gps mapping advice
Submitted: Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 14:40
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Steve
I have a Magellan Meridian Sport gps unit with mapping loaded onto an SD card - it's four years old now and is probably pretty dated in terms of new technology. I have no back up cdROM. What I'm after is a moving map system that I can use with the laptop and gps when we go away. Would I still use the current SD card on my GPS or if I went for something else, would it replace what I already have? I'm a bit of a duffer with these things so please keep it nice and simple
;-)
Reply By: Steve - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 14:50
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 14:50
btw, I was looking at the Hema 4wd Raster DVD advertised here and was wondering a) if that would do the trick and b) if it had a good degree of detail and scale. I presume you can zoom in and out of these things?
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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 15:54
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 15:54
The Hema 4wd Raster DVD can be viewed/used with OziExplorer and Trackranger. You can zoom in using these programs but you must keep in mind the original scale of the maps - The maps are all in raster format - what you see at 100% zoom is as good as it gets. You can zoom in closer to more accurately place waypoints etc, read writing or maybe see existing map details clearer but no extra features will appear at higher zoom levels - its the same as holding a paper map closer to your face or using a magnifying glass.
The Hema maps are pretty small scale - they contain a lot of "tourist" info which is good and will suit many peoples intended use - they are however not that big on real detail - many features (smaller tracks, creeks, contours) are not shown. The 250K natmaps included on the DVD have better detail and also suit many peoples needs. Overall the DVD is a good buy and value for money for those starting and will provide valuable info - whether or not you need to get more detailed maps ie 100K, 50K or 25K scale is a decision for you to make after you get out there and start doing it.
Cheers
Greg
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Reply By: GRAEME. - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 15:09
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 15:09
And on the same subject what is T4A and where do you get it?
Been looking at a crossover but after searching on here there seems to be a fair bit in favour of a nuvi760.
Tried to look at Doug T's website but none of the links seem to work for me.
Also a duffer.
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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 15:39
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 15:39
Read about T4A here
T4A
It is a work in progress, started off with base 250K scale data from Geoscience Australia with group of people adding data over time to improve detail - i.e. tracks are supposedly being added slowly but surely. I am however unsure how this is going - there does not appear to have been an update for a long time.
Shonkymaps is a similar product but is not upgraded - the maps are however better formatted i.e same base data but prettier to look at than T4A. Fike is also 10x bigger to download!
Shonkymaps
Cheers
Greg
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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 15:58
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 15:58
Forgot to mention if you get the NUVI for he purpose of heading bush then this map product is probably your best bet if you want the most detail you can currently get i.e. dont spend all that money on the NUVI and then just use T4A or Shonky.
OzTopoV2
These maps do cost money which puts some people off but don't see the point of getting a mapping gps and using second rate maps.
Cheers
Greg
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Follow Up By: GRAEME. - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 16:17
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 16:17
Thanks Greg,
I found oztopo2 just before you provided the link.
I think this might be the easy way out for duffers, buy it all together from gpsoz, nuvi760 with oztopo2.
Slightly cheaper than the crossover with a bigger screen and bluetooth.
Those shonky maps sound,
well, shonky.
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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 16:31
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 16:31
Yeah, as far as 'plug and play' goes the NUVIs + OzTopV2 (or one of the City Navigator programs depending on you needs) are a good option for many people. Programs like OziExplorer have been known to frustrate a few people (eg Doug T) because they require a bit more user input and are aimed at a different/wider market. Having a laptop set up is also not everyones idea of fun either, though PDAs are not that dissimilar in size to Nuvis so that is also an option if you chose OziExplorer.
Shonkymaps are Ok for nothing and have for a while filled a gap in the market. It has now been filled by a more detailed product (OzTopoV2) but it will still appeal to some users who dont need extra detail cause its free!!
Cheers
Greg
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Reply By: The Explorer - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 16:13
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 16:13
RE your first question. If you decide to use your GPS with a laptop hooked up to say OziExplorer then any of the maps on your GPS SD card are irrelevant - you will be looking at the maps you have loaded in OziExplorer not on the GPS. OziExplorer uses completely different maps to the GPS. You can get a demo version of OziExplorer to try out....
