gps

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gps

Post by CT hillbilly » 20 Jul 2021, 6:20 am

hi all needing help on choosing a offroad gps for hunting detecting ect, currently using a garmin etrex20 but am finding it hard to upload tracks on to google earth pro and was looking to upgrade as i cant access any tracks after 2020???? full memory mabie????? looking at the hema hx1 that i can use in the polaris? anyone used one or have somthing better im not looking to spend a million just want somthing simple and reliable any help would be great,cheers joe.
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Re: gps

Post by animalpest » 20 Jul 2021, 10:22 am

We use the Hema units. They are great
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Re: gps

Post by Gamerancher » 20 Jul 2021, 10:58 am

They must have improved a lot then. Did an expedition years ago across the Great Sandy Desert. One vehicle was running a Hema system, at one point it told him he was 120 km offshore in the Indian Ocean. We were actually skirting around Percival Lakes at the time, about 450km from the coast. :lol: :drinks:
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Re: gps

Post by animalpest » 20 Jul 2021, 3:34 pm

We use them during our work trips around The Kimberley for years and I will be running one in the Great Sandy Desert next week. Never failed in the navigation aspect although we did have one unit that wouldn't power up.
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Re: gps

Post by on_one_wheel » 20 Jul 2021, 9:33 pm

Iv used hema on my mobile and it covered every little station track that we came across including those that haven't been driven in years and are almost impossible to see in places, it marked my position perfectly, I was extremely impressed.

Provided all the maps are downloaded no mobile coverage was needed and downloading was as easy as scrolling the maps for a quick look before I lost mobile coverage.

Memory maps app uses hema but only gives a trial for a week before you need to pay... I'm really tempted to pay the $100 it costs to keep using it,
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Re: gps

Post by Gamerancher » 20 Jul 2021, 10:26 pm

There were NO tracks where we went. Well, there was after we went through..... :D
Good to know they've improved in 20 years.
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Re: gps

Post by ZaineB » 20 Jul 2021, 10:36 pm

Ive used a lot of maps on paper but never on a gps, mostly cos too tightarse to buy one, have a couple of handheld ones here and usually stick to the same old haunts, might have to suss out these new ones however.
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Re: gps

Post by on_one_wheel » 20 Jul 2021, 10:41 pm

Gamerancher wrote:There were NO tracks where we went. Well, there was after we went through..... :D
Good to know they've improved in 20 years.

Even in the absence of tracks, your position and route gets plotted with memory map... its truly awesome.
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Re: gps

Post by CT hillbilly » 21 Jul 2021, 6:22 am

thanks so much lads i will be investing in one as the main thing i need is the offroad side of it cheers joe,
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Post by disco stu » 21 Jul 2021, 11:53 am

Oz there any real advantage these days to a dedicated gps plotter unit over a phone or tablet for navigation? I've only used phone in state forests and it picks up position really quickly and never given issues
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Post by CT hillbilly » 22 Jul 2021, 6:21 am

that was my next question, can you get an app or somthing that allows you to leave a trail on google earth in real time and can google work in the bush with no signal??? the idea is to have a tablet in the buggy watching google as we travel leaving a gps line as an overlay?????
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Post by disco stu » 22 Jul 2021, 8:41 am

Does it need to be Google earth? No way that I know of to use Google earth without reception.

You can get lots of topo maps for free though. I've downloaded maps from nsw for whatever area I choose in geopdf format. Can't remember where, but might have been through NSW spatial information exchange, not that it helps you in QLD.

Can use Avenza app to view, but if you want more than 3 maps loaded at a time it's overpriced subscription for non commercial user ($50yr). I'm trying a few other apps on android, but they're few and far between for geoPDF unfortunately
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Post by Larry » 22 Jul 2021, 9:57 am

if are prepared to use topo maps then Ozexplorer is a great program and cheap.
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Post by JohnV » 22 Jul 2021, 6:35 pm

CT hillbilly wrote:hi all needing help on choosing a offroad gps for hunting detecting ect, currently using a garmin etrex20 but am finding it hard to upload tracks on to google earth pro and was looking to upgrade as i cant access any tracks after 2020???? full memory mabie????? looking at the hema hx1 that i can use in the polaris? anyone used one or have somthing better im not looking to spend a million just want somthing simple and reliable any help would be great,cheers joe.


