The first 2 of several questions, I am sure

[Que Bee]

Just got my Ique 3600, and I love it! I have never had a Palm or a GPS before, so I definitely have a lot to learn!

For starters, I have read the FAQ, of course, and the last 60 days of posts on this forum, which has taught me much already. I have downloaded some utilities for the Ique, and put FastFingers on my list of things to master, along with getting some 1:24,000 topos loaded.

I've been enjoying navigating around with Betty, and can't wait to get off-road wth her. I did use her to find a virtual geocache near here, great fun.

2 quick questions, I haven't seen anyone mention mounts for mountain bikes...anyone have a setup out there they'd like to share? I have a "power brick"-type thing with a 12-volt outlet built in, and am thinking of using that, along with maybe cannibalizing the cradle from a car kit, but would like to hear other suggestions.

Also, on the basemaps, what is the difference between the Americas Lite and the Americas Standard? I loaded standard, but if I start to fill up my 512MB card, I may want to cut back to lite...what will I lose?

Thanks!
:cool:

[apersson850]

The standard map is intended for the SD card.
The lite map is intended for the internal memory. So it will indeed save you all the space on the SD card, but at the expense of using (usually) much more scarce internal memory instead.

[Skata]

Originally posted by Que Bee
... on the basemaps, what is the difference between the Americas Lite and the Americas Standard?..

Am Stand = more info (above 12mi details)
Am Lite = less

[Ted S]

Que Bee

The IQue 3600 is a great Palm Pilot and GPS. It is not however that durable. If you mount it on a Mountain Bike you will know the warranty support telephone number at Garmin by heart, and very soon.

I have had my 3600 for 2 years. It has served me well in the car and field, and occasionally in my panniers on the road bike. It also has been replaced more than once by Garmin.

Recently I decided that I needed a more durable unit for my travels on the bicycle. This past week I got my Garmin 60CS for the bicycle and it's great. I have a handlebar mount kit where the unit sits for long road rides. FWIW the 60CS has superior battery life and durability in the field compared to the IQue. The IQue is easier to use and learn. The 60CS is faster on satelite aquisition and routing calculations.

Ted

[si4xp]

Originally posted by Ted S
The IQue 3600 is a great Palm Pilot and GPS. It is not however that durable. If you mount it on a Mountain Bike you will know the warranty support telephone number at Garmin by heart, and very soon.Ted
I bought the mountain bike mount from MobileCX and have been using it for couple of days. The mount is very sturdy and iQue seems to work excellently. Since, iQue doesn't have any moving parts, I thought it should be able to handle vibrations on a bike mount. However, your post seems like a warning. What exactly you mean by not durable for mounting on a bike, what is likely to go wrong?

[Ken in Regina]

Can you say e-n-d-o? Or is that something only we old off-road motorcyclists do? Falling down .. bumping into things... :cool:

[Que Bee]

While I do occasionally bomb down a mountain here and there, I also ride paved urban trails, or more tame singletrack in the foothills. If I were riding anywhere that I thought my helmet might actually be USED, then I wouldn't use the iQue that day.

I have no problems with satellite aquisition or routing calculations, I flip the antenna open and in a few seconds, I've got a lock. Put in a destination, and in a few more seconds, I get told which way to turn. The only time I have to wait more than a few seconds is when I'm inside, which is understandable. Maybe the reception is just better here.

I've been to Scenic Buzzard's Bay, still have a shirt from a Harley shop there......was driving down to Woods Hole, saw the shop and thought "how cool! I can get a Harley shirt that says 'Buzzard's Bay' on the back!" I was a little disappointed that they all said "Pocasset" instead. Bought one anyway.

Thanks for the answers on the maps, and thanks, si4xp, for passing on the info on the handlebar mount. I'd like to be able to charge while riding, though......sometimes I am out for hours.

[Ted S]

Que Bee

Here is what I see are the problems with the IQue on a bike.

The first problem is how problematic the battery life of the IQue is. Once you think you understand how long the battery will last, it dies even earlier on you. If you are riding in an area where you have to navigate a lot then you are forced to leave the unit on, and the batteries run down.

The second problem is that the IQue's have a habit of dying in the field. Who knows why? It's not a ruggedized case design, and who knows about the internals. If you check the forum you will see a common theme of IQue death and RMA's. Please bear in mind that Garmin customer service is great, and they stand behind their product. On the other hand, what do you do when you are deep in a ride, and you have not been paying attention to navigation, because you trust your IQue, and it dies on you.

Ted S

[Que Bee]

Ted S,

Well, that is why I am thinking about using my 12 volt brick with the lighter-receptacle, or perhaps an external AA battery pack, to extend my battery life.

I've lived out here for 5 years, mountain biking without a GPS. If I am in unfamiliar territory, I have a compass and a USGS topo map with me. But I also ride around town a lot.......Denver has hundreds of miles of trails. I don't need a GPS, it would just be fun to save my tracks, find new routes, etc.

[Ted S]

Que Bee,

My IQue died halfway through a 450 mile trip once, I had no maps, or notes. Silly me, at least I had a compass.

I find the GPS most handy when traversing unfamiliar, busy suburb or metropolitan areas where there too many roads and turns to pay attention too. Out in the boondocks the GPS is just a luxury. Although I did enjoy listening to Miles Davis on the IQue after the ride was done for the day

Where in Colorado are you from? I used to live near Nederland.

Ted S

[Que Bee]

I'm in Highlands Ranch, just south of Littleton. Pretty country up near Nederland, went up for Frozen Dead Guy Days once.

http://www.nederlandchamber.org/FrozenDeadGuyDays/

[Ted S]

Que Bee

Ah Nederland...

It was a nice bike ride into work in Boulder, but the return was a ____!

Ted S

[Que Bee]

True, but what scenery!! Boulder canyon is beautiful.

[si4xp]

Originally posted by Ted S
The first problem is how problematic the battery life of the IQue is. Once you think you understand how long the battery will last, it dies even earlier on you. Ted S
I put my iQue on Night Mode (see FastFinger script with lcd=15). Yesterday, with this mode I biked for 1 hour, and the battery still had 90% charge. Of course, reading the screen with low backlight is tad uneasy but not impossible either.

For longer duration, you could always build a battery pack from parts available in Radio Shack (search forum for more details)