oztopo vs garmin topo v4

Submitted: Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 08:30
ThreadID: 103905 Views:3804 Replies:2 FollowUps:6
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I have a garmin nuvi 500 that I use in 4wd & on motor bike looking for some better off road detail as in Birdsville track Innamincka etc as well as city driving can anyone suggest the best allround maps
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Reply By: Member - Rod V (NT) - Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 08:45

Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 08:45
I use a Garmin Montana 650T which has good mapping on it maybe you could buy and download Track4Australia these may work on your Nuvi
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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 10:33

Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 10:33
Hi

Its a bit ambiguous but if you include the heading of the original thread in the question then the OP wants to know what is better - Oztopo or Garmin Topo V4. I don't know the answer.

Your suggestion is still valid to a certain extent - though A4A would be no good for city driving apart from letting you know what city you are in or near :) I would also be tempted to suggest shonkymaps (same basic 250K map set as T4A) as it is free, though again no good in the city and not that good in most forestry areas which have a high density of tracks - 250K scale mapping doesn't have sufficient detail in these type of areas...OK in the "outback". Oztopo or Garmin Topo are much better in this respect and also have auto routing and all city streets.

Cheers
Greg
I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874

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Follow Up By: Member - Rod V (NT) - Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 11:56

Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 11:56
On the Garmin Montana I have city maps plus navigator for city routing as to which is better I don't know but the Garmin Topo is just 250k maps iagree
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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 12:38

Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 12:38
Hi

"Garmin Topo" isn't 250K map data, it is far more detailed and has streets. T4A and shonkymaps are based on 250K - these are different to Garmin Topo.

The OP has a Nuvi - which as a minimum would have come with city navigator I suspect. Sounds like he is chasing a single map package that has both city navigation and out of town detail as well i.e. Oztopo or Garmin Topo. I am not sure if you can run multiple map sets eg city navigator and Oztopo on the Nuvi. In the past they have been rather limited in this aspect.

They (Nuvis and other Gamin in car units) also don't appear to have the ability to use raster maps which puts them behind the eight ball compared to some alternatives (depending on what you need/like of course).

Cheers
Greg
I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874

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Follow Up By: 515 - Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 17:51

Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 17:51
Tracks4Australia and Shonky Maps both work on the Garmin Nuvi, I have them on the older 765 unit although I do have Garmin Topo 4 which works ok...
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Reply By: Robin Miller - Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 11:24

Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 11:24
Oztopo is the best I believe Mark - I haven't seen the new V5 but it reads even better with auto routing now.

I have never been satisfied with available track databases and have generally found that doing your own track and pre-loading it is a time consuming but better approach but I don't know if you Nuvi 500 supports this.

One catch is price - its cheaper to buy new gps these days than to pay $250 for Oztopo but then if you need the best then one has to pay.

My obsolete Garmin 276c allows completely different map sets so you can seperately get the best city package and 4wd package

Check out GpsOz and ask them to ensure that its compatiable with your 500 it might be easier to buy a loaded GPS & map package these days with an up to 7 inch screen
and keep old unit for the bike.
Robin Miller

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Follow Up By: Member - David M (SA) - Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 11:44

Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 11:44
Would second Robins remarks Re Oztopo.Have been using it in the WA gold fields now for a few years and found it very good.
Robin, I'm about to upgrade from a Garmin 760 to a 3597 but would be interested to know which 7 inch screen you use. Might have to change my mind.
Cheers,Dave.
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Follow Up By: Robin Miller - Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 12:16

Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 at 12:16
Hi David

I haven't sorted it all out yet and am still using the 276c with 3.8" screen.

Daddy's day is coming up soon and I would like a unit with bigger screen.
However I need the ability to upload and drive my own track files as well as a trip computer and simple things like sunrise sunset and tides.

The 2797 adventure pack at $478 looks good with, OzTroppo, self- loaded points with definable proximity zones and trip computer but I don't think it has user loadable tracks.

In addition the add for it on Oztroppo includes the lines ->

Bright 7 diagonal color display; 480 x 272 pixels; WQVGA display with white backlight
•Glass style 7" screen, 800 x 480 pixels, WVGA color TFT with white backlight


I.E. Contradicts itself , so I need some more answers before I commit.

The 3597 , a 5 inch unit , does not appear to have trip computer , this is vital to me when travelling a lot with reduced tyre pressures so I know how far I have driven when the Odometer is not much use.



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