right so I've never used GPS (until v recently anyway), but I'm thinking it might come handy for the night sections of a BG attempt or if it's v bad weather - just as belt-and-braces to make sure you don't lose too much time
how have people done this - do you just use it to get a grid ref. and then relocate with map & compass? Or do you download a route to the GPS beforehand? Or put in your own waypoints, or use a 'recording' of a recce for instance?
I didn't on mine but I would suggest using a saved recce at BG pace would be a good guide plus let you know how you were doing to schedule.
TBH though I didn't even wear a watch on mine I only wanted to know if I was up or down according to my schedule, didn't want to get too hung up about minutes and seconds.
If you have a good group of support you won't have to worry about navigation, just running !
ah well I hope that's the case Donkarlo, but I can't guarantee that: I'll be hugely grateful to anyone who supports my run but it's more likely to be a scratch team of press-ganged mates than a bunch of hardened BG veterans!Originally Posted by Donkarlo
If you have a good group of support you won't have to worry about navigation, just running !
I think i've got a full bgr electronic trace (.gpx) knocking round somewhere if you need it.
As a comfort blanket it could be loaded as a route onto a Garmin 305 and then the bread crumb trail route could be used as back up. You would need a couple of Garmin 305's if on all the time as the battery on mine gets low at just over 9 hours, have run to 9.5 hours using it. Or you could keep it switched off and only turn on if really needed in fog etc.. Routes vary tho.
Biriani for endurance, pathia for speed.
I've carried a pretty old and basic GPS on a few occasions pacing because although I'm fairly happy with most of the legs and I think I can navigate I would hate to be the cause of someone going wrong and missing their time. My plan is always to navigate traditionally and/or just go based on knowing the way so I've only actually switched it on and used it once on an actual BG - a winter round in some pretty poor weather when it saved a lot of time on a couple of occasions when I felt we were going slightly astray - it either confirmed we were OK or helped to get things quickly back on track. I felt a little embarrased about even carrying it switched off, worse about actually using it but nothing like as bad as I would have done if I had made a massive error and caused someone to fail. I think for something like the BG, especially if the weather is bad they are a useful backup but I would prefer not to use one if possible, and never would on a race - it doesn't really matter if you lose an hour in an AL through bad nav, its part of the game, but it could be a disaster if you lost an hour from your or somebody elses BG attempt.
Last edited by Mark G; 03-02-2010 at 08:42 PM.
You can count me in always happy to help.ah well I hope that's the case Donkarlo, but I can't guarantee that: I'll be hugely grateful to anyone who supports my run but it's more likely to be a scratch team of press-ganged mates than a bunch of hardened BG veterans!
Donkarlo thanks a lot, much appreciated.
Cougar: but how did you use it? Just to get a grid ref? Cos what I'm not sure about is: if you have it switched off most of the time, as I would envisage, and then turn it on in an emergency, how would that work with any uploaded routes you have - i.e., would it 'find you' automatically on the route and direct you to the next waypoint, or would you have to do more fiddling than that?
I should point out I have the cheapo eTrex handheld thing, not a Forerunner.
Mine is pretty basic but I just put in some key points and summits - that way if I need it I can either use the 'go to' function to one of them or simply and more safely use it to get a GR and navigate from there. (I'm sure you have heard tales of people going direct on a GPS direction and running over cliffs etc, so it was primarily to confirm our location and use proper navigation from there). On the occasion I used it pacing once I had switched it on I felt it was likely I would need it so I left it on in my cag pocket so no problems with delays initialising - the batteries easily lasted one leg. You may well use a newer one with a map on the display differently but mine was a nice reassuring backup and made me feel a lot happier about someone relying on my nav on a poor day.
once it has picked up your location just go to waypoints and select the next summit/waypoint. it will give you distance/direction to that point but please check this on your hard mapDonkarlo thanks a lot, much appreciated.
Cougar: but how did you use it? Just to get a grid ref? Cos what I'm not sure about is: if you have it switched off most of the time, as I would envisage, and then turn it on in an emergency, how would that work with any uploaded routes you have - i.e., would it 'find you' automatically on the route and direct you to the next waypoint, or would you have to do more fiddling than that?
I should point out I have the cheapo eTrex handheld thing, not a Forerunner.
I'd say I use mine like Cougar but I make a route up with the Waypoints and I always rename then so if you do need to use the goto function they are easy to find.
But I hardly ever use it, I have it there in the bag more as a last resort.
You are quicker moving over ground navigating via features so I'd practice that rather than GPS.
Also towards the end of a round most people don't think straight so its a good idea, if you have good support, to trust them.
I've seen very experienced navigators get it wrong at the end of a round due to tiredness
Bill
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