First, just to be clear, there is a difference between:
- Setup > Routing > Activity (Automobile Driving, Motorcycle Driving, Cycling...); and
- Setup > Recording Activity Type (Driving, Cycling, Mountaineering...).
My primary question here is related to Routing > Activity, and how chances here will impact the Trip Computer. Using the same profile, but changing the Activity between Automobile Driving and Motorcycle Driving has a big impact on ETA and "Time to" Next or Destination. It appeared to me that the change in values was almost 2:1, with Automobile Driving at approximately half the travel time of Motorcycling. I'm not sure what kinds of motorcycles (ahem, scooters) Garmin has in mind, but the typical highway going motorcycle is at least as fast as cars (I'll admit to being somewhat faster, due to easy passing and fun times). Where can I find out what and how Activity affects the GPA (Montana 750i in my case)?
Since his is a Garmin forum, and you never know what developer is lurking, I'll add some suggestions for improvements below, and perhaps more experienced users can add comments.
1. Rename Activity to avoid confusion with Activity Type. Since Activity Type is a well known setting under Recording and Tracks, perhaps Activity, under Routing, should be renamed Transportation Mode, or some similar alternative.
2. Link Activity and Activity Type. Maybe this should be the same list, and linked between Recording and Routing, such that a change in either location changes both.
3. Move Activity to a sub-menu, Activity Setup (a.k.a. Transportation Mode Setup). Of course Activity (or Transportation Mode) has an impact on Routing--we wouldn't want to route pedestrians on a freeway--but it may not be so obvious that the Trip Computer is affected. (I would have expected the Activity Type under Recording, would affects the computer, and spent more time there trying to diagnose my problem). On the setup menu, the first item would be Activity (or Transportation Mode), and the following items would make it plainly clear how this impacts the system. For example:
ACTIVITY: Automobile Driving, Motorcycle Driving, Cycling...
SPEED ADJUSTMENT: 0% limit, Auto, +5%, - 5%, etc...
WHATEVER ELSE (i.e. I posted this as my first question)
RESTORE DEFAULTS
4. Move Obstacle Avoidance to be under Activity Setup (Transportation Mode Setup). Since OA depends on the Activity, moving this to hear makes the relationship easier to understand when you're out in the field with no manual.
5. Add Computer Settings to the Trip Computer bottom right menu. Display the activity, speed adjustment, automatic variables (see #6) and whatever else, the computer is using for calculations.
6. Add some automatic learning to the trip computer. If the driver is averaging 5% less than the posted speed limit, ETA and Time to should reflect this across the entire route, rather than have those values slowly creep towards a more accurate estimate as you approach your destination (this currently works too much like a weather forecast).
7. Add other types of driving. RV's and travel trailers should not be presented with the same ETA and Time to in the Trip Computer. Same goes for most of my adventure bike riding buddies!
8. Add custom Activity types. (i.e. List under Activity in Setup > Routing).
Thanks for reading. Cheers
