Trail Tech Voyager Pro

[joey330]

Getting off topic. I would like to hear more about the Voyager Pro than I would phone apps. I think instead of filling a thread with phone information, there should be another thread., or a comparison thread. I already use a phone but would be interested in the voyager pro.

[ohgood]

On 9/27/2018 at 9:56 AM, joey330 said:

Getting off topic. I would like to hear more about the Voyager Pro than I would phone apps. I think instead of filling a thread with phone information, there should be another thread., or a comparison thread. I already use a phone but would be interested in the voyager pro.

ok, to answer the ops question:

 

no the Voyager is not worth $240 unless you really want a bunch of useless info (rpm?) on a dirt bike, and very poor gps capabilities. it's just s gray screen with gray lines. fine for recording tracks but terrible for anything more than that. there are no routing capabilities it turn by your navigation for dual sport/street rides. 

 

no the Voyager pro is not worth $600 unless you convince your buddies to also buy and use them with the buddy tracking. it has a color screen but it's still far behind until route plotting is included in a firmware update. this is a huge improvement from the original Voyager but so far behind the phone apps.

 

comparison, what phones do that trail techs cannot:

everything browser related

everything route related

everything turn by turn related

everything sharing related (tracks waypoints maps kmzs videos pictures mp3s) to other devices

everything video related

everything picture related

pay for your gas/slushy/etc via NFC

modify fuel maps on modern bikes via Bluetooth

call 911 

basically think of the trail tech as a really nice screen that is running a beta release of navigation software that isn't ready for any dual sport or street use yet. you can always create a route on your phone with locus/whatever and transfer it to the trail tech as a track, but if you're filling with pulling out the phone, swapping sdcards/WiFi transfers, might as well put the phone on the bars and just get the full navigation experience. Android devices are $55 and blow away the usability of Garmin, Tom Tom and Voyager devices. yes, $55 phones are rugged, waterproof, and all the navigation features work without cellular service. 

and the track limitations are almost limitless... attached is an example showing about 85,000 miles of gpx tracks without any slowdown or issues. eclipse paths are great for testing a units capacities and processing power:

 

Edited September 30, 2018 by ohgood

[joey330]

ok, to answer the ops question:
 
no the Voyager is not worth $240 unless you really want a bunch of useless info (rpm?) on a dirt bike, and very poor gps capabilities. it's just s gray screen with gray lines. fine for recording tracks but terrible for anything more than that. there are no routing capabilities it turn by your navigation for dual sport/street rides. 
 
no the Voyager pro is not worth $600 unless you convince your buddies to also buy and use them with the buddy tracking. it has a color screen but it's still far behind until route plotting is included in a firmware update. this is a huge improvement from the original Voyager but so far behind the phone apps.
 
comparison, what phones do that trail techs cannot:
everything browser related
everything route related
everything turn by turn related
everything sharing related (tracks waypoints maps kmzs videos pictures mp3s) to other devices
everything video related
everything picture related
pay for your gas/slushy/etc via NFC
modify fuel maps on modern bikes via Bluetooth
call 911 
basically think of the trail tech as a really nice screen that is running a beta release of navigation software that isn't ready for any dual sport or street use yet. you can always create a route on your phone with locus/whatever and transfer it to the trail tech as a track, but if you're filling with pulling out the phone, swapping sdcards/WiFi transfers, might as well put the phone on the bars and just get the full navigation experience. Android devices are $55 and blow away the usability of Garmin, Tom Tom and Voyager devices. yes, $55 phones are rugged, waterproof, and all the navigation features work without cellular service. 
and the track limitations are almost limitless... attached is an example showing about 85,000 miles of gpx tracks without any slowdown or issues. eclipse paths are great for testing a units capacities and processing power:
 

Great job, much appreciated.

The Voyager/Pro can map your tracks and record trails. Can a phone do this real time as well? For instance if you take a wrong turn and need to turn around, will the phone do the same thing by showing your tracks?

From what everyone is putting together, simply stated..

"You're stupid if you waste $600 on a Pro if a $55 phone can do all and more."

I get it, just wanted to clarify for threads sake that a Pro isn't worth the money..

[The Inquisitor]

5 hours ago, joey330 said:

Great job, much appreciated.

The Voyager/Pro can map your tracks and record trails. Can a phone do this real time as well? For instance if you take a wrong turn and need to turn around, will the phone do the same thing by showing your tracks?

From what everyone is putting together, simply stated..

