a) will do what I want,
b) is in stock and available to buy
c) doesn't cost a small fortune and
d) isn't overly complex.
We bought ourselves a Garmin Etrex handheld GPS last year believing that it would be compatible with Ordnance Survey maps in digital format e.g. Memory Map - How wrong we were. Since then I have been looking for a device that would load a digital Ordnance Survey map and have a large enough screen to make its use viable. A PDA would have been ideal but there has been a steady move away from straightforward PDA's to I-Phones and tiny laptops - i.e Notebooks. I had settled on a Mitak Mio P360 as the best buy for what I wanted but you cannot get them for love or money and it looked as if it was going to be an I-Phone or nothing.
So, while trawling the net again yesterday I was delighted to come across the Road Angel Adventurer 7000
This GPS is dual purpose, operating as an in-car navigation system or as robust and waterproof hand held that you can load OS maps (Memory Map) on to. So I think I've got it, the very thing that I wanted, a rugged GPS that displays an actual map that an idiot like me can follow. All I have to do now is get my hands on one.
Update: I have bitten the bullet and ordered one from AtoZ!!!
5 comments:
Glad you've found what you want. I had been looking for just such a device, i.e. a car sat nav which could also be used on the boat to give speed and trip information. In the end, like you, I bought a hand-held Garmin GPS device, the etrex H, and a separate Garmin Nuvi 250 car sat nav. Had I known at the time that the Nuvi 250 would almost as much as the etrex H, and much, much more, I wouldn't have bought the hand-held machine. The only slight downside to the Nuvi 250 is that it isn't waterproof. Oh, and it doesn't have "proper" OS maps. Now I'm going to have to look up the device you've just bought.
I posted about all this here:
http://jhalfie.blogspot.com/2009/02/gps-and-sat-nav.html
Hi Halfie
I read your post about the GPs, and just about everyone else's on the subject! We now use the Garmin on Caxton to provide accurate cruising data for the fuel split but it has been a waste of money really. I think this new gizmo will deliver what I want having read a bunch of user reviews so here's hoping..
Hello Lesley,
I'm enjoying your blog. Even more now that my March edition of Canalboat magazine has finally arrived here in sunny Australia. The review of Caxton was very interesting, particularly as your layout is almost identical to the one I've been planning :-) And you have a Hurricane heater! I've read about the poor performance of the competitors. How is the performance of the Hurricane?
Hi Tom
All the way from the he Anti-podes, wow! I take it you are going to come over to Blighty and live the life of a ditch crawler like us? Best wishes to you.
You mention Caxton's layout, one of the benefits is it puts the multifuel stove right in the centre of the boat and the heat distribution is so much more effective.
Like you, we had heard the horror stories about central heating units that were designed for lorry cabs, Eberspacher and the like. We had the Hurricane fitted because it is designed to do what we want in the marine environment. It is simple and tough and works a treat. The test will be what it is like in a couple of years time but the unit has a good track record so we are optimistic.
take care and see you on the cut one day
Hello Lesley
Yes, we are going to take the plunge once the little pink pig is full of coins. We rather like your interior decoration as in my words "We're not NZ hobbits or woodpeckers so we're not going to live in a log!" The painted panels look good. We've even thought of washable vinyl wallpaper. Our idea is to not have a dinette but instead have a rear cabin for electric's, washing machine, storage, computer workstation and guest accommodation.
We've already booked a two week holiday in July and plan to completed the Stourport Ring. It will be our 5th trip in the last decade. In a few more years we should be ready to do it permanently. Meantime I read reviews and refine our boat specifications.
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