Comments on: Article - How to choose a GPS

By: Tsholo

Tsholo — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:52:34 +0000

I read that TomTom has Zulu,Sotho,Fanagalo,Afrikaans, etc. voice. Basically i just want to be able to go from A to B in Gauteng with ease. So, which TomTom or Garmin product should i compare?
(I want to look at the two and say “this one does the same as the other but for a better price”)

Regards,
Tsholo

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:53:57 +0000

Thank you very much.

By: MadMapper

MadMapper — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:31:04 +0000

Hi Mark

This must be the funniest thing I’ve heard all week

A GPS receiver will receive satellite signal, and be able to give you your co-ordinate position, in any country in the world. It is only the detailed map software that is loaded onto the “map-enabled” category of receivers that would be country (or in some cases continent) specific.

Since the Garmin eTrex H is a non map-enabled unit, there would be no problems using it anywhere.

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:09:42 +0000

My daughter is going to Ghana (from USA) and I was looking at getting her a GPS unit strictly for emergency use. I want her to be able to call the embassy and tell them exactly where she is if she is in trouble, using Lat and Long coordinates. The retail salesman here in Texas said the Garmin eTrexH that is sold here would not work in Africa due to software constraints. He says the software is optimized for use in the US and wouldn’t interpret the signals from the satellites over Africa correctly. Is that true? I couldn’t find anything on Garmin’s website about that.

Thanks for your help.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:12:40 +0000

Makro has the garmin 610 on special this is a discontinued unit but has many features for a good price would you recomend that i buy

By: MadMapper

MadMapper — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:55:14 +0000

Gordon

Most people who want the GPS to be “hardwired” into their vehicle simply pop out to their nearest auto electrician and have the job done for a few hundred Rand. Not sure what BMW’s warranty policy is but it’s generally not a major job to run the cable behind the dashboard and connect it to the back of the cigarette lighter socket.

By: Gordon

Gordon — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:38:26 +0000

I want to get a GPS for motor use, mostly in the city.

The thing that puts me off the most is having the car charger wire hanging from the unit to the cigarette lighter and generally getting in the way of the gear lever.

I understand that the best place for the unit is probably the windscreen or the dashboard, but is there a way that the unit can be wired in so to say, without coughing up R12K to BMW??

Thank you

By: MadMapper

MadMapper — Mon, 26 May 2008 11:30:54 +0000

Hi Jason

If you are just looking for a unit for a “once off” use, then you could go with the cheapest “Basic” (non map-enabled) outdoor model in the Garmin range, the Garmin eTrex H. Cheap, lightweight, good battery life, basic, rugged and easy to use. There are no detailed GPS maps available of Iceland at this time so a map enabled unit for this adventure would be overkill.

If however, you would be using the unit for other purposes after your Iceland expedition, then I would strongly suggest thinking about any other features that you would need in the future and where you would be using the unit. Detailed maps, where available, take up memory space so (preferably) expandable memory capabilities would be needed etc.

By: Jason Suter

Jason Suter — Mon, 26 May 2008 09:40:56 +0000

I am hiking across Iceland in August and we need a GPS. What would you recommend as a lightweight model, and where can you get the software for Iceland maps? Or do you even need Iceland specific maps if you have the co-ordinates and way points? What would be the best and safest way to go?

Regards

Jason Suter

By: MadMapper

MadMapper — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 15:04:11 +0000

Hi Mariaan

Merry Christmas
I recommend that you take a look at the Garmin Nuvi 200 or Nuvi 200W.