GPS & Communications Archives - https://www.ozroamer.com.au/category/news-reviews/products-and-accessories/gps-communications/ Travel | Leisure | Lifestyle Sat, 12 Aug 2017 12:05:24 +0000 en-AU hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.ozroamer.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/cropped-1x1-32x32.jpg GPS & Communications Archives - https://www.ozroamer.com.au/category/news-reviews/products-and-accessories/gps-communications/ 32 32 Immarsat Satellite Phone Review https://www.ozroamer.com.au/immarsat-satellite-phone-review/ Wed, 18 Sep 2013 11:32:14 +0000 http://www.ozroamer.com.au/?p=4951 We took an Immarsat phone on our Birdsville trip and even though we didn't need to use it the peace of mind it provided for us and the kids was worth it. We got our phone from ClientSat in WA for the trip
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ClientSat web
We have a look at the benefits of taking a Satellite phone on your remote outback trip. We took an Immarsat phone on our Birdsville trip and even though we didn’t need to use it the peace of mind it provided for us and the kids was worth it. We got our phone from ClientSat in WA for the trip

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Satellite Phone Government Subsidy extended https://www.ozroamer.com.au/satellite-phone-government-subsidy-extended/ Mon, 16 Sep 2013 11:03:11 +0000 http://www.ozroamer.com.au/?p=4845 Client Sat our satellite communications advisers has some great information. They have advised that the Government subsidy for sat phones has been extended until 30t June 2014. [...]

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Client Sat Phone
ClientSat our satellite communications advisers has some great information. They have advised that the Government subsidy for sat phones has been extended until 30th June 2014.

The Australian Government provides subsidies to assist with the purchase of satellite phones for use where normal mobile coverage is not available .

There are two questions that you need to answer. If you answer yes to either question then I recommend that you download the form and apply to the government for the subsidy. The application form can be found at http://www.clientsat.com.au/govt-subsidy/

The questions are
Question one: Do you live or work outside of mobile coverage area? (The phone requirement can be for business or pleasure). If the answer is yes then you could receive 85 per cent of the retail price of the phone to a maximum of $1000.

Question two: Do you live or work in mobile coverage area, but intend to work or travel outside mobile coverage area more than 180 days in total over a two-year period for either business or pleasure?

If the answer is yes then you could receive 50 per cent of the retail price of the phone, to a maximum of $700.

Either way clients of ClientSat will only pay the after subsidy amount to ClientSat and they take care of the rest, receiving the subsidy from the government. That makes it extremely easy and cost effective for you.

If your answer is no to both questions above and you still want or need a sat phone then ClientSat can still help you with your communication needs. Call them on 1300368858 for more information.

More information on eligibility.
Individuals can apply for one subsidy. Small business, educational institutions and community groups may apply for two subsidies. Indigenous corporations, health and emergency services may apply for more than two handset subsidies. Handsets must be connected to a satellite phone sim card at the time of purchase.

If you are an applicant that lives in areas without terrestrial mobile coverage you are eligible for additional subsidies to replace handsets purchased under the scheme three or more years earlier.

If you already have a subsidy application form and just need the dealer details then the ClientSat details are DO1358 on page seven.

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GME TX3100 Bonus Pack 2 https://www.ozroamer.com.au/gme-tx3100-bonus-pack-2/ Fri, 03 May 2013 06:44:50 +0000 http://www.ozroamer.com.au/?p=4432 GME – Australia’s only manufacturer of UHF CB radio is offering, for the first time, the popular AE4018K2 – 6.6dBi heavy duty elevated feed fibreglass antenna and parallel spring with the purchase of the unique TX3100 compact 5 watt UHF CB radio. [...]

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GME TX3100 80 channel 5 watt super compact UHF CB radio
Purchase a TX3100 80 channel 5 watt super compact UHF CB radio and receive a BONUS high quality
AE4018K2 – 6.6dBi heavy duty elevated feed fibreglass antenna – Bonus value $115!

