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Post Info TOPIC: Track Ranger
Basil Faulty


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Track Ranger
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Has anyone got Track ranger and if so is it any good? A bloke I know has a setup for sale  and I asked him why he was selling it and his response was that he no longer needed it....Before I lash out on yet another gadget I thought I'd ask around first....

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Don't take life too seriously.... No one gets out alive

KIA Sorento CRDi EX  ( Ebony black) with 5 hex chrome plated tire air valve covers, Coramal Sunsheild, Elcheapo GPS, First Aid Kit, full KIA toolkit & Yellow lenses on the Foglights......
Mike47


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G'day Basil,

I have got TrackRanger installed on my laptop and to tell the truth, I never use it. What I DO use is the 1:250 000 Raster maps. The TrackRanger software allows you to use the maps to put in waypoints etc. and out in the "trackless wastes" it is probably a good thing to have. Between the maps, which show me bush tracks and alternative roads, and my TomTom which navigates me on the highways and by-ways, I haven't bothered to fire up the TrackRanger.

Considering I paid $400 for the full set up and the maps are only $199, I would suggest that unless somebody is doing some real bush-bashing, it's a waste of time. Having said that, next dry season I am going to do the Gibb River Road, and it may come in very handy up there.

Horses for courses, mate

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dave06


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wont need it, signs everywhere!!!!!!!

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Basil Faulty


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Like getting to Chambers Pillar, the stories I was told were enought to give you nightmares but in the end we simply followed the crowd....
Ok I'll look further the guy wants $100 for it so it's a good buy and that includes the maps, GPS external antenna etc....

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Don't take life too seriously.... No one gets out alive

KIA Sorento CRDi EX  ( Ebony black) with 5 hex chrome plated tire air valve covers, Coramal Sunsheild, Elcheapo GPS, First Aid Kit, full KIA toolkit & Yellow lenses on the Foglights......
Mike47


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At that price, you'd be mad not to. Makes you wonder why the guy wants to sell it though

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Mike
The Grey Roamer
Tip-toeing Through Paradise
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Roostertales


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Hey Bas

We were at Chambers Pillars about 10 year ago ....we just followed the road !

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drongo & wendy


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       G,DAY

  If your leaving from the alice to get to Chambers Pillars its a straight road with a lot of bends in it   even i found it lol
Absolutly lover the Pillars shame others are leaving there stupid names all over it grrrrrrrrr was 55 in the water bag when i was there but undaunted carried on.


cheers sip sip

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demon dave
dave06


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follow the road, DAMN, why didnt I think of that.

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 me, the dragon, & little blue,  never stop playing, live long,  laugh lots, travel far, give a stranger a smile, might just be your next best freind.  try to commit a random act of kindness everyday

 http://daventhedragon.blogspot.com
Basil Faulty


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Mike47 wrote:

At that price, you'd be mad not to. Makes you wonder why the guy wants to sell it though


I'm suspicious I have asked for a demo so later today we will see.... maybe paper maps, a compass, dividers and  sextant are easier to use.....
The of course we will be able to give evaluation copies out, won't we all you need extra is the lappy and external antenna, but I think there is something about the baud rate that is critical....



__________________
Don't take life too seriously.... No one gets out alive

KIA Sorento CRDi EX  ( Ebony black) with 5 hex chrome plated tire air valve covers, Coramal Sunsheild, Elcheapo GPS, First Aid Kit, full KIA toolkit & Yellow lenses on the Foglights......
Basil Faulty


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drongo & wendy wrote:

       G,DAY

  If your leaving from the alice to get to Chambers Pillars its a straight road with a lot of bends in it   even i found it lol
Absolutly lover the Pillars shame others are leaving there stupid names all over it grrrrrrrrr was 55 in the water bag when i was there but undaunted carried on.


cheers sip sip



Yeah not that difficult hey? we were nearly wiped out though on one of the "dunes" track going up and over so I thought I'd play it safe and go over to the left a bit, idiot came over the top, airborne and missed us by a foot or so but had I stayed to the right he'd have missed us by miles...
 I underestimated the time it would take to get there and back from the Alice assumed we could duck out for the day so we only took a few rations and water with us, it was nice sleeping under the stars, hip hole in the sand...



