GPS receiver help

[lacroupade]

She's just going for a girly few days (I know what you're thinking) and probably going to spend a lot of time giggling and doing girly things at the beach if the weather is good.<a href="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fwww.smileycentral.com%252F%253Fpartner%253DZSzeb008%255FZNfox000%2526i%253D28%252F28%255F1%255F13%2526feat%253Dprof/page.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/28/28_1_13.gif" alt="SmileyCentral.com" border="0"><img border="0" src="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fimgfarm%252Ecom%252Fimages%252Fnocache%252Ftr%252Ffw%252Fsmiley%252Fsocial%252Egif%253Fi%253D28%252F28_1_13%2526uiv%253D3.0/image.gif"></a> Hope it doesn't turn into one of those "what a lovely skirt,mind if I try it on) type of breaks, you know the type you sometimes see in some of the better films that are encrypted on some people's hard drive.
<a href="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fwww.smileycentral.com%252F%253Fpartner%253DZSzeb008%255FZNfox000%2526i%253D4%252F4%255F18%255F7%2526feat%253Dprof/page.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_18_7.gif" alt="SmileyCentral.com" border="0"><img border="0" src="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fimgfarm%252Ecom%252Fimages%252Fnocache%252Ftr%252Ffw%252Fsmiley%252Fsocial%252Egif%253Fi%253D4%252F4_18_7%2526uiv%253D3.0/image.gif"></a>

i think people have separate hard drives for that stuff - or so i've heard...i mean 500Gb of artistic cinematography is a lot of culture for one PC...I keep mine on a nice new Fujitsutachi MonkeySpanka.

I'll keep an eye out for the hen...

 

[Liam]

PDA

Just an update on the Garmin + PDA. Got a bluetooth GPS receiver,looks the same as yours,Paul, only no name other than Blue Tooth GPS on it. Also managed to get Garmin maps 2010 free from somewhere and the whole thing is working quite nicely at detailed map level. I was wondering if it is possible to also run some Topo maps from somewhere, UK & Ireland would suffice but I don't know where to find them or whose maps to use. Ideally these would be free maps as I don't do enough in the wild to justify buying maps. Previous information from all posters was very helpful so hopefully you will all come up trumps again.

 

[Liam]

Contour maps

Found a link to these Contour Maps. I haven't tried them yet but thought I'd post the link as they may be useful to some of you out there.

http://www.smc.org.uk/ContourMaps.htm

 

[lacroupade]

Just an update on the Garmin + PDA. Got a bluetooth GPS receiver,looks the same as yours,Paul, only no name other than Blue Tooth GPS on it. Also managed to get Garmin maps 2010 free from somewhere and the whole thing is working quite nicely at detailed map level. I was wondering if it is possible to also run some Topo maps from somewhere, UK & Ireland would suffice but I don't know where to find them or whose maps to use. Ideally these would be free maps as I don't do enough in the wild to justify buying maps. Previous information from all posters was very helpful so hopefully you will all come up trumps again.

not sure what you mean by topo maps versus whatever the Garmin ones are Liam?

Big problem here is that with Memory Map, for example, you have to use Ordnance Survey maps that are hellishly expensive. Not sure what the Irish equivalent is??

You might try and see what map types the Garmin can read and then download some pirate versions via bittorrent?

 

[Liam]

Thanks Paul, OS maps are available here too and are also expensive. I suppose what I'm looking for is like the OS maps with contours,elevation etc. I'm using Garmin City Nav Europe with the PDA at present which is fine for on road, just thinking there may be something more like th OS maps available to use with this setup.

 

[lacroupade]

Thanks Paul, OS maps are available here too and are also expensive. I suppose what I'm looking for is like the OS maps with contours,elevation etc. I'm using Garmin City Nav Europe with the PDA at present which is fine for on road, just thinking there may be something more like th OS maps available to use with this setup.

Liam just re-read the thread; if your device is an I3 like the pic below then you are stuffed - its like the TomTom and suchlike, only works with the standard mapping and nothing else. Only way you can do what you want is to go the PDA route with Memory Map or Fugawi, or get a Garmin type device that will load OS-type maps. But thats expensive potentially; I've not found a 'download' for Ireland anywhere....

Its the cost of maps that will kill you; OS licensing is really expensive, after all they did all the hard work...getting naughty downloads for UK is easy but not to the Republic sadly...

