How do you use your GPS ?

I use mine
- as a compass (sometimes it can be handy to know which direction you are travelling especially if you have just take a track that is supposed to head) a certain direction
- Track back- handy when walking or driving in areas where there are heaps of tracks
- Way points either off of maps from books or your own
- position - so you can see where you are on the map. really handy for finding overgrown tracks.

Remember most gps can be hooked up to a laptop and run mapping which gives you a big screen. This means you only have to add to your gps not upgrade it.
I still have mu original Garmin Etrex (basic) and it does ok

Hi Malcolm,

Remember rule 1 of GPS - Dont rely on it!!!

If I'm 4WDing I'll use mine to check distances I am from certain pre programmed waypoints. I'll always carry a map and use that as the main source of determining my location and I actually cringe slightly when I do use the GPS as I know the US military could turn it off at any time.

In my opinion all that pre-installed mapping software for the GPS is a complete waste of money and time. Stick with the paper maps. The only time I wouldn't bag anyone for using them is if they were doing a lot of offroad work (ie scrub bashing) where features on a map are not easily distinguishable. (or if they had bags of money to waste).

Buy the cheapest GPS unit you can find, they are just as handy as the more expensive ones.

Cheers

Equinox

Hi Mal58,

Although you may find people do the same thing in different ways, I decided to setup my gps system as follows:

I stayed away Magellin & garmin for the following reasons

1 - Screen to small
2 - I did not like the idea of having to load seperate maps depending on location (due to memory size of gps)

I decided to go for a laptop setup with gps mouse.

Advantages are:

3 - Screen easier to view
4 - Able to run vaarious maps to view location, plan trips etc
5 - Able to double up with storing digital photo's, dvd camcorder files taken on the trip
6 - excellent intergration with oziexplorer software

Disadvantages are:

7 - need passenger to hold during trip if you want to view current location on drive.
8 - good to store in back of car whilst still logging trip

I also will be interested to hear what others have to say

Thanks

TonyG

I use a PDA based GPS with OziExplorer when in the car. It allows me to use moving maps and I can have any map I want so long as I am willing to scan it. Not just some proprietory stuff like MapSource. I use it for taking waypoints of ineresting things, making a track so I can look at it later to see where I have been. I like techno gadgets so I use it all the time. Also allows you to use Destinator which is turn by turn street stuff. I always have the paper maps with me as well as you never know when the techno toys will die. I have had that happen once.

I use a Garmin Etrex when out on foot. It is far more robust and heaps better on batteries than a PDA. When using this GPS I use it in conjunction with paper maps. Usually just to reaffirm my position. Plus it gives me something to play with when I am away from my other toys. Plus making waypoints and tracks when appropriate.

As much as I like to play with my GPSs I always make sure I have some idea where I am using signs or landmarks or whatever as it makes life easier when the power fails.

Hi Mal - We bought the GPS specifically for 4WDing. , mainly out west:
There are 2 main styles : stand alone (expensive); or
basic - and hook up to Laptop.
As above, I use the 2nd approach. Garmin GPS72, hooked to my laptop.
Benefits - Large screen; multiple maps; also holds pictures from my digital camera.
You need a program that reads the maps AND the GPS.
Oziexplorer is one of the most popular.
Then you need maps in digital form.
You can store a number of digital maps on the laptop, and Oziexplorer lists the maps for any point you select - allowing you look at each map in turn, and the various details. 'Moving map display' will track your movement on the map, as you drive.
Ours works, and is simple to use....................Keith

I have a Garmin eTrek Vista and hardly use it at all when offroad. I use paper maps and a compass but it is useful when following a trek that has been published in a book or magazine to confirm where turnoffs are - BUT the book/mag have been wrong in my experience so don't rely on a GPS even for this purpose.

Useful when the wife is driving and I am a bored passenger so I play with it to see how far to go, where we are, and look at all the other useless information that it tells you, etc. The basemaps are OK for main roads most times but useless for tracks.

The screen on the GPS is too small but I do now have an old dedicated laptop for it and may use it mosre often when offroad - maybe. (upgraded the wifes laptop so pinched the old one for the GPS).

Metroguide and Tracks 4 Australia are worth while having but it is not a navigation system and ou may be better off putting the money towards a proper navigation system.

What I want is a portable GPS Navigation system telling me where to turn, etc when I am in Sydney, Melbourne or anywhere in the USA or Europe - these are really the only places we get lost. One day, they will get cheap enough to meet my budget.

Stevesub

I use an old Magellan Map 330 GPS. It is small, can hold mapping info and is reliable. Wherever I go I carry it with me and it records my tracks and waypoints.

