Tips when using your Garmin GPS on Battery Only for Road Navigation

[davidr]

Ok, so you need to use your GPS without power on a long trip and you can't charge it. (I have had this scenario a couple of time when using my GPS on a rented motorcycle for example), here are a few tips for getting the most use out of the battery in one go.

• If you are lucky enough to have a spare battery, don't forget to take it
• Fully charge the battery before you leave
• Some units have a battery saver mode (e.g. 276C or a 278 from the Menu options choose Setup -> System -> System Mode -> 'Battery Saver') - Zumo doesn't have this
• The single biggest saving in terms of battery is the backlight on the unit. Turn it right down to the lowest acceptable level for use to start with.
  
• If you need to use the unit at night on battery, the 'Backlight Timeout' feature is useful (Quest and 276C, 278 have this), this feature allows the backlight to be illuminated only when an instruction is given (for example, take next right) and then you can select a time period for the unit backlight to stay on after this (15 seconds, 30 seconds, etc)
• A simple but very effective way of saving the battery is only to switch the unit on when you need to use it. It sounds very simple but is often forgotten. For Example, if I want to follow a route in the Alps and I am riding from Amsterdam to Chamonix for example. I know by heart the generic route to the south of France, so I can save several hours of battery life simply by not switching the unit on until I need to use it.

I'll post more tips when I think of them . . .