"You're stupid if you waste $600 on a Pro if a $55 phone can do all and more."

I get it, just wanted to clarify for threads sake that a Pro isn't worth the money..

This is now again getting off topic and I would be slighly interested to read more about the PRO but after using my phone set-up which as I said before only cost $20 there is no way I'd drop any sort of $$$ on a dedicated GPS.
 

To answer your question above YES and YES

[ohgood]

On 9/30/2018 at 6:12 AM, joey330 said:

Great job, much appreciated.

The Voyager/Pro can map your tracks and record trails. Can a phone do this real time as well? For instance if you take a wrong turn and need to turn around, will the phone do the same thing by showing your tracks?

From what everyone is putting together, simply stated..

"You're stupid if you waste $600 on a Pro if a $55 phone can do all and more."

I get it, just wanted to clarify for threads sake that a Pro isn't worth the money..

of course, yes, it will record and display tracks. 

the pro is hugely better than the regular Voyager, it just needs routing before it can be used for street/dual sporting

[KTM_Ken]

I own and have used the Voyager (previous gen of Voyager Pro), Garmin Montana, Garmin Monterra and now have a Voyager Pro.

The Voyager was useful as a display and for keeping track of speed, temps and breadcrumb tracks.  I found I had to work a bit harder to manage it for following tracks, mainly because it is only a grayscale display.  It was useful for quick installs of GPX tracks for some longer dual sport rides though.

The Montana is a great device and has a good display, but, at least for the model I had, it was difficult to zoom and manage the display with riding gloves on.  It also was difficult to manage the import and sharing of the tracks since it tended to like Basecamp installs vs. just dropping files into folders on the MicroSD card.  The card was also inconveniently located under the battery.  Probably a great idea of waterproofness, but a pain for accessing.

The Monterra is the Android version of the Montana that I believe has been discontinued.  It can be a little buggy at times, but a quick restart resolves any issues I have had.  I much prefer the Monterra over the Montana due to the Android OS, ability to run other GPS apps (Kurviger for instance), share track and routes and updates with WiFi and Bluetooth, email, browse and even use file managers to install, edit and move contents on the SD card.  I particularly liked and used the ability to upload custom map overlays on both the Montana and the Monterra.  They were super useful for riding and following trails in unfamiliar areas and for staying out of off limits areas when snow biking and boundary markers are sparse or non-existent.  By installing a trail map overlay, the GPS would overlay my location icon right on the local trail map.  You can also install just about any map type you want (Street, OSM, Topo, etc.).  The display responds well to gloved fingers for pinching and zooming and, IMO, overall just works much better than the Montana for a guy who is already used to an Android phone.  With Bluetooth, it also works great for streaming music and GPS route notifications to your Sena and Cardo headsets.

This progress is leading to the Voyager Pro...

The Voyager Pro is every bit as good as the Monterra in most areas, exceeds it in others, and still lacks in a couple of areas that area supposed to be addressed in future updates.

In no particular order...

1) The Voyager Pro has the best display of any option I have tried including cell phones.  It is the most responsive and effective of any display in terms of using it with gloves and all kinds of whether conditions from snow and ice to 115 degree days.  It does suffer, just like the Monterra, from issues sometimes where water droplets end up being perceived as touch inputs and messing with the display.  A quick swipe of the screen usually resolves the issue.

2) The integrated display and configurable alerts for water temperature and other bike aspects is really nice.  For snow biking, coolant temps are pretty critical and this display works better than anything else I have used.  The fact that it seamlessly integrates into one display makes for a really clean cockpit.

3) The built in topo map is really solid and the route tracking and display is very visible.  You can specify colors on the tracks to help identify A, B, and C level routes, 2-track and single track, etc.  But that all has to be done a little painstakingly ahead of time.  Once the library of everyone's efforts is a little more complete, it will be less of an issue, but it takes a lot more work to do than loading a custom image overlay on top of the GPS (Montana and Monterra).  Also, it is not a routable display meaning that you can display a planned route (what I usually do for dual sport and long distance dirt rides), but it does not provide real time routing, map planning and rerouting like a typical travel GPS will.  This is supposed to be addressed in future versions, but for now will be a limiting factor to me selling the Monterra for street and travel trips where that feature can be helpful.

4) It has a very capable Bluetooth connection strategy that supports 2 connections each for riders and passengers including the ability to let you share each others music and, supposedly, bridges Bluetooth connection challenges between off brand helmet comms.  Having the music stored locally or the ability to stream is a nice feature too, but the onboard system does not have a shuffle option yet.  Not a big deal, but you find yourself already humming the next tune in the lull between songs after a while.

