Newbie

[gruntfuttock]

Hello to everyone,

Being a newbie to the gps thing, can anyone advise me as to what is the best system / setup to get?

I have a laptop. I have got Robert Pepers book, got to get time to read it!! But I am interested in other peoples feed back.

Basically if some one said, what is the best system for Australia, not regarding price what would it be.


I need a GPS system badly. We went offroading following the maps, but due to the changed road names, and new roads as well as the old roads that are marked on the map but not there. It was hopeless without a GPS system. The map beared no resemblence to what was on the ground.

Thanks for the imput. It must be a hard question to answer but thanks to all who give me an answer.


Gruntfuttock

[OnPatrol]

Geez, that's a tough question to answer.

I don't think there is such a thing as the best system for everyone. It's only the best if it suits your individual need and that may change over time.

I do a bit competition in the Pajero Challenge and a bit in NavRuns. My preference for these events is a GPS with a big screen and a number key pad (Magellan fx324 in my case), plus a handheld gps (Garmin emap cause I bought it a while ago), plus several maps of the area (Rooftop + Vicmaps, etc), a good compass, a good reference book (Rob's book), a map guide and a romer. I also bring my laptop that runs Oziexplorer for easy plotting of waypoints and routes. It pays to be prepared! Personally I don't like running the laptop whilst on the move cause it's prone to damage.

If it's a non-competition trip, then good maps, a gps and a compass would be more than enough to get by. If it's a week long trip I do bring the laptop that runs oziexplorer, but I still buy maps of the area just in case the technology fails for whatever reason...flat batteries have a way of ruining the trip.

After all that rambling I don't think that answers' your question! The only thing I can suggest is buy good maps and get a gps that's easy to use.

[rmp]

I'd start out with a bushwalking GPS receiver and use it to find your location on paper maps. Add a car mount and ciggy lighter adaptor.

Then, later, decide if you want to go for the laptop or PDA setup, but not just yet.

[Ralf_the_RR]

When funds are available, I'm going the PDA & GPS receiver route.

I've downloaded oziexplorer (trial version), and it seems very versatile (the full version).
There is also a version for PDAs.

The reason for the PDA is screen size.
I made actual size paper models (very rough) of a handheld GPS, a handheld laptop, and a PDA (looked up the specs of these on the net).
I stuck these on the dash, and my decision was easy.

The other option was a 7" screen running off a laptop. I don't have either, so the cost is too much.

[OnPatrol]

Originally posted by Ralf_the_RR

The other option was a 7" screen running off a laptop. I don't have either, so the cost is too much.

Another option is a touch screen running off a car pc. I noticed these being advertised in 4x4 magazines. Runs on 12v and it has USB and serial ports. Has anyone tried this yet?