Oziexplorer - what to buy?

Hi Phillip, Questions are not stupid but you are well off the track in your thinking. Not sure where you are located but it would be best if someone can sit with you and guide you through the processes. What region/city do you live in ?

I think you are somewhat on the right track.

You need either Android or windows CE as your operating system.

The head unit probably has Android.

Then you need mapping software such as Oziexplorer CE or Android on the device and then you need maps such as Hema or Oztopo or both.

And yes it works better if you have Oziexplore running on your PC/laptop to do the planning etc. It allows you to study your maps without being in the car and on a larger screen.

You can usually transfer Maps/waypoints etc to your car unit via a micro SD card. That is what I do anyway

You get map updates on the PC and then transfer them to the micro SD card and put that into the head unit in the car.

Alan

Philipp,

You are not off the track in your thinking and are quite correct in that you will need a set of digital maps for OziExplorer to be functional.

Two sources of these maps are the Hema series, which are very good and the EOTopo series, available for purchase, but still in development by David, the ExplorOz Owner.
Without attempting to upset David, I couldn't recommend EOTopo as the sole source for digital maps at present, as there is no distance reference in the current release. When David has fully developed EOTopo, it may well be the only reference required.

As for iGo, I wouldn't bother trying to source an Australian version for your Eonon.
You cannot run both street navigation and off road navigation at the same time and your money would be better spent on a separate street navigation device, such as Tomtom, Garmin, or Navman. The base models in any brand are quite realistically priced and will better serve you for street navigation purposes.

Philipp

I don't know how much you have spent so far, and therefore committed to a certain path. But a far simpler solution is to use a dedicated app like Hema 4WD installed on a phone or tablet. It comes in either iOS or Android versions. Costs about $120 all inclusive.

The app does not have the complexity of OziExplorer.

I plan my trips using large screen maps like EOTopo Online. I don't need to preload waypoints onto the in car navigator.

When in the car I use an iPhone, an iPad, and a Nexus 7 with the Hema app. While I have had OziExplorer for many years, and used to use it exclusively, I rarely use it now and don't miss any of the complexity or additional functionality.

OziExplorer is definitely a waste of money unless you are a professional cartographer or such like. In addition, it has been made available for every Mickey Mouse OS that has ever existed, but steadfastly remained unavailable for iOS.

Bob

Philipp,

I have the same unit in my Landcruiser and this is what I have on mine that we use all the time. The device runs Windows Mobile 6 a variation of CE. For street nav I use iGo Primo and Australia Roads Sensis 2014. All works really well. For off road I use OziExplorer CE coupled with EOZi CE, and EOTopo 200K. I have heaps of other maps available but for 99% of the time EOTopo 200K is all I use. (PS: New version getting ready to be released with over 400,000 updates).

OziExplorer CE, EOZi CE and EOTopo 200K are available in the ExplorOz Shop (click on the linked words). Plus if you are wanting to use the ExplorOz treknotes you should really add the EOTreks Route files product which loads straight in.

As for desktop versions of OziExplorer, yes and no. You do not have to have it to make your in car device work and really when we travel we plan on the move so use the in vehicle setup for everything. I would get this later if you think you need to do more planning on your desktop.

Back to the Eonon - So it has a Nav button which runs a single nav program I have written a program that you run when this button is pushed and it has a selection screen to allow you to choose Street or 4WD nav mode - this will then run your nav program. I have given this program away to a number of people on the site and they all say it works well. I was going to package this but it is a small program and I am happy to give it away.




Extract the zip edit the EOZi_Nav.txt file and you will see two lines STREET & 4WD put the path to your street and 4wd programs in this file. Copy the txt and (rename the .ex1 to .exe) exe to the SD card and set the EOZi_Nav.exe as the nav program in the Eono setup and you should be good to go.

Hi

If you download the PC version of OziExplorer you can use it in Trial or Demo modes. No need for purchase. These modes have limitations but between the two of them you can do most things. The various limitations are listed on the Ozi Webpage

If you find the demo/trail versions inconvenient/wont do what you want them maybe consider purchasing a licensed version.

So my recommendation - download PC OZI and try it before laying out any cash.

Yes - no maps (of any use) included. You can get the 250K scale map of all of Australia (year 2008) HERE. This should do for starters..it may or may not be all you need. After you have a had a play you can consider getting other more detailed or more informative map sets - they come in a variety of scales, for various areas but most cost a little bit of money. Some other free ones below...

Free NSW maps for Ozi HERE

Free Vic Maps for Ozi HERE

Like the 2008 250K topo map, EOtopo (mentioned in above post) is probably the only one that covers all of Australia (in raster format) but there are other more detailed map sets of smaller areas (but not all of Australia is available at all scales). See the Exploroz shop for various digital maps.

Hema and West-Print produce good "touring" maps. They are annotated with main tourist routes, distances between points, accommodation, fuel, geographical highlights etc and are very popular. Some of the other more detailed maps (i.e. larger scale such as 100K, 50K 25K) dont necessarily show all tourist routes/attractions but are good for "exploring". Make sure you choose a map set/s that suits your needs....

Cheers
Greg