Anyone used GPS units from "Topstuff.co.nz" ?

[Flash2004]

The three systems he's offering on there seem brilliant value? I got an e mail from him and he's obviously promoting the systems to the 4WD clubs and offering a small discount to members.

From what I see the one unit will do marine navigation (which Skid could find useful), normal road use and offroad topographical map navigation plus play music?

Any feedback would be good, my Navman 90i is not trustworthy. cheers

[kbushnz]

Hi Yah
Just had a quick look, they are Pocket Pc based units and he has Oziexplorer installed.
Note Ozi does not do road mapping like a Navman or Tomtom. You cant dial up a street address and have it guide you there.
It is purely a GPS plotter, It will leave a track on a map and you can save waypoints etc etc.
I use Ozi with an Unlocked N40i. Fire up the Navman part for Navigation to addresses / places.
Fire up Ozi for offroad use / map plotting / trip plotting.

Having said that they are a good price and the 7 inch screen would be great.

Dont buy any extra maps as you can get them free from the http://www.nztopoonline.linz.govt.nz/ site and convert them using some free add on software from Oziexplorer web site

Cheers
Calvin

[kbushnz]

If your Navman is an S90i you could unlock it and run it like mine.
Best of both worlds.

http://navmanunlocked.wikispaces.com/Unlock

If you don't follow the guide you can brick your Navman.
IE stuff it up. Unlocker beware.!

Calvin

[Flash2004]

Thanks Calvin, i saw another post on another thread about an unlocked Navman. How do you do that i wonder? My 90i might be more useful if i could unlock it. (Aha! posts crossed, I see it now)

I've got a handheld Garmin that eats AA batteries and is about as useful as tits on a bull too. It can record your track and set waypoints and tell you where you are in degrees, minutes and seconds but unless i suddenly die and am reborn as captain Cook that's bugger all use to me. cheers

[topstuff.co.nz]

Hi there,

I'm Jason and I run the site http://www.topstuff.co.nz.

I just stumbled across this post so thought I'd say Hi and clarify a couple of things to avoid confusion.

kbushnz is correct that OziExplorerCE is chartplotting software with waypoints and tracks etc. You can also create waypoint routes that will guide you among many many other features. Here is a link to the software features for those interested http://www.oziexplorer3.com/ozice/featu ... es_ce.html

There is no need to try unlock my devices for two reasons... firstly they are ultimately unlocked already. There is a link from the main menu to take you right to the Windows CE desktop if you wish however this is not necessary as all functions such as picture and video players, FM transmitters etc. are accessible from the main menu.

Not only do they have OziExplorerCE (licenced version) installed but my devices also come with road navigation software that does have voice guidance, spoken street names and speed camera alerts etc. What's more I've customised the menu so you don't need to change any settings to have dual use.

Unfortunately, http://www.nztopoonline.linz.govt.nz/ closed yesterday. If you want to you can download the LINZ maps in digital image format and then calibrate them and then convert to a usable format but for $5 a map I've already done the hard work.

I once unlocked a Navman S30 using two different methods the best being MioPocket however it still had its quirks.

If anyone has any other questions please feel free to get in touch.

Thanks
Jason

[Flash2004]

You see Jason? You're world famous now. All this from that little marketing email to 4x4 clubs you did. Well done and I hope you make some sales as a result.

Your explanation is good, but wasted on me unfortunately. The navigation part of my brain was irreversibly screwed as the patrol leader of my totally lost boy scout patrol on an orienteering exercise some hundreds of years ago. Luckily we turned up at the rendezvous by accident and in darkness just as the S&R teams were getting mobilised.

So, if I send you my navman s90, can you make it work offroad as well as on road? for a fee of course. cheers, Gordon

[4WDbits]

Maps are still available in preset sizes from http://www.linz.govt.nz/topography/topo-maps/map-chooser/index.aspx or you can send in a portable hard disk and get whatever maps you want for free.
Someone will know if or how accurately they can be calibrated for Oziexplorer or other programs, they are NZGD2000.

[topstuff.co.nz]

Hi Gordon,

World famous eh? I always thought it would feel different to this! Anyway I've got my mobile phone fully charged and I'm waiting patiently for Women's Weekly to call any time now.

"Unlocking" your Navman S90 is not out of the question however it would be at your risk as their are some dangers involved in the process. MioPocket may make registry changes. A backup using NavDesk would be advised first.

Also, while MioPocket is the best solution I have found it is not flawless... it must run the script and 'load' each time the device is turned on. This can become frustrating.

The other unlock method simply loads the Windows CE desktop first and you can launch your navigation software from there but usability is not as good.

By the time you send it to me and I get it going, pay for software licence and buy some maps you could have probably bought a 5.0" unit installed and ready to go with complimentary USB wall charger and protective hard case along with all the standard accessories. You could probably flick off your S90 and the difference would be minimal I imagine.

I am going to run an advert in the NZFWDA newsletter in the near future offering readers twice the free maps (20) so I would honour that now also.

As to the question regarding the calibration accuracy, it is not possible to give exact measurement in metres etc. because there are many variables however accuracy is very good. Basically, you need to assign several reference points on the image and designate known lat/long coordinates. Because the digital map images are raster images there will be slight variances. E.g. if a map grid line is drawn with a line that is 1.75mm thick you are unlikely to be able to get exactly in the middle of the line to mark a reference coordinate. That said, most GPS devices are published as accurate between 3-10 metres so you are unlikely to notice.

I have another 5x 5.0" units arriving this week with free Bluetooth function upgrade due to a supplier stuff up so keep that in mind.

Cheers
Jason

[suzolla]

Hi Jason,
Interested in this.
Am I correct in thinking that it can act as a standard GPS and includes spoken directions for all of NZ roads with all of the normal GPS functions but has the added advantage of being able to load topo maps.
What is the difference between the TOPO250 and TOPO50 maps.
Does the 5" come with an internal battery so that it is portable.
What is the story for updates to the street maps.
Is the one you are talking about with the bluetooth the GPS5.0B
Cheers
Tim

[topstuff.co.nz]

Hi Tim,

That is correct. They come preinstalled with road navigation software with spoken directions for NZ and Australia. I then install and configure OziExplorerCE for Marine or Topo use.

The difference between Topo 50 and Topo 250 is just the scale. E.g. 1:50000 or 1:250000

Yes, the units come with an internal battery. I have imported and tested around a dozen models before settling on the current models for quality and features. While the battery life is as good as I have come across I would still not recommend relying on GPS navigation without a power source... just in case

I do not have access to the road navigation software map updates however there are people offering this service on TradeMe. The units currently come with the R5 New Zealand map which to my knowledge is the latest.

Yes, that is correct it is the GPS5.0B model that I have free Bluetooth upgrades on. I am expecting them to arrive today or tomorrow.

Thanks
Jason

[kbushnz]

Hi Jason

I didnt relise it came with Ozi and Road navigation software.

Pity this product wasnt around a few years back.
Before I unlocked my Navman to do the same thing.
I found the laptop too big to carry around hehehe.
Its a great having both Road navigation software and true mapping software like Ozi on one unit.
The price is good. You should get some good sales.

Calvin