Offer available from 29th April 2013 while stocks last.

GME – Australia’s only manufacturer of UHF CB radio is offering, for the first time, the popular AE4018K2 – 6.6dBi heavy duty elevated feed fibreglass antenna and parallel spring with the purchase of the unique TX3100 compact 5 watt UHF CB radio. This UHF bonus pack is fully engineered and manufactured in Australia and is packed with a host of evolutionary features developed by GME’s highly experienced two-way radio R & D team. Industry firsts that not only differentiate the GME brand from the competition, but take advantage of the latest digital technology to ensure ease of operation and optimum performance across all 80 channels.

Whether you are a city professional, a 4WD enthusiast or an occasional road user, the TX3100BP2 combines Australia’s most popular antenna and CB radio – all in the one pack.

BONUS PACK TX3100BP2

TX3100 Super compact 5 watt UHF radio

Bonus AE4018K2

RRP (AUS): $279 inc GST (NZ): $299 inc GST

IN THE BOX:
TX3100 – Super compact 5 watt UHF CB radio
Digital Signal Processing
Advanced Signal Management
Dynamic Volume Control
CTCSS & DCS
Duplex
Graphic signal strength meter
3 year warranty
AE4018K2 – Heavy duty fibreglass antenna
477MHz fibreglass collinear 6.6dBi gain – Black
Ground independent elevated feed
Medium duty parallel spring
98cm long
4.5 meters low loss coax

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GME GX600A VHF radio https://www.ozroamer.com.au/gme-gx600a-vhf-radio/ Wed, 13 Mar 2013 06:52:58 +0000 http://www.ozroamer.com.au/?p=4438 The GX600A bonus packs will be available for a limited period during March and April 2013, or whilst stocks last. Make sure you watch out for the eye-catching custom GX600A / Barz Optics promotional package at your local GME marine dealer. [...]

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GME GX600A VHF Bonus Pack
GME have joined forces with the iconic Australian sunglass company Barz Optics and will be offering a fantastic bonus offer over the 2013 Easter period.

During March and April, GME will package the highly popular white GX600A VHF radio with a pair of San Juan floating sunglasses from Barz Optics, valued at $110. The San Juan sunglasses are new to the Barz Optics range and are fitted with polarised photochromic lenses, these will darken when exposed to direct sunlight ensuring your eyes are well protected from damaging UV rays. The San Juan also float, so should they end up overboard they can be easily retrieved.

Peter Langbart, GME’s General Manager commented: “The white GX600A is arguably Australia’s best selling VHF radio; the GME / Barz Optics marketing campaign unites two celebrated brands, both known for quality, practicality and reliability. This promotion offers our customers excellent value and something rather special for the upcoming holiday period”.

The GX600A bonus packs will be available for a limited period during March and April 2013, or whilst stocks last. Make sure you watch out for the eye-catching custom GX600A / Barz Optics promotional package at your local GME marine dealer.

Customers seeking additional information on this product can visit www.gme.net.au or contact their favourite GME retailer.

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GME Christmas Emergency Beacon Value Packs https://www.ozroamer.com.au/gme-christmas-emergency-beacon-value-packs/ Sat, 03 Nov 2012 07:04:56 +0000 http://www.ozroamer.com.au/?p=4447 GME will once again offer Australian and New Zealand customers an outstanding pre-Christmas special with their MT400,MT406G EPIRB and MT410G PLB integrated bonus packs. GME has been designing and manufacturing emergency Beacons in Australia for almost 40 years, in this time literally thousands of lives have been saved in Australia and around the world. [...]

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GME eperb-bp1
GME, one of the world’s leading emergency beacon manufacturers will once again offer Australian and New Zealand customers an outstanding pre-Christmas special with their MT400,MT406G EPIRB and MT410G PLB integrated bonus packs.

