What are you using to mapping your journey and navigating your route?

[ptgarcia]

Interesting. I know the brand from the water sports and shipping sector. Didn´t know that Lowrance has also GPS devices for land vehicles. The Baja 540c ssems to have quite a big screen which is good to get a proper overview of the map. What digital maps are usbale with the Lowrance? What maps are you using? Thanks.

I use free maps available online from places like gpsxchange.com (there are many available), but you can also buy more detailed maps from PCI Race Radios and Rugged Routes.

Lowrance is what the vast majority of off road racers use. Not only are their components robust, they accept user maps and tracks (they call them trails). They use remote mount antennas, also, which allows you to mount the display anywhere. There's no requirement to be visible to the sky above for precise GPS location. Check out the Elite-7 Ti for an affordable unit with lots of bells and whistle. Just keep in mind these are primarily mapping GPS, not street navigators.

 

[El-Dracho]

I use free maps available online from places like gpsxchange.com (there are many available), but you can also buy more detailed maps from PCI Race Radios and Rugged Routes.

Lowrance is what the vast majority of off road racers use. Not only are their components robust, they accept user maps and tracks (they call them trails). They use remote mount antennas, also, which allows you to mount the display anywhere. There's no requirement to be visible to the sky above for precise GPS location. Check out the Elite-7 Ti for an affordable unit with lots of bells and whistle. Just keep in mind these are primarily mapping GPS, not street navigators.

Thank you!

Yes, a remote or external antenna is a very useful feature. I run my Garmin device with an extermal antenna which lives on the rollcage of the rig. Much better signal than with the standard antenna of the device.

 

[Alanymarce]

Interesting! I've used to use an external antenna in the 90s, and my GPS unit did benefit from this. We've used standalone GPS units (Garmin Colorado 300 and then GPSmap64st) without an external antenna for the last decade without any problems.

 

[ptgarcia]

Interesting! I've used to use an external antenna in the 90s, and my GPS unit did benefit from this. We've used standalone GPS units (Garmin Colorado 300 and then GPSmap64st) without an external antenna for the last decade without any problems.

And that usually works great. Sometimes, though, you decide to mount your GPS in the dash like your radio:

 

[Autism Family Travels]

And that usually works great. Sometimes, though, you decide to mount your GPS in the dash like your radio:

Same unit I had on my Yamaha sxs. We are using the garmin montana 600 on our new Ranger.

 

[Berkshires]

Gaia Premium on an old iPad Air with Dual Electronic GPS receiver for off-road (also Gaia on my phone when hiking). Garmin 60NA and Waze on iPhone for street/highway navigation.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Gaia Premium on an old iPad Air with Dual Electronic GPS receiver for off-road (also Gaia on my phone when hiking). Garmin 60NA and Waze on iPhone for street/highway navigation.

Oooh, please tell me more. Do you recommend the GPS receiver you're using? Does anyone else have an external GPS solution that'll work with an iDevice that doesn't have one? I have an iPad Mini 3 without GPS, so, I use my phone or bigger tablet... being able to make my Mini work would be nice.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

And that usually works great. Sometimes, though, you decide to mount your GPS in the dash like your radio:

LOL, I like that!!! That's dedication!

 

[Berkshires]

Oooh, please tell me more. Do you recommend the GPS receiver you're using? Does anyone else have an external GPS solution that'll work with an iDevice that doesn't have one? I have an iPad Mini 3 without GPS, so, I use my phone or bigger tablet... being able to make my Mini work would be nice.

There are other options, but so far my XGPS150A has worked well for me - one more thing to plug in, though it does have about 6-8 hours of charge time on it. If I had one, I would use the iPad Mini - best size for mounting in my Tacoma, but I already have enough iPads. I'll probably pick one up used for my next big trip, whenever that is.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

There are other options, but so far my XGPS150A has worked well for me - one more thing to plug in, though it does have about 6-8 hours of charge time on it. If I has one, I would use the iPad Mini - best size for mounting in my Tacoma, but I already have enough iPads. I'll probably pick one up used for my next big trip, whenever that is.

Nice! Thanks for the recommendation. And, yep, my thoughts too! Not too small as to be difficult to use. Not so big (like my 10.1) that it becomes cumbersome and gets in the way of everything.

 

[LostInThought]

Oooh, please tell me more. Do you recommend the GPS receiver you're using? Does anyone else have an external GPS solution that'll work with an iDevice that doesn't have one? I have an iPad Mini 3 without GPS, so, I use my phone or bigger tablet... being able to make my Mini work would be nice.

I have a Dual XGPS160 (SkyPro). Works great with iPad (5th gen Mini) and iPhone (X) - up to 5 devices simultaneously. Using just the internal GPS on the iPad, I'd occasionally see dropouts in the mountains. So far the Dual is rock solid, consistently locking more satellites than the internal GPS devices.

 

[Alanymarce]

And that usually works great. Sometimes, though, you decide to mount your GPS in the dash like your radio:

Fair point. Your installation looks good. Do you have a cable permanently connected to allow download of GPX files or to change the base map?

