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Riggerdan

GPS for chase rig / off road vehicle

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Got a buddy interested in outfitting his rig with a hardwired GPS unit...

Primarily for Baja excursions / races

The only input I was able to give was to make sure he can load tracks / info into it?

Any suggestions….?

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The bigger the better if you ask me. Makes searching for destinations, roads, etc. much easier. Most of the Baja guys are running Lowrance. There's probably some good info on race dezert. Or call Rugged Radios. They're always friendly and helpful.

It also depends how much he wants to spend. $400 or $2000 plus. One of the $400-$500 Lowrance units should be more than enough.

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Android tablet with a RAM mount system is what I would build.

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Android tablet with a RAM mount system is what I would build.

Would it need cell service to run the GPS? I'm not familiar with the operating system?

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The primary benefit of a Lowrance GPS is that they can handle exposure to water. They're really expensive and a bit clunky when it comes to the interaction. Most of their units were originally made for fishing then re-purposed for off-roading. They've even got the depth finder connection on the back. A good choice if your buddy also happens to own a boat! If he doesn't need the maximum durability aspect, there are less expensive choices that he probably like more.

Anything he gets will be able to load tracks, waypoints, etc. I'd be more concerned about maps.

Years ago I bought a Garmin map from lbmaps.com. It was pretty good but it's been available for over 10 years so I'm not sure now much it's been updated.

Android is an interesting option. You could go through 2 Samsung tablets for the price of one Lowrance. Most Android tablets have a GPS module so no cell service is needed to use a GPS map even if it's only WiFi.

Only Apple devices with cell service have a GPS module. WiFi only = no GPS module.

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I see you want "tracks" to be available to you (download, upload, etc).

That removes a lot of "automotive" type GPSs.

I use Garmin products solely... but lowrance is the leader when it comes to tracks (as they allow 10,000 points per track).

Garmin has a great mapping software, which I upload into my Kenwood stereo with Nav. No tracks, but my City Nav 2014 has Mexico, and will allow me to route from my house to Cabo if I desire... and, it's super accurate (in time and roads used).

Because the Kenwood doesn't offer tracks, I use a handheld (60CSx) in the same vehicle and utilize it's tracking ability.

If your also looking for waterproof to a "resistant" standard, then again... your limited.

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Tablet.

If one downloads the maps appropriate to the area in advance, the entire thing runs without wireless connection except for a GPS chip. Get a holder (mine come from proclipusa) for the dash, a power supply, and you're good to go.

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Tracks that exceed the limits of your Garmin GPS can be converted to a transparent map that displays on top of your regular map.

www.gpx2img.com

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