I also have a laptop with OziExplorer and Natmap installed. If I'm going somewhere difficult or complicated, I use this setup too. I download the GPS info to the computer at the end of each trip and that way I have a full colour record of my journey and all ppoints of interest along the way.

This sytem has converted even the most cynical of fellow travellers as a good way to go.

My main rule however is to never depend purely on the GPS. I always carry a compass and reasonably detailed paper maps in the vehicle too.

I think the GPS is one the greatest inventions of the 20th century.

Mal58,
Unfortunately most of the sales people there don't go 4wd'ing and only have the latest GPS in there vehicles.
This is what I have done and has worked for me for many years.
1.The GPS unit I have is a Garmin 128. This is a GPS unit used more in boats than a 4WD and has most of the features of the smaller units. Why I went for this unit is because it came with all the wiring, bracket and aerial in a kit and was cheaper than the hand held units. With the hand held units they are portable but require batteries and a built in aerial. They can be mounted in a vehicle but require accessories like the bracket and wiring and outside areal usually at an additional cost.
I mounted the GPS on the "A" pillar of the Troopie so that it is in easy reach. The information that I get from the GPS is all that I need, direction, speed and location. Where way points have been entered by me, it will also show how far from the way point, what direction to go and how long it will take to get there.
I use the GPS to confirm the direction that I am travelling and also the speed.
All GPS units will do this but what I like about the Garmin 128 is that the screen is of the biggest of any GPS. This means that I can read the unit while on the move and with out having to take my eyes off the road.

With the wiring loom that comes with the unit it can be hooked up to a lap top with moving maps. I have used this in the past but you do need a second person to read the map. The good thing about using the laptop is that the screen and maps are bigger and give more detail.The GPS will also plot a track which you have driven over and can be downloaded on to the laptop and then through programs be copied to a map and then printed out or saved.

I would say that there are more features on the GPS that the average person would use all the time.

There is nothing wrong with the smaller units and they are becoming very good with colour screens and more detail maps that can be down loaded, but I still like the paper map You will find a lot of responses on these units and because I don't use them I will not say any more.

Regardless of of what GPS you go for they are not much use if you can't read a map. Having a map and plotting where you want to go is half the fun of the trip and all the GPS units will do this.

Wayne

Hi Mal.
I use a Garmin GPS 2 plus. Prior to a trip I may load in various routes and way points. I do this via oziexplorer & the home PC. I then use the GPS as a compass that points me to the next way point. Doing it this way is a lot easier than doing it directly with the GPS (Slow). It does require software like Oziexplorer plus maps. I recently bought the Vic Deserts CD & also some roof top ones for $20.00 each. I also carry the paper (laminated) versions.
If required, I can use the laptop, GPS & oziexplorer as a moving map display however the laptop is quite large & the screen can be hard to read in bright conditions. Also need either a 12 volt adapter or inverter to run the laptop. If I were to really want a moving map dispay, then I would use a PDA.
I would just go for a basic GPS without preloaded maps etc. The preloaded software is not much chop once you are out of the main road system.
For me, a basic GPS rather than a GPS mouse & laptop / PDA is preferred as I can use the GPS whilst walking or other situations where I don't want to be lugging around any extra equipment.
Try & get a copy of "GPS Vehicle Navigation in Australia" by Robert Pepper. It explains things very well.
Cheers Tony.

Hi Mal, good question. I started out 3 years ago with a Garmin 76, basic thing with interface to laptop/pda etc, fiddled around for ages getting it all working and then used it only to tell me where I was and also to program in preset GPS coords for trips etc off existing maps. Also use it everyday in the car and 4WD as a accurate speedo in the state of Victoria where 3kmh means so much to so small minded bleep politicians.

Then I sold that and got a Garmin60CS with CityNavigator6 software. Cost me lots of dollars (twice what the 76 cost) and now I have mapping, (dont get metroguide CN6 is MUCH better, I have both and thats my humble opinion) and directions around all of Australia, just plug in an address and away we go. Yes I always take a real map, but I find the small screen easy to read and hence tend to use it much more. Recently in Adelaide we didnt have any need for maps and guess what NO ARGUMENTS with SWMBOBCRMFN. Was THE most relaxing time driving around I ever had. Don't cringe worrying about the US military turning it off, if it happens so what? Likelihood is buggrall I reckon.

I am crapsighted anyways but I do find the colour screen MUCH easier to read than the black and white 76 screen so maybe go for a colour screen. Also found that the Laptop is too big and cumbersome unless you have a mount for them and even then they take up lots of room and guess what, other #&^$$#'s seem to steal them. The PDA works good but lots of wiring to make it work, Bluetooth may be a great option there but not for me.

