Advice on GPS units

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I have a 62s and it hasn't missed a beat for years. I originally bought for when I was doing a lot of pig hunting etc... The selling point for me was that it is water proof same as my sat phone and hand held uhf. Anyway my 62s has the topo maps and is supprising the amount of old tracks that it shows that are barely noticeable or non existant these days. Good choice Willo you will find it to be a quality bit of gear,

Cheers, Ron
 
Thanks Colmaca, I will definitely have a look at them.

Blind_Freddie (Ron), do you have the Topo maps from a free site like what Colmaca has suggested or do you have the official Australia/New Zealand one from the Garmin site?

I would be happy to find free maps but if the Garmin topo map is the one that shows old tracks and that kind of thing, then I would probably look at that.

Jason.
 
Thanks Ron.

I think I will go with the Garmin one to start off with. I looked at the shonkylogic site and was a bit scared off by the part that read, 'If the maps work for you and are useful for your requirements then great. If they don't work, and break your garmin then you have been warned'.
 
willo1 said:
Thanks Ron.

I think I will go with the Garmin one to start off with. I looked at the shonkylogic site and was a bit scared off by the part that read, 'If the maps work for you and are useful for your requirements then great. If they don't work, and break your garmin then you have been warned'.
Click to expand...

The maps carn't stuff a GPS unit they only right data onto a memory that can be formatted with any pc. maps can be reloaded anytime.
Shonky maps are made from goverement topo maps and show some very old roads and rivers on them.
I use Mapsourse from garmin to view maps load tracks i draw on google earth into my gps from mapsource , you can load shonkymaps onto PC mapsource to view , you only put parts maps onto GPS you use.
You can even use these maps on your PC only and just draw tracks that you load onto your GPS basemaps.

A happy user of shonky maps for over 5 years on 2 different GPS :)

Edit Mapsource free read here , I normally use the 3rd method works for me . on mapsource you can have many maps loaded i have about 4 sets

http://www.gpsaustralia.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2800
 
willo1 said:
Thanks Ron.

I think I will go with the Garmin one to start off with. I looked at the shonkylogic site and was a bit scared off by the part that read, 'If the maps work for you and are useful for your requirements then great. If they don't work, and break your garmin then you have been warned'.
Click to expand...
that covers the tools that don't set them up properly :cool:
 
I got a Garmin Rino, it also has a 5 watt uhf built into it so I can keep in touch with the missus or other people. If other people have the same unit you can set it up so it shows the other group members position on the screen, great for hunting. You can set the uhf radio at 5, 2 or half watt to save on battery life. Had a good run with it and still going strong.
 
If your GPS is your sole resource for map data, only then might it be worthwhile purchasing a topo map IMO. In my experience the topo maps suck compared to the detail found on google earth and other interactive online map resources. 3G coverage can be had in most goldfields bar areas of outback WA and the territory. All of the golden triangle has at least 3g coverage as do the remainder eastern states. For the money you'd save on GPS maps you could buy a small laptop to take with you and a prepaid usb modem and hop on google earth or similar while your camped out in the goldfields. Plot some good looking gullies, old mine sites into your gps the night before you head out.
 
nuggetino said:
In my experience the topo maps suck compared to the detail found on google earth and other interactive online map resources.
Click to expand...

I agree but without ant network service Google earth suXs so I tend to use Google earth and overlay tracks onto whatever maps on gps to find my way to GOLD .

I use http://www.gpsbabel.org/ to convert saved Google earth files to suit Garmin GPS for upload
 
I use Oziexplorer to plan and investigate, I have it on my Tablet which is mounted in the car and I use Vicmap 25k to navigate. I also use Doug Stones maps, having calibrated them into Ozi. The roads/tracks etc are reasonably accurate. It doesn't matter if you use Shonky, Geo Vic, Google or any other map to plan, they all help.

I say this because this is the planning and driving around the goldfields phase.

My E20 handheld is not used for any of this, it is my LIFLINE when in thick scrub, to get back to my car.

Google map, Google earth, GeoVic online and any other web based mapping system, is not worth a pinch for navigating if you need a phone signal to access it.

Yes you can print a paper map from any of these, including the apps I use. It comes back to one thing and one thing only, "What do you want to do?"

If the answer is plan and spot from a car, then a handheld GPS is not going to cut it.

If the answer is not get lost, then a handheld or paper map and compass are what you need and the skill to use either or.

If all you need from a handheld is to not get lost, a map in it isn't necessary as all you need to do is mark the car position before you leave it. Then to get back, go into the GPS menu and tell it to go back to the car and follow the GPS directions.

Any hand held will do this providing you know how to use it. To save battery and prevent it from interfering with my detector, I mark the car and turn the GPS off, put it in a pocket and forget about it unless or until I need it.
 
Hi all,

New to the forums and gold detecting in general.
Im just after any info on a handheld GPS that you guys might no of that I can enter co-ordinates into that I can then set as a boundary that I don't cross. kinda don't want to be crossing into the non-fossicking areas in the state forests, preferably that wont cost an arm and a leg :)

many thanks
 
WT I don't know of any GPS where you can set a boundary. We have Garmin Oregon 550 with topo maps but that is an expensive option. We also have the Garmin Etrex 20 that will do the same job. The only way I know to do it is to put in waypoints for the corners of the area and use them as a guide.

Phil
 
 
Haven't seen that sort of thing in Handheld units but we used to fit trucks with units that would alert us if the went into restricted areas (as well a heap of engine/braking/etc Stuff) but zones were easy to set up ... probably just something that has never been considered on handheld GPS units.
Cheers T.
 
Haven't seen that sort of thing in Handheld units but we used to fit trucks with units that would alert us if the went into restricted areas (as well a heap of engine/braking/etc Stuff) but zones were easy to set up ... probably just something that has never been considered on handheld GPS units.
Cheers T.
 
There is a way of setting a boundary into pretty well any GPS handheld, I've done it.

But you need more gear to do it.

I go into Oziexplorer on my laptop and can draw a track around a State Forrest Boundary (or any area). I use topographical maps of the area, the smaller the scale the better. I then connect my GPS or tablet to the laptop, upload the track to the GPS and there it is. It's no different to plotting a route except that it's a closed loop.

My smart phone, dash mounted tablet both have inbuilt GPS antenna and the tracks can be loaded on both as well as the Garmin E20.

It's long winded but you can do it directly into a GPS providing you have topo maps showing boundary detail loaded into the handheld.
 

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