Big overland Australia Trip - Best navigation and maps

[boobook]

Anyone in WA using memory maps and could advise what the coverage is like. Seems like a lot of these systems are very Eastern state centric.

They used to have WA maps but they came from the WA government and as a result, had the same problem as any other WA maps, they were too old and not much use.

Their Austopo implementation is very good, and they also have Hema. You could also try free maps based on OSM. Generally, they are next to useless in remote areas but maybe better than nothing for WA.

You need to vote for a government that has an interest in mapping.

 

[rob_macca67]

You could also try free maps based on OSM. Generally, they are next to useless in remote areas but maybe better than nothing for WA.

Agree with this but... They are getting better with time... I remember with my Garmin Lifetime Maps that they didn't have some of the remote tracks on them (eg: Madigan Line; Hay River Track, etc) whereas the OSM Maps do contain these tracks and from my experience, they are fairly accurate as well. I'm not sure about lesser-known tracks but I reckon with time they are getting better and better. I even reckon sometimes that Garmin pinches some of the info from OSM for their own mapping system...

 

[boobook]

Agree with this but... They are getting better with time... I remember with my Garmin Lifetime Maps that they didn't have some of the remote tracks on them (eg: Madigan Line; Hay River Track, etc) whereas the OSM Maps do contain these tracks and from my experience, they are fairly accurate as well. I'm not sure about lesser-known tracks but I reckon with time they are getting better and better. I even reckon sometimes that Garmin pinches some of the info from OSM for their own mapping system...

You are 100% spot on Rob. No doubt they are getting better and better. Even a year ago ABH was only half there, stopping half way. And it shows the track to Volkes Hill from ABH, something not all maps show. But on the flip side it doesn't show the tracks like the one from Volkes hill corner to Cook and beyond, an important track to cut hundreds of km if you were shot of supplies or in trouble, or any of the numerous tracks that can be accessed with permission in the GVD.

The trouble is that you just can't rely on it and because you have to zoom right in to see if a track exists or not you can't check tracks easily till you get there. The rub is that the more you need a map ( more isolated you are) the less you can rely on it. It is fine in built up areas. Useless if no one has gone before you that is a member and logged the track.

When a track is there it is brilliant. I would only use it as a 2nd 'go-to' option if I'm on a track not marked on any other map.

 

[Triton14]

Garmin Aus Topo maps

 

[boobook]

Garmin Aus Topo maps

It's obviously a personal thing. But I don't get why people buy a dedicated GPS then pay an additional $200 for the same 250K topo map that's included free in other platforms. Eg on Memory Map the Hema map set comes with all Hema Maps plus the Aus Topo 250K thrown in. I'm pretty sure its the same map data. Plus you can run it on your phone tablet or PC or all.

I don't have a Garmin but would be interested as to why people like it.

 

[rob_macca67]

I don't have a Garmin but would be interested as to why people like it.

I run Garmin V5 Topo maps (also have V6 Lite) and they have not cost me much very little to buy (if u know where to look) so for me I reckon they are great but like everything I've come across there are times where it may not show some tracks and this is where I rely on other mapping Apps. But the majority of the time the Garmin Topos are great... You can zoom in a long way without any pixilation (these are vector maps). I use them in conjunction with Garmin Basecamp for Trip planning and is brilliant for creating Routes and then have the ability to convert them to Tracks for uploading into your GPS or Mapping Apps. When using Basecamp - you can find other peoples Tracklogs from the internet and then import them into Basecamp, then manipulate them to suit your Trip Plans & then upload into your devices... I haven't found anything that works so well and is flexible but I have been using it for sometime. I have tried Ozi & that is good as well but I still find the Garmin Basecamp easier & more flexible to use & navigate through.

One thing I've found when using the V5 Garmin Topo is that u cannot always guarantee that the tracks that are shown on V5 are actually there. This is where I always confirm via GoogleEarth or Google Maps or Bing Maps that the tracks actually exist. This is fairly rare but I have been caught out in the past once which wasn't a big deal at the time - just something that I now do if I'm heading to a real remote location.