Commencing in early November these three emergency beacons will be presented in clearly identifiable custom packaging containing the emergency beacon and bonus items. The award winning MT400 and GPS equipped MT406G EPIRBs bonus packs will include a 15 litre GME branded ‘dry bag’, along with a Guardian dual function signal light, recognised globally as the lightest, brightest and toughest product in its class. Both bonus items were carefully selected to provide genuine value for the boating fraternity.

GME’s hard wearing PVC ‘dry bag’ is designed to safely transport wallets, keys, cameras and other such valuables. The bag can be made water tight by rolling down the top and sealing with the clip, it is also supplied with a convenient shoulder strap.

The Guardian light utilises an unbreakable LED bulb that will never need replacing, it comes complete with 2 lithium coin cell batteries that deliver over 250 hours of flashing light or 100 hours of steady illumination. The light is visible up to 1.5 km and submersible to a depth of 90 meters.

Matthew Heap, GME’s Marine Marketing Manager, commented “These EPIRB bonus packs, coupled with our recent 6 + 6 year battery initiative represent the best safety at sea value anywhere in the world, and I challenge anyone to find a better offer. However this deal will only be available for a limited period during November and December 2012 or whilst stocks last, so make sure you watch out for the unique promotional packaging at your local GME marine dealer”.

GME plb-bp1

The MT410G GPS equipped PLB bonus pack will contain a 15 litre GME ‘dry bag’ plus a Sparkie™ the latest emergency fire starter from Ultimate Survival Technologies.

Matthew Heap again said; “The MT410G, dry bag and Sparkie™ really complement each other and are a tremendous addition to any outdoor adventurer’s equipment”. The GPS equipped PLB’s value has been well documented in numerous survival stories. The Sparkie™ is a lightweight, one handed emergency fire starter that operates even when wet.

GME has been designing and manufacturing emergency Beacons in Australia for almost 40 years, in this time literally thousands of lives have been saved in Australia and around the world. Customers seeking additional information regarding these promotions can visit www.gme.net.au or contact their favourite GME marine retailer.

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GME Sound Safe https://www.ozroamer.com.au/gme-sound-safe/ Sat, 03 Nov 2012 06:57:09 +0000 http://www.ozroamer.com.au/?p=4442 The GME Sound Safe is a robust, buoyant, waterproof case with an integrated amplifier and speaker which quickly connects to any media player 3.5mm headphone socket via an internal cable. So no matter if it’s work rest or play, your device is fully protected from the external environment [...]

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GME soundsafe_group
Today most of us appear to be inseparable from our mobile phone, iPod or MP3 player. We literally want to take them everywhere we go, whether it is to the beach, the rainforest, the building site or even white water rafting.

Of course our greatest fear is that we’ll get it wet, drop it overboard or ruin it with sand or dust. Well, worry no more! GME are about to introduce the perfect solution for such challenging situations.

The GME Sound Safe is a robust, buoyant, waterproof case with an integrated amplifier and speaker which quickly connects to any media player 3.5mm headphone socket via an internal cable. So no matter if it’s work rest or play, your device is fully protected from the external environment.

Virtually any personal media player, cell phone, including the recently released iPhone 5, fits securely within the Sound Safe’s watertight housing, there’s even a little additional space to hold car keys, money or other valuables; in fact the Sound Safe remains buoyant with a payload of up to an impressive 230 grams. A carabineer clip is also provided for additional security.

GME soundsafe_open

Matthew Heap, GME’s Marine Marketing Manager commented; “Apart from providing tough, waterproof protection for your device, the Sound Safe also delivers exceptional audio performance. The clever design of the housing actually enhances the bass response of the media player without any compromise of top end quality.” Heap continued; “A further astounding attribute of the Sound Safe, is its minimal power consumption, by utilising a highly efficient Class D amplifier, Sound Safe can deliver up to 30 hours of entertainment from a set of 3 AA batteries.

The GME Sound Safe is offered in three eye-catching colours, safety yellow, jet black or classic white. It will be available through GME’s dealer network from early November. Customers seeking additional information on this product can visit www.gme.net.au or contact their favourite GME retailer.”

