GPS Training Podcast

What training opportunities do we have coming up in 2025, Fenix 8 – 6 weeks in and Andy’s top tips.

In this month’s podcast

1.   What courses do we currently have?

1. Online resource – £50.00/ year (included free with and GPS purchase)

2. Support packages – Bronze, Silver and Gold – £80.00/ £125.00/ £145.00 / year (included free with and GPS purchase)

3. Group training courses over Zoom – £74.99

4. Nationwide two-day training course – £195.00 for 2-day course

5. 1:1 over Zoom – 2 hours – £89.00

6. 1:1 in person, Northumberland, get in touch

A video looking at the training options can be seen here

Full review on the Garmin Fenix 8 – watch/ read it here

3. When teaching on a GPS Training course – What 1 thing that we each would encourage any GPS to do – the one action you would encourage every handheld GPS user to do

TwoNav – Route Off course alerts change distance & volume

Main menu – Settings – Activity Profiles – Alarms – Data Fields

Terra, Aventura Have different Tones options

Volume Top toolbar from map page Audio muted or change volume

Garmin – Push Button Units GPSMAp65,66,67 – Add Shortcut applications to page button

A good example satellite page to check grid ref & accuracy using Page button

Coris Vertix 2s, new inReach contracts, the all-new Garmin inReach Messenger plus and Andy’s top tips.

In this month’s podcast

1.   First thoughts on the Coros Vertix 2s

Robust tough sapphire screen sunlight readable, titanium bezel, big battery not all the bells and whistles but so easy to use.

Coros Vertix 2s – more here

2. New inReach contracts

10p / check-in

10p / trackPoint

50p / message/ weather

1 off payment – Activation fee – £39.99

Garmin inReach products – more here

3. New inReach messenger plus

What is the Garmin inReach messenger? – £199.99

Up to 28 days with a message or location sent every 10 minutes with full sky view; up to 14 days with moderate tree cover

What is the inReach messenger plus? – £429.99 ( 30 second voice message, photo’s)

— NEW — The ability to also send voice recordings, photos and group messaging on the Garmin Messenger™ app

Up until now Garmin’s inReach line used Short Burst Data (SBD) to send messages, but with entirely new hardware, the Messenger Plus uses Iridium Messaging Transport (IMT) to send messages 300 times larger than SBD. That means it can support photos, 30-second voice memos, and 1,600-character texts (previous inReach text messages couldn’t exceed 160 characters).

Battery

Up to 120 hours of text message or location information sent every 2 minutes in power-saving messaging mode; up to 70 hours in performance messaging mode.

Garmin inReach Messenger Plus – more here

4. Andy’s Top Tips

When on map or elevation plot screen

If you do press in scroll wheel you will see + – icon to use scroll wheel to zoom in and out – remember to press back button when finished or when screen unlocked scroll wheel will not move to next screen as still in zoom mode back button cancels

Remember you cannot pause or stop activity from map or elevation sreen but any other screen

The new Garmin Fenix 8, Irish mapping for a TwoNav GPS unit and a new GPS Training course for 2025.

In this month’s podcast

 1. It’s our 100th podcast

Sorry it’s a little late in the month, normally it is the 1st of every month.

Holidays and very busy at GPS Training

If you do not already do please subscribe to the GPS Training podcast on whatever platform you listen to us on

2. Fenix 8 – what has changed?

AMOLED screen – no longer EPIX

Fenix 8 – AMOLED

Additions –

– AMOLED comes in three sizes: 43/47/51mm

– Solar edition only – New edge ring solar panel is far more efficient, and no longer covers display, improving clarity

3. Irish mapping for TwoNav – potentially getting updated

Source: LPSNI Northern Ireland

Scale: 1:50.000

Format: Topographic

Size: 437.19 Mb

Resolution: 4.0 m/px

Version : 2012

£34.16

Southern Ireland OSM & TomTom

Overseas and Irish map options for TwoNav GPS Units

Over the next couple of weeks we will be putting our 2025 GPS Training courses on the website –

