PDA's & GPS

Submitted: Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 10:40
ThreadID: 14836 Views:2472 Replies:12 FollowUps:9
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Well I think I have finally decided to get a PDA ( for work of course!!!!!!!) and as I will have it then I may as well use it for maps etc. rather than getting out the laptop.

I only have the GPS Garmin Etrex vista at the moment and really haven't started to look as yet.

I have a few questions for those that have them.

1. Is there a minimum requirement for the PDA ie can the basic cheapies do the job or do I have to buy top iof the range. Approx how much or how little do I spend

2. Is it easy to operate and load maps.

3. Do the maps change over automatically when using moving map or do they have to be manually loaded?

4. Do I have to purchase OZI CE or is it free if you already have the full OZI on the laptop?

5. Is it easy to interchange waypoint/route/map data from PC to PDA and vice versa?

6. If I have trouble connecting are there places you can get it all set up. I am concerned that if I can't get it to work then the GPS guy doesn't want to know and tell me to go top the PDA guy and vice versa.
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Reply By: Vince NSW - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 10:54

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 10:54
David
Can't help you, but am thinking of doing the same thing, so await the info flowing in
Vince
AnswerID: 68605

Reply By: Walter Here - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 11:01

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 11:01
go and look through the posts http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ozi-UsersCE
as I was asking the same questions 4 weeks ago
I bought Ipaq 2210 Oziexplorer CE costs $40
AnswerID: 68607

Follow Up By: Outnabout David (SA) - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 15:42

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 15:42
Thanks Walter,

Any Idea of the message post no. as there seems to be a lot of info there from all over the place.
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Reply By: Griddo - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 12:58

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 12:58
David

There are a couple of ways of going about it

1) if you buy an Ipaq 2210 they have two memory card slots CF and SD. You can then buy - about 150.00 from ebay, a CF card GPS and still have a spare card slot for a memory card .

2) If you go and buy a higher spec Ipaq PDA they only come with one memory card slot and then you have to purchse a bluetooth GPS - about 200.00 from ebay.

With the bluetooth way you have to rely on two sets of batteries - one for the PDA and one for the GPS . But this way has the advantage of placing the gps in a position where the signal is strongest. Bluetooth has about 15m range i have been told

All depends on what features you want in your PDA

Oziexplorer full version is used to calibrate the map images and then you get that data to the pda. You can not use the the PDA version of Ozie to calibrate the map images. Both of the two versions have to be purchased
AnswerID: 68634

Follow Up By: Outnabout David (SA) - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 15:48

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 15:48
Griddo,

Thanks for the info. I am a little bit technologically challenged at the moment re the CF and sd cards. QWhat are they used for and are they for different bthings.I guess something gets saved to them but I anm not sure what.
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FollowupID: 329179

Follow Up By: Muddy 'doe (SA) - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 16:57

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 16:57
David,

CF and SD are breeds of non-volitie memory cards. CF is Compact Flash and SD is Secure Digital. Come in various sizes usually 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512 megabyte and recently 1 gigabyte depending on the format. These are the same things in digital cameras and if you already have a camera it can be smart to buy a PDA that uses the same ones so you can swap around if need be.

CF is about the largest of the lot in terms of physical size and as such there seems to be more choice in the other things you can use the cf slot for. (GPS, Microdrive).

Cheers

Steven
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FollowupID: 329192

Reply By: Member - Kerry (VIC) - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 13:09

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 13:09
Also see ipaq navman gps3450 compact flash sleeve basically its a sleeve you slot the ipaq into costs about $580 (cheaper on ebay) and comes with everythng you need sofware maps voice navigation and a built in CF slot for maps.. etc
AnswerID: 68635

Reply By: Wazza (Vic) - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 13:11

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 13:11
G'day David,

I have a Garmin Emap and IPAQ 2100. Works well as a combination.

To answer your questions,

1. Cheapies should do the job, but accessories such as car chargers and dedicated PDA-GPS data cables and their availability should be considered. Ipaq seems to have a good name and heaps of accessories.

2. Yep, it is easy to operate once you have done a couple of trips. A little frustrating to get the hang of like any system.

3. Yeah, maps change automatically as you drive off them, there are also quick keys you can change to higher or lower resolution maps if you have them loaded as well.

4. You need Ozi CE, but it is only about $48. You also need the free software Img2Ozf to convert your Oziexplorer map and image files into Ozf format which is the only one the CE version can use. It is easy to convert, but will take a lot of processing time if you have a heap of maps.

5. Yeah, when you have the PDA docked, it is just drag and drop using windows explorer on your PC. Really easy.

6. You should be able to find someone from Exploroz to help you out in your city, or buy from www.gpsoz.com.au for cables and the like. Brian there is a good bloke and can help with all issues. He also drives an 80 series cruiser, so that should say it all. No affiliation, yada, yada, just always had good service from him.

I have the one cable that connects the Ipaq to the GPS and also has the cigarette lighter plug so that both the Garmin and the PDA are getting powered throught the one cable.

Cables at gpsoz - Speciifcally iPAQ383VGPSE for Etrex

The cable you need with Ipaq

My Ipaq in the car:

http://www.geocities.com/cruiserpics/ipaq

Hope this all helps.

