Thankyou all for your kind comments. I really enjoy looking through Grey Nomad site and will be looking around for the Grey Nomad book and Camps 6. I am going up to Townsville mid April 2012 to see my granddaughter and a new grandchild due late March. I normally fly up and stay in a cabin as their house is too small. I am considering making it a road trip with my AU Falcon sedan and on road Avan camper, going from south west Gippsland via Tocumwall, Dubbo and up from there to Townsville (although I might even throw in Cairns first), stay Townsville for a week then travel down the coast. I will probably take 2 weeks to get up there and 2 weeks to get back. Is it worth getting a Tom Tom or similar or just go with the good old paper maps? What are the roads like through those areas and any suggestions? Oh! I have also got a small water cooler for the camper for those hot nights.
Happywanderer said
10:36 AM Oct 24, 2011
I just go with the paper maps Dougwe, but to each their own. I head up to Qld every winter and go the Newelll way without any difficulty at all. Only as far as Bundaberg so far. I find you can't get lost. I don't go off the beaten track though and know the route very well now. Follow your paper map and the road signs.
Clare46 said
11:59 AM Oct 24, 2011
I like my GPS as I find if I set it for the next stop I can then see how much further it is to go and in the larger towns and cities I can go off driving around and then set it to take me back to the caravan park without having to take notice of which way I went. Great little inventions as far as I'm concerned
Esmeralda said
01:41 PM Oct 24, 2011
Hi Dougwe
I bought a Navman nearly 12 months ago now. I found it invaluable in Canberra when I was there earlier this year - a) because of unfamiliar roads, b) lots of roadworks and c) to find points of interest.
While I didn't need it much on my last trip because I just followed signs most of the time, but it helped know how much further I had to go, if the speed limits were changing up ahead, etc. Also helpful finding points of interest in larger areas.
Cheers,
Elle on Wheels said
12:16 AM Oct 25, 2011
Hey Dougwe i didn't think men read maps so maybe a gps thingie would be the go. I need advice as well because i haven't used one before and think it will be an essential piece of equipment.
cheers
03_troopy said
09:49 AM Oct 25, 2011
Esmeralda wrote:
Hi Dougwe
I bought a Navman nearly 12 months ago now. I found it invaluable in Canberra when I was there earlier this year - a) because of unfamiliar roads, b) lots of roadworks and c) to find points of interest.
While I didn't need it much on my last trip because I just followed signs most of the time, but it helped know how much further I had to go, if the speed limits were changing up ahead, etc. Also helpful finding points of interest in larger areas.
Cheers,
I also have a Navman, the MY75T and think they're great for allowing you to concentrate on the traffic rather than trying to spot roadsigns in busy areas. On our way home from our last trip we came back through Sydney and it is so much easier just setting the destination and following the directions. You can set it for 4 different modes; fastest, shortest, easiest or most economical route you can also set it to avoid toll roads, and in major city areas it will warn of traffic delays and allow you to re-route to suit. Great for findinig fuel stations, atms post offices in a foreign town. A very good investment I think. I also plug a rear view camera into mine and can swith from GPS to rear cam with a dashboard switch. A pic of the 4 available menu pages
-- Edited by 03_troopy on Tuesday 25th of October 2011 09:57:39 AM
Dougwe said
10:02 AM Oct 25, 2011
Thanks for the comment Elle on wheels. Maybe if I have it open on the front of the car it will look as though I am actually reading it, but then again it might look like on lost.
Loki said
05:57 PM Oct 25, 2011
Hi Doug
The roads from Tucumwal up are good, there are plenty of campsites. I traveled solo from Tassie to Brisbane via the Kidman Way (turned right at Charleville), then from Brisbane off to Carnarvon Gorge (QLD), Emerald, Longreach, Winton, Hughendon & Townsville and the roads were fine, some areas have roadworks - repairing flood damage I believe. I came back to Brisbane along the Bruce Highway and it is a busy road! I also did a loop from Brisbane to Bunya Mountain National Park, around the Kingaroy area and again roads were good.
I wouldn't be without a GPS, esp if travelling solo. The Camps6 sites are downloadable onto some GPS brands - it cost around $20 but I reckon it is money well spent.