Two-day ‘physical’ training courses around the UK – £195.00

Scottish Borders

Northumberland

Lake District

Peak District

Northamptonshire

Gloucestershire

South Downs

New Forest

Then we have out 1:1 over Zoom – 2 hours – £89.00 – at a time that suits you best

BUT, new for 2025 we are having 1 day group courses over Zoom

These will be – £75.00/ person

10.00 – 16.00 (with x 1 hour for lunch – giving time to digest what has been taught

– 4 people on each Zoom training course

5. Andy’s top tips

If you own a computer you can organise your Routes into Folders

Then when you open up Routes from main menu you can see your folders

If you do not have pc you cannot create folders but you can change list order by going into Routes – tap 3 white dots bottom right – select Sort by – Date, Sport, File Name, Proximity, distance, Ascent etc

This will also change order in folders, ie distance longest first, ascent highest first etc

Handhelds goto Setup – Map – advance setup – Detail – change from Normal to more or most

Basecamp Mac – detail level bar toolbar bottom of map

Basecamp Windows – View – Toolbars – detail level tick – new box Medium, can change to higher highest or low, lower, lowest

Lower when moving around

In this podcast, we look back at the past 99 episodes of the GPS Training podcast.

The first ever GPS Training Podcast went out on Sept 15th 2017 – 7 years ago

I had been on holiday that summer and first learnt about Podcasts and had got slightly ‘hooked’ on them, or one particular – Big Ideas for Small Business, which incidentally I was interviewed for 2 years later.

I loved the format of the podcast, long-form, which you invested in.

I remember the first ever day I pitched the idea at one of our staff meetings I was met by some interesting ‘blank stares.

Here it is –

In the first-ever GPS Training Podcast the lead piece was on the ‘all-new’ Sat Map Active 20 – 2 months on.

Quite ironic as SatMap went out of business in 2022, 5 years later

Podcast 1 (2017) – 19 (2019) – with Andy and other guests

Streamed live on Facebook

Podcast 19 – 59 (Sept 2021) with Ian and other guests

Then Andy came back from then on to the present day

Podcast 60 to current day

Monthly except for

Podcast 33 (March 2020) onwards – Covid, we went to fortnightly podcasts

Recorded these at 7.45 in the morning then I could answer any calls in the office, as all the other staff were furloughed

It hopefully kept you all sane, I know it certainly did that with us – kept us sane – very hard time personally, working on my own and being upbeat on a podcast not knowing what was around the corner on the business front

As things started to get a little more ‘normal’ we had our 50th Podcast (March 2021) we had the whole team from GPS Training at the time on the podcast and we answered random questions, picked out of a hat.

Questions that are in the hat

I know a number of you that I have spoken to over the years have gone all the way back to number 1 and listened to them all.

I am massively impressed, well done to you guys and girls!

Some of my – Highpoints –

I was first introduced to the Spine Race by Paul Freeman –

Podcast 31, back in 2020 – Spoke to Paul Freeman before he undertook the Spine Challenger south – I knew nothing about this race before I interviewing him

Quite ironic now as the Spine Race became such a large part of both mine and Andy’s life over the past number of years.

I remember doing a bit research before that interview and learning about the spine Race for the first time, all the different race options.

After I interviewed Paul again, after he had finished the race, I remember thinking to myself, I would love to do that one day and x 3 years later I finished the 108 mile spine challenger south, the race Paul had done.

Then the following year, this year, the 160 mile Spine Challenger North.

I am often humbled, when speaking to these people, how often the person I am speaking to really opens up and often you can see tears running down their faces as they share their thoughts and emotions with you.

On the 15th GPS Training podcast I interviewed Duncan, who had built his own rowing boat and then rowed across the Atlantic.

I had interviewed him again, but speaking to him in October 2018 after he had got so near to completing this adventure.

If you have not listened to this, he explains his dramatic rescue just off the coast of Ireland (699 miles away), the 100th day of his cross Atlantic crossing.

Duncan had borrowed a Garmin inReach messenger from us for his journey.

Duncan was a tough Scottish guy, who worked offshore, and during the interview he talked with no emotions, a true “Scottish mail’, but as I took him through the rescue it really just brought everything into reality, but for myself and also for him.

