GarMap Southern Africa Streetmaps Version 1.5

[Family_Dog]

I loaded this new software into my 276C today, together with the topo software.

This is a free upgrade to existing Version 1 owners, and substantially reduced prices to older Garmap versions. While it is still too early for me to give any feedback, I like the fact that topo now works again, an upgrade of only some R360 to Version 1 owners.

More information here:

http://www.garmap.co.za/

-F_D

[Scotty]

Hi FD

This GPS stuff is fascinating....

First up....is this new 1.5 version "better" than Tracks 4 Africa (and how does someone measure this?) :?

Then.....it seems like the 1.5 version is just out, but guys write about versions with higher numbers e.g. 4.0 etc. Are they working backwards? If so they are going to run out of numbers soon!

Cheers
Scotty

[iHilux]

Hi FD

This GPS stuff is fascinating....

First up....is this new 1.5 version "better" than Tracks 4 Africa (and how does someone measure this?) :?

Then.....it seems like the 1.5 version is just out, but guys write about versions with higher numbers e.g. 4.0 etc. Are they working backwards? If so they are going to run out of numbers soon!

Cheers
Scotty

Hi Scotty,

1) You can't really compare T4A with Garmaps Southern African Street Maps. If it's dark Africa maps you're after, then T4A cover more than Garmap. Here locally and in the Southern African countries, there is nothing that cames close to SAS.

2) About the numbers.

Garmap first launched the South African Streetmaps. These were versions 1 to 4 with it becoming autoroutable around vs 3 if I can recall. The vs 1 and 1.5 they now refer to is the upgraded SouthERN African streetmaps, and now include our our "brother" coutries as well.

For your trip into Dark Africa, a GPS'r will certainly be "nice to have" bordering on a "must to have"....... and no you can't buy mine, but if you are interested, I suggest to get in touch with -F_D. He'll certainly help you on your way.......

I always suggest the 267C, but than again, I'm biased. Other options would be 60's range. Some guys enjoy the Quest, but I have my reservation...... :?

[Family_Dog]

Scotty,

I agree with Wade 100%. Going into Darkest Africa, a GPS is a "must have". As Wade says, the SOUTHERN AFRICAN Street Maps version 1 was the first to include our neighbouring territories, it came out at the beginning of this year. The recent update, ver. 1.5, features a lot more content, and more countries as well. The actual upgrade DVD sells for R50 or so, but you pay for what you actually want. If you have the above-mentioned version 1, then the upgrade is free. However, if you add anything to what you previously had, such as topo (which I find useful), then you are charged a bit extra.

I have just loaded the DVD (together with T4A) to my 276C but have obviously not yet had a chance to play around with it.

-F_D

[Scotty]

Thanks Wade and FD!!!

10 minutes later and all my questions are answered. T4A it is.. :)

Yes, we will get a GPS. Initially I thought we should just make do with maps, because thats what people have been using for years.

BUT, the overwhelming response from people is....USE A GPS!!!

I have even read of two separate overlanders that became lost between border posts!!! We'll get the GPS - and it will allow us to post our co-ords while we're on the trip for you all to follow.

I still have loads of research to do on the GPS's (FD your comments would be welcome, I have seen some of your thoughts here and on 4x4community).

I'm leaning towards the 60Csx at this stage. Good battery life. Could use it for hiking/fishing/ geochaching too. But am nowhere near decided yet. Seems fairly knock/ water resistant. My friend has one and I'm going to test it in the next week or so.

Here's a question though..seeing as we're still 6 months from leaving...is Garmin planning any significant releases anytime soon? New 60 series?

Scotty

[Family_Dog]

Garmin are on a mission to confuse all of its Dealers... we no sooner learn one GPS's good points, then they come out with five or six new models again!

The 60CSX is a nice GPS, but I still favour the Quest for that price range. It has a battery life of some 17-20 hours as well and features 243Mb memory card, as opposed to the 60CSX which has only 64Mb memory.

I would suggest going to the Garmin website and selecting different models for comparison purposes.

http://www.garmin.co.za/products.php?categoryid=3#type1

You can select various GPS units from the American site and compare them side by side

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134

The new GPS model will come out with version 1.5 software.

-F_D

[Family_Dog]

Scotty,

I meant to add strength to Wade's views that the GPSMap 276C is currently the undisputed King of GPS models. Although it has been around for a while now and could probably soon be replaced by something else, it still rules. The only cons are the price, and the fact that it is definitely not a portable unit to be carried around in a shirt pocket!

-F_D

[iHilux]

We'll get the GPS - and it will allow us to post our co-ords while we're on the trip for you all to follow.

Yip, upload your trip info daily in Google Earth, and we'll be able to track your trip - live! Well almost...... so just make sure to keep all the blinds tightly closed if you and SWAMBO decide to take an "afternoon nap"......