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The Latest in Automotive Communication Technology https://www.ozroamer.com.au/the-latest-in-automotive-communication-technology/ https://www.ozroamer.com.au/the-latest-in-automotive-communication-technology/?noamp=mobile#comments Mon, 27 Aug 2012 03:20:42 +0000 http://www.ozroamer.com.au/?p=2968 Telecommunications in cars has come a long way since the days of bulky car phones like those we've all seen in many movies.
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Here is an overview of automotive communications; ranging from the most basic onboard control systems, down to the future of fully integrated automobile communications with passengers, drivers and the outside world.

Basic Wired Technologies and Multimedia

Modern cars contain numerous internal communications technology; it’s not what most people think of when they imagine automotive communications but it’s still part of a cars general communications systems. The main example of these wired systems consists of X-by-Wire mechanisms inside modern cars that replace older hydraulic and mechanical functions with electronic controlled computer feedback systems that manage different parts by communicating with them. Included in this spectrum of basic internal communications technologies are systems like Multimedia such as Radio, car stereos, GPS, video games and TV.

Wireless and Wireless Multimedia

The next step up from the wired systems that operate from inside a car are a number of built-in or add-on wireless options that give drivers access to both communications and interactive entertainment features outside the scope of infotainment saved onto their vehicles data systems. Many more modern vehicles than ever now include wireless internet access, access to web based entertainment channels, GPS navigation features that are also connected to an external communications web and communications abilities built right into the vehicle; for both emergencies and general conversation. Additionally, there are many new internet connectivity features appearing within the latest vehicles, offering infotainment, music, video and web browsing inside the moving car. Vehicle web connectivity is currently integrated into only a little over one million vehicles worldwide as of 2010, but this feature is likely to expand to over 55 million cars by 2017.

Furthermore, these wireless applications can offer far more than simple in-vehicle entertainment and navigation assistance to passengers. Vehicles in the near future are expected to have a full suite of wireless telematics built into them for safety and road improvement reasons.

Telematics

This expanding field of technology promises to create new horizons of vehicle communications systems in terms of uses and sophistication.  Currently telematics is only commonly used in processes like wireless device integration (laptops, cell phones, GPS units), traffic information flows, anti-theft warning/message transmission systems and internal diagnostic communications equipment. Telematics is also used to track the locations of fleet vehicles or private cars.

Slowly merging uses of telematics technology are going to integrate heavily with wireless internet networks and the smart systems in other cars as well as fixtures along city or highway roads to create an integrated and interconnected web of vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-road infrastructure communications solutions.  Many of these telematic systems will initially be run over wide area Wi Fi networks connected to the vehicle either through onboard computer systems or directly to properly enabled smart devices such as phones, laptops or tablets.

The bottom line of these technical innovations is that more and more vehicles traveling along modern roads will be able to constantly communicate with the road, nearby vehicles, traffic information databases and the vehicle driver himself; creating a massive telecommunications based safety net that will not only make avoiding accidents and traffic jams easier, but will also enable much quicker accident response times in the event of emergencies.

Companies like Ford, Fiat and BMW are already entering the market with solutions on how to enable all of these telematics information systems capable of communicating information to a driver with minimal distraction. One example of distraction limitation technology being Data Over Voice, unveiled by Ford through its Synch program.

About the Author: Steven Chalmers reports on teleconferencing services. In his free time, he develops apps for the iPhone.

 

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GME Safer driving, easier radio use https://www.ozroamer.com.au/gme-safer-driving-easier-radio-use/ Sat, 09 Jun 2012 07:20:48 +0000 http://www.ozroamer.com.au/?p=4452 Whether you are a professional truck driver or an occasional road user, the innovative GME W1 wireless PTT and handsfree microphone, available in the TX4500W and TX3510W, is set to revolutionise both your driving safety and radio communications experience. [...]