It is the most dramatic story I have personally heard as he explained his rescue, looking at the propellors as he had a rope attached to the super tanker – before the ropes broke.

His life kept going into slow motion as he looked at the propellor, he was thrown out of his boat and then on a massive wave lifted him up and he could grab onto the ladder.

At the end of that interview, whilst I was no longer recording, he stated reciting this rescue was the hardest thing he had ever done.

Tommy was a downhill mountain biker

Spent two seasons on the World Cup circuit

After an accident in 2013 he had an accident, in which he fractured his skull, damaged his spinal cord, discs and permanently paralysed his right arm.

Tommy was a local person ‘I knew’ but getting the chance to speak with him was a true highlight of the podcast, a truly inspirational character.

I could go on all day here, but some other great episodes –

Episode 65 (January 2022) – Allan Knight – who was the oldest man to walk the length of Britain – Jon o Groats to Lands end

Episode 80 (January 2023) – Toby Simms who had walked the length of Britain, this time from Cape Wrath to his home in Hastings, in the South East of England

And off course – Chris the Coast Walker, who has been on the podcast a number of times. He walked 11,000 miles around the Coast of Britain, he started in late July 2020, when we thought the Covid Pandemic was over!

Episode 41 – August 2020

Episode 53 – Mid April 2021 as he had to bail out of Wales as it went back into lockdown

Episode 66 (really 65.5) – Feb 2022 when I walked a section of the Northumberland Coast with him

Chris has become a good personal friend and I have seen him, and his family, at a number of outdoor shows etc since then.

And more recently I must mention my chats with Andy, my current co-host, as we have discussed his Post Spine stories.

The environment of the podcast really does give people the opportunity to open up and tell their heartfelt story.

There are so many guests to mention of the years and the. More I think about the longer the list gets.

I know I have learnt so much that has improved my hill skills whilst hosting the podcast and I hope you have too.

Many thanks to everybody who has listened to the podcast over the past 7 years.

In the second of our x 4 Podcasts for August, we look back at the past 10 years of GPS Training.

Shepherds Walks bought GPS Training in 2014

Bought GPS Training from Peter Judd, Peter had his own business and retired to the Lake District.

He worked for George Fishers in Keswick and could see a space in the market for GPS Training.

The first ever GPS Training course was in Mungrisdale, Lake District.

First x 5 years very hard but we quickly learnt that a more informed customer made life a lot easier for us

The first GPS training Podcast came about in September 2017

In 2016 we got rid of our retail premises and went solely online, this was in the old Tourist Information Centre in Rothbury when we finally closed down the retail premises.

We set up Outdoor GPS Shop in Sept 2019, which is the ‘budget’ website for GPS units.

GPS training offers a post-sale training and support package whereas Outdoor GPS sells just on price.

March 2020 – Covid – this had a very large effect on the business. It was a real wake-up call.

We managed to fast-track a number of plans, as we needed to get our sales up very quickly.

In 2021 I created our first ever ‘walk and talk’ video for YouTube, to showcase to potential customers the final navigational experience you get on a GPS unit.

April 2023 – Moved into our current premises, look at our build here.

Many tahnks for all your support, not only from myself but from all the team here at GPS Training.

How is Shepherd’s Walks made up? x 4 aspects of the business in 2024 – multi-million-pound turnover

Shepherds Walks – Events, courses, retailer and guided walks

Shepherds Walks Holidays – Guided and self-guided walking holidays

Capricorn Mohair Socks – 60 + trade accounts and retail

GPS Training/ Outdoor GPS Shop – largest retailer of Outdoor GPS units in the UK, I know what our competitors sell, not very professional to say what they sell

1999 – Shepherds Walks – Northumbrian Shepherds Walks

– But, let’s go a back a little further than that

I’m Jon Monks –

School – not academic, school just did not work for me – Dyslexic

But excelled and Cubs, Scouts and Duke of Edinburgh

Hiking competitions

Maps made more sense to me than text in a book

Career choice – work outdoors – farmer?

