trying to get good topo system in a readable size (4" or larger) in the JK. Thought I had it all figured out with a Kenwood 9140HU but it doesn't offer tracks or routes. I need a screen that is readable in off road conditions, topo maps, and tracks and routes.

I think there are a few Nuvi products that offer limited tracks (10) but when out exploring open area's I need more than 10 ten tracks between downloads to the PC, and must be able to operate in foul weather conditions.

The lowrance unit seems to fit the bill but then I'd have to invest in a new set of topo's ( I already own the garmin) and mapping software.

I know most off road racers use this unit but I'd like to hear a few pros and cons from some real world users.

Thanks

 

i've been looking at this as well. but mounting is a big issue. this thing is not small.

 

I guess my request is limited by the fact that this thread isn't as widely read as some others. I know there is at least one other member that has this unit, I guess I'll PM him.

 

David (MBATF on here) had this unit for a day and realized that the software was actually surprisingly limiting in terms of real-world use. The real dealbreaker was that everything has to be entered via a computer -- there is no way to go in and just punch in a waypoint and navigate to it. I was shocked, but some pretty thorough googling and a call to Lowrance confirmed it.

We both actually wound up going with the Garmin 378 which is super nice -- I think it's about a 4" diagonal screen, very readable, and I find it very usable in practice.

It sounds like you already have the Garmin topos, and I've been using their Base Camp software on my Mac to manage tracks and routes, etc.

 

That looks like it might be something to look into. I wanted larger screen, at least 5" but this might do.

I looked at the Garmin Street Pilot 7500 but it doesn't have the "tracks" feature. I also looked at the GPSMAP 620 but it doesn't save any tracks in the "automotive" mode, only in "marine" mode.

Does the 378 run the topo's and save your tracks? I live in a rural area where you can have numerous roads get you to the same location or make you drive in circles. I use the tracks feature to eliminate a lot of useless driving and don't want to run 2 gps units to get it.

I wish the Garmin site could let you search their product line by the "tracks" feature. I've been using the map section to show which products can run the topo's but interestingly the 378 didn't show up.

I did call Lowrance and speak to them regarding their topo's and they have discontinued both the freedom maps (sd card with regional map) and the map create dvd (with the whole us in topo form) and are no longer going to offer the topos inany format.

I can't see investing the $700 bucks for less quality mapping and a discontinued product.

 

Yes, I bought this unit primarily for off-road and topo support. It's a full-featured "chart plotter" with excellent topo support (Garmin now offers 24k:1 maps on DVD of most if not all of the country), support for tracks, routes, waypoints, etc. By default the track history will overwrite itself after some (very long) period of time, but you can save off and name your track at any point and load it back in later. Be warned that you do need a proprietary Garmin memory card to store the topos on the device: it doesn't support standard SD cards etc. This is an annoyance, but they can be had relatively cheaply on eBay, and my 512MB card holds 100k topos for half the country.

A while back, I had both my normal on-road GPS (Tom Tom) and a Garmin 60CSx (handheld topo unit) stolen at the same time. I was originally thinking I would need to replace each one separately. I got the 378 to replace the earlier Garmin unit first, and after running it for a few months, I decided the traditional on-road navigation was just fine for my needs. It even has a relatively recent POI database with restaurants, gas stations, etc.

Good luck with your search -- I'm not a huge fan of Garmin's site either, but hopefully this info is helpful.

 

I'm surprised there isn't a unit that meets our needs already on the market.
I just want my Garmin Rino 530 in a larger screen size and I'd be happy!!!

 

We run the Baja in our race truck.

Reasons for using it:
Topos are available
Large display for the co driver
Selectable "extra" data overlay - i.e. speed, max speed, batt voltage, distance remaining, etc.
other racers have the course info and can share it via the memory card

Would I use this in my JK? No. Look at the garmin Chartplotter line.

I have used in the past the Garmins, and been very happy with them, on the water, on the trail and in the air. They now offer so many options that I cannot offer an informed opinion.

 

Garmin offers a huge line of Chartplotters but very few will log tracks in the "automotive" mode. The GPSMAP 378 mmccurdy mentioned seems to be the closest unit to fit my needs, unfortunately it too is discontinued so I need to find a retailer who still has one in stock.

I still need to check it the 378 will read "my" SD card with garmin topo info. I have the Garmin topo DVD and usally load maps via a USB to my Rino. This unit offers both turn by turn navigation and "tracks", very few chartplotters will give you turn by turn for street use and save tracks.

 

Not sure where you are seeing that the 378 is discontinued -- it's still showing up on Garmin's site, and many sites have them for sale new. I got mine at Amazon. You can go play with it at West Marine if you have one near you.

If you like the basic functionality of the Rino software, you will like the 378 -- it's very similar. Since I upgraded from a 60CSx (which I think is identical to the Rino except that it lacks the radio functions), I was very pleased with how much more responsive things are on the 378. Downloads are much faster, and the on-road navigation is more than usable where on the 60CSx it would fail if the route involved more than 20 turns or something stupid like that.

The 378 will not read an SD card, but the same maps you are able to transfer to your Rino should work just fine. You will need a memory card like this one (copy/paste link):

amazon.com/Garmin-128-Megabyte-Cartridge-StreetPilot-010-10226-13/dp/B000050FZG