Offroad the tracks arent in any mapping program on Garmin units, although the Magellans can use HEMA maps downloaded into them but theyre not as intuitive to use as the Garmins, at any rate offroad you get to head for predetermined and programmed waypoints and you know which way they are and how far, the breadcrumb trail also tells you where you've been driving and you can backtrack it too, but I reckon, if you need a GPS to find your way back where you just came, you got bigger issues that a GPS can't solve. It can also tell you if you've been there before in an area crisscrossed with tracks like the Pyrenees for example.

Mine works fine on the dash thru the window but I have an external antenna for tree'd area where you need to "see" more of the sky.

If you ca, get one for a trial of say 6 weeks, use it every day, even going to and from work, set waypoints for home and use the goto functions etc then see how you use it and buy based on that, I would have saved $300 that way, but hey life is a learning exercise.

WAFFLE completed. Go in peace. Luke, I am your Father! Go ahead-Make my Day!

GWBonz

I use a Garmin 12xl and let it track me when I know where I am going however if a bit bushed fire up the laptop and connect start moving map and it will tell where you are zactly.
I have also used the moving map when going off road where there are just tracks and at times no tracks and this is where it comes into real use as it then shows where you are in the real world. I always carry paper maps just in case the tecko dies.
There is a Garmin C320 that is supposed to be mickey mouse for most tracks and roads.
My laptop has Oz explorer with all the govt maps of oz plus all the topo maps of NSW on it so we don't get lost only lonely.

Mate it's a case of buy what you can afford then go from there. So all the best and I bet you are now more confused than ever.

Very interesting,

I come from an aviation background and have read maps for over 40 years. When I got into this 4WD game about 5 years ago I realised the value of a GPS straight away to check on my position from time to time. After all you are following a road or a track usually. I bought a full set of maps and a GARMIN GPS11+ and used it exactly as I intended. IE put in some way points the night before by planning on the map(intersections on bush tracks, destination etc). The GARMIN comes with a basic map installed (just points with names EG towns). That is good for a background but you can add 500 more and organise them into routes.

The paper maps must have an easy to read grid. I prefer HEMA with LAT/LONG because they are a bit like the WAC aeronautical Charts. This outback touring is just like flying a light aircraft except that you can't go in a straight line from point to point. However with sufficient waypoints and that track line displayed it is very comforting when half ways between Innamincka and Birdsville. Just look at what happened to that por woman on the Walkers Crossing track. She took a wrong turn and ran out of fuel.

I did succumb to the moving map and Oziexplorer on a PDA last year. I bought another GPS (CF card type) that plugs into the PDA. It works, but the display is small. I think a laptop would be great, but it is a very large item to have floating around. You also have to spend more money getting the maps into an electronic form. I used the NATMAP raster on CD. Very nice but the scale is too small for long trips.

I found on my last trip with both systems running that it was easier to just use the GPS11 mounted on the dash with a strip of velcro and read the paper maps and road signs!

Oh - and I also carry a magnetic compass and a radio!

Kings

I have a Garmin GPSMAP 60CS with City Navigator5 and a beta version of the Tracks4Australia map set. I can also plug the GPS into my laptop and use Oziexplorer or the Garmin nRoute software. I also have a GPS data logger that records my track regardless of the GPS and laptop, it records my position every second and can store weeks and weeks of driving before needing to be downloaded.
You can buy fixed mount GPS navigators with bigger screens, but finding a mounting location for these bigger units can be a problem in newer 4x4's. I had enough trouble working out how to mount all my radios and the GPS in my 2004 Hilux without it all looking ratty.

Hi Mal,
Good to see you're still around the place :-)

I normally run my GPS into a Tablet PC (computer with touch screen) and use the moving maps.

But if using just the GPS, I load the waypoints I need into it before I go. And when navigating, I press the "go-to" button and have it guide me to the next waypoint. Its all a bit of fun, but there seem to be fewer signpoints than ever out bush.

Also, if I'm looking out for a landmark, I take note of the relevant E or S part of the lat/long and look at it until the right numbers come up.

I run a Garmin 11+ that I've had for about 4 years.

I like to have a full GPS as backup in case the computer spits the dummy.

