Thread: Hema Navigator HN5i or VMS Touring 700HD

Originally Posted by flyreels

Hi, which do you think is the best and why.
I would like to buy a gps and I am after some feedback.
What are the screens like in bright daylight are they bright enough?
Thanks Peter

My Dad has bought several units for himself and friends from China on Ebay. He only pays about $100 for them. They are based on windows CE platform, so he can add Oziexplorer and a multitude of raster maps. He swears by them as they come with free upgrades for their street navigation as well. He told me that they run Whereis Street navigation. He is going to buy another one for himself so he can have one on Ozi and one on Whereis at the same time

Other threads on here have warned that Polaris is not worth the money. I was tossing up between VMS & Hema. Went for VMS mainly because of its larger ( 7" )size. I'm not a 100% happy but it does what I want. Doesn't like sunlight on screen. Street mapping could be better. Old Garmin was better. I mainly use it on CFA maps very good. Have tried off road maps yet.

Gary

Originally Posted by 33chinacars

Other threads on here have warned that Polaris is not worth the money. I was tossing up between VMS & Hema. Went for VMS mainly because of its larger ( 7" )size. I'm not a 100% happy but it does what I want. Doesn't like sunlight on screen. Street mapping could be better. Old Garmin was better. I mainly use it on CFA maps very good. Have tried off road maps yet.

Gary

Thanks for that. I found the other posts and have now a complete change of heart. It was even suggested that you can buy similar from China at 1/4 of the price. I looked them up they look great.

for your info hema have brought out a hema navigator 6

Please correct me ifam wrong, but hema, on their road based maps, use NAVTEQ maps where as most others use whereis. I have used both systems of maps and found that the whereis maps not so good. There are many roads around the district that have been down many years (some over 100) and the whereis maps don't have them named it just marks them as "road". I have sent them numerous emails information on inccorect map detail, missing streets etc and I have never ever had a return call or a return email and the problems are still there after 3 years!! The street I live on was put down in 2005 and it was only in 2012 after I sent ariel photos and a abusive letter to them that they put it on the map buyt never ever entered into anny form of correspondance with me. Navteq had it on their maps in 2006 and named!
I made a comment to navteq via email once on a point with their maps and 6 housr later I had a bloke ring me from America to clarify the point!

Just writing this from my own personal expreinces and not that of "I heard........"

Originally Posted by Disco4owner

My Dad has bought several units for himself and friends from China on Ebay. He only pays about $100 for them. They are based on windows CE platform, so he can add Oziexplorer and a multitude of raster maps. He swears by them as they come with free upgrades for their street navigation as well. He told me that they run Whereis Street navigation. He is going to buy another one for himself so he can have one on Ozi and one on Whereis at the same time

Hi Disco4owner, Thanks for the info on what your dad has done. I am looking at some of the Chinese versions and from what I see I just can't justify the price of a Hema of VPS as they are slightly limited. I am also looking for some with external camera jacks. Does your dad know if Hema maps work on the Chinese versions. I guess this is where it all becomes a little confusing.

Curse this thread. My dear wife just said to me about an hour ago that we should upgrade our GPS as our trusty old Magellan Meridian Gold is showing it's age. (I'll still be keeping it in the vehicle though) And now you blokes have got me wondering what to go for as I was thinking of the Hema Sooooo many decisions. Pardon my ignorance but what software goes on a tablet & would you get "real time" with Google Earth?

The Hema's are essentially a Windows CE Navigation device with customised user interface.

What you get is OziExplorerCE with a Hema customised skin + Hema mapping, and iGo Primo with Navteq mapping.


If you really wanted to build something similar there are reasonable 6" units on flea bay. I bought one of these last year and wasted a huge amount of time customising the skin to make it functionally similar to the HN5i with launch buttons for iGo 8, Memory-Map and OziExplorer. I've also spent a considerable amount of time messing around with the skin for OziExplorer to make it more easily usable without resorting to using a stylus. None of this is necessary with the Hema Navigator.

Another downside of the DIY chinese gps route is that you have no choice but to use "liberated" copies of turn by turn software and mapping, which invariably means checking forums in the hope someone will post the latest update of the maps. At this point in mid-2012 the latest iGo 8 maps I can find are Q3 2011, and there is no way to obtain them through legitimate channels.

I reckon that to roughly replicate the Navigator you would be looking at:

WinCE based chinese GPS: $140
OziExplorerCE License: $40
Hema 4WD Maps DVD: $160

So for $340 you can put together something similar to a HN6i. It's cheap, but on the other hand it is cheap. The windscreen mount that comes with the Chinese GPS is rubbish - get direct sun on the screen and it pops off, go over a decent bump and it pops off. The battery is pretty much cactus after 6 months. Add in the lack of turn by turn updates. And to top it off it requires messing around to pull all the pieces together to get a useful navigation unit, and the result is still butt ugly.

The HN6i costs $745, and on balance I'd say the $400 premium for the HN6i is well worth paying.

cheers
Paul