Career officer – School

Career office – St Helens

James Hayes

Lancashire College of Agriculture – Careers office

YTS x 2 years – Arable framing

College x 3 years – Dairy and finally sheep

Post college – Australia, Lord Carnarvon (Highclere Estate) and Northumberland x 2 jobs

1999 – Shepherds Walks – Wrote walking guides (from a Shepherds perspective)

2005 – Went full-time – Health Walks

Hard to make money, as did not really have a viable business –

Guided walks, self-led walking guides, maps, local history books, postcards etc

2006 – Bought Capricorn Mohair Socks

Needing 36k to buy business

15k bank, 15k our own money but 6k VAT

2006/ 2007 – Selling GPS units – Contacting Peter Judd and Sheep Trails

Started selling GPS units/ training courses

2008 – Shepherds Walks Holidays – part of Saddle Skedaddle

2014 – Bought GPS Training – doubled my turnover – not scared of talking figures (125k x 2 – ¼ million turnover) – But more about that in next weeks podcast

And what a story that is – GPS Training

Covid – First lockdown – March 2020

Started to understand that often less is more – My shepherding background was the more I went around the sheep at lambing time the more sheep I would have, but this was not the case with GPST

We had a great stable base to build the business on – 50k Bounce back loan

New website –

GPST Jan 2021 – Built in Christmas/ January lockdown

SWH – 2022 – invest or die after Covid

SW – Jan 2022

Moved to our current premises – April 2023 (got keys on 1st February)

If you have not seen the video of us building the new offices please do, I will leave a link in the show notes – https://gpstraining.co.uk/blogs/news/the-build-shepherds-walks-ltd

We took over an empty unit (2,250 sq ft, 209 sq m) on 1st February 2023 and in 10 weeks spent weekends and evenings building our new office, training room and warehouse.

This was literally a new start – as we were in charge of our own destiny and I think it really reflects what Shepherds Walks Ltd is all about.

So that brings you up to date with where we currently are.

The x 4 businesses really keep us busy.

Next week I look in depth at GPS Training – how it was started and what has happened in the business over the past x 10 years.

In this I will talk you through the biggest challenge I have ever set out on – But this subject is, i.e. the first 10 years of GPS Training

In this month’s podcast

1. We look back this year’s Spine Race and how we each got on – 00:50

2. TwoNav software update – what has changed – 22:22

3. Apple’s announcement – Two-way satellite communication – 28:06

4. Andy’s top tips – 36:10

1. We look back to this year’s Spine Event

– Spine Challenger South – Started Saturday morning – 15th June –

Jon took part in

– Spine Challenger North – Started Monday morning – 17th June –

160 miles

90 hours to complete

CP1 – Low Way Farm, Middleton on Teesdale

Completed it in 86 hours and 10 mins

Highpoints – First 37 miles to CP1 (Low Fell Farm, near to Middleton in Teesdale) and then section that follows River Tees, it’s truly stunning, especially as the sun set.

Jon’s Just Giving – https://www.justgiving.com/team/spinenorthjon

Andy’s Just Giving – https://www.justgiving.com/team/andyayrespinechallenger

2.   TwoNav software update

3. Satellite Texting Is Coming to the iPhone. Do I Still Need My inReach?

Apple’s new iOS 18 update allows its products to work off-grid. But are phones a suitable replacement for purpose-built backcountry communication tools?

Being released in the US late this year, but no price structures have been given to date.

I was speaking to a contact in the industry this week and he was saying there is a large problem metering and measuring the data that is being send from satellites, so it is hard to ‘measure a cost’ as the data request for this info costs more than sending the message itself.

Currently, free SOS Satellite capabilities from Apple since late 2022, using Globalstar satellite system (currently used by Spot)

Globalstar also does not cover full coverage of the world, but it has been utilised very well by the Spot outdoor communicators in the past, but Globalstar getting a massive cash injection from Apple.

Apple will pay for 95% of the approved capital expenditure for the new satellites needed to support the service for Globalstar to upgrade their satellite systems.