Just beware if you do navigate by GPS, mine has led me up the garden path a bit, plus it will sometimes choose a gravel road where there is an alternate (and usually better) bitumen road; you just need to have a bit of an idea of the roads available on your daily travel.
If you get the Camps6 book, it has good maps in it.
Happy travels,
Anton
Elle on Wheels said
07:04 PM Oct 25, 2011
Hey Troopie - what do you think of those GPS's that come with reversing cameras - ebay has several good deals with 7 inch monitors etc? Or would you go for a recognised brand such as the navman oyu mentioned? Just thought it would be good to get two toys in the one deal?
Esmeralda said
10:56 PM Oct 25, 2011
Troopy - same model as mine
Dougwe said
07:58 AM Oct 26, 2011
Mmmmmm, to GPS it or not? Maybe an EPERB instead.That is the question? I will have a chat to friends of mine that will be back from going around the block, they took a lefty at Melbourne and are doing it clockwise and are in Dubbo now and due back 2nd week November. I must admit though from the postings here so far it could be a goer, the camera bit sounds good, can you see behind when driving with them as well or is it just a reversing camera? Oh! I have started putting some ideas on paper for my possible trip, 30 nights away so far (I hope my boss isn't reading this, I havn't said anything yet). If it all looks good on paper I will input it all into my laptop as that will be with me to store all those kodak/digital moments.
Joe said
02:03 PM Oct 26, 2011
A GPS will tell you where you are and the Navman, Tom Tom etc devices also include road maps and can give you turn by turn directions as well as a multitude of other little delights (fancy getting one to produce a map with your track highlighted on it?) while an EPIRB is simply a "Help Me" device that broadcasts your location when you press the button.
They are different things is what I am trying to say.
Take a look at the Spot service (at www.FindMeSpot.net.au) which provides you with a device that allows you to track where you are going on a web site that other people can follow as well as giving you the emergency help facility and with one option you can send short texts to people too.
I wouldn't worry about an EPIRB unless you were going into remote areas.
The Spot is good for letting people "follow" you and sending those reassuring short messages.
A Navman etc is good if you need to be guided to the door of some address.
I hope this isn't too confusing! You can always get the lot and be belt and braces - you'll probably need a sat phone too then!
03_troopy said
03:06 PM Oct 26, 2011
Dougwe wrote:
Mmmmmm, to GPS it or not? Maybe an EPERB instead.That is the question? I will have a chat to friends of mine that will be back from going around the block, they took a lefty at Melbourne and are doing it clockwise and are in Dubbo now and due back 2nd week November. I must admit though from the postings here so far it could be a goer, the camera bit sounds good, can you see behind when driving with them as well or is it just a reversing camera? Oh! I have started putting some ideas on paper for my possible trip, 30 nights away so far (I hope my boss isn't reading this, I havn't said anything yet). If it all looks good on paper I will input it all into my laptop as that will be with me to store all those kodak/digital moments.
The camera depends on what type of lense you get for weather you can see much behind you. The lense I have is a wide angle, so doesn't show much distance behind, but does allow me to see behind the Troopy before I move (should be mandatory on a lot of vehicles with poor rear view) It is good for casting an eye on the trailer behind us too to check nothing has gone amiss. We also took an EPIRB on our last trip up through Alice to Uluru to. But I had one for my boat anyway so was no extra cost to me. Some of the in car navigation GPS's don't have a lot of 4WD track info either (MY75T has a little bit) so when you head bush they just show you in the middle of a blank area and sometimes warn you to head for the nearest road. On the other hand most of the handheld GPS's that are better for heading bush don't have turn by turn navigation or some of the other handy things (food, fuel, ATM locator). I think some of the newer more expensive models do but you're talking big bucks. If you have a bit of a clue with tech gear, you can buy one of the cheaper imports off Ebay and hack it to run things like ozimaps under windows CE ( a lot of in car GPS's use Windows CE as their operating system)
03_troopy said
07:03 PM Oct 28, 2011
Elle on Wheels wrote:
Hey Troopie - what do you think of those GPS's that come with reversing cameras - ebay has several good deals with 7 inch monitors etc? Or would you go for a recognised brand such as the navman oyu mentioned? Just thought it would be good to get two toys in the one deal?