5) The buttons on the unit are really easy to access with gloves on the menu displays are pretty intuitive as well.  The best of all of the other devices listed above.

6) The buddy tracking feature is something you look forward to when purchasing it, spend a lot of time thinking about before using it, and then forget about it while using it since it seamlessly runs in the background... UNTIL you start wondering, "what happened to my buddy?"  Then you glance at the screen and either see their icon following along behind or a red dot with an X showing that you lost their connection.  Turning around and running back on your track will take you back to the last connected location and it usually restores the link on the way back showing you were they went awry.  1/2 to 2 miles ranges work great for everything from dirt to street and even snow.  It helps avoid track congestion, following in the dust and adds peace of mind when leading less experienced riders.  It is a great supplement to 2-way comms in the winter as well.

7) The docking station is secure and simple to install.  They make a nice unit for mounting right between the triple clamps making the display accessible and easy to read.

8) They unit has a limited battery for use when not connected.  If you want to do a lot of playing with your unit and doing route and track planning at the desktop, you will want to buy an additional mounting unit and their external power supply.  The Monterra and Montana had replaceable liPo batteries and even allowed for using AA.  Not to mention they have USB charging ports.  The only option for charging the Voyager Pro is through the docking connection, so it presumes you will be doing most of that work on the bike.

9) The MicroSD card is readily accessible from the side of the unit from a simple rubber cover.  Adding tracks and routes is pretty easy that way, especially if you have a chip reader for your Android phone.  It would be nice if the Pro allowed you to share tracks and such to it by Bluetooth.

I have been happy with the purchase so far and plan to use it for all my riding except for street.  Hopefully they will come up with an update that offers GPS routable riding and then I can make it my dedicated unit.

As for phone, I love my Android, but display visibility including constant on kills the batteries, generates a lot of heat, runs into limits in heat an sunlight where it gets too hot to charge, can be challenged if the charge port gets even a little moisture, doesn't always work so well with dirt and street riding gloves, requires a pretty aggressive holder to make it even remotely as secure as a dedicated GPS, etc.

[ohgood]

On 10/7/2018 at 12:26 PM, KTM_Ken said:

I own and have used the Voyager (previous gen of Voyager Pro), Garmin Montana, Garmin Monterra and now have a Voyager Pro.

The Voyager was useful as a display and for keeping track of speed, temps and breadcrumb tracks.  I found I had to work a bit harder to manage it for following tracks, mainly because it is only a grayscale display.  It was useful for quick installs of GPX tracks for some longer dual sport rides though.

The Montana is a great device and has a good display, but, at least for the model I had, it was difficult to zoom and manage the display with riding gloves on.  It also was difficult to manage the import and sharing of the tracks since it tended to like Basecamp installs vs. just dropping files into folders on the MicroSD card.  The card was also inconveniently located under the battery.  Probably a great idea of waterproofness, but a pain for accessing.

The Monterra is the Android version of the Montana that I believe has been discontinued.  It can be a little buggy at times, but a quick restart resolves any issues I have had.  I much prefer the Monterra over the Montana due to the Android OS, ability to run other GPS apps (Kurviger for instance), share track and routes and updates with WiFi and Bluetooth, email, browse and even use file managers to install, edit and move contents on the SD card.  I particularly liked and used the ability to upload custom map overlays on both the Montana and the Monterra.  They were super useful for riding and following trails in unfamiliar areas and for staying out of off limits areas when snow biking and boundary markers are sparse or non-existent.  By installing a trail map overlay, the GPS would overlay my location icon right on the local trail map.  You can also install just about any map type you want (Street, OSM, Topo, etc.).  The display responds well to gloved fingers for pinching and zooming and, IMO, overall just works much better than the Montana for a guy who is already used to an Android phone.  With Bluetooth, it also works great for streaming music and GPS route notifications to your Sena and Cardo headsets.

This progress is leading to the Voyager Pro...

The Voyager Pro is every bit as good as the Monterra in most areas, exceeds it in others, and still lacks in a couple of areas that area supposed to be addressed in future updates.

In no particular order...

1) The Voyager Pro has the best display of any option I have tried including cell phones.  It is the most responsive and effective of any display in terms of using it with gloves and all kinds of whether conditions from snow and ice to 115 degree days.  It does suffer, just like the Monterra, from issues sometimes where water droplets end up being perceived as touch inputs and messing with the display.  A quick swipe of the screen usually resolves the issue.