Google Earth tends to only want to work with .kml .kmz type files . So it might be better to download Garmin Basecamp program and then do your route building in Google Earth then save the file as a .kml to a folder . Then open Garmin Basecamp and import that .kml file into Basecamp . You can edit it in Basecamp . Then connect the Extrex to Basecamp and upload it into the GPS . It will be converted to either a .gpx or .gdb file that's compatible with a Garmin GPS .
Alternately you could download an auto routing Openstreet Map http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ and install it into Basecamp .
Then route with that for recognised roads and some tracks . However using Google Earth as stated above allows you to route on visible tracks and across terrain not recognised by auto routing maps .
You can also load Shonky Topo maps into Basecamp which give different detail .
To make sure any Garmin compatible map loads you should also install Garmin Mapsource as the maps go to that first then are recognised in Garmin Basecamp . Garmin Home Port , Garmin NRoute .
When building a route in Google Earth don't use old Historic images as there can be a shift from early images to later ones and it will show up less accurate in Basecamp but you won't detect it easily . Google Earth imagery is WGS84 datum and so select WGS84 datum in Garmin Basecamp and also your GPS unit .
Last edited by JohnV on 22 Jul 2021, 8:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: gps

Post by GQshayne » 22 Jul 2021, 8:26 pm

If using it in a vehicle, then I would consider getting a tablet and using one of the GPS apps. I use Hema, as the maps are on my tablet, not the internet, so it works without reception. And when you have reception it works as a normal tablet, so when travelling you can do all sorts of stuff with it. Also cheaper than buying a dedicated unit I found. But does not go in a pocket.
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Re: gps

Post by scoot » 22 Jul 2021, 8:29 pm

.[/quote]

Google Earth tends to only want to work with .kml .kmz type files . So it might be better to download Garmin Basecamp program and then do your route building in Google Earth then save the file as a .kml to a folder . Then open Garmin Basecamp and import that .kml file into Basecamp . You can edit it in Basecamp . Then connect the Extrex to Basecamp and upload it into the GPS . It will be converted to either a .gpx or .gdb file that's compatible with a Garmin GPS .
Alternately you could download an auto routing Openstreet Map http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ and install it into Basecamp .
Then route with that for recognised roads and some tracks . However using Google Earth as stated above allows you to route on visible tracks and across terrain not recognised by auto routing maps .
You can also load Shonky Topo maps into Basecamp which give different detail .
To make sure any Garmin compatible map loads you should also install Garmin Mapsource as the maps go to that first then are recognised in Garmin Basecamp . Garmin Home Port , Garmin NRoute .
When building a route in Google Earth don't use old Historic images as there can be a shift from early images to later ones and it will show up less accurate in Basecamp but you won't detect it easily . Google Earth imagery is WGS84 datum and so select WGS84 datum in Garmin Basecamp and also your GPS unit .[/quote]

Huuuuh :huh:
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Re: gps

Post by on_one_wheel » 22 Jul 2021, 9:53 pm

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Post by JohnV » 23 Jul 2021, 10:06 am

This is a handy resource for Google Earth routing and planning . https://shoddynet.org/articles/projects ... -maps.html
Two ways to download: 1/ Click on the link " full list of available maps " and download the files directly .
2/ Download the index and open it in Google Earth and click on a maps icon and a download link opens .
This is easier to see where the map actually covers . Once the 24 images populate the 250K square they show in Temporay folder at the bottom . Just save all the files to GE My Places create a new folder and also to a backup folder in your Documents by right clicking and Save Place AS and that opens up your computer files then search for your folder .
These topo maps give more detail such as property names than plain Google maps or Satellite Images to help routing .
It can be hard to spot dirt roads , tracks and such in GE as vegetation cover can be a problem so clicking the topomap on over the GE Image can help . Be aware that the GE image will be more accurate as far as the shape of a road or track compared to the printed older map . Use the topo as a guide when it's hard to see detail and then click it off and zoom GE into a better detailed view and drag the route to the correct shape and locations on the real world image .
If you build up a file of many of these topo maps to say cover all NSW do not click on the main folder and try to load all the maps at one time , GE will most likely crash . The cache memory is limited . Just expand the folder and click on the few maps you need at a time and click off the ones you have finished with .
The image is with the Nat Map index loaded into GE and the download link behind the thumbnail icon used to download the 24 map images .
Also you can Import those maps to Garmin Basecamp from the backup folder you created on your computer and have an Offline resource but will not load as a base map , you just use them as ovelay images . Shonky Topo will load as a base map choice but is not " Auto " routable " Is Manual routable " . Openstreet routable map for Windows loads as a base map and is Auto routable with some glitches . Cattle grids come up as , "Bollards " in Openstreet map In Garmin Basecamp . So what happens is Basecamp sees a cattle grid as a blocked access , " Bollards block access" So when you try to route across a cattle grid it sometimes refuses and routes around it with some crazy long stupid route you don't want . Sometimes it works right and sometimes not . So the work around is cancel the route and just route to close to the cattle grid and make a second route on the other side of it . Then when you get past the grid cancel the old route and activate the new one . Sometimes you can force it to route past a grid by inserting the correct roads into the bad route and it reroutes automatically but not always .
Once a route is placed into a GPS unit that has a end destination and is auto routing and if you go the wrong way it will reroute you back onto the right course anyway via other roads . Sometimes in the bush it may be better and safer to just turn back the way you came and reacquire the right course as being rerouted onto rough or dangerous roads is a possibility and in that case turn back .
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Re: gps