So let’s see what happens

Iridium (Garmin and Zoleo use) far better quality than Globalstar

But, we have Apple, the 6th largest business in the world supporting/ backing this

4. Top Tips

If you Garmin came with preloaded Topo Active Europe but you also have OS map card how do you view them say for cycling or in a more urban environment

As OS maps take precedence over maps on memory you simply turn them off

Main menu – Setup – Map – etrex 32, GPSMap – Map information, GPSMAp66i, 67, Montana 700Map manager some older units  configure maps

Worldwide basemap should always be enabled

Disable Topo Pro 1:50k or for 1:25k Older North Scotland, South Scotland West England wales etc 5 x regions , newer map card 12 x regions

TwoNav – Main menu Maps – tap and turquoise Eye icon means in view – tap eye icon to hide

GB Topo is OS Maps

GBrtn23q1TomTom

This year’s Summer Spine Race series, GPS accuracy, getting the best battery life on a GPS unit or watch whilst participating in an Ultramarathon and Andy’s Top Tips.

In this month’s GPS Training Podcast 

1. We look forward to this year’s Spine Race and how our race prep is doing – 1 min

2. GPS accuracy – What is good, settings and how have things changed over the years? – 26 min 35 seconds

3. Getting the best out of your battery – during an ultra event – both units and watches – 36 minutes 55 seconds

4. Andy’s top tips – 45 minutes 55 seconds

1. We look forward to this year’s Spine Event

Sprint – Starts Saturday afternoon – 15th June –

Spine Challenger South – Starts Saturday morning – 15th June –

Spine Challenger North – Starts Monday morning – 17th June –

Full Spine Race – Starts Sunday morning – 16th June –

Edale to Kirk Yetholm, Scottish Borders

Paul Turner, Byrness Hill – Walking an epic 1000 mile. His walk will include both the Coast to Coast & the Pennine Way (walking each twice) & finishing with the Yorkshire Dales Centurion Walk.

Paul’s Just Giving page – https://www.justgiving.com/team/pauls1000miletrek

– Training

– Doing anything different this year

– Thoughts ahead of this year’s event?

Jon’s Just Giving – https://www.justgiving.com/team/spinenorthjon

Andy’s Just Giving – https://www.justgiving.com/team/andyayrespinechallenger

2.   GPS accuracy – What is good, settings and how have things changed over the years?

3 x Satellites show position 2d, 4 x Satellites 3d elevation

What is Multi GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite system)

GPS – USA 1978 started Military – Global use 1994

What is Dual Frequency / Multi Band

GPS – 18 satellite transmit at L1 & L5

Galileo – all E1 & E5

Devices we sell with dual frequency Epix gen 2, Fenix 7 sapphire solar & pro models

How accurate is a GPS unit/ watch video – https://gpstraining.co.uk/blogs/reviews/how-accurate-is-a-gps-unit-and-which-is-the-most-accurate-gps-unit

3. Getting the best out of your battery – during an ultra event – both units and watches

We always talk about backlight if you have option to reduce, not leaving on map page, turning off HR on watches, coros turn off stress monitoring, nighttime coros use nightmode, gesture control vastly improved or just tap backlight button etc, map North up although we do prefer track up

Handhelds use battery save mode screen off

But carrying on from the discussion about satellites

Coros Apex 2 pro

4. Top Tips

 View your 1:25k maps in BaseCamp – V3

Card reader on pc or adaptor like the one we stock makes maps so much quicker

Video – Taking you through the option – GPSTraining.co.uk > Product Reviews > View your Garmin 1:25k Ordnance Survey maps in Garmin BaseCamp

In this month’s podcast 

1. Spot Gen4 – satellite communicator/ tracker – 1 min 30 seconds

2. Garmin backpack tethers –  has your cord become frayed? – 17 min 27 seconds

3. Free OS planner – many thanks for the donations – 25 min 27 seconds

4. Andy’s top tips – 30 min 54 seconds

Pricing – Plan prices are in Euros also in small print you do need to also add on 20% vat to all prices shown.

