Memory Map / Gps software and hardware - help needed!

[landy man can]

Hi Every body,
I am new to this forum and would greatly appreciate some help and advice with gps equipment. I am a complete computer numpty and am considering investing in something like memory map but would love some pointers as to how it works and what I need to run it?
Could I put it on the lap top and take that out laning or do I need to get another gps device?

It is my long term goal to go on an expedition a bit further afield one day so would rather spend a bit more now and buy only once.

An idea of price would be useful and also is there is anywhere on the net I can get the software from
Cheers guys

[normalbloke]

Memory map have all the answers.
You can download the program and some trial maps for free to have a play from their website.
It would seem you need to change your username!

[unclebazwold]

If you have an iphone and just want to know where you are you can get MM as an app or Motion X GPS on it as well.
Bazza

[chrisvitarasport94]

lots of choices really, some thoughts for you, other will have their ideas

I started with a Garmin Etrex Legend as my receiver, and with memory map on the laptop, with the GPS attached I have a moving map in great detail - it is not a route planner, you can do that off line beforehand, nor is it sat nav

the etrex is a great hand held to use with a paper map when hiking, and doesn't eat batteries

great for going greenlaning / exploring new areas, and being able to see all around you, no good/dangerous on the road

I also have memory map on an SD card in my GPS enabled PDA mounted on the dash, easier to use but is less interesting, as detail hard to see, useful when just revisiting an old favourite lane

I also use a Garmin Nuvi for road navigation and have GPS enabled phones ect, but don't see them as useful off road

if you like "maps" then a GPS, be it a hand held or a simple "aerial" type, will be the most interesting, and cheap on ebay???

if you just want to track yourself then a PDA will capture routes and you can down load to the PC to save later

Memory Map takes some beating!

[chrisvitarasport94]

just a thought, the 8" screens are pretty good to slave off a laptop if you want to mount on the dashboard

get the 1;50000 memory map series - care re scond hand - licences are registered!

older gps units need special cables to attach to laptops

[idratherbesurfing]

another vote for Etrex....

(ps i live in pontypool )

[normalbloke]

[Twiss]

Memory map is good because you can use a really really cheap GPS receiver to communicate with the PC...

The one I was using was of similar age and second hand price to this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Garmin-eTrex-Vista-GPS-Re...ystems_GPSSystems

and it works brilliantly!

Edit: just noticed the Etrex recommendations... I guess this is vote number 3!!!

[Biffo]

I use an Acer Aspire One notebook with Memorymap/ The Aspire One notebook is a solid state hard drive, so can't get damaged by rough handling (ie veh bouncing over rocks etc)
If you go to the memorymap website, you can buy a chunk of map (you select it from an overall map) for £25, this gives you an allowance of sq miles of map. you don't need to use it all at once, you could say select bits from Wales, or other places, then some time later you could decide maybe to go to to France etc and select those bits then.
I then used a USB dongle that I bought from ebay for £22 (see item 150472260200 )

I have the memorymap on the desk PC, where I mark the lanes etc using information from trailwise and wayfairer websites, I then plot a route on the overlay.
Once done, save the overlay and transfer it via USB stick to the memorymap on the Acer one.

With the Acer One on the dash of the disco, I use a split screen, one side zoomed right in so you can get the entrances to lanes correctly, and the other side used similar to a satnav to follow the route between lanes.
if you look at the piccy, you can just make out the lanes marked with a little fag marker at each end, but you can also see a wide "blue" route marked, this is the route that I intend to follow.
What I do as well, is I mark lanes first with a brown line if they appear drivable, then if they are confirmed as open to drive by driving them, I change the lane marking to Blue, but if they are TRO'd then I mark them in red. I also put a text box with the lane identification in, and any restrictions that apply, I check all this on the day prior to going to drive them.

(PS. you can find some of the English maps on the internet, but I've not told you)

[Bermuda Import]

m8 speak to my bro over here at www.sj410.co.uk as he has LOADS of hints and tips for that system( memory map) photo overlay etc etc

[rhinoman]

You can download MM to a Windows Mobile phone as well. I have had MM for about 6 years now, just upgraded to the latest version. One of the good things about it is that you can just phone them up and get technical advice, they are very helpful.
You can get the free OS maps for MM too.