GPS map question for the GPS gurus

[alanzs]

Well, as a birthday coming soon, my hot wife just bought me a Garmin GPSMAP 60cx. The basemap that comes with it is pretty lacking in detail.
What are the best maps available? Has anyone used Freshmap or Garmin City Navigator, or any others? Which would you recommend for touring NZ?

Also as a new GPS user, any advice is always appreciated...


Thanks again, I appreciate it!

Alan

[Blackbird]

Well, as a birthday coming soon, my hot wife just bought me a Garmin GPSMAP 60cx. The basemap that comes with it is pretty lacking in detail.
What are the best maps available? Has anyone used Freshmap or Garmin City Navigator, or any others? Which would you recommend for touring NZ?

Also as a new GPS user, any advice is always appreciated...


Thanks again, I appreciate it!

Alan

I've got Brent's Maps on my 76 CX. See http://www.nzgpsmaps.com/index_1024_768.html . I have version NZA4 beta at $100 but I see there's a later version for $200. Had it on for a couple of years and overall, it's good value for money. It has auto re-routing, POI's etc. Easy to download onto Mapsource. No mapping software is perfect and occasionally, it does throw up some odd directions which are a bit longer than optimal but it isn't a big deal. A mate has the proper Garmin product but it's a lot more expensive and I've never felt the need. By the way, avoid an on-line update of Mapsource to version 6.14.1.0 unless you've got a super fast computer. My PC is pretty good but boy, it slowed things down so badly when scrolling that I went back to the old version. I've subsequently seen other people criticising it too.

Cheers,

Geoff

[alanzs]

Thanks, I do appreciate the information. The base map on the unit is pitiful.... The person where I bought the gps said that the Freshmap is pretty good, but I am reticent to drop ~$200 if it is not going to meet my needs. I am planning a trip from Auckland around the SI so I want appropriate maps...

[Blackbird]

No worries. The betamap I mentioned would be just fine for the SI trip, I used it for just that on our "Birds Galore" trip in '07. The $200 version might have a few of the very minor bugs ironed out but to be honest, I have no burning desire to replace it at present.

[alanzs]

No worries. The betamap I mentioned would be just fine for the SI trip, I used it for just that on our "Birds Galore" trip in '07. The $200 version might have a few of the very minor bugs ironed out but to be honest, I have no burning desire to replace it at present.

Cool. The lady at the shop put in the Freshmap sd chip for me to see. She programmed it to take me to an address in Wellington. The route it plotted made absolutely no sense at all. It also didn't plot from where I was. As an example, it said go to the 1 motorway south (how do I get there from here?) then it said take the one to the 4. No sense at all. The lady was even surprised that it didn't have better directions or details.
Thanks again....

[Hoon]

Well, as a birthday coming soon, my hot wife just bought me a Garmin GPSMAP 60cx.

I've got a 60cx and love it.

For road maps just download the Free NZ OpenGPS maps.

http://nzopengps.org/

They are great, have POIs and routing.

Being handheld it's a lot more portable. You can use it in the car and take it while walking about too.

Google maps supports it too so from your PC you can search up an address on GoogleMaps, click the send button and it will save it as a waypoint on your GPS (via USB cable).

[alanzs]

I've got a 60cx and love it.

For road maps just download the Free NZ OpenGPS maps.

http://nzopengps.org/

They are great, have POIs and routing.

Being handheld it's a lot more portable. You can use it in the car and take it while walking about too.

Google maps supports it too so from your PC you can search up an address on GoogleMaps, click the send button and it will save it as a waypoint on your GPS (via USB cable).

Thanks!
On the nzopengps, if I wanted the maps of both islands, would I dl all the ones they have? I appreciate the help.

This 21st century technology is awesome.

[Hoon]

Yep the whole lot for the country and load them onto the GPS with mapsource.

[Gremlin]

For road maps just download the Free NZ OpenGPS maps.

http://nzopengps.org/

They are great, have POIs and routing.

And he didn't mention... free.

Maps are usually released every 7-14 days, way more accurate than the City Navigator, which you pay for, and get once a year.

If you really get into it, when you see errors on the maps, you can also submit them for correction, and it will be done for the next release. With an army of us out there, the maps definitely get accurate.

[geoffm]

And he didn't mention... free.

Maps are usually released every 7-14 days, way more accurate than the City Navigator, which you pay for, and get once a year.

If you really get into it, when you see errors on the maps, you can also submit them for correction, and it will be done for the next release. With an army of us out there, the maps definitely get accurate.

One of the reasons I chose a Garmin GPS was the OpenGPS maps - beats paying $US99 for new maps, and the ones that came with the GPS were 1year old - and no free update.
The City Navigator POIs also seem missing a bit - e.g. they don't have Larnach's Castle in Dunedin - one of the main tourist visits there.
Geoff

[Gremlin]

The City Navigator POIs also seem missing a bit - e.g. they don't have Larnach's Castle in Dunedin - one of the main tourist visits there.

I forget where City Navigator pulls its POI file from, but it does differ from opengps, which pulls its points from zenbu, another open source project.

Basically, if something is missing, adding it to zenbu (zenbu.co.nz) and it will find its way into the opengps maps at some point.