This is worth a read - check all 5 pages...

http://www.gpsdaily.co.uk/off-road/introduction-to-outdoors-gps/

 

[Liam]

Good info,Paul, thanks. Checked with the OS Ireland site and they have a Irish ITM system which is similar to that used by OS UK. Still reading up on it. I am using a Del Axim 50v with Garmin City Nav Europe 2010 maps, the I3 is purely vehicle based and very limited as Emily has lost her voice and I lost the battery cover. Checked out the PDA with Garmin today and it seems to work fine on roads, I may need to purchase an Etrex for off road trips unless I can figure out how to use routes and waypoints with the PDA. Fugawi seems to cost money,which is low at present. Thanks for all the advice so far, it has been really useful.

 

[lacroupade]

Good info,Paul, thanks. Checked with the OS Ireland site and they have a Irish ITM system which is similar to that used by OS UK. Still reading up on it. I am using a Del Axim 50v with Garmin City Nav Europe 2010 maps, the I3 is purely vehicle based and very limited as Emily has lost her voice and I lost the battery cover. Checked out the PDA with Garmin today and it seems to work fine on roads, I may need to purchase an Etrex for off road trips unless I can figure out how to use routes and waypoints with the PDA. Fugawi seems to cost money,which is low at present. Thanks for all the advice so far, it has been really useful.

The key for you Liam is getting Irish maps....I can give you Fugawi full for nothing but its only got UK maps......the actual programme isn't the issue, its getting the maps to use it with....they are what costs the money and as I said, no downloads around...

 

[Deleted account DD]

One word of warning re using "mixed systems" they may work nicely independently and sitting in the living room but when youre on the hills and the batteries running low you do not want it crashing and getting its electronic knickers in a knot over everything its trying to work out.

I use mem maps for walking. Theyre excellent but far from perfect. For example if the battery runs out whilst its tracking it sometimes creates a corrupted record that can wipe out your routes. That happened this week about 30 miles into the 53 mile walk across the N York moors we finished yesterday.

I've also had problems importing older version routes as well as some that are available as helpful free downloads, they go on then play up.

Please trust me KISS is best settle for one system and dont intermix. Fugawi is good, used that quite a lot and mem map seems pretty good too but I've only had that a cfew months.

 

[lacroupade]

Well for walking and implicity, the Garmin eTrex does it, and cheap!

 

[Deleted account DD]

yes it does, I've got one of those, used it a lot. Not sure if its exactly the same model though mine may be a bit older. You can put waypoints etc in but not the os maps ?

I think you can still get them or very similar for well under a hundred quid.

We've been thinking about putting hands in pockets for one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-eTre...m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1GFM9755E475EPZNABNP

mid range and competant without having silly functions like telling you what your average blood pressure was at the time of the fastest ascent when it was raining and its batteries were less than 33% charged

 

[Liam]

Thanks Paul and Dave, I will probably have to put my hand in my pocket for an etrex, I spent time over the weekend trying to work with Fugawi and haven't managed to sort it yet. The PDA is working fine with Garmin maps at the minute but it is something for off roads that I would like also. It's not a huge issue really as I'm not likely to get lost in the sort of areas I want to use it, more to save a bit of time and work out the less strenous routes up mountains /hillsides etc.

 

[lacroupade]

eTrex exactly the same as it always was...cheap, yellow and cheerful. Abt £65 at the moment new.

Only downside is it doesn't have maps built in but it works with a mapping capability I forget for the moment (Mapsource??), so you can plan your walk beforehand against a contour map, plot in waypoints, then make the eTrex guide you there. Also great for retracing your steps in wooded terrain as it backtracks as required, not to mention the electronic compass. The GPS and Lat/Long function (can't recall if it does OS-type refs) mean you can always plot your location on one of those thingies, what are they called now, oh yes, paper maps

this is the original baby....Amazon not necessarily cheapest source....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-eTre...m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=135DC33WQSSPTQ8ZDCQS

 

[Deleted account DD]

one of those thingies, what are they called now, oh yes, paper maps

never without them :thumb2

leads to a nice new game with the missus.............how to use :augie

 

[lacroupade]

never without them :thumb2

leads to a nice new game with the missus.............how to use :augie

women...maps...same sentence?

naaaaahhhhh! :lol:lol:lol

 

[lacroupade]

Liam - i have already got install files for Fugawi 2 plus all UK maps but not Eire. Now have install files for Fug 4.5 which I can post you, or point you at the download if you have bittorrent, but can't for the life of me get 4.5 to see the maps in 2, even though they are FX4 and therefore compliant....is Memory Map any use over there?