Etrex20 info on maps if anyone has one

[dullbird]

Hi Guys

I'm just putting it out there

I was looking at a small hand held GPS waterproof unit to put on my Kayak...

Why?

it would be good to track where I have gone, see heading, speed etc

its not a necessity to me but something I would consider good to have for exploring places I have never been (finding my way home on rivers with a lot of spurs and outlets)

the question i have is are the Oz/Nz maps that you can purchase with the unit good enough to use on the rivers etc assuming that they cover rivers.

or do I have to purchase a marine type map??? (I was assuming the marine map would be more for open water though which I don't intend to do)


if you use one for this very purpose any info on what your using would be appreciated too..

I'm just doing some research for a small waterproof unit that I can use on the kayak, take off the kayak and stick it on my mountian bike etc... I'm not in a hurry to buy and would just research until I reasonably priced unit came up in fact this unit is cheaper at Ryda.com than my current in car gps :D

[WhiteD3]

I've had an ETrax for some years now and run Shonkymaps on it which I've found to be very good.

Shonkymaps by Shonkylogic (http://shonkylogic.net/shonkymaps/)

[Sirocco]

Those shonky maps look good. I have seen the 1:250k Geoscience maps for oziexplorer but not Garmin, excellent find. He seems to have added a whole heap of extra stuff also. Might put this on my map60cx alongside open street map.

For those looking for routable free maps for Garmin you can download the correct files here:Free worldwide Garmin maps from OpenStreetMap (http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl)

Dullbird - I think the only way you would get better maps than those suggested above would be to use the oziexplorer platform and load up sat images alongside the 1:250k geoscience maps and maybe Hema specific national park maps if you venture there.

You can download ozi onto Android now for 25USD so if you have a sizeable screen smartphone or small tablet you could run your mapping through that and house it in a waterproof case. If your phone/tablet has dedicated GPS then its a great way to cut down on tech when out and about. Battery life would then be your only concern!

G

[dullbird]

i have an ipad but its works so dont intend on taking out...I want to mount it on the kayak as well so I dont think it would be possible to put it in a mount and in a waterproof bag

I do already have a Garmin 60cs which is only water resistant not proof..i would of used this for the time being but im unable to find the mapsource CD so I can try putting the maps on..
as that model doesnt have the micro SD like most newer models

[Red90]

1) A 60CS should be waterproof.

2) To install maps, install Basecamp. That is the current program. If you still want to use Mapsource, you can install it after installing Basecamp. With either, you can download maps and install them to the 60CS.

[dullbird]

Very helpful

S I can use base camp instead of map source did I read that right?

Is base camp downloaded able from garmin? Or is it third party

[dullbird]

1) A 60CS should be waterproof.

2) To install maps, install Basecamp. That is the current program. If you still want to use Mapsource, you can install it after installing Basecamp. With either, you can download maps and install them to the 60CS.


You sir are a Legend!!!

I now have shony maps on my Garmin 60cs....

Hopefully I can get some use out of it now on my kayak and my mountain bike so it no longer collects dust in the drawer:)