlight and can be reflective), and the GPS applications are very, very good.

But if your truck breaks down and you have to hoof it out, it's not what you want to be carrying. If you roll your truck, I would trust the GPS (especially the Montanas) to survive most anything. And if it comes to getting wet, no question, the iPad is toast, a ruggedized GPS will not even notice. And if you drive with your windows open and like getting sand in your eyes (I do often), then forget the iPad...it's not sandproofed against those ultrafine particles, and will eventually have issues.

For many people, these are moot points. For others, they like knowing they have a survivable, and more portable solution.

Additionally, the Garmin apps such as Basecamp are very solid, and more importantly, STANDARDS within the club at marshal level. If you cruise the navigation forums on this board, you will find waypoints and routes with instructions to load them into Garmins. Not sure how compatible they are with other apps. But being able to take Desert Dawg's map of Sweihan and load it up on a Garmin in 2 minutes is a very, very nice trick. Not sure how well that works on random apps on the iOS devices.

Last point, the Montana 650 has been superseded by the new 680 (which I just bought), which is physically identical but adds the ability to lock onto Russian GPS satellites as well as the American sats. This gives you better accuracy, and more reliable position fixes. I don't believe ANY iOS tablet can lock onto the Russian satellites...

Excellent post Rob.

Hey Dave. Glad to see you're still around. What are you driving now?

Great post , Robert.

Hi all,

Interesting thread, I’m a new member but been wondering off the beaten track for most of my life and I’m a huge fan of Motion X on the iPhone (iPad I would say is to big and fragile). I agree fully with the other comments about dedicated handheld GPS devices being far more rugged than a smartphone but that’s solved pretty easily with a rugged and cheap waterproof case. I've been using iPhones since the 4 with Motion X or Navionics (marine) for sailing, paddleboarding, off-roading and traveling with no issues.

I’ve not properly used a handheld Garmin since the original e-trax but even the new ones seem to have clunky and slow interfaces compared to the iPhone and rubbish screens. For me Motion X is the ideal travel companion and I’ve used it all over the world for the following reasons: intuitive and fast familiar interface, access to the latest maps for free, offline map download feature for the more remote places (and great when abroad and not on roaming), super easy GPX file import for tracks and waypoints (can open direct on the phone from email, dropbox, web etc), access to motion x maps which run off the open maps data (user sourced so are generally very up to date) and are brilliant for Wadis in Oman when a sat view can really help in rout finding, satellite view is ideal where map data is sparse (great for the dunes) and makes creating new way-points on the fly really easy as you can drop them in with sat view on and finally if you already have a smart phone its basically fee (maybe 5 AED for the app).

I agree that is always worth having a backup, especially when going more remote or extreme (I have an old iPhone in the glove box, usually wear my Garmin watch when exploring and of course have my trusted compass for when all power has failed – never yet happened) but for most uses Motion X does an amazing job at a fraction of the price – just make sure it’s a good waterproof case.

Looking forward to joining you out in the sand soon.

one more time: a phone is not a GPS, period...

The choice matters depending on your activity. For a 2h weekly intermediate drive, yes, your smart phone can do the trick. But if you start adventurous fun, daily trip, etc, smart phone is recipe for failure.

Xof wrote:one more time: a phone is not a GPS, period...

The choice matters depending on your activity. For a 2h weekly intermediate drive, yes, your smart phone can do the trick. But if you start adventurous fun, daily trip, etc, smart phone is recipe for failure.

Totally agree...

Dear All
Many Thanks for comments and advices regarding GPS
I have decided to purchase Garmin Montana 600, so can You advise me about maps/tips about Garmin Montana 600, like :
1. Should I use standards maps which come with device or purchase additional maps
2. You use some car holder with power supply during drive or You work on battery ?
3. Did You “modified” device ?
4. If it’s possible to share POI /Waypoints ? What You need to share it ?

Many Thanks in Advance

See You all on sand