Sorry Elle, i didn't reply to your post. To be honest, I'd go for a more recognised brand. Navman, tom tom magellan etc simply because they have a better reputation and maps etc, and try and get one that offers a decent amount of free map upgrades (you normally have to pay for them). But if you know a bit about tinkering with gadgets, you can actually run some pretty good software on the cheapies too. But it isn't straight forward or easy if you don't have a lot of experience with electronics.
Dougwe said
07:32 PM Oct 28, 2011
I got hold of a near new Navman MY75T. I put the word out and a friend new of one available, I got it for $150 and it is only 1 month old. The person I got it from got a bigger screen one. It is very similar to the MY60 I got a lend off. I will use the maps in Camp6 as well. Things are starting to take shape already for Townsville. I still can't go until April 2012 though but things will get used before then.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Friday 28th of October 2011 07:35:30 PM
03_troopy said
07:44 PM Oct 28, 2011
Dougwe wrote:
I got hold of a near new Navman MY75T. I put the word out and a friend new of one available, I got it for $150 and it is only 1 month old. The person I got it from got a bigger screen one. It is very similar to the MY60 I got a lend off. I will use the maps in Camp6 as well. Things are starting to take shape already for Townsville. I still can't go until April 2012 though but things will get used before then.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Friday 28th of October 2011 07:35:30 PM
You did get that for a good price Dougwe, I paid over $300 for mine.
Dougwe said
06:06 AM Oct 29, 2011
He did say they were about $350 new but I wasn't sure if to believe him or not. About time I saved some money. I have also put the word out for a UHF CB radio, see what happens.
03_troopy said
07:04 PM Oct 29, 2011
Dougwe wrote:
He did say they were about $350 new but I wasn't sure if to believe him or not. About time I saved some money. I have also put the word out for a UHF CB radio, see what happens.
Be careful here mate. The new 80 channel regs will be implemented soon (previous UHF CB's were 40Ch) and a lot of non compatable sets will come up for sale very cheap. Having said that, you might pick up a bargain like the one I did last weekend at a garage sale. it's a Mororola professional model for $50 (sells around $450 to $550) and is fully programmable to be compliant, but I have to buy/make a programming cable (less than $20) and get the right software to do it. I also have an Icom400 pro fitted in my Troopy that I have made a cable for and have the software to reprogramme it, so it will be OK as well. But unless you have someone nearby that can check one out for you, be very wary.
03_troopy said
07:09 PM Oct 29, 2011
Dougwe wrote:
He did say they were about $350 new but I wasn't sure if to believe him or not. About time I saved some money. I have also put the word out for a UHF CB radio, see what happens.
If it is that new, see if he registered it or still has the receipt for it, you may be able to get the free map upgrades too. If he hasn't upgraded the maps there have been 2 upgrades since they were brought out i think. The upgrade and software is a bit of a pain to work out, but worth it. If not, the maps are still pretty good and even the 4WD tracks aren't bad for major fire trails etc. You've done well...
Dougwe said
07:27 PM Oct 29, 2011
Thanks for all the help Bob, I'm in no hurry for the radio, do you know when the new regs are actually happening, having said that if I do hear of one I will make sure it will be compliant. I must mention, My future son in-law whent to Tassie a couple of months ago to look at a troopy but it was out of his price range and had quite a bit wrong with it and thought he might end up with a lemon, anyway he should be working not thinking of travelling around, like all of us here he has to earn his travel rights by working hard.
03_troopy said
10:12 AM Oct 30, 2011
Dougwe wrote:
Thanks for all the help Bob, I'm in no hurry for the radio, do you know when the new regs are actually happening, having said that if I do hear of one I will make sure it will be compliant. I must mention, My future son in-law whent to Tassie a couple of months ago to look at a troopy but it was out of his price range and had quite a bit wrong with it and thought he might end up with a lemon, anyway he should be working not thinking of travelling around, like all of us here he has to earn his travel rights by working hard.