Post by CT hillbilly » 26 Jul 2021, 6:20 am

holy crap im gunna need to read this a few times cheers for the help
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Re: gps

Post by albat » 26 Jul 2021, 7:35 am

CT hillbilly wrote:that was my next question, can you get an app or somthing that allows you to leave a trail on google earth in real time and can google work in the bush with no signal??? the idea is to have a tablet in the buggy watching google as we travel leaving a gps line as an overlay?????
if you need this feature buy yourself a garmin inreach explorer se, it has topo maps inbuilt and is a satellite communicator via text and email, no phone signal required, it is also has an sos button for emergencies it can track in real time from 5second pings up to an hour or so i think at 2c per ping availale on map to anyone you have linked, $600 to buy and various monthly subscriptions , i pay $20 a month for basic service 10 messages per month and no tracking but if you pay more you get tracking included and heaps of meesssges , not cheap but been running this for 3 years and wouldnt go remote without it now best thing i ever bought
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Re: gps

Post by JohnV » 26 Jul 2021, 10:22 am

Google Earth is an online resource so it will not work fully without internet connection . You can clear the memory cache and then go to an area and zoom right in and out and those images will stay in the cache and be available offline the next time you open it but the area is limited . You can also save GE images in paint as .png and then overlay it back onto GE then save it as a .KMZ (overlays must be .kmz not .kml ) and then import into Garmin Basecamp and it will display in the correct place .
Load Garmin Basecamp onto a laptop and install Garmin Map source and the free maps outlined above .
Use the laptop for planning and then send the waypoints and routes to your GPS which should already have a base map and the GPS shows where you are on it's base map . It will never be as good or up to date as expensive paid systems .
Garmin Basecamp on a laptop acts as a repository and transfer agent for your routes and waypoints using a compatible Garmin GPS not as a stand alone Navigation device . The maps aid making sense of the displayed routes and waypoint so you can pick the one you need more easily from it physical location on the base map . You can also use the data displayed by an overlay image / map to position routes and waypoints and then send them to a compatible Garmin GPS unit .
Overlay images / maps must be .png files into Google Earth and they can be displayed with any base map . Don't go too large with the size of image overlays as they become distorted and hard to position in GE due to the curvature of the Earth . Some images have been purposely distorted by their developers so you can't overlay them accurately . Sometimes you can split the image up into four sections of a state and overlay each separately to create a more accurate mosaic and then copy the screen and then re-ovelay that full state image , sometimes it distorts also . This is a screen shot of Northern NSW Deer distribution changes imported into Basecamp shown under Shonky Full Topo , the topo data is not visible yet at this low zoom setting . You can adjust the draw order of an overlay ( which one shows on top ) by opening a file and sliding the draw order slider . This is on your laptop and available offline .
Displaying a whole state of many overlay maps in Garmin Basecamp is quick as it does not work on a limited cache memory like GE . It uses the disk and ram in your computer but don't display the whole country at one time .


NB. it's a .jpeg format image because it's better for a smaller file to display on this site . no other reason .
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Re: gps

Post by JohnV » 28 Aug 2021, 6:44 am

Yesterday I went to OpenStreetMap to download the latest generic routable map for Garmin Basecamp and was confronted by a massive waiting list . This request is #57945 in the queue. The delay is approximately 241.4 days !
Now as the waiting time has only dropped .4 of a day in the last 24 hours , that's actually approx. 482 days wait at the current speed .
They say they have server issues . I think it's more than that . Hopefully when they come back the availability speed will increase dramatically .
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Re: gps

Post by DaveZ » 30 Aug 2021, 11:23 am

I'm going to use OziExplorer on a Samsung 10" tablet. I like using topographic maps so it suits me. I used Ozi in my last 4wd, but on an in-dash android unit. I loved it. I have nowhere in the GQ Patrol to mount an in dash unit, so it's going to be a tablet mounted with RAM mounts. The plus to that is that I can remove it and use it wherever I want.
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