Contacts – The maximum of 10 x contacts should really be named as 10 x slots i.e. you could not put 10 x mobile numbers in and for the same people 10 x email addresses at this would be 20.

If you put 5 x email addresses in and 5 x mobile numbers in this would your 10 x contacts slots used up.

Do you need a computer – A computer is required with USB connection to the device to sync and changes you make to tracking, tracking intervals and to install new firmware / software updates.

If you change messages and contacts a computer is not required for these changes.

Battery change – To change batteries there are 4 x screws to undo, advise customer to have small flat screwdriver in their backpack

Selling points

Peace of mind when off grid to have SOS and being able to send check-in messages to friends and family and have friends and family track you.

Lightweight robust weatherproof

Can use your own AAA Batteries

With 4 x AAA Lithium batteries excellent battery life – see PDF battery life chart

Unit itself cost effective to buy – cheapest physical unit that we sell.

Simple to use – but If you are not using tracking the monthly pricing is not as good when comparing to say a Garmin messenger that will allow two way messages and more functions on the device, but sometimes extra functions if not require could be more confusing.

The big selling point for me would be that the pricing includes 5, 10, 30 & 60 minute tracking at no extra charge, if you mainly want for SOS peace of mind and tracking it is more cost effective than others.

The Spot 20% discount code (only from GPS Training) is only for the annual messages not flex plans – must be activated by 30th June, we will include a discount code in with your SPOT

20% off activation

20% off annual plan

Normally £215.52/ year

This has 5, 10, 30 and 60minute tracking included in with it

To find out more about the Spot Gen4 please do to our website – GPSTraining.co.uk > GPS Store > Two-way satellite communication and you will see the Spot Gen 4 there at – £139.99

2. Garmin backpack tethers –  has your cord become frayed?

Just under 50 people answered the questions – 

¼  wore it on right

¾  wore on left

86% experienced frayed cord on Right

56% experienced frayed cord on Left

– I wrapped black electrical tape around the part of the cord that sticks to the velcro thus solving the issue

3. Free OS planner – many thanks for the donations

–       Go onto youTube – https://youtu.be/wHZ15WEnxpc?si=xVphw20tjyxiTUvN

 4. Top Tips

Update recently to 2024-10

With GPSMAP67 series you can update via wifi as pwr online course videos although computer wuicker

Most of the time I find not needing to select all satellites or dual frequency apex 2 pro only.in Satellite settings

Toolbox system settings – More settings gesture backlight off, Stress tracking off,

Outdoor Expo, Birmingham NEC, TwoNav Roc, Going overseas and Andy’s top tips

In this month’s podcast

1. What was going on at Outdoor Expo, Birmingham NEC – 2 min

2. TwoNav Roc – a new edition to the range – 6 mins

3. Taking your GPS overseas, what should you do ahead of your trip – 23 min 15 seconds

4. Andy’s top tips – 34 min 30 seconds

1. The National Outdoor Expo – last weekend, Birmingham NEC

Many thanks to everybody who came along to say hello.

I was on the Zoleo stand and spoke to many listeners of the podcast including Kevin who has gone all the way back to episode number 1 and listened to every single episode of the podcast.

Zoleo – 2nd year we have been there with Zoleo

Amazed on how their profile has been increased over the last year, great product and it is really good to see how well it is now being received both online and at the show.

Key thing is the live tracking – £4.50/ month and this can be bolted onto any package

2. TwoNav Roc

– Cross Plus

– Terra

– Aventura 2 Plus

– And now TwoNav Roc

Videos comparing the TwoNav Roc with a Garmin eTrex 32x and Cross Plus

3. Taking your GPS overseas, what should you do ahead of your trip

Videos taking you through how you set your Garmin GPS unit up before heading overseas.

4. Top Tips

Fenix, Epix Lock Keys

If you cannot see padlock – hold top left button – hold middle left button – add controls – start stop button to enter – scroll down select lock device option

Coros

GPSMap67/66 – Lock Keys

On off button held in few seconds – status screen – lock keys – press Enter – power button to unlock

Touch Screen Montana 700 series all TwoNav

Montana default double tap power key screen off and locked – power key single tap back on