Idiot's Guide to Electronic Mapping

Check out the GPSOz site. It is full of information.

You already have most of what you need. You need to add a bluetooth GPS unit. There are units at the shop on this site.

You need to add software and the electronic maps. They can be purchased at the shop on this site.

Spliney

You have the basics of a workable system. I can recommend this book:
GPS Vehicle Navigation in Australia by Robert Pepper
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You will need to buy a GPS of course. I use a miniature CF card HOLUX that fits into a slot on my HP PDA and provides a moving map display. You can buy cables to connect your PDA to most handheld GPS. I don'yt know about bluetooth. Less cables would be great!

You also need software. Try the OziExplorer site:
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It is very user friendly and you can even download trial versions for your laptop and PDA.

Most serious off roaders use a hand held GPS or PDA running continuously and only use the laptop for planning, saving tracks and waypoints etc.

Kingo

I have a basic mapping set up

4 yo Laptop bought new and powered by Kerio DC charger from cig socket
4 yo Magellan GPS bought new as well
Oziexplorer mapping software
NatmapRaster Mosaic 2005 digital maps
Hema Great Desert Tracks Maps
UBD Town and Cities Maps which I seldom use

I only use the laptop and mapping when doing extreme offroad and offtrack driving when I need to find my way through and across remote country.

Cheers

Thank you all - that gives me some direction. Much appreciated

Spliney

I run a Globalsat BT338 GPS reciever to link to my Dell Axim X50V Bluetooth PDA. I picked the BT338 up off Ebay for a reasonable price.
I can also use it for the laptop with a blutooth dongle in one of the USB ports.