my first GPS

Submitted: Saturday, Mar 05, 2005 at 22:30

ThreadID: 20987 Views:2444 Replies:5 FollowUps:5

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mik*2

Hello all,

i'm going to buy my first GPS very shortly and I've narrowed it down to two...The lowrance "i Finder" and the Garmin GPS72. I don't want to spend too much so my max price is around $350. The Garmin has no "mapping" as such but the lowrance has, but i believe only USA maps are available...whats the point of selling here in Oz??....................The Garmin is also suited to boating as well so it will work well on my boat. I would really like a mapping feature so the lowrance looks good, surely Oz maps are available to download to it..

So do any of you have one of these? What are your experiences? Can you give me some hints, which do you all reckon is better.

cheers
mike

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Reply By: Big Woody - Saturday, Mar 05, 2005 at 23:01

Saturday, Mar 05, 2005 at 23:01

Hi mik*2,

I have the Garmin GPS Map62CS and I couldn't be happier with it. My brother has a communications business in Bairnsdale which sells and repairs this equipment. He warned me not to by anything but Garmin because he has never had one in for repairs. You can always get more features for less money with another brand but for my money, I'll stick with something that won't let me down.
Hang on for a second......................................................................................

I just brought a bit of gear from a guy in our sailing club who operates an online shop for GPS, sounders, chartplotters etc..... It is all covered by warranty etc... and he is cheaper than anyone else I can find.

Here is the link to the shop - www.discountmarineworld.com

I just had a quick look for you and the GPS Map72 is only $279.00 plus $18.00 for freight. Might save you a bit of dough. I just brought an ICOM VHF Marine radio and a Fishfinder from him and the prices were better than anywhere else by far.

Getting back to my GPS, I use it for everything, 4WDing, Sailing, Hiking etc. It does certainly help having the charts built in to the unit, but if you have a good set of maps or charts of the areas you are going to, you will find that plotting your position regularly on the chart is quite easy and it is going to also teach you how to navigate properly one day when the batteries in your GPS go flat. You will also be able to plot your course and set wayoints for your journey by using the maps at home and then you only have to follow your course on the screen. The only difference between that and mine is that I have a picture in the background that saves me having to refer to the map.

Good luck with your decision and let us know what you end up with.

Cheers,
Brett

AnswerID: 101272

Reply By: mik*2 - Saturday, Mar 05, 2005 at 23:09

Saturday, Mar 05, 2005 at 23:09

I'll check out that website, thanks for that. A mob called expandsys has the "72" for $270 including delivery so that price is pretty hard to beat....

cheers
mike

AnswerID: 101273

Follow Up By: Big Woody - Saturday, Mar 05, 2005 at 23:29

Saturday, Mar 05, 2005 at 23:29

Send Garry an email and he will probably match or beat the price. Just let him know what you can get it for. I think he sells a fair few on ebay and they seem to go for around $220. The $279 is just what he lists them for on his shop.

Brett

FollowupID: 359247

Reply By: mik*2 - Saturday, Mar 05, 2005 at 23:45

Saturday, Mar 05, 2005 at 23:45

oh yeh, he'll be the "garyfromoz" right ?? I've seen his auctions.

cheers
mike

AnswerID: 101277

Follow Up By: Big Woody - Saturday, Mar 05, 2005 at 23:57

Saturday, Mar 05, 2005 at 23:57

No, sorry mate his user ID is not "garyfromoz" I think from memory it is "unigirl555" but don't hold me to it.

Cheers,
Brett

FollowupID: 359248

Reply By: Member - Mungo Explorer (NSW) - Sunday, Mar 06, 2005 at 01:11

Sunday, Mar 06, 2005 at 01:11

I have the Garmin 72 - not the most advanced but nice, clear monochrome display, bit like TV fifty years ago! I've found a way to produce my own primitive but effective maps to upload into the 72 using Oziexplorer, let me know if you end up buying one and want to try it.

AnswerID: 101280

Follow Up By: mik*2 - Sunday, Mar 06, 2005 at 10:59

Sunday, Mar 06, 2005 at 10:59

no worries, thanks for that..

cheers
mike

FollowupID: 359266

Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Sunday, Mar 06, 2005 at 17:49

Sunday, Mar 06, 2005 at 17:49

would that work for the 76?

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FollowupID: 359284

Follow Up By: Member - Mungo Explorer (NSW) - Monday, Mar 07, 2005 at 11:12

Monday, Mar 07, 2005 at 11:12

Yes. It basically works by replacing the built-in POI file with new ones, converting waypoints into POI and uploading them to the GPS as a "background map". I've done it with towns, cities, and outback locations in NSW, as well as UHF repeaters and service stations, but at a push you can create simple graphics to represent coastlines, creeks, parks etc.

FollowupID: 359362