My 1st In-Car System - PDA Based

[Beast Of Bodmin]

Hi All,
I've been driving the Vic Hi Country with our 4B club and always wondered where the hell we are!

I have a Mag Meridian to log the tracks (UK base map) onto a section of the world base map which it runs. Obviously the map scale is very poor for track watching, so have been looking for an alternative.

Finalyy the accountant came good at tax return time and told me to spend less than AUD800 to reclaim in one yr. Laptop for 800 - hmm, tricky. At the time, PDA iPaq 4700 qas also about AUD1200. So l left it.
Anyway, last week a guy in Harvey Norman tried tosell me the 4700 for under 700 (had to order so not too interested). I took this info to Myers, thus l now own a 4700 and paid AUD685 - i'm chuft to bits!

Now l need to find a method to connect it up.
Current decisions are:
PDA Mount
Magellan Meridian Mount
Cabling between PDA & Magellan
Scrap Magellan (for this usage) & buy a bluetooth gps
Where to source Vic Hi Country maps & desert maps

All for now
Beast Of Bodmin

[arthurking83]

Hi again,

It sounds like you got a Meridian in the UK, and brought it here to play with??

There is a method you can use to change the basemap, hardly worth it, as the Aus basemap will display only major Hwys! ( Magellan frowns on this, and it voids the warranty!)

Maps of the High Country, well you could start with some of the free Geocience ECW maps.
Depending on your net connection, broadband or dial-up, and it's only the High Country and some desert maps you're after, this should present too much trouble.
The average image file is about 4Megs depending on the image you want.

eg.
Say you wanted Bairnsdale (https://www.ga.gov.au/products/servlet/controller?nationalToggle=&national=include&offPageSelection=false&pager.offset=20&original_offset=70&event=REFORM_PRODUCT_SELECTION&sort=&sel_count=0) and Warbuton (https://www.ga.gov.au/products/servlet/controller?nationalToggle=&national=include&offPageSelection=false&pager.offset=480&original_offset=490&event=REFORM_PRODUCT_SELECTION&sort=&sel_count=0) .
These will give you the southern parts of the high country, you tick the files you need, then click "Continue to File Selection".
Choose the ER Mapper ECW files (the other files are vector format and in reality only applicable for "making maps")
Once you have chosen the ECW files continue on to the registration process, just tick the "Personal Use boxes" (all SECTIONS must have at least one tick) enter an email address (I use my hotmail one).
Within a minute, you will recieve the email from GeoSc, with the link to download the images.
You will then need to get the images geo-referenced, (available from lots of places, and we can post the files you need!) and your ready to load into Ozi.

I guess with a PDA you will need OziCE, and then convert the images to ozf3(??) format for use on the PDA.

Any problems, just ask :)

cheers.

[mitchofsutho]

For about $400 you could have purchased yourself DiscoverAus Streets and Tracks Topo (DAST Topo) on an SD card and installed it into your Meridian. That way you do not need to worry about the base map, you only need to load the State map image for the state you are operating in. You can then access all Aussie street, tracks, etc you need, right down to high country fire trails.

Although PDA with colour screens offer many advantages over the Meridian, with the DAST SD card you have the advantages of points of interest and street search capabilties.

Personally, I would run both the PDA and the Meridian with DAST Topo and have the best of both worlds. You could load OziExplorer CE to the PDA (plus maps obtained from a variety of locations), as well, you could also load a turn-by-turn software package, you could also run DAST on the Meridian to refer to. You can't have enough data in the field to avoid becoming "Topographically Embarrassed"!

[Beast Of Bodmin]

G'day Mitch,
Thanks for the reply. I didn't look into DAST, as l thought that the screen is not that suitable. What l mean is, when zoomed out there are too many lines and when zoomed in there isn't enough info.
Some tracks we drive are very small, so whether DASY has these, l have no idea either.

Basically l'm considering the PDA as a freebie from the taxman, as l can use it for work too.

Cheers
BoB

[mitchofsutho]

G'day BoB,

The PDA is always handy and colour images are definately an improvement over gray tone, but for on screen PDA mapping, you will still be required to purchase a number of additional components and software in order to view maps on the PDA and navigate via GPS.

You will require:
A PDA compatable GPSr (the Meridian should be able to connect to the PDA so it could be used)
Appropriate memory card
Moving map software - OziExplorer CE
Map images of the areas you are navigating.