2) The integrated display and configurable alerts for water temperature and other bike aspects is really nice.  For snow biking, coolant temps are pretty critical and this display works better than anything else I have used.  The fact that it seamlessly integrates into one display makes for a really clean cockpit.

3) The built in topo map is really solid and the route tracking and display is very visible.  You can specify colors on the tracks to help identify A, B, and C level routes, 2-track and single track, etc.  But that all has to be done a little painstakingly ahead of time.  Once the library of everyone's efforts is a little more complete, it will be less of an issue, but it takes a lot more work to do than loading a custom image overlay on top of the GPS (Montana and Monterra).  Also, it is not a routable display meaning that you can display a planned route (what I usually do for dual sport and long distance dirt rides), but it does not provide real time routing, map planning and rerouting like a typical travel GPS will.  This is supposed to be addressed in future versions, but for now will be a limiting factor to me selling the Monterra for street and travel trips where that feature can be helpful.

4) It has a very capable Bluetooth connection strategy that supports 2 connections each for riders and passengers including the ability to let you share each others music and, supposedly, bridges Bluetooth connection challenges between off brand helmet comms.  Having the music stored locally or the ability to stream is a nice feature too, but the onboard system does not have a shuffle option yet.  Not a big deal, but you find yourself already humming the next tune in the lull between songs after a while.

5) The buttons on the unit are really easy to access with gloves on the menu displays are pretty intuitive as well.  The best of all of the other devices listed above.

6) The buddy tracking feature is something you look forward to when purchasing it, spend a lot of time thinking about before using it, and then forget about it while using it since it seamlessly runs in the background... UNTIL you start wondering, "what happened to my buddy?"  Then you glance at the screen and either see their icon following along behind or a red dot with an X showing that you lost their connection.  Turning around and running back on your track will take you back to the last connected location and it usually restores the link on the way back showing you were they went awry.  1/2 to 2 miles ranges work great for everything from dirt to street and even snow.  It helps avoid track congestion, following in the dust and adds peace of mind when leading less experienced riders.  It is a great supplement to 2-way comms in the winter as well.

7) The docking station is secure and simple to install.  They make a nice unit for mounting right between the triple clamps making the display accessible and easy to read.

? They unit has a limited battery for use when not connected.  If you want to do a lot of playing with your unit and doing route and track planning at the desktop, you will want to buy an additional mounting unit and their external power supply.  The Monterra and Montana had replaceable liPo batteries and even allowed for using AA.  Not to mention they have USB charging ports.  The only option for charging the Voyager Pro is through the docking connection, so it presumes you will be doing most of that work on the bike.

9) The MicroSD card is readily accessible from the side of the unit from a simple rubber cover.  Adding tracks and routes is pretty easy that way, especially if you have a chip reader for your Android phone.  It would be nice if the Pro allowed you to share tracks and such to it by Bluetooth.

I have been happy with the purchase so far and plan to use it for all my riding except for street.  Hopefully they will come up with an update that offers GPS routable riding and then I can make it my dedicated unit.

As for phone, I love my Android, but display visibility including constant on kills the batteries, generates a lot of heat, runs into limits in heat an sunlight where it gets too hot to charge, can be challenged if the charge port gets even a little moisture, doesn't always work so well with dirt and street riding gloves, requires a pretty aggressive holder to make it even remotely as secure as a dedicated GPS, etc.

 

 

that's a really good, real world usage review of the voyager pro, thank you for taking the time to type it. it's so refreshing to read a real world review, instead of the millions of paid shills that do nothing but read the marketing material point for point! 

 

again, thanks

[highmarker]

On 9/8/2018 at 10:15 AM, mmmm waffles said:

Will old phones still pick up gps signal when they aren’t activated? I have my old iPhone but never had thought to try it. I have a Garmin Montana 650t in my maverick but I’m really not a huge fan of it. Maybe I just haven’t messed with it enough.

 Montana is a good device, wouldn't give up on it.  The whole phone thing, wow, moving faster than me. I bought a $35 no service waterproof phone from walmart. Went to a restraunt with wifi and downloaded  avenza and a ton of maps. Used it a few times , crashed with it in my pocket and broke it,,,doh.   Garmin or phone, a paper map too if your new to the area.

[Tye Durden]

Ackk old thread not sure why it popped

Edited December 16, 2020 by Tye Durden