off-road GPS

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K

kfouad

10 Year
Joined
May 1, 2011
Threads
19
Messages
60
Location
Egypt
Guys, after going through most of the posts i'm still confused on which GPS i need to get!
here is mainly what i need:
- will be used mainly off-road
- big color screen (the bigger the better, but not via laptop)
- have the capability to load maps (Egypt in my case)
- large memory & have memory card port
- have compass and alitmeter

so, any help?
 
Garmin 478 / 378 one of the best that I know for my kind of use .. but they are not officially longer available .. you can found 'em in eBay ..

Honestly I don't think there is a replacement now .. at least not in Garmin ( maybe this one https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=148&pID=14898 ) or in Lowrance ..
 
Tapage said:
Garmin 478 / 378 one of the best that I know for my kind of use .. but they are not officially longer available .. you can found 'em in eBay ..

Honestly I don't think there is a replacement now .. at least not in Garmin ( maybe this one https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=148&pID=14898 ) or in Lowrance ..
Click to expand...

Thanks, yes i totally agree when it comes to the 478/378, but there are not available even on ebay :(.
i was thinking more of the GPSMAP 620 (640 has XM which don't need, it won't work here anyways:) )
 
no doubt you know this, but I feel obliged to say that it should have a very good tracking feature with lots of memory, adjustable timing etc...
 
e9999 said:
no doubt you know this, but I feel obliged to say that it should have a very good tracking feature with lots of memory, adjustable timing etc...
Click to expand...
Thanks,
any words about the Montana 6xx family?
i'm shifting my thoughts to it coz it looks more off-road than the 620. It has more waypoints and tracks and compass/Altimeter,..etc
 
1FZj80 said:
I'm looking at the Montana myself. Post up your review if you buy one.
Click to expand...
The Montana 600 is ordered :)
should get it by Mid of September, and will let you know my review
 
Just got mine. Bought the 600 from GPSCity in Vegas for $499.

So far I have been learning the system, loading maps and using it for highway use (no wheeling yet). I did load some geocaches and it is nice to be able to go paperless. The screen is plenty big and the resolution and color are great. Perfect size for handheld, day-hikes, Mt bike/motorcycle and in-car use but a little heavy (about 10-oz) and big for backpacking.

I was able to get all the maps I needed for free. And with 3GB on the unit and a micro SD slot you can load tons of maps/topos.

The menu system is easy to use and seems to perform all needed functions and is extremley flexible.

Complaints so far:
1. Garmin makes the only mount with a speaker which is needed for voice based navigation and it is way overpriced. RAM may come out with something but their current mount has no speaker. You could rig something up with the audio out jack, but the speaker is the easiest way to go.
2. I am having problems powering on the unit when in the mount in the car. Sometimes it locks up and I have to remove the battery for a few minutes to get the thing to reset.
 
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looking at Montana specs .. it looks like it keep track log .. which it's pretty good and one of the main functions IMOP that any GPS must have ..
 
Im very happy with my Garmin 376C with external-boat antenna, free topo maps here
GPSFileDepot - Custom Maps, Ximage hosting, tutorials, articles and more for your GPSr
but i guess its for USA and Puerto Rico,but i have to share it. :D
P1100312.webp
P1100315.webp
P1100355.webp
 
Any garmin unit with an SD card slot is a great way to go. The montana has a huge screen (for a handheld) and can be used when out of the vehicle. The chartplotters are nice though :)
 
what format do the maps need to be in for them to be a "layer" on the gps?

I was curious because i have an older garmin nuvi 650 and i was told i could put topo maps on it by installing them on the SD card and then cutting off the base map and cutting on the topo map. I have maps that are detailed topo maps in .pdf format but what do they need to be to work?
 
I'm surprised the DeLorme software ran through a laptop hasn't been mentioned.
 
slickrock said:
I'm surprised the DeLorme software ran through a laptop hasn't been mentioned.
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While extremely flexible, I absolutely hate the usability and user interface of the DeLorme software. I have a PN-40 I use for hiking, and loathe every time I need to connect to my PC.
 
re_guderian said:
While extremely flexible, I absolutely hate the usability and user interface of the DeLorme software. I have a PN-40 I use for hiking, and loathe every time I need to connect to my PC.
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Really? That is the exact opposite of my experience. It was a bit more time consuming to learn how to work the system, but once that is figured out, it has always been flawless for me.
 
concretejungle said:
what format do the maps need to be in for them to be a "layer" on the gps?

I was curious because i have an older garmin nuvi 650 and i was told i could put topo maps on it by installing them on the SD card and then cutting off the base map and cutting on the topo map. I have maps that are detailed topo maps in .pdf format but what do they need to be to work?
Click to expand...

Most Garmin's read '.img' files. There is software available to create your own maps, but I have never used them. Primarily because almost every map I have needed is available for free if you search the web.

Yes, load everything on your sim card and disable maps you don't need. Topos are not visible unless the Navigator maps are off (diabled). With the 32GB cards you can have plenty of maps available for wheeling and general travel.
 
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