[iHilux]

The only cons are the price, and the fact that it is definitely not a portable unit to be carried around in a shirt pocket!

-F_D

Well, that depends how big your pocket is.......

I find my 276C quite portable, and have quite a few geocaches under the belt....... Not for hiking, but here and there out the vehicle, it does the trip.

[Kevin Botha]

I just got a 276c with T4A and SAS 1.5 for my birthday. The bad news is that my birthday is only on Monday and the wife won't give it to me until then.

Can't wait, got ants in my pants.

[Family_Dog]

Hey Kvin,

You'll really enjoy it :)

Did you get the full AutoNav Kit as well?

-F_D

[Kevin Botha]

yip it also has the auto nav kit.

not long to wait now

[Family_Dog]

I share your excitement! I use mine in each of the vehicles I drive, just move it from one car to another.

TIP:

If you ever need to take the vehicle in for a RWC, leave the 276C in a prominent place, switched on, probably with a pre-programmed route as well. When I took my SFA in for its RWC earlier this year, it passed with flying colours because the testing oke was so fascinated by this female voice telling him to go here and there when he took if for a drive that he seemed to overlook the minor faults it had.

-F_D

[BenHur]

Eric

I personally believe... that there is some ahh err ...people out there in our nation that can not make me understand one thing in this whole GPS business as I must confess I do not know much about GPSs and up to now I have simply been to stingy to fork out money for one since I can rather use that money to spend on upgrading my Hilux' off-road ability and I am too darn lazy to figure out how they work, but one thing I can not understand and this has kept me awake at night wondering and trying to figure it out, because I have been given this a lot of thought because I can seem to find my way in and around Gauteng and even South Africa but not Iraq :? :? without a GPS, by using only my good and trusted old nose, so I can not for the life of me, by even trying my utmost best even applying some lateral thinking understand why a person which appears to have an above average intelligence and a very very good general knowledge can seem to get his way around the big world wide web and all and still need a GPS to find his way around in Klerksdorp of all places

[Family_Dog]

Hey Bennie,

The answer is very easy:

"We sell them! Therefore, everyone should have one..."


BUT... I get hopelessly lost in Pretoria, and also in Welkom. JHB I more or less find my war around (grew up there... Sies!)

-F_D

[BenHur]

I understand you having one on the account that you sell them and all, but why do you need to swap it between your vehicles to use it, and how can you without it get lost in Klerksdorp, if there are only 4 streets one robot and six stop signs, is what tickles me.

[Family_Dog]

Bennie,

Here is a picture of me driving without a GPS and its friendly guidance...




<Heh - heh.... I stole that picture!>

-F_D

[BenHur]

het jy die hondjies gesien?

[Family_Dog]

het jy die hondjies gesien?

Ohhhh yesss..... Have already used one of them somewhere here!



-F_D

[Kevin Botha]

Because why, when I was in Mozambique last year, we arrived in Inhambane with no accommodation booked.

In asking around all accommodation was fully booked ??? But only at the 3 or 4 main places. We chose Coconut Bay, not the best site.
Checking on Google Earth on our return I was amazed to see how many other camp sites there were in the area.

Moz does not have the best signage. Also I like to plan all driving trips avoiding the large cities and towns.

When I travel I like to avoid booking in advance as this forces me to keep to a time table.

Because why, “It’s the right thing to do” :)

Because why, I don’t want to get lost in Klerksdorp

Because why, Hell, it's my birthday and I must get something.

[Family_Dog]

Hi Kevin,

Well, I guess you've now had a chance to play with the new 276C... :D

Because why, I don’t want to get lost in Klerksdorp

All roads lead to Klerksdorp!

You won't get lost here, but you will need it for places like Tswane/Tshwane/Tshwanie/ (I don't know how to spell that place with the funny name up north) and also Welkom. Welkom was designed by a woman (with apologies to our new female members) - and it shows! I get lost there within five minutes of arrival, the roads just all seem to be in one big spiral.. That other place up north is just horrendous... speed traps, hills, scary traffic... my hair turned white when I was last there! My nerves were shattered. I nearly turned to drink, but lemon juice is too bitter for me.

Since getting my 276C, I now drive with confidence!




-F_D
<Fearless_Dog>

[BenHur]

I charge 5c per Smiley

[BenHur]

Because why, Hell, it's my birthday and I must get something.

Kevin

Sorry I wan not ripping you or anybody else for that matter except I was merely pulling Eric's leg since he is the GPS man. I too want to eventually get a GPS but in my list of have to have things there are 50 more important things at this time.

