PK Eildon (VIC) replied:

I have a Garmin Quest and found it to be serviceable for me. I use it with voice (the wicked witch of the west) when I to venture to the city, and find it reasonably accurate. Seems to have all roads. Takes a while to understand the lingo used. Roundabouts are take 1st, 2nd, 3rd exit, not LR. The route planning is relatively straight forward and automatic. If you deviate from route given it recalculates automatically and quickly. As for waypoints and outback route planning I do that with Oziexplorer and connect GPS to computer. I can use any maps that way, Garmin seems to have all black top roads and most outback roads, but a lot of minor tracks don't come up, and cross country would be all straight lines. Overall I am very happy with it. I do not use it to its full potential as I do not have a need to do so.

hl replied:

Hi,

I have had the Quest for about 6 months and I am reasonably happy with it. I also have the GPSMAP60CS. The main difference is the Quest can talk and has a lot more memory, making it possible to store all of the country in routeable format.
The display is very nice and readable even in bright light, albeit a bit small.
The maps are reasonably up to date, however, there are quite a few errors in them. I have one whole street missing (it is there but with the wrong name, so you'll never find an address in it!) This street happens to be my nearest cross street! Another road about 6km from here has a break in it on the City Navigator and it will route around it. The break does not exist on the real road. Another error is 500m from here where it directs one to do a right turn into a street where it is not allowed. So, one must be careful about relying too much on these things, but I guess it is early days in their development. In 5 years they will be 1/4 of the price and have less errors in them. The one really impressive feature is that you can select an address anywhere in the country and it will route to it and give you the distance extactly... not as the crow flies as on earlier units. So, overall it is a nice little gadget, very portable and functional. I do like the trip meter display. The only other negative I can think of right now is the fact that the battery is built in and not user replaceable. If you use the unit while hiking and the battery goes flat, you can't just stick a couple of AA's in it like in the 60CS and keep going.
Hope that helps you make up your mind. There are an awful lot of different units out there now, so choose carefully and remember, if you make the wrong choice this time, you can probably buy a better one next year for half the money.
Cheers

Sam from Weipa Auto Electrics replied:

I have one and think it is exelent I cant believe that amount of little goat tracks a the sort it shows on the gps its realy good for the cape area I have found it doesnt necesarily name the tracks but at least you know were they are there are some flaws to it but the good points outway the bad for sure I would be lost without it :-)

Member - Doug T (QLD) replied:

I use a Quest and it is really fabulous , ,on the roughest of Corrugations it don;t move stuck to the windscreen, every now and then it lets go but just give the sucker a lick [not when its hot as i did ] and stick it back again, I find the trackbac feature handy for my job,not to find my way but to save a total record of each job, below is a small sample . there was 2539 points in that section , and it records every move for over 2000klm the numbers after time is altitude, then distance,leg time, leg speed ,course ,and position, I don't think the 2610 has this feature. You will learn to love your Quest

2532 4/27/2006 3:31:19 PM 162 m 66 m 0:00:33 7 kph 76° true S23 37 32.1 E150 09 20.9 This sector was entering the rear of the westwood Hotel Qld
2533 4/27/2006 3:31:52 PM 161 m 2 m 0:00:24 0.2 kph 96° true S23 37 31.5 E150 09 23.2
2534 4/27/2006 3:32:16 PM 163 m 42 m 0:00:20 7 kph 154° true S23 37 31.5 E150 09 23.2
2535 4/27/2006 3:32:36 PM 162 m 23 m 0:00:10 8 kph 169° true S23 37 32.7 E150 09 23.9
2536 4/27/2006 3:32:46 PM 161 m 13 m 0:00:09 5 kph 281° true S23 37 33.5 E150 09 24.0
2537 4/27/2006 3:32:55 PM 161 m 5 m 0:00:14 1.4 kph 356° true S23 37 33.4 E150 09 23.6
2538 4/27/2006 3:33:09 PM 161 m 2 m 0:13:27 0.0 kph 353° true S23 37 33.2 E150 09 23.5
2539 4/27/2006 3:46:36 PM 161 m S23 37 33.2 E150 09 23.5

Doug

walruz replied:

Have Quest will travel.

Member - Doug T (QLD) replied:

I just gave you my opinion on the quest but the Garmin GPS Map 276C would well worth alook to with its 3000 waypoints and trackbac recorder like the Quest

Member - Doug T (QLD) replied:

Just read your reply about the 276C and the / your price , check this out
GPSMAP 276C (010-00331-02)
RRP: $1,659.00 Our Price: $1,309.00 from Johnny Appleseed GPS in Brisbane and Melbourne , I have purchased from them on internet ok. ..Oh umm just remembered I think you have to pay extra for the Software CD , anyhow here is the link to the website ,Yep just checked it out and CD is in a Package for $1869.00 so the Quest would be the best buy for value, but for me I already have the software so $1309 would be good .I also have a 176C in the car with same software but no voice and I had to make a little bracket to stop it from shaking badly on Corrug', I seen a car in the SD that had a larger screen Uniden connected to a little Black box between his seats and that Windows XP ,then he run OziExplorer mapping along with the GPS and that was brilliant idea. Some say the screen on the Quest is to small but the text can be made bigger for different items such as city or towns or creeks whatever you need so it is a very handy little unit and well priced ,StreetPilot 2610 has no battery so it's confined to the car,Quest at $792 ready to go is good value , go for it.

www.ja-gps.com.au/garmin_quest_1.html

Member - Doug T (QLD) replied:

sh
I just uploaded 3 photo's to my web page on the link below, but the main photo of interest to you will be the bottom one , what i did was got a lighter socket adaptor and fitted it to the side of the Landcruiser Dash and put mt little Quest speaker there so it's not hanging out of the lighter socket near the gear stick and I can hear it better there, Site Link

Member - Doug T (QLD) replied:

SH
About waypoints when off road ,remember that key point OFF ROAD , so you expect it to guide you by road so you select OFF ROAD in the menu and if you have been there before and made a waypoint it will guide right back there in thickest of fog or at night spot on as would most other units, as the bird flies , I recall a reply about quest and saving routes , I was unsure about so just went and got mine from the car and yes it can save routes and tracks, of course the best way to make a route is have it connected to the PC and using either Garmin software or Ozi-Explorer , and both software allows the user to add waypoints and I tested the Ozi-Explorer out by making a waypoint on a BM point in the SD on French Line and it was spot on as was the Knoll's track T .
If you have any troubles trying to sort it out refer to the user's manual.

Doug