GPS from O.S.

Hi Oskar,

Specifically with the Magellan Meridian series of GPS's, you stand to save a significant amount of money by importing from USA.

The base level Meridian goes for around $699 AUD here, and I bought mine brand new, shipped to my doorstep using insured express shipping for $280 AUD total. It's a great GPS, which supports internal basemaps and basemaps installed on your optional SD card, street/track level maps available on CD plus all the other features you'd expect from a fully functional mapping GPSR.

That's a great saving, but you need to be aware of the issues.

1: Magellan may not warrant a US import, as it hasn't been sold through the proper Magellan authorised distributor channels here in Australia.

2: The US import GPS will come with an internal US basemap instead of an Australian basemap. The only (LEGAL) way to install an Australian basemap would be to pay Magellan for an upgrade to an internal Aussie basemap, or buy the WorldWide Basemap CD. The WW Basemap CD will give you much better detail than the inbuilt basemap anyway, so it may be something you'll purchase regardless, in which case, having the US internal basemap is irrelevant. Street level maps will work the same regardless of the basemap you install, so this isn't much of an issue. The only difference is when you zoom out, when the unit converts to the basemap for a birds eye view of the area if you don't have the Australian internal basemap, or an Australian basemap from the WW Basemap CD, you will not see any maps while zoomed out - only major cities.

They are the major issues to consider with a US import. For more detailed information about the Magellan Meridian GPS you can visit the Magellan Meridian Yahoo group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Magellan_Meridian/

Personally I am very happy with my US import, and for me it represents excellent value.

Cheers,

Luke.

Get Magellan Meridian gold or above,get the base map of the net and you are saving big dollars. You can also find Mapsend detailed street level maps for about 150.00 for sale around the place.

Hello Oskar
Try a search on this site for "Garmin" as there has been quite a bit of discussion. The new Garmin models use standard memory technology rather than the proprietry memory of the older models. Just check which is used.

I have dealt with both of the following firms and found them reliable, helpful and prompt.

www.getdigitalcameras.com

www.gpsgeek.com

Oskar,

I got a Garmin E-map from the US and yes, it does have the US base map in it. However, as I don't use it to track streets here, it works fine with OziExporer and the Natmap series. I also bought some accessories from both here and the US over the internet, after investigating the savings of course, and overall saved about $300 on the comparative cost of getting it all here.

http://www.mall24-7.com

is a good place to start

good luck Chris
<- 1996 Troopy, the best!

As stated before you will have warranty issue's with both magellan & garmin so sometimes the savings are'nt worth it . Regards Bob
Where to next

See post 3794for details about Customs rules etc and a discussion about issues regarding Magellan.

Note that Magellan now have all maps of all of Australia on one CD.