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GME HANDS FREE
For some time vehicle manufacturers have recognised the advantage of steering wheel mounted controls. This feature is common place today, offering enhanced safety, convenience and ease of operation.

GME, the world’s largest manufacturer of UHF CB Radio also acknowledges the critical benefit of steering wheel located, finger tip controls and is now offering a unique wireless steering wheel mounted PTT.
Two additional buttons offer user programmable functionality, including up/down channel change or scan function and priority channel selection.

The remote PTT can be removed from the steering wheel mount if required and mounted any where in the cabin using the adhesive pad provided. The handsfree microphone is supplied with 2.4 metres of cable.

The TX3510W and TX4500W are fully engineered and manufactured in Australia with a host of evolutionary features newly developed by GME’s highly experienced two-way radio R & D team. Industry firsts that not only differentiate the GME brand from the competition, but take advantage of the latest digital technology to ensure ease of operation and optimum performance across all 80 channels.

GME tx4500w

Unique and practical benefits include GME’s Full Spectrum Backlighting, the amazing, interference suppressing Advanced Signal Management System, the highly effective Dynamic Volume Control and voice inversion scrambling options. GME also retains all the key attributes that have long been associated with our robust and tough locally manufactured radios like Open/Group scan, Sellcal, CTCSS and a full 3 year parts and labour warranty available through GME’s nationwide service network.

The TX3510W and its DIN sized companion the TX4500W are built specifically for the harsh Australian conditions where durability and reliable communications are paramount. The TX3510W and TX4500W epitomise GME’s long standing reputation for innovation, quality and value for money.

Whether you are a professional truck driver or an occasional road user, the innovative GME W1 wireless PTT and handsfree microphone, available in the TX4500W and TX3510W, is set to revolutionise both your driving safety and radio communications experience.

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TomTom One GPS https://www.ozroamer.com.au/tomtom-one-gps/ Wed, 08 Apr 2009 02:13:44 +0000 http://myrv.com.au/?p=197 The latest (4th) generation TomTom One is remarkably similar to the TomTom XL (2nd generation), the only real difference being price and screen size. This means that it looks good! Smooth flowing lines and minimilist [...]

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The latest (4th) generation TomTom One is remarkably similar to the TomTom XL (2nd generation), the only real difference being price and screen size. This means that it looks good! Smooth flowing lines and minimilist packaging with inbuilt manual in the flash drive thus doing its bit for the earth.

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tomtom

When we asked people to describe the ‘One’ they invariably came up with smooth, slim, sexy, neat and this pretty much sums it up. At just 92mm wide, 78mm tall and 25mm deep, the fourth-gen One is quite a bit narrower and a bit shorter than the XL. That’s because the One has a 3.5-inch touchscreen, whereas the otherwise identically specced XL has a 4.3-inch screen. The graphics and interface which are exceptionally easy to use remain.

Its as simple as c licking on the map which brings up the main menu screen, from where you set a destination or change your settings. Clicking the box on the left, which contains the next turn instructions, allows you to hear a repeat of the previous verbal instruction or change the XL’s volume. While pushing the info box on the right will call up a route summary.
In the past the mounting of TomTom units was a bit suspect with the units detaching themselves, with a crash, a bang and a wallop, at the merest thought of a pothole or speed hump, which are prevelant around the suburbs. However the new compact, detachable windshield mount features a suction cup with a nifty and effective ring-type locking device which proved more effective.

Turn the One over and you get a large silvery speaker grille, with a larger, louder speaker underneath. The speaker bevel also doubles as a ring around which the aforementioned windshield mount rotates. Detach the TomTom from your windscreen and the whole package folds up into a very compact package, allowing for easy stowage in even the tiniest car’s glovebox. Our one criticism of the new design is the recessed mini-USB socket which, for this technologically challenged four thumbed individual peoved to be a source of frustration when we attempted to connect the in-car charger.