When I go on a trip, I usually like make sure that I run a dedicated GPS and also a Tablet. I always like to keep all my Tracklogs of where I travel and in the past I've had a few issues with Tablets playing up so now I ensure I run both and this usually guards me from having corrupted Tracklogs...

I'm sure everyone will have their own individual experiences but for me - using Garmin products has always been easier. I'm now also (thanks to a mate on here) are using a couple of Apps (Mapout and PocketEarth). To date I've used these with great success as well

 

[Albynsw]

I am not a fan of dash units as the screen is too small
Much rather a tablet for viewing regardless of program

 

[mikehzz]

I am not a fan of dash units as the screen is too small
Much rather a tablet for viewing regardless of program

Yes, it starts to look like a jumbo jet cockpit with gps, phone, tablet, dashcam and the associated charging requirements.

 

[Triton14]

It's obviously a personal thing. But I don't get why people buy a dedicated GPS then pay an additional $200 for the same 250K topo map that's included free in other platforms. Eg on Memory Map the Hema map set comes with all Hema Maps plus the Aus Topo 250K thrown in. I'm pretty sure its the same map data. Plus you can run it on your phone tablet or PC or all.

I don't have a Garmin but would be interested as to why people like it.

You would still be paying for the maps in some way, it more than likely is part of the overall price of the unit.

Some Garmin products will also come preloaded with mapping software it just depends who & where you buy it from.

My last handheld I bought I bought from the USA way cheaper than I could get it here($100 cheaper) & knew because of that I'd have to add maps myself, its a 64cs.

So many people get stuff for free & then whinge that it doesnt do what stuff you pay for will.

I run Garmin V5 Topo maps (also have V6 Lite) and they have not cost me much very little to buy (if u know where to look) so for me I reckon they are great but like everything I've come across there are times where it may not show some tracks and this is where I rely on other mapping Apps. But the majority of the time the Garmin Topos are great... You can zoom in a long way without any pixilation (these are vector maps). I use them in conjunction with Garmin Basecamp for Trip planning and is brilliant for creating Routes and then have the ability to convert them to Tracks for uploading into your GPS or Mapping Apps. When using Basecamp - you can find other peoples Tracklogs from the internet and then import them into Basecamp, then manipulate them to suit your Trip Plans & then upload into your devices... I haven't found anything that works so well and is flexible but I have been using it for sometime. I have tried Ozi & that is good as well but I still find the Garmin Basecamp easier & more flexible to use & navigate through.

One thing I've found when using the V5 Garmin Topo is that u cannot always guarantee that the tracks that are shown on V5 are actually there. This is where I always confirm via GoogleEarth or Google Maps or Bing Maps that the tracks actually exist. This is fairly rare but I have been caught out in the past once which wasn't a big deal at the time - just something that I now do if I'm heading to a real remote location.

When I go on a trip, I usually like make sure that I run a dedicated GPS and also a Tablet. I always like to keep all my Tracklogs of where I travel and in the past I've had a few issues with Tablets playing up so now I ensure I run both and this usually guards me from having corrupted Tracklogs...

I'm sure everyone will have their own individual experiences but for me - using Garmin products has always been easier. I'm now also (thanks to a mate on here) are using a couple of Apps (Mapout and PocketEarth). To date I've used these with great success as well

I have V5 in my 64sc & I think the basecamp interface is great for planning trips, preloading waypoints & even printing larger paper maps, the only beef I have with Garmin is the maps you buy can only be licenced to just 1 unit & I dont even know if they will run in anything other than a Garmin unit like a tablet or phone??

I think if you buy mapping software you should be able to use it in multiple units, but then they would be losing money right

I also use avenza(still free??) as well on either tablet or phone which works offline, but of course you have to have a PDF of the map area installed.