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Navigation - Maps, Compass, GPS How to find your way - traditional map, compass and road signs, or GPS and more
Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia




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  #1  
Old 17 Feb 2015
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If you like maps why not use one?

If you want to try one I'd buy a simple Etrex style hand held walkers unit off E-bay and some ear buds that fit your phone. Get out over the summer and see if you are going to prefer the turn by turn your phone will do near home or the simple point at the target the bobblehatters one will do. Once you know if you'll use it to replace the maps, save you if you get washed out to sea, find hotels in city centres or run your whole trip including calculating the fuel use and finding coffee shops you'll know what type you want.

Once you know how you use it you will know more about wanting to store way points or download fully detailed maps.

Andy
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Old 17 Feb 2015
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Thanks for replying Andy, I will take on board your thoughts for sure...


I have basically decided to drag my sorry un-navigated arse into this century and purchase one later this year for sure so all info and opinions appreciated...


Mez
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Old 18 Feb 2015
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I'm a phone convert. I basically bimble about the place in a semi-lost state until cold/hungry/dark at which point I typically want somewhere with a decent eating/drinking establishment. I don't need some silicone valley tart telling me "Off rowt, make a Yooo-Tuurn" all day, but heading for the hotel it is nice to have my phone (which I carry anyway and plays music and holds books and talks to me like Fenella Fielding) help with complex junctions.


I used to use dedicated units (GPS V, then GPS CSx, then TomTom Rider2) which are a) more accurate away from a phone signal and b) can take you along routes all day every day so you stick to the plan. These vary in price, size and power use to a massive extent. The ones where you just enter a post code (TomTom etc. as bought from Halfords or Argos) don't understand that sheep tracks are nicer than Motorway, the blank page type (Garmins and the like as sold by Touratech and so forth) need detailed programming if you want to use all they can do. This is easy at home on a PC, nigh on impossible using the built on buttons. The walkers type (Etrex etc.) is just like having an idiot proof compass that points at the target.


Andy
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Old 18 Feb 2015
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Threewheelbonnie View Post
If you like maps why not use one?

If you want to try one I'd buy a simple Etrex style hand held walkers unit off E-bay
Andy
In just a couple of posts, Andy has pretty well summarised it for me regarding the electronic gizmos.

As for the Etrex range it is just that - a range.
Garmin are very cute at bringing out a new model of nearly all their products at regular intervals (they are far from unique in this; the whole computer-based business has followed the same marketing model for many years).
The net result is that there are quite a few models of Etrex so you would have to start down the road of doing your own research, sooner or later; after a while that gets tedious, which is but one reason why I stick with my really old Nuvi Garmin combined with smart phones/tablets (running the free apps) "as and when".

And, I have never managed to give up reading maps; they are so much more intellectual. ;-)
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Last edited by Walkabout; 18 Feb 2015 at 23:55.
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