Cause to rejoice is the fact that text-to-speech, is now standard on the One, as well as the larger-screen XL. Text-to-speech is a really cool function that allows the device to read out street names as part of its verbal instructions, transforming “turn right in 500 metres” into “turn right in 500 metres onto Pitt Street”. Occasionally the Australian-centric names and pronunciation cause it to pause and think though.

Another pleasing feature is that the TomTom successfully avoids the old “reading the road number instead of the road name” trap, where say, “54” is substituted for Enmore Road and “X4” for Parramatta Road. Given that it reduces our inclination to glance at the screen while driving, it is surprising that Samantha, (or she who must be obeyed!!!) the only included voice capable of text-to-speech, isn’t selected by default.

One frustrating feature with a lot of GPS is the inaccuracy of some of the maps. This however is not a problem with Map Share which is the other stand-out feature on the XL’s spec sheet – and one that’s yet to be copied by its competitors. This allows users to make map corrections on their device, such as blocking or unblocking streets, renaming roads, changing turn restrictions and traffic flow, amongst others. These corrections can then also be shared with other TomTom users via the TomTom Home software package, which works on either PC or Mac.

It should be noted though that corrections will only be shared after being passed by TomTom’s expert team of verifiers. Turn around time is claimed to be one or two weeks, although we cant comment on this either way. Unfortunately neither the GPS nor the Home software allows you to keep track of how your shared changes are progressing through TomTom’s verification process. The Home software is, like One itself, simple to use, and allows you to download additional content – some free, some not so free – like overseas maps and celebrity voices, if that’s your type of thing.

Content comes from either TomTom, third parties or the user community. Being the entry-level widescreen model, the One misses out on features like Bluetooth hands-free, MP3 playback and FM transmission.

Just like the device’s interface, the One’s routing algorithms seem to have escaped tweaking from the programming team. Meaning that the predeliction to stick to main roads seems as prevalent as ever; venture onto a side street and the One will make quite a few attempts to guide you back onto a main street before taking the hint that you want to take a back road. This can be frustrating to say the least.

While inefficient during peak hour and on choked inner city roads, some may prefer this solution because if you’re going to a new part of town it’s easier on the ol’ grey matter to stay on main roads which are better signposted. I guess that is the reason we have GPS in the first place, to take you easily to places where you dont know how to get there. Like a lot of technology these days the performance is variable when surrounded by tall buildings in the CBD, as satellite signals are obscured or bounced off buildings.

Fixed red-light and speed camera locations come preloaded on the XL, however, a few of them are misplaced on freeway slip roads or tunnel entrances – at least in New South Wales. Also standard is the 2008 version of Telstra’s Whereis maps. A word of warning: TomTom’s “latest map guarantee” is only valid for 30 days after the purchase of your One. So bear this in mind if you’re thinking of purchasing a One towards the middle of 2009.

Overall we really liked the TomTom One, its easy to use, has a large enough screen, looks great and the few bugbears are well overshadowed by its useability and features. If you are looking for a portable GPS you could do a lot worse than look at the TomTom One and at $349 it represents reasonable value

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GPS – Traveling with Technology https://www.ozroamer.com.au/gps-traveling-with-technology/ Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:08:23 +0000 http://myrv.com.au/?p=103 We keep hearing all these acronyms that are supposed to make the big long terms they represent easier to understand, but in a world full of acronyms, they can be just as confusing. GPS isn’t [...]

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We keep hearing all these acronyms that are supposed to make the big long terms they represent easier to understand, but in a world full of acronyms, they can be just as confusing. GPS isn’t really as confusing or overwhelming as it seems, nor is it as miraculous as the forces of the universe being able to pin point you in a world of however many billion people.

GPS stands for ‘global position system’ a construct of somewhere between 24 and 30 satellites that orbit the earth. These satellites transmit radio signal that can be picked up by a GPS receiver such as a Magellan eXplorist or Magellan RoadMate 300. It isn’t magic and nor is it a government conspiracy to track your every move. It is some complex technology being able to put these radio waves together to determine your position on earth.