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Don't take life too seriously.... No one gets out alive

KIA Sorento CRDi EX  ( Ebony black) with 5 hex chrome plated tire air valve covers, Coramal Sunsheild, Elcheapo GPS, First Aid Kit, full KIA toolkit & Yellow lenses on the Foglights......
dave06


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coulda been costly Basil!! the desert doesnt normally forgive.............

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 me, the dragon, & little blue,  never stop playing, live long,  laugh lots, travel far, give a stranger a smile, might just be your next best freind.  try to commit a random act of kindness everyday

 http://daventhedragon.blogspot.com
drongo & wendy


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Basil one of the great sites i seen out at the Pillar was the magpies hard up against the shady side of a tree trunk ,wouldnt u think i would have taken notice of them instead of trudging up the Pillar, but that place is one of the highlights of my trips arround the Alice
Davo correct me  is the Piller about 250 ks from the Alice ?



some mums do have em

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demon dave
dave06


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no it's not quite that far but seems a hell of a lot further, had a look at my old battered log and I came up with 165 kms, but they are all very long ones, hard gained and not to be taken lightly,

according to my scribblings, the road is soft sand and there are steep little hills, the locals call them "jump up's", 4wd recommended and needed, I wrote in here (years ago) 3 days taken, four days needed, but the road may have improved since then, we also explored a little further into the desert, great country, but oh boy!!! one mistake and you are dead!!

I also wrote "one of a few places that I have seen birds preferring to walk, too bloody hot to fly"

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 me, the dragon, & little blue,  never stop playing, live long,  laugh lots, travel far, give a stranger a smile, might just be your next best freind.  try to commit a random act of kindness everyday

 http://daventhedragon.blogspot.com
Basil Faulty


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Yes well the reason the blokes is selling Track Ranger is now clear the antenna has a dicky lead, easy to fix but a new antenna is about $40 on Ebay.....I'll haggle somemore When it worked id did so briliantly but the lead flapping around caused intermittent freezing, tape the lead to the roof of the car and it was ok....

__________________
Don't take life too seriously.... No one gets out alive

KIA Sorento CRDi EX  ( Ebony black) with 5 hex chrome plated tire air valve covers, Coramal Sunsheild, Elcheapo GPS, First Aid Kit, full KIA toolkit & Yellow lenses on the Foglights......
dave06


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well even at $140 it seems a bargain Basil, snap her up quick!!

__________________
 me, the dragon, & little blue,  never stop playing, live long,  laugh lots, travel far, give a stranger a smile, might just be your next best freind.  try to commit a random act of kindness everyday

 http://daventhedragon.blogspot.com
Mike47


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Basil Faulty wrote:

Yes well the reason the blokes is selling Track Ranger is now clear the antenna has a dicky lead, easy to fix but a new antenna is about $40 on Ebay.....I'll haggle somemore When it worked id did so briliantly but the lead flapping around caused intermittent freezing, tape the lead to the roof of the car and it was ok....


Basil, the "antenna" is a GPS mouse ($190 from TrackRanger) The system will accept just about any GPS input, so if you already have a Garmin or Magellan or similar, you should be able to just plug it in with a USB lead

Mike

 



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Mike
The Grey Roamer
Tip-toeing Through Paradise
thegreyroamer.blogspot.com/
Basil Faulty


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Either I don't know how to drive this properly or it is just not as good as it's cracked up to be. The scale on the maps is too large 1:250,000 to get any real detail but I'm assured that when traveling in the outback in "track" mode it is very good. Alas so far my 4" Navmate gives me as good results.
No way would I pay full price for it.

__________________
Don't take life too seriously.... No one gets out alive

KIA Sorento CRDi EX  ( Ebony black) with 5 hex chrome plated tire air valve covers, Coramal Sunsheild, Elcheapo GPS, First Aid Kit, full KIA toolkit & Yellow lenses on the Foglights......
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