4wd gps thoughts

[Ozzz]

Hi, I was digging a lot with 4wd gps setup. And I have found most members are either using a dedicated gps unit(in dash or portable) or tablets with 4wd app with maps.

Last few hours I was on the tablet and app path, all of sudden a silly idea popped out. Why cant I use my mobile phone with 4wd maps? Has anyone use this combo?

[nj swb]

Hi, I was digging a lot with 4wd gps setup. And I have found most members are either using a dedicated gps unit(in dash or portable) or tablets with 4wd app with maps.

Last few hours I was on the tablet and app path, all of sudden a silly idea popped out. Why cant I use my mobile phone with 4wd maps? Has anyone use this combo?

It's not such a silly idea, and yes, you can do it. I tried it, but the screen was too small, so I'm now using an 8" android tablet. I wanted 8", as I wanted it near the top of the dash, closer to my line of sight, and thought a 10" tablet would be too intrusive.

A 6" phone screen may not sound a lot smaller, but phone screens are getting taller, not wider, and a 2:1 aspect ratio isn't as user friendly for mapping as 4:3.

I also run OziExplorer on my aftermarket head unit, but the display is further away from line of sight, and can get some horrid reflections.

[Seigried]

I personally prefer a bigger scrren than my phone.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Swede50]

I use Memory Map.
I have Hema + Westprint maps and Vic Topo loaded.
Both on a old Samsung Galaxy Note4 on a dash mount as well as running on a 10" tablet.
Also have a 7" Garmin satnav.
I found the phone in it's mount to be a little small but OK for reference whilst driving.
Every road or track I have been on in the outback or Vic high country has been there on the Garmin,,,, much to my surprise. However, the Garmin is useless for planning.
I use the 10" tablet for planning along with paper maps and the phone and Garmin when driving.
Hope that helps.

[Ozzz]

Thanks guys for such detailed input. Now I have confirmed my mobile phone can be used as 4wd gps. I will get 4wd map into my mobile phone to use as a back up and handheld gps

[Scrambler]

Thanks guys for such detailed input. Now I have confirmed my mobile phone can be used as 4wd gps. I will get 4wd map into my mobile phone to use as a back up and handheld gps

I'm late to this party, and my "new" NL came with a tablet in it, but until then I used my phone for maps. My fave was a now-outdated setup with a Garmin-Asus phone using Garmin and aftermarket maps. Loved that, would still buy a Garmin phone if they make another.

The options I would look at for your phone would be Open Street Map and/or Garmin format maps. There are good free off-road maps for these formats, plus navigable on-road maps.

[Ozzz]

I'm late to this party, and my "new" NL came with a tablet in it, but until then I used my phone for maps. My fave was a now-outdated setup with a Garmin-Asus phone using Garmin and aftermarket maps. Loved that, would still buy a Garmin phone if they make another.

The options I would look at for your phone would be Open Street Map and/or Garmin format maps. There are good free off-road maps for these formats, plus navigable on-road maps.

Never late thanks for the advice. I am googling Garmin format maps now.

[Mundy55]

I have tried lots of combinations, none of which is perfect, and have currently settled on the one which is the least frustrating at the moment. The one which works best for you will be a personal thing.

I have used both MMaps and OziExplorer. I have used a 10" window mounted, Windows tablet; a Hema NX1; a Galaxy S7; and now, the latest, a Polaris Android head unit.

I prefer MMaps to use (on Windows) but it is more expensive and less flexible map wise than OziE and I don't like the way it operates on Android. The 10" tablet was great for viewing but was intrusive and not quite safe window mounted. The mobile phone was too small a screen size and, as noted in anothe similar post, if I got close enought to get the detail I couldn't focus on the screen. I was never comfortable with the way the Hema HX1 operated and most frustratingly, its polarised screen direction meant that the screen, in landscape mode, was black when using polarised sunglasses (essential when driving IMHO).