Wazza.
AnswerID: 68636

Reply By: Greg Harewood - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 14:59

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 14:59
David - think most of your questions have been answered - beware of some cheaper PDA's eg HP ipaq 1900 series - these do not have serial connection cababilities and you will not be able to connect your handheld GPS....so check before buying. Mate of mine got had by GPS cable seller who sold him a serial cable for his 1900 ...wouldnt work. I think top of range 1900 has Bluetooth otherwise you will need SD card GPS (hard to get? Out soon I believe). HP ipaq 2210 seems to be the cheapest and best at the moment - but I havent researched others. OziCE will do everything you need. Other software is availble but OziExplorer slays them with regard to features and the maps you can use. I would avoid unit specific add ons - eg Navman sleeves - as when you decide to upgrade you most likely will have to sell everything and start again...so using your standard gps is a good option. Bluetooth and CF gps units are also pretty universal and are not necessarily brand or model specific (aprt from requiremnt for BT or CF slot) so good also.
Cheers
Greg
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AnswerID: 68648

Reply By: terracan tim - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 15:32

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 15:32
I just brought a acer n10 for this purpose cost 390 from organiser world in melb has both cf and sd slot brought a cf gps of ebay for 100 and explorer ce work just great together the gps I brought came with ext annetena which i put on the dash tracks at 100kms without a problem
AnswerID: 68652

Follow Up By: Mad Dog (Victoria) - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 18:18

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 18:18
Quite hard to read that for some reason, were you in a hurry. Never mind.

What do you mean by "tracks at 100kms without a problem"?
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Reply By: Nudenut - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 20:17

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 20:17
if its for work why do you need all this info on how to drive it away from work?
AnswerID: 68715

Follow Up By: Outnabout David (SA) - Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 09:37

Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 09:37
Nudie,

I need the maps in the city for work so that I can check to make sure the Toyota Sat Nav is working correctly :-)
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FollowupID: 329276

Follow Up By: Nudenut - Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 11:02

Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 11:02
Yeah yeah

You do put them down as FBT reportable expenses right!
(wonder if illustrious leaders know about All the fringe benefits you get!)

pssssst. if you have it figured out let me know how I can claim some new toys for feral pest control without having to pay the fbt
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FollowupID: 329286

Reply By: Member - Algee (NSW) - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 20:49

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 20:49
David, I am using a O2 XDAII with Navman mapping and the Navman bluetooth GPS. I use the same GPS unit for my laptop. Great less wires. I find the whole very good and handy. Maps for the bush are a bit small so I use the laptop. But cetrainly for the cities and just all country towns it is bloody great and beats the UBD anytime. Anyone with a littel bit of computer knowledge shouldnt have any problems with them. Your main problem is decisding wether you want windows based or PLam based. I have a friend using the plam version on his PDA and he is using oxiexplorer on his laptop.

I have also purchase a 6" screen and can run the PDA through that but not really needed.

Alan
AnswerID: 68720

Reply By: Member - John C (QLD) - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 22:12

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 22:12
Watch the set up costs with a PDA when you think about battery life on the PDA. I think with most Ipaq's when the battery dies that's it, buy a new Ipaq - the cost to replace battery is ridiculous - unless you buy the latest Ipaq's which are coming with problem fixed.
they are 'disposable' , although will last 2/3yrs when by which time you will probably upgrade anyway.
AnswerID: 68737

Reply By: Member - Gerk Yorke Pen (SA) - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 22:17

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 22:17
G'day David I'll Be having a look at the Garmin Ique 3600 PDA/GPS on Thursday
Can let you know what I think if you like. Have a look at the Garmin web site.
PS still looking for container to send back the equipment but hopefully tomorrow cheers Paul
AnswerID: 68738

Reply By: Muddy 'doe (SA) - Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 22:25

Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004 at 22:25
David,

I was just surfing thru the technology section of the Sydney Morning Herald and spotted this new baby. The Garmin iQue 3600.

It is an integrated purpose built PDA/GPS unit. Try this link for the article. Could not find it on the GME link that is featured in the article but it looks the go.

$1449 retail, which may well work out the same as buying a decent PDA and the GPS receiver and the software. Don't know if Mapsource comes with it but I think Mapsource software has pretty good coverage of Australia.

Cheers
Steven
AnswerID: 68741

Follow Up By: Outnabout David (SA) - Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 09:43

Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 09:43
Thanks muddy,

I already have the GPS so I just need the PDA. I don't want to spend a huge amount of money because I have the laptop running OZI and can always get it out if need be, it is just that it is so big for most of the time. A PDA screen would be perfect for 99% of the time.
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FollowupID: 329277

Follow Up By: Greg Harewood - Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 11:08

Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 11:08
No idea of the effectiveness/compatability/map quality etc of Garmin IQue- will it run OziCE?. It is also the expensive option eg Hp Ipaq 2210 - ~$500, CF GPS ~$150 (ebay), OziCE (and PC version) $170 = total $820. Leaving you around $600 for something else. Probelm with Garmin may be Maps - can you scan/create and use your own or are you stuck with just theirs? Can you use airphotos? I suspect its just an expensive PDA with Garmin software - can not see any advantage over just setting up your own unit at nearly half the price unless the Garmin software and maps suit your specific purpose.
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: Niko - Tuesday, Aug 10, 2004 at 18:37

Tuesday, Aug 10, 2004 at 18:37
The Garmin iQUE3600 and new ique3200 are Palm, so, as Ozi doesn't have a Palm version.... no is the answer. You cannot create maps for any Garmin, the software is proprietry and no one dares to crack it. You wont go wrong with a HP PDA that has Bluetooth, a BT GPS and some CE software. Remeber also that if cops catch u with a PDA on the dash they may do you for having an obstruction on the dash. This came to light some 2 years ago when I was with GME. At least BT GPS allows you to place the PDA anywhere u like.
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FollowupID: 332240

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