whats a good gps with topo ??

[OzTeXs]

hi all,

don't know about most of you guys but, whenever I go bush, i get lost.

i do all my prep work before hand ie print off google maps .. and still manage to get lost.

today i decided to checkout Colo Heights where i ve never been before .. i drove all that way and couldn't find a single track !

so ive decided to take a new approach .. get co-ordinates from those who have already been .. and track it with my topo handheld/gps.

any ideas ??

[mnemonix]

Garmin GPSMAP 76CSX.

All the hunters/4wders I know that need a handheld rely on this model and almost nothing else.

~$450-$500 should get you by.

[T_Diesel]

Buy some decent paper maps for a start.

Depends what your budget is aswell...... I would go for a Hema navigator over a Garmin.

[OzTeXs]

i will research both for now ..

too many options in NSW .. id be spending a fortune on maps. i also want to use it on my motorcycle too.

thanks for the start ..

[OzTeXs]

i will research both for now ..

too many options in NSW .. id be spending a fortune on maps. i also want to use it on my motorcycle too.

thanks for the start ..

dude .. the hema is quiet expensive

[Tojo]

i will research both for now ..

too many options in NSW .. id be spending a fortune on maps. i also want to use it on my motorcycle too.

thanks for the start ..

you are going to spend a fortune whatever you do. GPS is expensive. Maps for GPS is expensive. Paper maps are cheap in comparison. You need to understand that you will have to spend quite a lot of money and also quite a lot of time to learn how to use it all.

[OzTeXs]

i will research both for now ..

too many options in NSW .. id be spending a fortune on maps. i also want to use it on my motorcycle too.

thanks for the start ..

you are going to spend a fortune whatever you do. GPS is expensive. Maps for GPS is expensive. Paper maps are cheap in comparison. You need to understand that you will have to spend quite a lot of money and also quite a lot of time to learn how to use it all.

well the hema navigator is twice the price of the garmin ..

i know it will be expensive .. but id rather go with a $500 price tag instead of $1000 for a similar product.

[Loanrangie]

i will research both for now ..

too many options in NSW .. id be spending a fortune on maps. i also want to use it on my motorcycle too.

thanks for the start ..

dude .. the hema is quiet expensive

Deal extreme have a 4.3/4.8" genric chinese gps very much like the hema, these run win CE os and have been hacked to run any gps mapping software you like from Tomtom to Ozi explorer. About $100 USD including free postage.

[Ferwoaza]

A Hema Navigator will set you back $990, not cheap but easy, no fuss, no thinking. You get all the Hema maps, great for touring, plus toppo at 250k, 50k and 25k which can be handy for finding those little tracks, plus street turn by turn voice navigation. The QLD toppos are getting old now (some are 30+ years out of date I think) but no-one has done updates so no real luck there. You do get regular updates of the Hema ones tho...I use them a fair bit, especially on Fraser Island.

Also have a look at shonkymaps (web search). It's a collection of free toppo maps that will work with garmin mapping gps's. If your just after toppo's this isn't a bad way to go. There are commercial maps our there for garmin as well but cost $$ as always.

[OzTeXs]

i will research both for now ..

too many options in NSW .. id be spending a fortune on maps. i also want to use it on my motorcycle too.

thanks for the start ..

dude .. the hema is quiet expensive

Deal extreme have a 4.3/4.8" genric chinese gps very much like the hema, these run win CE os and have been hacked to run any gps mapping software you like from Tomtom to Ozi explorer. About $100 USD including free postage.

i like )))

[festy]

i will research both for now ..

too many options in NSW .. id be spending a fortune on maps. i also want to use it on my motorcycle too.

thanks for the start ..

dude .. the hema is quiet expensive

Deal extreme have a 4.3/4.8" genric chinese gps very much like the hema, these run win CE os and have been hacked to run any gps mapping software you like from Tomtom to Ozi explorer. About $100 USD including free postage.

Add OziCE to that ($40) and all the free NSW topo maps you can eat and you're set.
Print out the topo maps for the are you're traveling in before you go as a backup, just to be safe.

[SuperiorEngineering]

I use a garmin origon 300 with topo .

It is rated as on of the simplest to use, but has a huge amount of features.

It has setting that you can go between for walking/ riding/ driving ect
Unbeleivably easy to use and with the topo map of aus i think i paid about $350 from Jonny Appleseed GPS at Boondall in QLD only about 2 months ago.

I used it just this weekend hunting goats out at Quilpie and it was so reliable and easy.

It loads and receives within approx 30 seconds and your on your way.
i have the brackets that mount on the screen of the GU, KX and the Quads so you can just quickly unclip the Origon and use it on whatever vehicle you have.

A few weeks ago we used it in the state forests up at kilcoy on the dirt bikes and even on them it was worth its weight in gold.

The other GPS's that were descussed earlier i asked Jonny appleseed about and the salesman said the origon was way ahead of those models now.

You will also get the updates from garmin and the free software that allows to to upload were you have been to create your own data base and maps on your PC or laptop.

[Loanrangie]

i will research both for now ..

too many options in NSW .. id be spending a fortune on maps. i also want to use it on my motorcycle too.

thanks for the start ..

dude .. the hema is quiet expensive

Deal extreme have a 4.3/4.8" genric chinese gps very much like the hema, these run win CE os and have been hacked to run any gps mapping software you like from Tomtom to Ozi explorer. About $100 USD including free postage.

i like )))

Her's a link to a guy who has set up his own forum for these gps units, he even has the files ready to download to hack the OS

http://www.dealextreme.com/forums/Forum ... did.341954

[mattc]

I bought a cheap ebay one that was already WinCE unlocked. Changed one of the two street nav programs on it over to OziExplorer CE.