Eric and others

I see no one picked up on my Miss Teen South Carolina rip either I thought I was funny

[Family_Dog]

Eric and others

I see no one picked up on my Miss Teen South Carolina rip either I thought I was funny

Hi Bennie,

You forget one thing: I live in Klerksdorp (maybe you noticed :) ) and although I wondered why you squashed everything like that, I only came across the actual event over the weekend.... heard it on Highveld... Jeremy Mansfield & co ripping her off and saying it's a good thing she has a body, because otherwise...

Things take a while to reach us here in the Wild West... :D

-F_D

[glevey]

For city/town driving SAS is the way to go. Once out of the city, the only map is T4A

Some samples of the various products showing the same area. Taken from T4A forum

1. T4A Maps 7.10 shows a lot of important Detail and off road tracks are
fully routable.

http://tracks4africa.com/misc/gifs/moremi_t4a.gif (92kb)


2. Info Map Botswana - for an outdoor and recreational map pretty poor

http://tracks4africa.com/misc/gifs/moremi_info_map.gif (152kb)


3. SA Streetmaps 1.5 - at least has some rudimentary topographical Info.

http://tracks4africa.com/misc/gifs/more ... eet_15.gif (295kb)


4. SA Streetmaps Topo & Rec 1.5: for a recreational map with topographical
detail unfortunately Pisspoor and totally unusable.

http://tracks4africa.com/misc/gifs/more ... rec_15.gif (158kb)

T4A is currently in the process of being made auto routable. It will help with route planning

Cheers

Geoff

P.S. T4A focus is not city/town travelling, but the best place to be - in the bush

[BenHur]

Things take a while to reach us here in the Wild West... :D

-F_D

Didn't you see it on the Community forum? http://www.4x4community.co.za/forum/sho ... hp?t=12100 ckeck out the BoobTube clips its quite funny

[heti]

In my opinion, a GPS is never essential, but always convenient.

One example: If you know the Hukuntsi to Kaa Gate road over Zutwa in the Kalahari you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Without GPS - you'll lose the track in the first village! Yes, you can ask, but they'll tell you "Go left till you get to the clinic, and then...."! Let me tell you that the clinic looks like all the other buildings without any signage. And then you get to a pan with tracks running in every imaginable direction. You can do it without a GPS, but I wont!!

With non map capable GPS - if you do your homework before the time and program enough wpt's in the tricky areas you'll be ok, but you will still lose some time every here and there.

With a map capable unit - you'll know exactly where you are!!

And if it gets dark.... mmmm!

Maybe I'm a "new age overlander", but I can't see why I have to get lost if I don't have to!!

[Cookie Monster]

I agree with Heti on this one me thinks I should invest in a GPS as I already have all the software and maps from Garmin on my laptop

[Niel]

Since I bought my gps my wife is much happier because she arrive at the destination without having to as for directions (the loose comment - men don't like asking for directions no longer apply to me).

[Family_Dog]

The "Voice" in my GPS is that of a female. I think she must be blonde. Today, I set the GPS for my location in Durban, from Klerksdorp. Normally, I choose the "Shortest Route" option, which would be Orkney, Kroonstad, Bethlehem, before joining the N3 at Harrismith. But I chose the "Fastest Route" option, just to see where it would lead me.

Well... it lead back to Potch (wrong way!) before going to Vereeniging, then past the Vaal Dam, Warden and eventually to Harrismith again. With all the time wasted due to traffic delays and bad weather, I don't know that it was in fact any faster. I don't really think so, anyway.

Dumb Blonde!

[Cookie Monster]

Hi All

Has anyone had any experiance with Map&Travel Navigator from MapIT for computers

[Knersus]

Well talk about GPS. My recent trip into Lesotho we had 5 GPS's between the group and we have found that Lesotho is not GPS friendly. I am not sure where did SAS got their info from but the roads on the GPS map was sometime 4 kilometers out of it real position. One time I thought we have reached the A3 tar road but found it was a gravel road. Later we found out that the A3 tar road was still to come in the next 4 kilometers. The info that we had on the GPS did not mean much. Even T4A did not help much as it had less info than SAS. One thing that was interesting was that SAS had all the names of the villages but did not have the roads that leads to it. During this trip 2 GPS's bommed out and hanged. One quest and one E trax. The quest had to be rebooted and the e trax got up and running the next day on itself. To put the cherry on the cake was that the tourist map of Lesotho is also just a rough guide and do not realy show much more than nothing. My opinion is that a GPS is a must have but do have a good area map of the place if you are overlanding and at least the GPS can indicate your position.

[heti]

...but the roads on the GPS map was sometime 4 kilometers out of it real position.

I have also experienced this problem with my Quest. I resent the mapsets to the unit from my laptop and then it was fine.

My opinion is that a GPS is a must have but do have a good area map of the place if you are overlanding and at least the GPS can indicate your position.

Couldn't agree more!