What is good or bad about your GPS?
Submitted: Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 18:08
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Motherhen
We have a Magellan Meridian Gold which can also be used as a hand held, using it with the Discover Aus Street and Maps software.
It is adequate for our needs, but with a small b&w screen, it is not so easy for aging eye sight when travelling. A good feature of the Magellan is the tracking, so that if you get lost, you can follow the same way out.
We see 'bargains' on various brands with 3.5" colour screens, but don't know the pros and cons of these and their software. We won't be using a laptop in the car for map tracking.
What is your experience about your GPS and it's features?
Thanks
Motherhen
Reply By: Mike Harding - Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 18:14
Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 18:14
In-car GPS and associated mapping software is in its infancy - I suggest you hold off for purchasing anything for at least 12 months.
Mike Harding
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Tuesday, Oct 23, 2007 at 22:30
Tuesday, Oct 23, 2007 at 22:30
Thanks for your input Mike - i will take your advice and wait a while.
Motherhen
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Reply By: DIO - Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 18:16
Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 18:16
Garmin Quest suits me. No complaints with it.
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Reply By: Member - Tim - Stratford (VIC) - Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 18:16
Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 18:16
Motherhen,
I also use a Meridian Platinum GPS with Discover Aus - it is also a B&W screen and can be a bit 'messy' when zoomed in. I now use a PDA with OziExplorer in colour, it is much easier to see with a glance whilst moving.
A mate has just got a Magellan Explorist with the colour screen. It also uses Discover Aus software - but what a difference. In colour it is very easy to read. His is a 500 (I think) and comes with a Lithium battery. He also has a battery clip for backup that takes three AAA batteries.
I think Magellan have released another updated GPS since the Explorist so you may be able to get one cheaper. They are definitely the go as far as being easy to see IMHO.
Tim
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Sand Man (SA) - Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 19:02
Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 19:02
Yes, spot on Tim.
I have a Magellan Meridian Platinum as
well, running DiscoverOz and Great Desert Tracks. I found the detail displayed left something to be desired and purchased an OziExplorer solution running on the Laptop, or PDA. The PDA is what I use mostly now.
The one plus with the Meridian is that you can take it out of the vehicle and the batteries will last a considerable time and can be replaced with AA Energiser or AA rechargeables.
I still use this for backup and also on the
water as
mine is a marine model with charts of the Australian coastline, etc.
I have yet to see anything as good as OziExplorer with NATMAP Premium though for remote area travel.
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Follow Up By: Member - Doug T (Qld) - Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 19:10
Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 19:10
Tim and Sandman
If the Garmin Nuvi range gets any brighter we all will need sunglasses , .....maybe at night we could face them forward and dazzle the oncoming traffic ,,HhhHummm
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Follow Up By: Member - Tim - Stratford (VIC) - Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 19:19
Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 19:19
Doug,
You could have told me that before I installed the HID conversion in my Hella 4000's...... :-)
Tim
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Follow Up By: Member - Doug T (Qld) - Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 19:25
Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 19:25
Tim
Sorry my ESP had a malfunction
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Follow Up By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 20:16
Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 20:16
Dusty's looking good Doug. Only problem I have with the GPS I've got (one of Doug's old ones BTW), is that I find it hard to read at times with the glare coming through the windscreen. It's a Garmin of course being one of Doug's.
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Follow Up By: Member - Doug T (Qld) - Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 21:04
Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 21:04
Duncan
Good to hear from you, hows things in the West , yeh I do miss it a bit , might go back again sometime....to the Northern warmer part,
Yeh the old
Grey Screen is a bit obsolete now, how's it going though , shows you where you are eh.
The little Boss is looking good too, He's been having a good time ...as usual , and he will be spending Sunday with his old playmate cousin while I go to the Indy on the
Gold Coast .
Doug
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Follow Up By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 22:04
Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 22:04
G'day Doug it's going to rain tomorrow and Local Govt elections. Woopy do. Impacts in me though cos of the job.
GPS is working fine, need to read the instructions though and my puter doesn't want to read the card reader, ##it happens. Excellent so far off road and the snail trail memory works
well. Will have to start putting in way points etc to get the full benefits out of it.
had a weird glitch with the external aerial for a while but when I reconnected it it worked fine.
For what I use it for it's good. Thanks for the sale.
You still happy with the move to Cane Toad country?
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Follow Up By: Member - Doug T (Qld) - Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 22:18
Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 22:18
Duncan
Not so much a move to but a move back .....to a state that has no Daylight Saving ,....
well not unless the gov't does a big WA Style Backflip
Doug
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Tuesday, Oct 23, 2007 at 22:35
Tuesday, Oct 23, 2007 at 22:35
Thanks forumates for your input. It will be a while before we have to make any decision on the GPS.
Doug - How about you come and get up in the dark and cold to go to work in the SW when they muck our clocks up next weekend, and let me go and enjoy Qld!
Loved Dusty's website and story.
Motherhen
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Reply By: Member - GeeTee (NT) - Saturday, Oct 20, 2007 at 08:24
Saturday, Oct 20, 2007 at 08:24
Garmin 276C suits me fine. Used it with Garmin mapping in Aust, Canada and New Zealand with no problems. Nice easy to read colour screen, not too difficult to set up
routes etc. Just bought a Garmin 60Cx to use when walking out of the vehicle. Great gear and good back up from Brian and the gang at GPSoz.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: pbrval - Monday, Oct 22, 2007 at 15:07
Monday, Oct 22, 2007 at 15:07
Beware of Navman. My Navman ICN520 is only 18 months old and already there are no map updates according to one of their dealers. I can't get a response at all direct from Navman.
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Tuesday, Oct 23, 2007 at 22:31
Tuesday, Oct 23, 2007 at 22:31
Thanks for the warning pbrval. If i replace the Magellan, i expect to use it for quite some years.
Motherhen
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Reply By: Robin Miller - Wednesday, Oct 24, 2007 at 10:57
Wednesday, Oct 24, 2007 at 10:57
Hi Motherhen
Lot of posts about this subject - to be brief the 276c wins on the readibility critera.
It also has external aerial and direct 12v operation and can monitor the car.
I need those magnifying glasses to read GPS close up which helps a lot but its worth knowing that you can get a special $30 set of sunglasses with a light tint at the top , that have a small magnifying section half way down like bi focals and these really assist with driving and watching gps or other instruments without fuss.
Robin Miller
AnswerID:
268106