Hi, I have 6 weeks before takeoff and i am up to getting a GPS. Dont know much about them and all the people in the shops think theirs are the best. So i am hoping that the people who know, (you lot) could give me your opinion of whats good and whats not. Thanks Shaz
-- Edited by Dame Markalot on Friday 8th of July 2011 11:38:29 AM
Like any other big purchase there are people who swear by the brand they have used.
Myself I have a garmin Nuvi with an SD card. It will do handsfree telephone,play music via the SD card and also audible books.I got three full books on a one gig SD card one of which is Dan Browns The Symbol.That book alone is 23 hours long.
I have a lifetime map update which cost $180 extra.
You don't say if you are travelling offroad,if you are it would be a good bet to buy one with the HEMA Maps loaded.
Other than that the major brands,Garmin.Tom-Tom Etc all have their fans and all seem to be fairly good buys.
Depend on screen size and cost of updates which should be kept in mind.
Thanks Shaba and Yuglamron, Given me something to think about, at the moment i don't see myself going to far of the beaten track, I will be just easing myself into this new life style and see what happens.
Hi, I have 6 weeks before takeoff and i am up to getting a GPS. Dont know much about them and all the people in the shops think theirs are the best. So i am hoping that the people who know, (you lot) could give me your opinion of whats good and whats not. Thanks Shaz
-- Edited by Dame Markalot on Friday 8th of July 2011 11:38:29 AM
We use Garmin Nuvi. Mainly because I have Garmin Handhelds as well. Three all told.
Oh and an old "Maggellan" somewhere ?
The Garmin Nuvi 1400, suits our need and fits in with all the other devices we use. Like all these things You only get what you pay for.
However we had our car broken into and the Garmin Nuvi went with the other quick snatch gear. Bought the the new one on the insurance claim. Then a week later noticed "Hema" had a deal on that would have changed our brand. Hema maps for the bush are great.
If you never go bush Just any good quality unit will do. The big sellers like " Tom Tom" etc. must be satisfying customers ! We find that we use ours in towns and cities, invaluable in big cities like e.g. Sydney in rush hour say. Also for locating that Bush Camp, pic nick area, point of interest, down the dirt track you have just read about.
But in the middle of nowhere we use Paper maps of course. It is a good practice to use the combination of your Paper maps, GPS, and a bit of dead reckoning, when navigating anything anywhere.
I think getting the updates for your device yearly, is a must for us. Also buy from a chain e.g. Harvey Norman, Dick Smith, etc. Australia wide. You can take it into any store to get warranty issues fixed while on the road.
If you dont use it all the time remove it from view. I think ours was eyeballed and targetted when I left it on the dash while parked on the road. The next night it was stolen, even though it was stowed away from view.
GPS decisions are usually based on price V quality. This does not mean the most expensive is the best, it may be the features that build up the price and not necessarily the best a plotting a path. Your main consideration, for you purchase, should be Maps, maps, maps. Ive found most of the really cheap units, usually have maps loaded that could be 2-3 years out of date. These units can be updated, but mostly you need to be connected to the Internet and then you pay for the Update and the download cost. So your $200 GPS can cost $100 extra for the updates plus download time. So a $350 unit that has the latest maps and free updates for the next 2 years is going to be a lot better in the long run. Dick Smiths is good for your research as you can ask all the hard questions and most stores have the resident techie to help you. Also good for a deal there as they dont mind a haggle. Sorry I haven't given my unit, because everyone buys it for a different reason and usage.