This link gives some info, it is effect already apparently. As the article says, it doesn't mean the 40ch is totally unusable, but it will have some resrictions when using it. The funny thing is I was listening to my CB over the last week or so (not often used when just driving locally) and I did notice what seemed like interference and sometimes conversations were'nt clearly heard. I better get the laptop out and see if converting the Icom to 80ch sounds better. Do a google on 80 channel UHF Australia and you'll find a fair bit of info around. The licences they are talking about is to run repeater stations.
Thankyou all for your kind comments. I really enjoy looking through Grey Nomad site and will be looking around for the Grey Nomad book and Camps 6. I am going up to Townsville mid April 2012 to see my granddaughter and a new grandchild due late March. I normally fly up and stay in a cabin as their house is too small. I am considering making it a road trip with my AU Falcon sedan and on road Avan camper, going from south west Gippsland via Tocumwall, Dubbo and up from there to Townsville (although I might even throw in Cairns first), stay Townsville for a week then travel down the coast. I will probably take 2 weeks to get up there and 2 weeks to get back. Is it worth getting a Tom Tom or similar or just go with the good old paper maps? What are the roads like through those areas and any suggestions? Oh! I have also got a small water cooler for the camper for those hot nights.
I head up to Qld every winter and go the Newelll way without any difficulty at all. Only as far as Bundaberg so far. I find you can't get lost. I don't go off the beaten track though and know the route very well now.
Follow your paper map and the road signs.
I like my GPS as I find if I set it for the next stop I can then see how much further it is to go and in the larger towns and cities I can go off driving around and then set it to take me back to the caravan park without having to take notice of which way I went. Great little inventions as far as I'm concerned
Hi Dougwe
I bought a Navman nearly 12 months ago now. I found it invaluable in Canberra when I was there earlier this year - a) because of unfamiliar roads, b) lots of roadworks and c) to find points of interest.
While I didn't need it much on my last trip because I just followed signs most of the time, but it helped know how much further I had to go, if the speed limits were changing up ahead, etc. Also helpful finding points of interest in larger areas.
Cheers,
cheers
I also have a Navman, the MY75T and think they're great for allowing you to concentrate on the traffic rather than trying to spot roadsigns in busy areas. On our way home from our last trip we came back through Sydney and it is so much easier just setting the destination and following the directions. You can set it for 4 different modes; fastest, shortest, easiest or most economical route you can also set it to avoid toll roads, and in major city areas it will warn of traffic delays and allow you to re-route to suit. Great for findinig fuel stations, atms post offices in a foreign town. A very good investment I think. I also plug a rear view camera into mine and can swith from GPS to rear cam with a dashboard switch. A pic of the 4 available menu pages
-- Edited by 03_troopy on Tuesday 25th of October 2011 09:57:39 AM
Thanks for the comment Elle on wheels. Maybe if I have it open on the front of the car it will look as though I am actually reading it, but then again it might look like on lost.
Hi Doug
The roads from Tucumwal up are good, there are plenty of campsites. I traveled solo from Tassie to Brisbane via the Kidman Way (turned right at Charleville), then from Brisbane off to Carnarvon Gorge (QLD), Emerald, Longreach, Winton, Hughendon & Townsville and the roads were fine, some areas have roadworks - repairing flood damage I believe. I came back to Brisbane along the Bruce Highway and it is a busy road! I also did a loop from Brisbane to Bunya Mountain National Park, around the Kingaroy area and again roads were good.
I wouldn't be without a GPS, esp if travelling solo. The Camps6 sites are downloadable onto some GPS brands - it cost around $20 but I reckon it is money well spent.
Just beware if you do navigate by GPS, mine has led me up the garden path a bit, plus it will sometimes choose a gravel road where there is an alternate (and usually better) bitumen road; you just need to have a bit of an idea of the roads available on your daily travel.
If you get the Camps6 book, it has good maps in it.
Happy travels,
Anton
Troopy - same model as mine
A GPS will tell you where you are and the Navman, Tom Tom etc devices also include road maps and can give you turn by turn directions as well as a multitude of other little delights (fancy getting one to produce a map with your track highlighted on it?) while an EPIRB is simply a "Help Me" device that broadcasts your location when you press the button.