The type of GPS receiver that you use will determine how this data is interpreted and consequently what it can do for you. For the RV owner there are two relevant categories of GPS receivers; hand held units and in car navigation units. Just to create a little more confusion the term GPS is commonly used to refer to both types of units as well as the actual system that is out there in the far beyond. However each of these units are very different with their very own abilities and limitations.

In car navigation units such as the RoadMate 300 are the most commonly known units, providing ‘turn by turn’ visual and vocal guidance from your current position to desired destination. These units are very straight forward and easy to use. The user simply types in their desired street and suburb and as they move the unit will provide the turns to take until the destination is reached. Additionally, the Magellan RoadMate 300 uses geocoded national address fi les (GNAF) taking the user to the exact location of the entered street number, and not just an approximation.

Generally in car navigation units do their best work in the inner city and provide little in the way of mapping out of the city. However, the Magellan RoadMate 300 does have great mapping including roads and streets for all cities, towns and small rural communities, so this one you can take out of the city.

The other category of GPS is ‘hand held’ receivers such as the Magellan eXplorist series. So called because they are generally small enough to fi t in your hand, completely portable and made of rugged construct allowing you to take them into any environment or condition. Unlike in car navigation units, hand held units are not primarily designed to simply tell you how to get to a friends house, but instead provide you with navigation tools and safety features, allowing you to navigate on road or off the beaten track anywhere in Australia.

So if it isn’t magic how does it actually work? When you turn on your eXplorist 400, 500, 600 or XL, the GPS unit will locate your position in the world. By scrolling through the ‘nav’ screens you can view your position in a number of different ways; latitude and longitude, distance to destination, direction to destination, or location on a map.

The favourite way to view position is on the map screen, where you can see where you are on a map of the local area. You can also zoom in and out to show more or less map detail and surrounding information. If you are using a Magellan eXplorist 400, 500, 600 or XL you can upgrade the mapping to DiscoverAus Streets & Tracks Topo, providing you with highways, streets, tracks, four wheel drive trails, waterways, topographic map contour lines and thousands of points of interest for all of Australia.

So when it comes to actually using the unit to navigate you have a couple of options. You can choose a destination by entering a latitude and longitude, typing in a street address or searching for a point of interest or waypoint you have entered yourself. When you have selected where you are going and press ‘go to’ the unit will draw a line from your current location to your destination. It doesn’t have to be your fi nal destination, but a stop over point along the way. It is then up to you to navigate the route you want to take using the mapping available on the unit.

Travelling this way is great for seeing the sights and not being afraid to detour to a tourist attraction at any point.
The unit will beep at you to let you know if you are getting too far from the direction you should be heading with the compass screen always able to point you in the right direction and provide distance to destination (as the crow flies).

However, if travelling like this isn’t precise enough for you, you can plan a route before you leave home by placing a series of waypoints to travel to along the way. The new MapSend Lite V2 PC viewing software is available as a free download and allows you to view your topo maps on the big screen of your PC, which you
can use to plan your routes and download to your GPS. You can save all of these routes and waypoints in your GPS so you can return to them at any time.

The fi nal option is just to wing it. You still use the maps on your GPS but make decisions as the next road approaches. You can feel safe knowing that regardless of which road you take or method you choose to navigate an electronic breadcrumb trail will be left behind you so you can always turn around and fi nd your way home. Again using MapSend Lite V2 you can upload the route you took (track log) to your PC and view it on a two or three-dimensional map, actually watching the car travelling up and down each and every hill you travelled on.

Using a Magellan eXplorist hand held GPS with DiscoverAus Streets & Tracks Topo mapping you can safely navigate your way through big cities, small outback towns and bush tracks in the middle of nowhere. You don’t have to just type in an address and listen to someone boss you around with each turn you have to take to make good time. Uses a Magellan eXplorist hand held GPS and make your travels a real adventure!

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