Hema HX1

Ger08 · Senior Member

Hema HX1

patrol03 · Senior Member

Don't know much about those.I have a CookNavigator in the passenger seat.Cheap to purchase but expensive to run.Does a great job Plenty of battery life and doesn't need recharging.Never had a problem with it for over 50 years.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

I use an HN7.
If you go bush seriously, there is nothing better.
If you stick to "roads", I am not sure why you would see the need for one, except that the maps are seriously good.

Cheers,
Peter

Ger08 · Senior Member

Thanks for the responses

Dickodownunder · Guru

Last year I camped next to a fellow with a new HX 1.

He was not very happy with it stating that he thought it was difficult to use.
I have an HN 7 and although you do need to spend a bit of time to familiarise yourself with its use I find it works very well.
I have the factory GPS navigator in the Toyota and the mapping in the Hema is far better than the dash unit.
During my working life I used Navman navigators in my work vehicles and the Hema is in my opinion, a much better unit.

elliemike · Guru

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:
I use an HN7.
If you go bush seriously, there is nothing better.
If you stick to "roads", I am not sure why you would see the need for one, except that the maps are seriously good.

Cheers,
Peter

I have the HN6 and as with Peter and Margaret above, if you don't use its full potential, why spend all that money.

Like all new computer type gadgets and gizmos they they take a bit of learning at first.

Cuppa · Guru

We have an HX1 & have been using it since last July. It is not perfect, it does have a few glitches but has improved since the most recent update late last year. Occasionally I swear at it, but I'd buy another. I do think that for the money it should be better, but I also don't think that there is anything else in it's league. We very much like the 'Explorer' function (shows where you are on a map). Drive mode (Turn by turn satnav) is OK, but it can tell fibs sometimes. If only getting a turn by turn satnav there must be far better available.

Issues have been:

Overheating & switching off - the most recent update has addressed this in a fashion - you now get prior warning to it switching off (giving you the opportunity to turn on the air con to cool it)!

Commonly we get a screen only partially filled with a map when switching to 'Explorer' mode. Zooming out & then back in again fixes this, but it shouldn't happen.

Occasionally having difficulty in picking up a satellite signal - up to 30 minutes. Mostly it picks up a signal within seconds. Switch off & try again & it *can* sometimes frustrate you. Since the last update the issue occurs far less frequently.

The operating system seems unnecessarily 'clunky' to use, it is not state of the art & not very intuitive. I didn't feel that it matched up to Hema's slick advertising. However once you have been using it for a little while you get used to it.

The topo maps used have tracks marked that are either no longer in use or that have never got past the planning stage. This may apply to any topo map though? ... but you do need to be aware that just because a route is shown on the map doesn't mean it is available. If going remote it is wise to check/have another source of info. Not all the supplied maps have this problem though.

The mapping system no longer allows the user to scan & use their own maps as previous HN models did. This limits you to the maps that Hema make available if you need more than those supplied with the unit. This is not an issue for us, but maybe for folk who wish to use something like the 'Rooftop maps'.

If not going offroad, or if going off the bitumen but sticking to the major tracks a cheaper high quality turn by turn Satnav would be a better option, but if planning to get off the beaten track it's a very useful tool to have.