The Polaris head unit has a number of advantages, not just the off road mapping, and I never liked the OEM unit. But it, too, isn't perfect. Most niggly for me is, as NJ noted, the glossy screen gives unwanted reflections depending on light conditions, especially if my partner is wearing a light coloured top in the passenger seat. I haven't yet installed MMap onto this unit to see how it runs as I'm giving OziE a good try out. There's supposed to be improvements coming to OziE and I'll wait a while yet.

[Ozzz]

I have tried lots of combinations, none of which is perfect, and have currently settled on the one which is the least frustrating at the moment. The one which works best for you will be a personal thing.

I have used both MMaps and OziExplorer. I have used a 10" window mounted, Windows tablet; a Hema NX1; a Galaxy S7; and now, the latest, a Polaris Android head unit.

I prefer MMaps to use (on Windows) but it is more expensive and less flexible map wise than OziE and I don't like the way it operates on Android. The 10" tablet was great for viewing but was intrusive and not quite safe window mounted. The mobile phone was too small a screen size and, as noted in anothe similar post, if I got close enought to get the detail I couldn't focus on the screen. I was never comfortable with the way the Hema HX1 operated and most frustratingly, its polarised screen direction meant that the screen, in landscape mode, was black when using polarised sunglasses (essential when driving IMHO).

The Polaris head unit has a number of advantages, not just the off road mapping, and I never liked the OEM unit. But it, too, isn't perfect. Most niggly for me is, as NJ noted, the glossy screen gives unwanted reflections depending on light conditions, especially if my partner is wearing a light coloured top in the passenger seat. I haven't yet installed MMap onto this unit to see how it runs as I'm giving OziE a good try out. There's supposed to be improvements coming to OziE and I'll wait a while yet.

Thanks mate, as along as it works then happy life. I have decided to get out first. As along as my phone can be used as gps then i can try to andriod auto or carplay to the head units unless the offroad app cant be supported

[garyk]

Have been using a 6 inch android phone with Explore oz app for on road and off road for a while now and works well and can be used online or offline and off road mapping even has turn by turn navigation no matter how remote you are and a whole lot of other features as well some of which you pay a bit more for but way cheaper than a new head unit

[Ian H]

The Explore Oz maps are only 144k resolution which isn't any good in the high country or for minor outback tracks.

[Wazza999]

Thanks mate, as along as it works then happy life. I have decided to get out first. As along as my phone can be used as gps then i can try to andriod auto or carplay to the head units unless the offroad app cant be supported

I think android auto only supports google maps and not any third party mapping products. I understand you can bypass this by casting to the screen. If you loook up threads about replacement head units you will find detailed discussions of this issue.

[Dicko1]

I use a 10 inch Samsung tablet. I use Igo for local suburban/city type traffic and Hema/Explore Oz/ Memory Maps plus custom downloads for the rest of Qld. Having access to all the other android apps is handy. Connect via wi-fi or blurtooth to phone if internet is reqd. Next move will be a windows 10 inch tablet...Phone is just too small for reading maps. . Also carry my Asus 14 inch laptop that has heaps of maps as well and is used at night to plot tracks. The Samsung has a 256Gig card full of music as well that when connected via bluetooth to a remote speaker provides the nights musical entertainment. My tasblet is mounted with homemade extension arms resting on the dash and attached to a large suction cap on windscreen. Does not interfer with line of sight over bonnet and is readily available to read...lot better than if it was placed where the central dash media centre would be placed..

[Mundy55]

.....I use ......Hema/Explore Oz/ Memory Maps plus custom downloads for the rest of Qld. ........Next move will be a windows 10 inch tablet.........

If you go with a windows 10 tablet, with an internal gps, check out what the gps is as it probably won't work with MMaps without other interface programs. Unless they've changed back, when they went to Windows 8, Microsoft changed from gps's with NMEA output to APP's which have a different output. MMap also requires a com port input which W10 doesn't have. The MMap will run but it won't read the gps without an NMEA conversion program and a com port emulator program. OziExplorer works ok though. Maybe MMap have upgraded, too, I haven't checked lately.

[BruceandBobbi]

I use a 10 inch Samsung tablet. I use Igo for local suburban/city type traffic and Hema/Explore Oz/ Memory Maps plus custom downloads for the rest of Qld.

...and you still get lost mate.