gps

beachball57 · Senior Member

gps

Gerty Dancer · Guru

We have a Tom Tom, but dont trust it. Dont really think you should trust any of them, but this one seems to be particularly devious! You can get free updates from the 'net, but pay for upgraded maps.

ozi2 · Guru

beachball57 wrote:

ok i know this has been all said before but i'm having a seniors moment......
i'm looking to up grade my gps, the one i have at the moment is a nav man and was only a few hundred dollar when i got it so i know you only get what you pay for but it did the trick at the time but now i want something a bit more tricky,,, i want it to do everything including make me a cup of tea (lol) what i really want though is one that i can in put some gps co ords that i have and tell the thing to guide me there, maybe a garmin or hema or something,, price this time around is not as big a concern as it was with the last one,,, who uses what and what does it do >>>

G'day BB, mate, I have a Navman 75t, worked fine until it died 3 weeks after purchase. Lost every thing that we had loaded for 8 week trip. We had planned to arrive at night at preset gps points..........didnt happen. No matter what the brand dont rely on the damn things; all will tell you that their brand is the best but if you are happy to purchase another then even the navman when working is down to $349.00 or better for the 75t and has the function you seek. Hema not cheap (navigator) but certainly has good mapping functions etc.
Good luck, check your warranty is completed (online)
ozi2

ChiChi1 · Guru

I have a Garmin nuvi. (Present from my tech kids for christmas) Havn't used it much yet but works well around Canberra. Going to Sydney next week, will let you know how it goes.

Cruising Granny · Guru

My Tom Tom is now 4 years old and won't accept the update online.
These gadgets will never be accurate as the road configurations change much faster than the techs can update them.
I use Google Maps to do my homework, set the GPS up accordingly, and have a map sitting on the passenger seat next to me. I don't have a live-in navigator.
I mostly use it in the city, but everything is subject to change with bugger all notice.
You should never trust them outright. It's like flying blind with instruments at peak hour.
I don't know if price determines the reliability of this technology. There are just more options, but the basics are all the same.

Smokeydk · Guru

I have a Garmin Nuvi 1350 bought mine from Sprint Auto around $260...its good but dont use Google references.....I found they are about 500m out on best of times

mine tells you where shops.police.....petrol stations..hotels...etc.. are in your area

powered by WhereIS.....so it says

Firefly · Guru

Our Tom Tom GO 720 is about four years old now but has been reasonably reliable (paid heaps for it back then). It has a juke box feature in it as well, we load thousands of songs on a memory card and it will shuffle play etc. It can be catalogued via genre etc.

It does at times, lose track of where it is, like most of them seem to but I wouldn't be without it now.

We also have a Mio which has hemma maps loaded onto it, another handy tool. It tracks everywhere you go, even down to chucking a u turn in a parking area, so when you come home, you can load it onto Google maps somehow and it overlays your trip for you. That really makes for interesting viewing of the whole holiday. smile

beachball57 · Senior Member

mmmmmmmm i think i'll stock up on paper maps like i use to have before

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

BB I use a Garmin Nuvi 1490 great unit and it does allow you to input co-ords, it nearly makes a cup of tea but does not hold much water.lol

I also use paper maps and hema maps online through my oter gps a Megellan Gold, great unit for geocaghing.

Alan8888 · Veteran Member

beachball57 wrote:
,, i want it to do everything including make me a cup of tea (lol) ,,, who uses what and what does it do >>>

Hi Tony,

Well I use a GPS/PDA Hybrid device and it does nearly everything but make me a Cuppa . wink

it is a HP iPAQ rx5965 Travel Companion have had it now for 5 years and still going strong.

Some of the use I have of it is

Tom Tom GPS

installed OziExplored and use topo maps (ie Hema and NatMaps)

Instaled a bush walking progi

Load over 300 music files and listen to them through bluetooth to vehicle radio when we travel (or FM sender)

Has functional diary for all our appointements and bills due

Has phone contacts in it

Use WiFi and check and send email through it in cafe's

Use as note pad when I am shoping

Use it as recorder to jog memory when I think of something while out.

Syncronise it with Phone and Laptop so all data is backed up, updated and safe

And this is not all it is fully funtioon PDA so has most things a PC has eg word, excel and others.

