I have a Nav 5 that I will be lending to my daughter when she goes on an overnight hike. She has a PLB that will transmit a distress call and her location in the event of an emergency but I thought a handheld GPS might come in handy if for some reason they need to establish their location. She is 34 years old but any of you with adult children will understand my not being able to fully let go.
My questions are -
1) How long would a fully charged Nav 5 battery last if it was handheld, turned on and in use ie screen lit up?
2) And how long in standby mode?
3) Does anyone have any experience in using the Nav 5 as a handheld device?
Ian
Nav 5 battery time**
Re: Nav 5 battery time**
Never used it as a hand held, have used one in a car without power, mine lasted about 5 hours before it died. Standby it will last for weeks, but as soon as you wake it up, the drain starts. Of course all this depends on the health of the battery. I would also question, where she is hiking, if its roads you will be ok, but off road, not so much so, Garmin uses HERE maps for nav and is very much road focused, it won't have the detail of tracks etc.
Re: Nav 5 battery time**
You are probably better off using the option to download area data for the Google Maps app on her phone, that way she can use the app even if she has no network coverage. And if you are worried about battery life on the phone then get a battery pack, I have a "RAVPower 16750mAh Power Bank" which weighs about the same as my Nav6 but will recharge my phone to full from empty about three times
Re: Nav 5 battery time**
If she has a mobile phone then download the What3Words App. This gives your location using 3 random words. It works over the whole planet. It will locate you to within a 3m square. So if help is needed all she would have to do is send you her What3Word location.
Last edited by Levisp on Sat Jun 01, 2019 2:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.