 

[ptgarcia]

Fair point. Your installation looks good. Do you have a cable permanently connected to allow download of GPX files or to change the base map?

Sorry, I should have made it known but that's not my rig. I dug up that picture just to illustrate how these GPS are typically installed in an off road and race environment to show why the use of an external antenna may be necessary. Mine just happens to be viewable from the sky and a picture showing it mounted in my truck wouldn't get my point across.

But to answer your question, in the bottom right corner of the front face of the GPS there is a door to a dust and water proof compartment that houses an SD card where you transfer maps and other data. There is no need for cables other than for the power and antenna.

 

[Western]

I am currently using GAIA through Apple CarPlay and have a big map book as a back up in the car. I’m trying to find a good iPad mount for my OB which would allow me to scroll around and explore and area. I also use TrailsOffroad.com for trip planning before I get out there

 

[Alanymarce]

Ah - clear now, thanks.

Our unit(s) has (have) an access port which requires that you insert the cable in the top, so a flush mount in the dash would make that difficult or impossible (we'd have to be able to pull the unit out), and the access for a card is by pulling of the back cover, so same problem. In fact we load different maps via the cable in the built-in memory by connecting to a laptop, however we 'd still need to pull the unit out of the dash. It would be an interesting project to work out an elegant way to do all this. We've gone the simple route and mount the unit on a modified GoPro mount.

About the only downside is that if we ever take this vehicle to California (and perhaps some other states in the USA) we'd apparently be contravening regulations about blocking the view through the windscreen/windshield. An upside is that it's easier to take the GPS with us in a pocket if we're parked somewhere where theft might be a concern.

 

[ptgarcia]

Ah - clear now, thanks.

Our unit(s) has (have) an access port which requires that you insert the cable in the top, so a flush mount in the dash would make that difficult or impossible (we'd have to be able to pull the unit out), and the access for a card is by pulling of the back cover, so same problem. In fact we load different maps via the cable in the built-in memory by connecting to a laptop, however we 'd still need to pull the unit out of the dash. It would be an interesting project to work out an elegant way to do all this. We've gone the simple route and mount the unit on a modified GoPro mount.

Lowrance made it easy to permanently mount their GPS. I really like using them out on the trails.

About the only downside is that if we ever take this vehicle to California (and perhaps some other states in the USA) we'd apparently be contravening regulations about blocking the view through the windscreen/windshield. An upside is that it's easier to take the GPS with us in a pocket if we're parked somewhere where theft might be a concern.

I live in CA and I've had my GPS sitting on the dash for more than a decade, and I've had my fair share of speeding tickets, and not once has an officer given me any flack over it. And it's not small, and I always have the bright white cover on the screen so I know it has been noticed. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Hafaday]

I prefer a stand alone GPS. but currently using a wifi only ipad mini, blue-toothed, to a Garmin Glo GPS antenna. As for apps to run maps.. Garmin Explore (new to me). I haven’t played with it a whole lot, but is does track me in real time and I can set/save waypoints.

1st. Pic is the pad in the taco. . 2nd and 3rd are saved pix’s using my phone a few weeks ago.

Edit: I also have NatGeo hard copy maps as well.

 

[Billiebob]

this is my go to
paper is the best

 

[MegaBug]

As posted on another thread,
We find a combination of technology used in appropriate situations works best for us (vehicle Nav, Android tablet, Garmin Zumo and Garmin Inreach)
On the highway on the way to the trails I find the vehicle Nav is the most convenient. For the ”big picture” my co-pilot follows along with a mapbook. If I want to locate a specific address, business or service I will bring up Google maps on my Android tablet. If I want to preplan a highway route I will do that in Garmin Mapsource and download it to the Zumo.
Once off road Gaia on the tablet is our goto. I have preloaded maps (most-used layers) for the areas we travel and the internal GPS means we need no external connections. Preloaded tracks keep us on the trail and I record our current progress as a new track for future reference. Paper resources such as Backroad Mapbooks, Funtreks and local guides (Parks, Forest Service) give us some ”old fashioned” backup.
We check in with family members each evening with the Inreach (which also gives our coordinates) and of course, in case of emergency we know we can get help anywhere via satellite.
And for out-of-vehicle navigation, I use OSMAnd which guides me on the hiking trails with offline maps.
It sounds like a lot, but each piece has its own purpose.

 

[troywhittaker]

There are other options, but so far my XGPS150A has worked well for me - one more thing to plug in, though it does have about 6-8 hours of charge time on it. If I had one, I would use the iPad Mini - best size for mounting in my Tacoma, but I already have enough iPads. I'll probably pick one up used for my next big trip, whenever that is.

I have used this unit for years and it works well. Biggest drawback is the battery has deteriorated so I have to keep it plugged in and if no vehicle power there's nav risk. I keep a charge battery in the truck anyways as a backup.

Been trying to use Gaia now that there's CarPlay integration... but I find the interface really confusing for setting routes and waypoints. I typically wind back up in Apple Maps or Waze. I do use Gaia regularly for private/public land layers to find access to rivers for fishing :)

Anyone know of good integrations to Apple Maps and/or CarPlay for finding interesting stops on a road trip (highways, etc)?