So it goes close to making coffee biggrin

PS 5 years ago cost me $400 after $100 cash back probably more expensive now but PDA is my prefered choice as it does it all and as I say if only has one function it is useless in traveling.

PPSS Oh and another good one is that you do not turn your brain off when you turn the GPS on. Once years ago I lost signal and was not taking notice where we were took a while to find the way back.

-- Edited by Alan8888 on Saturday 5th of March 2011 07:13:12 PM

-- Edited by Alan8888 on Saturday 5th of March 2011 07:18:41 PM

Landfall · Guru

Our last update was to a Garmin Nuvi 1490T, a very impressive unit that seems to live up to the hype.

It hasn't made me a cup of tea.

Fortunately, as I don't drink the stuff. Well not since the army gave me a cuppa nearly50 years ago.

The online updates can be pricey if you buy them individually, but there is an answer. Garmin will take your $199 and provide you with "free" updates for life. For the life of the GPS, that is, however long that may be?

From all the research I did, it would appear that Garmin and Hema had the best reputation.

The "navigator" still has road maps and now Camps6 in her lap.

Dusty

-- Edited by Landfall on Saturday 5th of March 2011 08:15:38 PM

Popeye · Senior Member

I have a nüvi 465T GPS.The nüvi 465T is Garmins first navigator designed for truck drivers. I put the length of the tug & van into it & it will not send you up smally tipe roads.

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

Landfall wrote:

Our last update was to a Garmin Nuvi 1490T, a very impressive unit that seems to live up to the hype.

It hasn't made me a cup of tea.

Fortunately, as I don't drink the stuff. Well not since the army gave me a cuppa nearly50 years ago.

The online updates can be pricey if you buy them individually, but there is an answer. Garmin will take your $199 and provide you with "free" updates for life. For the life of the GPS, that is, however long that may be?

From all the research I did, it would appear that Garmin and Hema had the best reputation.

The "navigator" still has road maps and now Camps6 in her lap.

Dusty

-- Edited by Landfall on Saturday 5th of March 2011 08:15:38 PM

The 1490T also has the option to purchase and install Camps 6 from the Camps web site http://www.campsaustraliawide.com/camps-books/14-camps-5-gps-poi-garmin.html

ChiChi1 · Guru

Thanks Wombat. Have saved link for later reference.

pricey43 · Guru

We purchased a Garmin nuvi 3760 at the Boxing Day sales. It is our first GPS so we are using it as much as possible so that we learn how to navigate it. We intend to get the Camps download and have put some geocaching site co-ordinates on as well. It has got a little confused a couple of times but that might be because of our inexperience with it. WE are very happy with it so far.

Hylda&Jon · Guru

We have been using a TomTom XL for about 2 years now & she does fine. After much research I narrowed it down to a Navman or a TomTom but reading some forums discussing the subject I found at the time the Navman had atrocious tech support so got a TomTom.

Cheers
Jon

beachball57 · Senior Member

i guess a gps is like buying a pair of shoes everyone likes something different

jimricho · Guru

beachball57 wrote:

i guess a gps is like buying a pair of shoes everyone likes something different

Not only gps (or shoes) but the wide variety of rigs owned by members of this forum is evidence of that!

I agree with your earlier comment about stocking up on maps. Maps are essential for trip planning and for navigation. GPS is a very useful aid when used in conjunction with paper maps.

justcruisin01 · Guru

We have the latest Garmin NUVI, top shelf, $350, brilliant.

jimricho · Guru

I have a Nuvi (Garmin) 765 plus a lifetime map upgrade. I'm currently "camped" in the Adelaide Hills area and have found it very helpful as I have no local knowledge of the area.

ChiChi1 · Guru

Well I'm back from Sydney. Went all over the place looking at vans. Had no idea where I was going (just general direction) Dont't know Sydney at all. I couldn't have survived without the Garmin. Brilliant! BIL had Tom Tom and is going to get a garmin when he gets home. He was so impressed. One thing is, you need a full address. Can't just put in a suburb etc. However, it does have a feature for many places of interest, like Star City, just selected and it took us to the door of the carpark. It got a great workout and very pleased.