# Garmin 800 - Will it last a 300k Audax?



## Norry1 (3 Apr 2013)

Ok, so I'm sure the traditionalists will say Garmins are the work of the devil - but I plan to do my first ever 300k audax later this month and I don't think my Garmin 800 will last for all of it.

Can any of you long distance bods give me a view?

I am thinking of taking my charger and plugging in at the cafe stops if possible - any other tips?


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## Lee_M (3 Apr 2013)

mine has struggled at 4-5 hours so unless youre doing 30mph you might have a problem

:-)


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## machew (3 Apr 2013)

Have done a shorter sportive with mine, but due to my level of fitness it took me about 10hrs, and the garmin still had a bit of charge at the end


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## Norry1 (3 Apr 2013)

Thanks - mine lasted for a 200k in January which was an elapsed time of about 9 hours and still hadn't conked out, but the battery indicator looked pretty empty by then


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## StuAff (3 Apr 2013)

It won't, particularly if you've got your routesheet as a GPX, even with just using it as a bike computer it would be at best (very) marginal. What I use with my 705 is one of these. With decent rechargeable AAs, enough grunt not just to keep the Garmin going (like the 2xAA one I've got can) but to keep the battery topped up. Got the battery down to about 25% (no figure on 705s, just an icon, but rough guess) last Thursday night/Friday morning on the FNRttC (plus ride up)- plugged it at halfway & by the time I got to the breakfast stop, probably rather sooner, it was fully recharged.


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## zizou (3 Apr 2013)

If i turn off the backlight and dont leave the display on the map page constantly then mine is good for about 15 hours.

If it is on the map page all the time so the map is always updating then its more like 12, if the backlight is also on then about half that


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## HLaB (3 Apr 2013)

It should last no problem Norry. Mine lasted a slow (18mile, 1:20 ride) to the start of the Tour of Flanders and 11:13 on the actual 160mile ride (290km altogether) and it still had battery left (iirc 40%).


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## HLaB (3 Apr 2013)

zizou said:


> If i turn off the backlight and dont leave the display on the map page constantly then mine is good for about 15 hours.
> 
> If it is on the map page all the time so the map is always updating then its more like 12, if the backlight is also on then about half that


Good Tip, mine had the map on continuously and was often lit up by the navigation software for the 1h20m (3:45am-4:05am) ride to the start but both features weren't used during the 11h13m Tour Sportive.


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## PK99 (3 Apr 2013)

It is the process of constantly redrawing the map that drains the battery. keep it on a other page most of the time and switch to map when you need to - it will still beep when you go off course.


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## StuAff (3 Apr 2013)

It's partly going to depend on :
(a) how fast you are- if you're going to get round in 15 hours no problem, I'd have thought. I'd be nearer 30....
(b) the temperature. A bit of cold kills battery life.


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## Shut Up Legs (4 Apr 2013)

I did a 170km ride in the Victorian Alps in January, with the ride elapsed time* about 10.25 hrs, and I think the Garmin 800's charge was at about 30% at the end of the ride.

* including rest/food stops, with the Garmin on and recording the whole time.


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## PMarkey (4 Apr 2013)

I use a battery pack similar to the one StuAff links to as I found that using the garmin to actually navigate a route even with the backlight turned right down meant that the battery died after nine or ten hours . I have my battery pack plugged in from the start and after a 200km ride the Edge is still fully charged ,I haven't used it on a 300km+ ride yet but I have the plains 300 in a couple of weeks so will see if the battery pack will last for the full ride..

Paul


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## Norry1 (4 Apr 2013)

Stu and Paul - thanks for the links to the chargers. Think I will get me one of these. Any view on which one is better?


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## PMarkey (4 Apr 2013)

Norry1 said:


> Stu and Paul - thanks for the links to the chargers. Think I will get me one of these. Any view on which one is better?


I would think StuAffs would be more versatile as it has a USB port rather than the gomadics interchangeable tip plus it is half the price 

Paul


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## JoeyB (4 Apr 2013)

The Gomadic will probably supply more backup power due to taking 4 AAs and not 3.


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## yello (4 Apr 2013)

I used a Gomadic (not the one linked, an older model) for many years with my 305. Did the job well. I would remark though that they aren't the most robust bit of kit ever made, mine eventually died on the road during PBP. I'd imagine prolonged road vibrations etc saw it off. That said, it had a good run and they are cheap enough to be considered disposable.

Edit: a point to note, some of the original Gomadic's didn't take rechargeables, std alkalines yes but not rechargeables. Rechargeables are (or were perhaps) ever so slightly bigger and wouldn't fit properly inside the unit. I don't know if that is true of the newer models though.


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## Norry1 (4 Apr 2013)

Just placed an order for a Portapow plus 3 way cable and felt bag 

Cheers people


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## Norry1 (23 Apr 2013)

The Portapow charger worked great. I plugged it in after 5 hours - kept it in for one stage of around 3 hours- and after another 3 hour stage it still looked fully charged.


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## zacklaws (24 Apr 2013)

I do long rides quite often, and if you take the advice from the other posters you should have no problem, but when I do partake of such a lenghty ride then I do carry a power supply as sometimes your battery life can die quickly unexpectantly, especcially if your in unfamilar territory and you have to keep checking the map as a reassurance.

Recently though, I have started using the OSM map (for UK) from the following site and favour it now over all my other OSM maps:-

https://sites.google.com/site/openfietsmap/downloads/europe

and one of the things that I have noticed is my battery drain life has improved, and also using mapsource I do not install the whole of the UK but just the areas that I ride in predominantly, so even that in itself may help by not having to load into memory a lot of unneeded data. I do know that the OS discovery maps gobble up power and also using automotive view does as well.


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