GPS recommendation

Submitted: Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 19:05
ThreadID: 21635 Views:3205 Replies:9 FollowUps:8
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Hi all,

Im after a cheap GPS and am interested in peoples opinions as I know very little about them.

I dont really care for the mapping functionality, the main criteria is to work out exactly where I am 1 for when I get lost and 2 to be able to tell others where Ive been.

It would be great to be able to download the data to a pc without having to buy any special/expensive extra software.

Thanks,

Brent
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Reply By: Footloose - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 19:33

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 19:33
The mapping functionality is exactly what enables you to achieve those objectives.
AnswerID: 104362

Follow Up By: desray - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 19:49

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 19:49
I have / use a Eagle Explorer GPS It was bought for me about 6/7 years ago. It has no maps but it tells me were I am, records tracks and can be pluged into the PC back home. Using Oziexplorer Maps you can see were you have been or plot a track on the map and download the waypoints to the Gps. These are about $150 second hand now.Still works good .Ray
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Follow Up By: Member - Mungo Explorer (NSW) - Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 23:49

Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 23:49
Only if you can't read paper maps...
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Reply By: Member -Peter (York 4x4) - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 21:18

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 21:18
I use a Garmin GPS12 these are very basic but will tell me where I am , I run Oziexplorer in the 4x4 so it does all the work and the garmin just supplies the location , You can down load the data from the GPS to Ozi later at home even if you dont run the full moving maps you should pick one of these up cheap , have a look at ebay
AnswerID: 104372

Reply By: Gajm (VIC) - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 21:32

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 21:32
The Garmin etrex is a pretty basic unit, and would do what you want, I picked up a second hand unit for about $125 a year or so ago, and keep it as a spare in the day trip bag. My mate has had one for years, since they first released them, he went round Oz for 12 months with it, and had no probs what so ever. He only recently bought a later model with the mapping function, but could do with out it no worries.
AnswerID: 104376

Follow Up By: Vince NSW - Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 12:18

Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 12:18
I agree, a Garmin Etrex is only $230 from Bias Boating and will takeyou anywhere you want to go. I have clocked up 30,00km with mine. I am about to up grade to another garmin.
Vince
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Follow Up By: geocacher (djcache) - Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 22:26

Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 22:26
Gee really 30km exactly?? Down to bunnings and back was it.

LOL

I'm sure you really meant 30,000 but I had to bite, gave me a giggle.

Dave
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Reply By: Big Woody - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 22:16

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 22:16
Hi BBails,

It is pretty hard to go past the Garmin Etrex or Garmin Geko. They are pretty cheap, durable, reliable and pretty easy to hook up to a laptop.
I brought mine from an online marine shop and the prices were pretty good. Here is the link:
http://discountmarineworld.com/shop/

Good Luck,
Brett
AnswerID: 104381

Reply By: Rod - Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 12:22

Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 12:22
Brent

Presume you want to use it in a vehicle whilst on trails...

If so, the eTrex is very sensitive to the line-of-site to the sky for satelites. The more slope you have on the windscreen the better. Have tried an etrex on the dash of a Patrol (good), Hilux (OK) and Defender (poor). Reception degades further in forest (when I most need it).

Contemplating one that supports an external antenna. You used to be able to get re-radiating antennas for the likes of the eTrex, but apparently they are extremely hard to get in Oz now.
AnswerID: 104437

Follow Up By: Gajm (VIC) - Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 13:35

Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 13:35
Telstat in Seaford have the re radiating antennas, $150
http://www.telstat.com.au/
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Follow Up By: Mad Dog (Australia) - Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 13:45

Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 13:45
there one on ebay at the moment, $110 but still six days to go.

I paid $80 for my holux re radiator on ebay sometime ago, works better than I expected.
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Reply By: Moose - Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 13:20

Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 13:20
eTrex would be great for what you want. If you have a Johnny Appleseed store where you live go see them - very keen prices. Agree with Rod re loss of satellites under heavy overhead foliage. Apart from that works fine from the dash of an 80 series. We bought the cigarette lighter attachment and I installed a second socket so that it doesn't turn off when I turn off the motor.
AnswerID: 104450

Reply By: geocacher (djcache) - Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 22:29

Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 22:29
I have bought 5 Magellan Meridians from the US and even had one repaired under warranty by Magellan in Perth.

The last two Golds I bought were about $680 landed for the pair (airfreight, 2 golds, a windscreen mount and two pwr/data cables).

Can't beat that.

Load up discoverAUS (Use the change to buy it locally) and away you go. Mapping GPS are the way to go.

When you get your GPS try geocaching.

Dave
AnswerID: 104606

Reply By: boxer - Friday, Apr 01, 2005 at 09:56

Friday, Apr 01, 2005 at 09:56
Brent,
Both Garmin & Magellan are good, well-known brands.
There are 2 types of GPSs - mapping ones and basic ones.