They are different things is what I am trying to say.
Take a look at the Spot service (at www.FindMeSpot.net.au) which provides you with a device that allows you to track where you are going on a web site that other people can follow as well as giving you the emergency help facility and with one option you can send short texts to people too.
I wouldn't worry about an EPIRB unless you were going into remote areas.
The Spot is good for letting people "follow" you and sending those reassuring short messages.
A Navman etc is good if you need to be guided to the door of some address.
I hope this isn't too confusing! You can always get the lot and be belt and braces - you'll probably need a sat phone too then!
The camera depends on what type of lense you get for weather you can see much behind you. The lense I have is a wide angle, so doesn't show much distance behind, but does allow me to see behind the Troopy before I move (should be mandatory on a lot of vehicles with poor rear view) It is good for casting an eye on the trailer behind us too to check nothing has gone amiss. We also took an EPIRB on our last trip up through Alice to Uluru to. But I had one for my boat anyway so was no extra cost to me. Some of the in car navigation GPS's don't have a lot of 4WD track info either (MY75T has a little bit) so when you head bush they just show you in the middle of a blank area and sometimes warn you to head for the nearest road. On the other hand most of the handheld GPS's that are better for heading bush don't have turn by turn navigation or some of the other handy things (food, fuel, ATM locator). I think some of the newer more expensive models do but you're talking big bucks. If you have a bit of a clue with tech gear, you can buy one of the cheaper imports off Ebay and hack it to run things like ozimaps under windows CE ( a lot of in car GPS's use Windows CE as their operating system)
Sorry Elle, i didn't reply to your post. To be honest, I'd go for a more recognised brand. Navman, tom tom magellan etc simply because they have a better reputation and maps etc, and try and get one that offers a decent amount of free map upgrades (you normally have to pay for them). But if you know a bit about tinkering with gadgets, you can actually run some pretty good software on the cheapies too. But it isn't straight forward or easy if you don't have a lot of experience with electronics.
I got hold of a near new Navman MY75T. I put the word out and a friend new of one available, I got it for $150 and it is only 1 month old. The person I got it from got a bigger screen one. It is very similar to the MY60 I got a lend off. I will use the maps in Camp6 as well. Things are starting to take shape already for Townsville. I still can't go until April 2012 though but things will get used before then.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Friday 28th of October 2011 07:35:30 PM
You did get that for a good price Dougwe, I paid over $300 for mine.
He did say they were about $350 new but I wasn't sure if to believe him or not. About time I saved some money. I have also put the word out for a UHF CB radio, see what happens.
Be careful here mate. The new 80 channel regs will be implemented soon (previous UHF CB's were 40Ch) and a lot of non compatable sets will come up for sale very cheap. Having said that, you might pick up a bargain like the one I did last weekend at a garage sale. it's a Mororola professional model for $50 (sells around $450 to $550) and is fully programmable to be compliant, but I have to buy/make a programming cable (less than $20) and get the right software to do it. I also have an Icom400 pro fitted in my Troopy that I have made a cable for and have the software to reprogramme it, so it will be OK as well. But unless you have someone nearby that can check one out for you, be very wary.
If it is that new, see if he registered it or still has the receipt for it, you may be able to get the free map upgrades too. If he hasn't upgraded the maps there have been 2 upgrades since they were brought out i think. The upgrade and software is a bit of a pain to work out, but worth it. If not, the maps are still pretty good and even the 4WD tracks aren't bad for major fire trails etc. You've done well...
This link gives some info, it is effect already apparently. As the article says, it doesn't mean the 40ch is totally unusable, but it will have some resrictions when using it. The funny thing is I was listening to my CB over the last week or so (not often used when just driving locally) and I did notice what seemed like interference and sometimes conversations were'nt clearly heard. I better get the laptop out and see if converting the Icom to 80ch sounds better. Do a google on 80 channel UHF Australia and you'll find a fair bit of info around. The licences they are talking about is to run repeater stations.
http://www.uhfcb.com.au/UHF-CB-Changes.php