Unfortunately there are very few free map files for Victoria, so you may have to purchased them and, if you do not scan and configure the maps yourself, the cost of digital map image files can start to add up. GPSAustralia has NSW covered in 1:25K & 1:100K, which you can freely download, but unfortunately the free NSW images are missing a lot of the overlays (place names, buildings, etc), mind you they do contain most of the tracks, so they can be used to navigate.

The other option is, if you have any map images and their associated OziExplorer .map file, using Img2ozf (http://www.oziexplorer.com/), found under the Optional Extras on the OziExplorer (http://www.oziexplorer.com) website, you can convert the map image and .map file and use them with OziE CE. A number of other formats can also be used.

I suggest, if you have not had a play with DAST, go to retailer who sells DAST Topo or at least a DAST (standard) and ask to see it operate on their computer. Then look at the detail of the data for the areas that interest you. I think you will be surprised at how detailed DAST really is, often right down to station tracks in remote areas, so it would almost certainly display many of the high country tracks upon which you drive. Generally, if the track is on a paper map, DAST displays it.

In using DAST (not topo) I have found that as you zoom in, the detail increases, not decreases. You also have the option of turning off the points of interest by catagory, so you only need to see what you want.

If you use the Meridian, with DAST topo (CD version coming out in the next month or two) linked to your PDA, and you run something like Destinator or other turn-by-turn program on the PDA, you can have both detailed off road mapping, as well as metro turn-by-turn navigation.

Just my thoughts.

[Beast Of Bodmin]

G'day All,
Finally the component parts ofthe system have arrived. Genuine version of OziExp + CE for the PDA.
Brian at GPSOZ made up a cable to join the HP HX4700 PDA to the Meridian Gold via the RJ11 port on the Seidio mount l bought from him.
I have to install the gps mount (boat, tilt rotatable type magellan jobbie) to the gear shift console of the 80 series and try it all out.

Haven't actually tried it out yet, so hope all the system works together.

I had a go with OziCE, ended up on a map page l could zoom in/out but couldn't leave. Obviously some learning to do!

Can't wait for Festy's Vic map series, that will save $$$ and effort.
Cheers
BoB

[Jon]

Good Choice, (Hx4700) I too have that and Brian at GPSOZ made the adapter to the GPSII+ and the PDA.
Unfortunatly I have not used it all that much, but will try a bit harder.
I've jsut brought a 7" TFT for the Cruiser, to go with the new DVD Head( for 4.7Gb of music, Yeh Right) so I'm looking for a way to mirror the PDA screen onn to the TFT screen, ??? Any suggestions????


Regards

JOn

[Beast Of Bodmin]

G'day Jon,
Sorry but l've no idea how to do that.

With hindsight l might have preferred getting a $350 2nd hand lappy and a 7inch touch screen. Anyhow, cash is spent now.

What mount did you go for? I got a Seidio for the pda from Brain and think it's not too capable of holding the pda when offroad. I'm considering a velcro tab at the top or a elastic band.
When spending this kind of money on a system, its not very good to look at a rubber band as a real solution.

I dont know whether the RAM mount is able to power and communicate between the pda & gps like the Seidio.

Hmmm
BoB

[Jon]

Thanks BOB, I got the Sedio mount from Brian too. I'd talk to Brian about the holding solution, as he'd know a good, easy and cheap fix.
I suppose Velcro is a good soliution, but just be careful, a couple of times I've had the set up drop. I'm thinking about a laptop solution, but will wait as the PDA does everthing I need ATM.

Regards

Jon

[UncySpam]

the hx4700 does vga out iirc - you need to buy the cable for it, but then you can output vga to your screen (if its capable of taking vga in...)

[Mac001]

Have a look at http://www.efrontier.com.au/ (http://www.efrontier.com.au/estore/index.php?currency=AUD). I have a Dell X51 Pocket PC running Windows Mobile 5. These guys have specialist PDA stuff, like in-car mounts with integated PDA charging and serial interface for serial GPS units. I ahve a small bluetooth unit (about the size if a matchbox that sits on the dash behind the windscreen mount) and I have no problems off-road. I can even get out of the car with the PDA and as long as I stay close it stays connected. With a 1Gb SD card (also written of to tax) I keep all amps with me.

[Jon]

Uncle SPAM, do you know where to get such a cable???

[UncySpam]

not for the hp specifically no - I have an axim X50V which uses the same vga chip, which gives it that capability... dell sell one for mine, so I would be aurpised if a genuine hp one didnt exist...