track ranger mapping

Submitted: Friday, May 16, 2008 at 11:16

ThreadID: 57660 Views:1777 Replies:2 FollowUps:13

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The Geriatric Gypsies

Goodday Guys and Girls
Whose counting the days to innamincka? i know we are.

Well called into the track ranger office yesterday as i have been having a few minor problems getting the natmaps to run. Came away with a new set of maps the hema raster map collection and 2005 version of natmap premiums.
I have had issues with the older version of natmap ever since I installed them running oziexplorer including the pointer being off course a lot of times (i put it down to an older style gps)anyway they tell me there were several issue with the natmaps so i am about to load the 2005 version and see what happens .
Trevor gave me some of his valuable time (as trackranger is only part of his business)and explained some of the problems i was having and helped me sort them out ,showed me some extra bits and pieces and updated my trackranger to latest version, and how to use the shortcuts to my advantage
It was a pity he was so busy as in the time I was there he showed me quite abit and i could have easily leant more
I am not associated with this business but highly recomend them

steve

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Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Friday, May 16, 2008 at 11:36

Friday, May 16, 2008 at 11:36

Steve,

I have been a user of the NATMAP Raster premium maps (2005) for some years and have had no real need to add any others.
I use my copy with OziExplorer which I have both on a Laptop (not used as much now) and on a PDA. (much more compact and does everything the Laptop version does)

Perhaps one thing the folks at the Trackranger office failed to advise you was that a new release of the NATMAP series (2008) is imminent.

The 2005 version is fine, but perhaps it's getting a little out of date now and the new version should correct some deficiencies in the older version.

It would be interesting to hear from you how you find the Hema Maps over a period of time.
I have the printed Hema Maps supplied with the SA Desert Parks Pass and find them quite detailed, but probably no more so than the NATMAP raster series I view on the screen.

Bill.

Bill

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Follow Up By: Sand Man (SA) - Friday, May 16, 2008 at 11:49

Friday, May 16, 2008 at 11:49

By the way Steve,

There are two versions of NATMAP Raster 2005

NATMAP Raster 2005 (CD-ROM)
NATMAP Rster Premium 2005 (DVD-ROM)

The Premium version provides more features than the standard version.

Bill

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Reply By: TerraFirma - Friday, May 16, 2008 at 12:20

Friday, May 16, 2008 at 12:20

If you get a chance try GPS Tuner take it, it is the neatest little PDA GPS navigator on the market and works with Google Maps, Google Toppo, Google Satellite and you can use your own maps as well. The interface and layout is way better than Oziexplorer however I understand the long affiliation with Ozi. I have no connection with either just prefer GPS Tuner, it's worth it's weight in gold.

www.gpstuner.com

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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Friday, May 16, 2008 at 14:49

Friday, May 16, 2008 at 14:49

"The interface and layout is way better than OziExplorer "

Would be interested to hear a detailed justification (or at least some justification for this statement). The layout of screens in OziExplorer can be customised to suit you needs. You could easily copy the layout from gpstuner to match in OziExplorer (assuming all functions are available..most are) ....or does gpstuner have a laypout not possible in OziExplorer? Which one? Not sure what you mean by "interface" - they both work on PDAs so the interface is the same..touch screen and buttons?

Dont get me wrong propably nothing wrong with gpstuner and it would suit range of peoples needs ...but you will need to justify terms such as "way better". It would probably be more accurate to say "possibly better depending on your requirements" than its "way better" cause its unlikely to be the case based on my observations of both programs.

Cheers
Greg

I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874

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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Friday, May 16, 2008 at 14:54

Friday, May 16, 2008 at 14:54

PS we are probably off topic here anyway discussing gpstuner as it is a PDA based program. Original post was about Trackranger (PC based program). Though may I saved us as OziExplorer has versions for both PDA and PC:)

I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874

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Follow Up By: TerraFirma - Friday, May 16, 2008 at 15:24

Friday, May 16, 2008 at 15:24

Greg I found the interface of GPS Tuner to be much cleaner and easier than Oziexplorer CE in terms of easy of use and a much nicer design graphics wise.These are terms a software designer will be familiar with. I also like the fact that GPS Tuner will put you on a Google Map whether it be Toppo, Maps, Satellite etc real time, where Oziexplorer CE doesn't support Google maps. I haven't used OZE CE with the Hemma maps etc but I can imagine it works very well according to the comments I have read. Please be aware I am not comparing the PC version of Oziexplorer , GPS tuner is only available for PDA's etc.

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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Friday, May 16, 2008 at 15:50

Friday, May 16, 2008 at 15:50

No worries - as mentioned gpstuner will suit some peoples requirements better than OziExplorerCe (and visa versa). My main point was that generalised statements such as "gpstuner is way better than OziExplorerCe" are incorrect and misleading, at least without some sort of justification eg if OziExplorer was totally unstable or didn't work or something ...which of course isnt true.

It is possible to make google maps for use with oziExplorer quite easily using gmappmaker...though its not "live" in the sense that you need an internet connection when in use (is that an advantage or disadvantage?).

Are "cleaner" "easier" and "much nicer" really terms only a software designer would understand? Interface on OziCe looks clean, easy and nice to me - dont think it is a valid observation on your part..would depend on screen type and resolution as well.

Cheers
Greg

I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874

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Follow Up By: TerraFirma - Friday, May 16, 2008 at 16:33

Friday, May 16, 2008 at 16:33

Greg I agree with all your comments, horses for courses etc. I was able to pick up GPS Tuner and within 2 hours know it back the front, the real time mapping of Google is a big bonus albeit you would need mobile reception at all times, hence my Next G connection and external antenna if needed. I have only played with OZE CE and didn't have any maps to try etc but I found it harder to work my way around. (A legitimate obvservation I would have thought) I would really like to spend sometime with OZE CE with maps included and have a play for a period. Look forward to doing that sometime, what Victorian maps would you recommend..?

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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Friday, May 16, 2008 at 16:45

Friday, May 16, 2008 at 16:45

Yes, learning some programs can be a large hurdle. One gripe possible with oziExplorerCe now is that despite being "better" and having customisable pages you have to learn how to use the page maker program (simple enough for some ..not so for others). When you first crank up the new version you are confronted with a series of many pages with many buttons and it is scary compared to the old version which had just one page and basic menus....anyway...maps.

Not being from Vic ia am not 100% up to speed what is "best" - others will help. But going on the premise that free is best, there are some free ones available from gps australia site - do a search of the forum to get details.

Greg

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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Friday, May 16, 2008 at 16:59

Friday, May 16, 2008 at 16:59

Link to download Vic maps in ozf2 (OziExplorer) format

Victorian Topo Maps

Cant comment on quality etc but others seem to like them

Cheers
Greg

I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874

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Follow Up By: TerraFirma - Friday, May 16, 2008 at 17:07

Friday, May 16, 2008 at 17:07

Thanks Greg, much appreciated. Which is the GPS Australia site as I get Hostgator which appear as a hosting company for the GPS Australia .net site.? Thanks on the maps, I will give them a go.

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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Friday, May 16, 2008 at 17:18

Friday, May 16, 2008 at 17:18

GPSAustralia

I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874

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Follow Up By: TerraFirma - Friday, May 16, 2008 at 17:21

Friday, May 16, 2008 at 17:21

That is Hostgator's Website..?? A hosting company..?

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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Friday, May 16, 2008 at 17:39

Friday, May 16, 2008 at 17:39

dont ask me????

I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874

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