Cheers
phil

dont forget another important consieration is are you going to use it out of the 4by? I do a fair bit of walking and even if only going not far I take the gps and spare batterys as it is so easy to get lost in goldfields scrub

Malcolm
I started off just using paper maps. Never really knew where I was, but enjoyed the bush and getting seriously lost a few times.
In 1995 I got one of the original Magellan Meridians which I used in conjunction with paper maps which I purchased before each trip. The GPS was very slow. One of my mates referred to it as the 'Game Boy'. It enabled us to get a bit further off the beaten track and still expect to get back at some stage.
I then got the Natmap 2000 release maps and had the whole of Oz in 1:250,000 on the laptop.
The next big step was getting a Magellan 315 which connected to the laptop and we had 'moving map' display. This was magic. Everyone in the vehicle could see exactly where we were, and we tackled some pretty hairy trips.
I now have a laptop with a remote 14" screen mounted on the console. I have a USB mouse GPS and a Map330 connected all the time, and I have a Sportrak Color as backup and hand held for walks etc.
I use OziExplorer with the Auslig 2005 Rasters, Hema Grt Desert Tracks, WestPrint Desert Tracks and a few maps I have scanned in myself. I also use DiscoverAus Streets and Tracks.
Be warned. GPS mapping is addictive and will cause you to spend money and go bush more than you intended.

WOW

I must be simple......................GPS is used by me for confirmation of:

*features
*accurate direction of travel
*marking features of interest
* creating a route for a proposed trip, and then using that en route to confirm time to destination
* Log in various waypoints to confirm features and locations during travel. e.g handy in the Flinders Ranges when many peaks are close together and to identify which peak is which, GPS is handy while travelling
* confirm real speed as non OEM tyres throw speedo out
* as mentioned by some others, as a plaything when its someone else's turn to drive

Garmin screen is relatively small on the powered dashboard mount & I need to wear glasses to see it.

In other words, I adopt the KISS principle. Last thing I want to take when touring is a bloody 'puter.

My GPS is therefore an adjunct to conventional navigation

Cheers

Rick (S.A)

Geez Mal I will have to throw a spanner in the works.

I have a reasonably 'old' Magellan 330 GPS

I switch it on and watch my speed, height above sea level and how many satellites I can find. Sometimes I might even look at the compass.

I have a laptop and the latest Raster mapping as well as Oziexplorer software.

Before I go on a trip I plan my route and then print off all my maps and put them in a cheap folder with plastic sheets. Should I want to know exactly where I am I can connect the GPS to the laptop and go to Moving Map and the GPS will tell me on the map exactly where I am. 95% of the time my laptop is switched off and packed away. I mostly use it to download photos on to every day.

I have been around for a while and know my way around this country and do not need a voice activated electronic gadget to tell me I have to turn right 2 kilometres down the road. Paper maps will do.

If I am going to a city I will go into a second hand bookshop and buy a City Directory.

So if you want a GPS buy a cheapie that is compatible with a laptop should you want to go that way in the future. It is handy in some instances but mostly just a toy for us kids....lol

Cheers

Mal
I use an older Garmin E Map. The GPS is permanently left on in the car. I have a 64meg card with Australia wide mapping installed plus an external antenna. I use the GPS around town to get from A to B. The software allows me to enter an address, waypoint or point of interest (such as a bank, service station etc - it even provides the phone number if supplied). I have it set to show the next street option so I know which streets are coming up in advance. Out in the sticks it will provide mapping of virtually every town in Australia (ie Thargomindah, Bollon etc). Not that there are too many streets but makes it easier to locate campgrounds etc. Yes the screen is small and it isn't colour but it has served me well for the last 6 years. If needed I connect it to an old laptop and use the moving map function for places like Sydney. Much easier than trying to use a paper map when travelling by yourself. The Trac Bak function also allows me to get back on route if I need to do so. I normally track 10 satellites at a time and very rarely lose signal completely.
Be aware that the GPS can sometimes give up so reliable paper maps are always required but I've found for 90% of my travels (including Cape York, Simpson Desert etc) that the GPS is more than suitable.
Whichever one you go for, there will always be detractors. Pick what suits you and have fun with it
Peter

I have been using GPS for nearly as long as it has been about. First a PCIMA card in a laptop for navigating aircraft using vector mapping, and then OziExplorer with a Magellan 315. More recently I bought a HP4700 PDA and find that great. I mount it in the car with a bit of copper wire tied through a vent - crude but it does the trick. Still have a cable jumble - Cig lighter to GPS - GPS cable to PDA. Cig Lighter to PDA, but with a couple of ties to tame it is livible. One day I will get a blue tooth GPS!!! I find OziExplorer great - Just this morning I used it with some downloaded Ordance survey map to find my way into Waterloo station in London. I have also used it allover the Ozi bush so it is totally versatile. Like stated above, I would never totally rely on GPS, and always have paper maps and know where I am so that if GPS falls over I can revert to paper mapping. The GPS/Moving map software just takes all the hassell and stress out of navigation.