CD Maps for GPS

I have a Map330 and it works well. I have Natmap Raster 250K Mosaic and some of those maps are a bit iffy but I aslo have Hema Great Desert Treks and if you combine the two for research purposes you get a lot out of it. I also have UBD Australian Country Cities and Towns. They all help. My Map330 has the whole of Australia Mapsend loaded. For my own minimalistic use of the software these maps and the GPS suit me. So far no complaints.

Nobacktrackin,

I dont know about downloading maps onto the GPS but I know the maps you can get for your computer are "reasonably good".

I have the Auslig CD's; two cds that have the whole of australia covered at 1:250000 scale. Their topography and features are excellent, but sometimes I doubt the positions and details of the roads/tracks.

Hema maps have got some cds out too at around 1:1250000 scale - looking at their paper maps the road/track detail is good but the terrain detail doesn't look to flash.

Having these maps on your PC (or laptop) your can select a position you're interested in (a waypoint) and then upload it, and others to your GPS. Oziexplorer software is good for this.

I also have the complete geological maps for Australia (cost $22 new) but although I can view all maps, am having trouble calibrating the maps into Oziexlplorer.

Cheers

Equinox

Hello - I would recommend getting the DiscoverAus CD. The maps are pretty good (nothings perfect) and show street level detail for all cities and a high percentage of tracks as well (based on experince in WA only). Despite Willems claim you will not be able to load all of Australia at once onto your M330 due to memory restrictions so you will have to just load smaller areas based on planned trips. The DiscoverAus software will also allow you to download waypionts/tracks recorded on your GPS and than save them for later reference. You can also of course upload waypoints and tracks and create routes for use when travelling. If you have a laptop you can also use DiscoverAus in moving map mode.

The other maps the guys are talking about here (Raster 250k etc) can not be uploaded to the GPS and will require the use of a program such as OziExplorer...and if you want to take them bush you will need a laptop or PDA. OziExplorer is used by many people (not just "4WDers") and is very good and maybe worth considering when you get more experienced and/or find a need for it.
Cheers
Greg

NBT,
I agree with the comments above. I use the Map330 with Oziexplorer. I use both the DiscoverAus software in towns (like in Broome recently), but in the bush I favour the Natmap Mosaic map because it has more detail on tracks, as well as topography. When you buy the Natmap package you also get the Satellite mosaic which I love switching to in order to get a 'birds eye view' of interesting terrain as you travel. The other stuff I use is the Hema Grt Desert Tracks (they also make a Kimberley CD but this has only just been released). I also use the Westprint maps on CD. All the above run on Oziexplorer and are reasonably priced. There is also a Magellan DiscoverAus version of the Hema GDT CD but is overpriced at $250. All the software you need is available on this site.
Be warned - this stuff is addictive.