1st GPS guidance needed

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

Hi,

I have never owned a GPS before but spotted the TomTom XL540 unit in Dick Smith today for $149 (supposedly half price). I asked the salesperson if it was possible to load other maps and they said yes via the TomTom Home software. I think this only allows you to load TomTom supplied maps however. Don't you need a specific OS to load external maps (i.e. OziExplorer)?

Looking at the specs on the TomTom site it appears this unit does not have an SD slot so I don't see how it could be a dual purpose GPS (as in city and off-road use). Have I missed something here or were the staff just mis-informed/confused at what I wanted? I like the featues on the TomTom and it seems a good price but I would like to be able to use it off-road occasionally. Should I be looking at something else?

Cheers,
Fido666

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Re: 1st GPS guidance needed

Yes, you can load other maps but only Tomtom maps and only if you pay for them.

You will need a different GPS if you wanted to load OziExplorer and the topographical maps to go with OziExplorer. A lot of the branded GPS like Navman, Tomtom can only use their own maps. If you want to use Ozi, then you need to look for a GPS that runs Windows (eg. WinCE, Windows Mobile) as the operating system.

I have an ASUS A636N PDA and a Sony Ericsson X1a where I have the ability to install Tomtom and Ozi and run either one.

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

Re: 1st GPS guidance needed

If you want to use Ozi, then you need to look for a GPS that runs Windows (eg. WinCE, Windows Mobile) as the operating system.

So where should I be looking? Ebay perhaps?

I have an ASUS A636N PDA and a Sony Ericsson X1a where I have the ability to install Tomtom and Ozi and run either one.

One is a PDA and the other is a mobile phone so I imagine the cost might be a lot more than $150. I hadn't thought of using a mobile although I know some come with GPS and map functions, the screens are usually too small. My OH has a Nokia N95 but I think that only uses OVI maps.

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Re: 1st GPS guidance needed

Well I found this on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/4-3-Offroad-GPS- ... 3a6545d110
Seller sounds familiar :wink:

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

Re: 1st GPS guidance needed

Seller sounds familiar :wink:

Hmm, I wonder where I have seen that nic before :wink:

[williade Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close williade]

Re: 1st GPS guidance needed

$170 isn't bad. I'm half temped and I wasn't even looking for a GPS

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Re: 1st GPS guidance needed

Ask him for a PP discount!!

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

Re: 1st GPS guidance needed

Ask him for a PP discount!!

I just might do that :lol:

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]

Re: 1st GPS guidance needed

I'm also a first time GPS buyer, and I checked out a few units this week. I only need one for the wife to navigate the suburbs, but not to waste a good opportunity, I also checked out an off road GPS for myself...

Tom Tom VIA160 or XL250 (not sure which one it was) $190 - Address lookup menu wasn't good - only a few addresses were visible, the rest dissappeared from the screen. Seemed like an incomplete/rushed product.

Garmin Nuvi 1350 $158 (usually $200+) - Address lookup was great, warning was provided for safety cameras, directions appeared fine and toll avoidance was reasonably easy to enable.

Hema HN5i $850-$900 - Hema's brand new release with iGo Primo Ozi and Topo maps. The street nav software was compariable to the Garmin - a tiny bit slower to lookup addresses but it had many more options available (eg, can customise the alerts for different hazards, rather than a single setting for all alerts). Ozi and the Topo map sections were much less intuitive than I was expecting, but this is probably the case for all off road units which use Ozi and/or topo maps.

Despite being tech-savy, I don't like the idea of fiddling around with way points (and gizmos in general) when offroading, so I stuck with what works for me (printed topo maps), and bought the Garmin for the wife. For those that like to play with gizmos, the Hema seems to be a good package, if affordable.

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Re: 1st GPS guidance needed

You guys have the 90 series, otherwise I would have suggested the Dig_Options unit.

[Schaffer Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Schaffer]

Re: 1st GPS guidance needed

You guys have the 90 series, otherwise I would have suggested the Dig_Options unit.

I would be suprised if Matt dosn't have a unti to suit a 90. I've seen a unit installed into a 100 (same as Prado) and 80 (different to Prado). i've also heard of him supplying units for the latest Camry and hilux and a variety of other vehicles.

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

Re: 1st GPS guidance needed

You guys have the 90 series, otherwise I would have suggested the Dig_Options unit.

Is this an in-dash system?

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Re: 1st GPS guidance needed

Yes, and therefore going to be more than $150.

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

Re: 1st GPS guidance needed

I only asked because I still have the original double din factory audio fittted. I'm happy enough with that so not really interested in spending extra money I don't need to.

[fido666 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close fido666]

Re: 1st GPS guidance needed

You guys have the 90 series, otherwise I would have suggested the Dig_Options unit.

I found a 90 series model on eBay @ $549 including shipping :-

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/OLD-TOYOTA-PRADO ... 3a6510514c

It's more than I wanted to spend but would be interested to hear from anyone who has fitted this model in a 90. Did you need to do any fascia trimming or re-wiring?