OziExplorer
Unfortunately there is no demo of Trackranger for download (AFAIK) so makes it difficult to try before you buy.
You could possibly use Mapsend LiteV2 in moving map mode - I am not sure if it has support for the older serial port GPS units (such as the Magellan Sportrak - which is what I think you have - there is no such thing as a "Meridian Sport"). I dont think it has support for the older maps on SD card either - but could be wrong - try it out if you wish - free download.
Mapsend Lite V2
Hope this helps
Cheers
Greg
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Reply By: Mike Harding - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 16:19
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 16:19
You should buy a Garmin - doesn't matter which one - everything else is rubbish.
Mike Harding :)
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Follow Up By: Member - Willie , Sydney. - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 16:37
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 16:37
Nice one Mike .
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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 16:42
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 16:42
Dont think Im game to take you on Mike. LOL
Cheers
Greg
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Follow Up By: Mike Harding - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 17:04
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 17:04
Satire, people, satire :)
But I have cooked what promises to be a beautiful lasagna this afternoon between glasses of wine and posts to Ex Oz :)
Mike Harding
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Follow Up By: Skippy In The GU - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 18:24
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 18:24
The top of the range Tom Tom's are just as good, but they won't allow 3rd party maps
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Follow Up By: Mike Harding - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 18:44
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 18:44
No. No. No.
Nothing but Garmin - ever!
Unless...eeerrr.... maybe... Icom bring out a GPS then I won't know what to do... :(
Mike Harding
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Follow Up By: Member - Kiwi Kia - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 19:40
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 19:40
Not made in China are they Mike ?
:-))
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Reply By: Member - Willie , Sydney. - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 16:36
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 16:36
Steve ,
You are possibly at the same point where I was , about 2 years ago. I bought some of map CDs and only afterwards , realized that I needed to use special software to display them . You need
OziExplorer to run the maps ( most people use this ).
You would not need the SD card for the laptop use . You would leave it in the unit as before , but it would only be used when you were consulting the GPS instead of the laptop . You could link up the
Meridian GPS to the laptop but the easiest option is to buy a $99 "mouse GPS" that sits under your front windscreen on the dashboard . It has a USB cable through which it talks to
OziExplorer and charges itself .
So if you have a laptop , all you need to buy is :
-
OziExplorer ( buy from their website )
- Mouse GPS ( mail order from GPSOZ or maybe here on EO
shop )
- Maps ( get the package that includes the Aust 250 rastor map from EO
shop or GPSOZ )
Greg does not realize how confused us duffers really are , but I do , because I am one too . We need to have it all spelt out !
When you have all that stuff , it is a bit confusing to set up , so get on here and ask lots of questions about
OziExplorer then .
Good luck ,
Willie .
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Follow Up By: Member - Kim M (VIC) - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 20:00
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 20:00
I'm going to have my two bobs worth.
I had
TrackRanger Pro and NATMAP Raster Premium loaded on the Laptop. Things went well for a short period of time until I was told I was no longer registered for either product.
Rang
TrackRanger and was told to re-register because there was an update to the software (I hadn't been informed of this). Tried that and got no where.
Met up with Mike Harding over a few drinks and, during the course of our discussions, mentioned the problem. He checked it out to ensure I wasn't being a Dill.
Now I've got another 150Km round trip through the Village to get the thing fixed......I'm not a happy fella.
As it currently stands, I've got another Boat Anchor!
LOL
Regards
Kim
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Follow Up By: Mike Harding - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 20:04
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 20:04
Time you popped over for a beer and we'll try and fix it up :)
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Follow Up By: Steve - Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 20:56
Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 at 20:56
Thanks for that Willie - you sure know a duffer when you see one
Greg - thanks mate - but I'm a bit dimmer than you thought eh?
;-))
btw, just seen one of those Crossover units from Magellan - looks a nice bit of gear. Does streets, tracks, topo and Marine. All in one unit and nice and simple. Small screen is the only drawback and not cheap at $1079
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