Do any of you girls and boys out there in Greynomadland have any suggestions for a GPS. My primary requirement is for highway and by-way touring as much as for around town street navigation. Ability to interface with a computer to do pre-trip preparation would also be a high priority.
Over to you (or in the Aussie venacular "over to youse")
Jimricho, we have a Tom Tom 1. The basic model but it does everything we want it to and probably more if I were to really go into it. Used it recently on our last trip up the centre to Uluru and Alice Springs. Not for the directions but there is other information on the screen, one I find handy is the actual Km/h you are travelling at the other is your ETA. Also they are not too expensive, got ours via FlyBuys but have seen them advertised by the RACV for under $300.
Terro
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Rosemary and Terry08 Patrol, Galaxy Odyssey Pop top He who laughs last is late getting the joke!!
I also have used a TomTom .. the same one I purchased some 7 years ago has now been passed on to one of my lads in the same excellent working condition ..
For my purposes, I now have a Garmin hand-held unit which enables me to take wander (on foot) wherever I choose .. Its a Garmin 60 series if your interested ..
This is my 3rd, No 1, was the size of a brick cut lenghways, No 2, was a unit the size of the palm of your hand This thing is the size of a large packet of smokes , it talks at me , it tells me I going to fast , it gets me lost and then found again, same brand as my reliable CB, Uniden Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the marvels of technolgy, still wont have a computor on my motor or electric windows, or banger bags in front of me Think I am getting younger by the minute
I've got a tom tom go 500 , old model now, used it in the UK too! only trouble i have is when in cities and tall buildings block the line of site.. there are tom tom apps for the iphone too, dont know how good it is though
Inner city are big trouble with all gps a lot of dead spot , but just kept heading in your direction and will pick up signal before to long better than road map when by yourself
Ours is also a GO 720. We chose this one as it also has a juke box set up in it and takes memory cards as well. Beats carrying a lot of CD's for the areas with no radio. You can arrange the music how you wish, in all catergories.
The next model only varied with having photo capability. We thought that would be great until they said you load your own pics on it and delegate it to the town it was taken in. When that town comes up, so does the photo. For the extra $100 or so, didn'nt think it was worth it.
We used ours last year on our trip and it is excellent.
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I must be a binge thinker. I do it a lot at times, then, not much at all.
I went all out while I could still afford it, and got one I wouldn't have to add anything to, although that option is available. I got the Hema Navigator, which already has all City and Offroad maps on it, plus a lot more. Cheers, xina.
-- Edited by xina on Saturday 17th of October 2009 04:20:19 PM
They are better than sliced bread in a town or city if you dont know your way around, beats the hell out of trying to read maps. plus all the other info as well .We have had ours for about 8/10 years
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Be your self; there's no body better qualified ! "I came into this world with nothing , I still have most of it"
Thanks all for your input, seems everyone is pretty much happy with their choice. I have a Magellan hand held (with a car kit) that is fine for out in the bush or on the water but very "clunky" to the point of uselessness when it comes to street navigation.
Yep it's the Tom Tom 1 for me, but I think the dirty little bugger is trying to mislead me. It wouldn't be the first time I was mislead. It tells me how far I've travelled, how far I have to go and where the roadhouses, towns, servo's, caravan parks and any other place you ask it to tell you about. Technology is certainly amazing, except when it crashes. I bought one to get me around towns, not necessarily city CBD, but just around the burbs. It works a treat, except in Albany. (another story)
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
The GPS unit that came in the Prado was out of date when we bought the vehicle 3 years ago, and by now its fairly hopeless as theres no way to update it.
The womans voice who commands to "Turn Right" where there is a clear "No right turn" sign has elicited plenty "Oh shut up" from the driver! We call her Hilda....anybody have a name for the voice?
Yes it's Tom. In my "team" he's the only bloke I take instructions and directions from - after I've programmed him first. Life's like that, or it should be.
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
Garmin Nuvi 760, no more arguments, dont particularly have a name for it, try your gregorys when you are down a one way street in peak hour in sydney with absolutely no idea of where the hell you are, been there! never again, dont use it much on the open road but wouldnt be without it in a city! never steered me wrong
I call my bloke in my Tom Tom, Richard Cranium 'cause when I am on a straight road without any turn offs he tells me to turn right into a paddock full of sheep. Not once but several times now, definitely a slow learner in my book.
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If I don't get there today, I'll get there tomorrow or the day after.
John & Irona..........Rockingham Western Australia
garmin nuvi 760 wide, I call her "naggin nancy" she is also loaded with camps 5 poi which I downloaded from the camps australia website at a cost of $19.95,
I have also loaded the national and state parks poi file which makes for very convenient travel which I found at this site......http://www.gps-data-team.com/gps-poi.php....this is a very usefull site
if you are going to download any poi then download the poi file downloader for your gps first, this makes it a lot simpler to accept any files
be sure and pick the gps poi that is relevent to your gps
garmin nuvi 760 wide, I call her "naggin nancy" she is also loaded with camps 5 poi which I downloaded from the camps australia website at a cost of $19.95,
I have also loaded the national and state parks poi file which makes for very convenient travel which I found at this site......http://www.gps-data-team.com/gps-poi.php....this is a very usefull site
if you are going to download any poi then download the poi file downloader for your gps first, this makes it a lot simpler to accept any files
be sure and pick the gps poi that is relevent to your gps
The nuvi 760 has been replaced by the 765 and there are some deals to had on the 760 and I'm tending towards this for the reasons you outline. I also "take on board" your comments re the downloader.
Thanks to everyone for all the responses, all of which have been useful
yep old "naggin nancy" is a bit long in the tooth and there is the occasional "new" roundabout that throws her but as yet it has not represented a problem not even on a recent trip to Melbourne, I forgive a few misdemeanors when saving a squillion
I have an offer to update her maps to 2010 standard (I dont know how they do that seeing as to how a set of maps takes two years or more to hit the market, thus making any new map update or new gps immediately two years or more behind) anyway they offered me an update at a cost of $189 which I declined,
the thing I like about the nuvi is the ability to upgrade the "software" and "firmware" from their free online website
with the "camps 5 poi file" loaded all I have to do is to open the poi file located under "extras" and it will show me the nearest "free" camp to my position, I have loaded the national parks and as these are either free or low cost it immediately shows me the closest one as well
I think with this information the gps pays itself off in a matter of months and thereby I have no qualms about updating to a later one, and there is the peace and quiet inthe cabin from a man who knows where he is going, and NO BLOODY MAPS to argue over
I will buy a new one in a couple of years time, the price is reducing all the time, as Basil once said "they will be coming out in a box of coco pops shortly"
They are better than sliced bread in a town or city if you dont know your way around,
