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View Full Version : What GPS do you have and do you find it useful for Off Road 4WD



Bob
5th January 2011, 08:55 AM
I have a Tom Tom GPS which I have found to be quite useful for Off Road Driving.
Whilst I have my favourite spots and I can get there with my eyes closed I also like trying out New Camping Spots and the "Camping Guide to Victoria" has the GPS coordinates for most of the Sites and once you set your GPS you can drive in the dark without Maps and get there quite easily. It is surprising how many of the tracks in the High Country are shown.
Sometimes shows that you are driving 20 yds off the track but that is because of Tree overhang.

I rate my GPS at 8.5 out of 10

What GPS do you have and how useful is it for Off Road 4WD

the evil twin
5th January 2011, 11:29 AM
In my "own" truck I have the factory VDO Dayton system running Sensis release 15 maps. The advantage of dedicated Car Navs like the VDO is they have gyro/accelerometer packs so they work in tunnels etc and is also why they are so expensive.

I also have a chinese double din head unit (mainly so I can play MP3 tunes) but is GPS capable which has Igo8 and I just changed from Sensis release 16 to Navteq 2010Q3 which is very up to date. This unit also runs OziExplorer CE and I use aerial pic's, topo maps, Hema etc etc on that.

Sitting in a clip is a Garmin Etrex for when I am out and about on foot or Geocaching and when we are touring I have a 10 inch netbook running OziEplorer and a GPS dongle for planning.

Most people think 4 GPS systems and 6 applications is a bit over the top tho... but... I am involved in mapping and navigation with work and the SES so it is a hobby of mine as well.

Personally I rate Igo8 as the best of the PND (Personal Navigation Device) software packs because to me it is intuitive, widely used, lots of map updates and freely available.

Hardware wise the stuff out of China is now pretty darn good an usually unlocked so you can run whatever you want.

Accuracy in current generation GPS recievers and chips for PND's should be 5 metres or less 95 % of the time. Indeed I get cranky if my dedicated GPS gear is out by more than 3 metres but PND's will 'snap' to the road when within close proximity as part of the software default usually

Bottom line tho is no matter what software/hardware package it is only as good as the latest maps you can get for it so if you are in the market ask what the latest map release is running on the unit and how it can be upgraded. Some like Navman's can often be a pain altho they are better now than a few years ago

patch697
5th January 2011, 06:32 PM
I use a Garmin nuvi 1490T & I thought it would be a waist of money but how wrong I was..........One of the best investments for off roading & boating I have spent money on.

Maxhead
5th January 2011, 06:47 PM
I use the Chinese 2din unit which is a GPS,DVD,TV,Stereo,MP3,Bluetooth phone, etc,etc as well.
I run OziExplorer on it for topo maps when out bush and find it great.
The accuracy depends on the amount of sattelites you can pick up but these days the SIRF chips are very good.
The only little hassle I have with mine is it takes about 20-40 seconds to startup the GPS through OziExplorer

As evil twin said, the Chinese stuff is great these days and the mapping will depend on the maps you have.
I downloaded 25000:1, 100000:1 and 250000:1 maps and alternate between them depending on my needs. Great bit of gear

DX grunt
5th January 2011, 07:32 PM
In my "own" truck I have the factory VDO Dayton system running Sensis release 15 maps. The advantage of dedicated Car Navs like the VDO is they have gyro/accelerometer packs so they work in tunnels etc and is also why they are so expensive.

I also have a chinese double din head unit (mainly so I can play MP3 tunes) but is GPS capable which has Igo8 and I just changed from Sensis release 16 to Navteq 2010Q3 which is very up to date. This unit also runs OziExplorer CE and I use aerial pic's, topo maps, Hema etc etc on that.

Sitting in a clip is a Garmin Etrex for when I am out and about on foot or Geocaching and when we are touring I have a 10 inch netbook running OziEplorer and a GPS dongle for planning.

Most people think 4 GPS systems and 6 applications is a bit over the top tho... but... I am involved in mapping and navigation with work and the SES so it is a hobby of mine as well.

Personally I rate Igo8 as the best of the PND (Personal Navigation Device) software packs because to me it is intuitive, widely used, lots of map updates and freely available.

Hardware wise the stuff out of China is now pretty darn good an usually unlocked so you can run whatever you want.

Accuracy in current generation GPS recievers and chips for PND's should be 5 metres or less 95 % of the time. Indeed I get cranky if my dedicated GPS gear is out by more than 3 metres but PND's will 'snap' to the road when within close proximity as part of the software default usually

Bottom line tho is no matter what software/hardware package it is only as good as the latest maps you can get for it so if you are in the market ask what the latest map release is running on the unit and how it can be upgraded. Some like Navman's can often be a pain altho they are better now than a few years ago

WANTED: Engrish interpreter.

Woof
5th January 2011, 08:13 PM
Ross, ET said that he has 4 GPS systems going at once so he does not get lost...lol

Finly Owner
5th January 2011, 09:34 PM
Old Garmin, it's good for when I'm not sure of an area.

DX grunt
5th January 2011, 09:37 PM
What GPS do you have and do you find it useful for Off Road 4WD

I use the missus as my GPS. She tells me where to go, all the time.

I find it useful not to argue, because I never win. lol