Mapping ones (like Magellan Meridian) are more expensive and can display a map on screen. If you buy in Oz, you will get an Australian Basemap, which is OK to get the general idea of where you are. If you buy from the US (much cheaper) you will get a US basemap. It is possible to change this for an Oz one, but you will have to quietly ask around on the forums, because no-one will risk legal action by blatantly posting a copyrighted map.
To get more detail, you will need to buy detailed map software, which you can run on both your PC and on the GPS.

Basic GPSs do not display maps, they show your position with numbers and enable you to record a track and mark waypoints. You can upload these to your PC, but you need something to upload them to. Navigation software (eg OziExplorer) is available to do this - it costs $130, but there is a free trial available on their website. But, you still don't have any maps to display where you went, or where you plan to go. There are some free ones around, but a good deal is the set of Natmap Raster Maps which cover the whole of Oz at 1:250,000 for $90.

More expensive GPSs come with SD memory cards, which enable you to store large amounts of data.

So to summarize:
You can buy a basic GPS, which will tell you your position (and where you have been), and you can plot this onto paper maps. If you want to do more, you will need to buy navigation software and digital maps. A bonus of this method is that you can (in a vehicle) connect a laptop to the GPS & run a "moving map", which will display the map on the screen of the laptop, together with a "You-are-here" arrow.

Or you can pay more money for a mapping GPS which will give you a basic map, and you can run "moving map" without having a connected laptop. To get a more detailed map, you will have to buy one, which will incorporate the navigation software, such as Mapsend's "Discover Australia Streets and Tracks".

When I bought my first GPS, no-one told me this basic info - just bragged about makes & models.

Hope this helps.

DaveO
AnswerID: 104639

Follow Up By: BBails - Friday, Apr 01, 2005 at 10:13

Friday, Apr 01, 2005 at 10:13
Thanks Daveo, very helpful! Which mapping software do you use? I assume you use a laptop? Am I right to assume that if I get a basic UPS like an Etrex with a cable I just need the one piece of software on the laptop to get the moving map. Also how do you power the laptop. I have an old Compaq Armada lappy P3 500 - the power supply is 18.5 volts DC.

Cheers,

B
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Follow Up By: boxer - Friday, Apr 01, 2005 at 11:39

Friday, Apr 01, 2005 at 11:39
Brent,
I actually run 2 systems - one in the old Patrol, and one in the wife's work car (no mods or holes drilled, thank you).

So in the Patrol I have an old Lowrance GlobalNav 212 (basic, non-mapping) powered from extra ciggy lighter that I rigged up to be permanently on. It connects to a secondhand Toshiba Tecra laptop powered from a power supply that someone made for me (but you can buy them; alternatively some people use inverters to get 240v). I use Oziexplorer navigation software (very, very good) and Auslig 1:250000 digital maps. The Auslig maps are now cheaper and renamed "Natmap".
Note that with the basic GPS, to get moving map you need: 12v cable, laptop, laptop power supply, serial cable, nav software, digital maps, swivelling rack in front of passenger to mount laptop.

In the wife's car, which we use for less-demanding travel, I have a Magellan Meridian Color powered from the cig lighter. I bought Mapsend's "Discover Aus Streets and Tracks" for detail. I set this up on the PC at home and defined 'regions' (states, more or less) which I copied onto a 256Mb SD memory card that slots into the Meridian. So to get moving map with this setup, I needed: 12v cable, digital map/nav software (all-in-one), SD card.

The two systems thus achieve the same thing in different ways. The laptop could be replaced by a windows-based PDA. Both GPSs sit up on top of the dash secured with velcro - no external antenna.

Note that with mapping GPSs, the maps used are called "Scaleable Vector" maps - usuallly only supplied by the GPS maker or associate companies: you cannot load your own maps.
With basic GPS setups, Oziexplorer can cope with any maps that you buy or scan yourself - all it needs is some calibration data, which comes with bought maps, and you can do it yourself with any maps that you scan or create yourself.

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Reply By: Rogerthatv1 - Monday, Apr 04, 2005 at 18:58

Monday, Apr 04, 2005 at 18:58
I use the Magellan Meridian Gold that I bought in a Traveller Value pack from Olbis Communications in Brisbane. Great Value for the pack as you get the GPS Reciever with the Oz basemap, Vehicle Suction Bracket, PC and 12 Volt Cable and the DiscoverAus Mapping software with a preloaded 256mb memory card all for $865.00 and best of all it is under Australian warranty unlike the EBay specials. Plus you can use the DiscoverAus on your Laptop as a moving map and they have the new Topo software coming out soon so you can have topo on your GPS and on your computer. Check them out at www.olbis.com.au.

Roger
AnswerID: 105138

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