Where to go to get good info??

[Sea-Dog]

G'Day guys,

I am one of those who are computer literate etc but have had absolutely nothing to do with GPS in any form but am looking to get some sort of a set up going..

I don't have a laptop but if the benefit of having one are great enough I would look into getting one...

My main problem is that when I read these threads they may as well be written in chinese as I really don't understand much about it all..

Can anyone tell me where a good starting point would be to start to gather info on what is good and what is not and the best way to have things set up etc..

Normally I would gather my info by speaking with others who are set up but I don't really know anyone that is set up to speak with??

My needs are to have a road mapping set up so that I can travel around and have the street directions etc but also I would like the off road mapping ability if possible as the wife and kids do a fair bit of off roading and it would be nice to know where we are..

Any advice is appreciated..

[away]

Hi sea-dog,

the problem is that you will many replies saying that you should do it this way or that way, or you should buy this or that.

Keeping it simple, here a few suggestions. Some might suit you, some might not.

. Get a GPS that suits the need that you currently perceive as the most important. If you need one to tell you where to turn and the the name of the streets etc, then do it. If you need one that is better for off-road use, do that. Talk about this with a dealer that knows what they are talking about.

. If you are considering getting a laptop later then you should consider what software you would like to run even before you buy a GPS. Why? Because if you decide you like Discover Aus Streets and Tracks as an example, the you must buy a Magellan GPS as this is the only GPS that works with that particular software.

.Again, if you are going to get a laptop, then you need to get a GPS that can output position information. It would be no good getting a GPS that can't talk at all to the laptop. This is not as complicated as it sounds, most GPS's come with hardware that allows communications - but there are a few that don't.

.If you intend to use OziExplorer software, then any GPS that can output NMEA sentences is what you need - most can. Having said that, OziExplorer works with a wide variety of GPS's anyway.

So do a lot of thinking about what you are going to do. When you've made your purchase, start asking questions on this forum about how to set it up - you'll get lots of help.

[myilux]

sea-dog
I got onto this website and joined, asked many questions and most of the answers were similar.
Worth joining and talking to GPS GEEKS
http://www.gpsaustralia.net/

[Sea-Dog]

Cheers guys,,

Thanks for your input...

[Patrolman Pat]

Sea Dog. away mentioned OziExplorer. I use it all the time off road and on longer road trips and it's about the best bit of kit I've got IMO. You can download a trail version from their website for free and have a play. It can be daunting at first as the software has the ability to do so much, more than you are ever likely to need but it is relatively easy to live with.

[Sea-Dog]

Thanks mate.. still doing homework on it... (and trying to save a few bucks too!:))