Anyone using T4A?

[Metro Nomad]

Hi

Anyone using T4A, especially on a Garmin model suitable for trails?
(Or any other model for that matter.)

If so, how do you find it in terms of user friendliness and coverage?

It seems fairly inexpensive to purchase, but yearly updates are at the same price as the original if I interpret the website pricing correctly.

Any comments/advice will be appreciated.

Thanks

[fugglefeet]

Hi MN,

My brother-in-law went to the trouble of getting the Tracks 4 Africa either last year or this year. He used it due to the fact that he wanted to go off the beaten track and he gave it a thumbs up. What I would suggest is to load the Garmap mapsets onto the GPSr and plug the T4A micro-SD card into the unit. Then you can get the best of both on the fly.

D

[Metro Nomad]

Thanks Darryl

That is probably the route to go, but it would also mean buying Topo as well as T4A.... which isn't exactly a cheap exercise.

[Montana]

I've been using T4A for the past couple of years and I combine it with Topo. The coverage in the Western Cape is good and it shows tracks and "bush" roads not normally shown on the Topo. I like it. Also shows 4 wheel off-road tracks.

I think the off-road people use it a lot.

[Metro Nomad]

Thanks for your Vote of Confidence.

Yearly update costs for T4A?

[Montana]

R149 per panel. Areas are devided in panels. Western and Northern Cape is one panel.

It's cheap and fully navigateable.

[Metro Nomad]

Thanks, something to keep me awake tonight....

[Derick]

Hi Metro Momad,

You can purchase separate regions from www.tracks4africa.co.za or get the Full SD Card Version.

They have two releases a year one in May and one in October.

You then register the SD Card and will be entitled to upgrade to the following release for free.

Their version numbers looks like this 12.05 and 12.10 for 2012 with 05 being the May release and 10 the October release.

Price R790-00 from www.tracks4africa.co.za

Regards,
Derick

[Metro Nomad]

Thanks Derick.

Care to take a go at my question about user-friendliness and coverage?

[Derick]

Hi,

When I get asked about T4A I usually explain it to my clients like this.

Tracks 4 Africa is about destinations. Don't try and find an address on it. Rather look for "Khwai Community Camp" or "Matswere Camp" near Moremi. So thinking about user-friendliness you need to keep this in mind. From a GPS perspective it is just like any other map taking the above into account.

The coverage is also more focussed on the less travelled areas. I will not get T4A to navigate in town. But it is amazing when you are out in the bush.

The ETA's using T4A is also very realistic in this type of environment. These ETA's also get's refined as members submit new data.

T4A gives you crucial information about things like Petrol, Water and road conditions etc.

Hope this sheds some light?

Regards,
Derick