Best Garmin for 4x4

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johan le grange

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Aug 24, 2025, 6:26:56 AMAug 24
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Good morning
What is the best Garmin for 4x4? I have a Garmin 61 LMTS that does not give me the full detail of the roads. 
When I use T4A, the Garmin 61 gives me the road, but I want it to also give me at the same time the attractions next to the road. For this I am using the T4A app on my tablet, but I want to use just one tool.
I noted the cost of Garmins are up to R38000. I do not want to go that high, but I want a decent tool. I looked at the Montana but the screen is so small. I do not think the Montana is the thing that I want because it does not look like something you attach to the windscreen and look so small. 

I am listening.

Kind Regards

Johan le Grange

NJ Van Zyl

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Aug 24, 2025, 6:47:14 AMAug 24
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Hi Johan.

Im using the Zumo xt.

Regards

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VIEIRA DIAS - NETCABO

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Aug 26, 2025, 6:49:38 AMAug 26
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Hi, everybody,

Answering to your question, that depends what you want to do with it. For
planning a trip the best are the most up to date models, to load maps,
tracks, waypoints and so on. I am using my old GARMIN GPS III Plus, only
for track and waypoints recording, for later data submission to
TRACKS4AFRICA. And I am very happy with it. I use it for offroad 4x4 and when I'm flying small planes, just for navigation backup.

Best regards,

Antonio Vieira Dias



From: tracks...@googlegroups.com <tracks...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of NJ Van Zyl <kalli...@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2025 12:46 PM
To: tracks...@googlegroups.com <tracks...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [T4A] Best Garmin for 4x4
 

Johann Groenewald

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Aug 26, 2025, 8:08:53 AMAug 26
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HI Johan,

I get this question so many times and will try to give my take on it here.  

Best Garmin for 4x4?  I interpret that question to what is the best navigation solution for self-drive trips in remote Africa.  

What do you require to navigate?
You need to know where you are
You need to see your location on a map which gives context to where you are.
You need to be able to find the destination you intend travelling to and then work out how to get there by following existing roads or tracks.
For the remote Africa portion I would add that the above needs to happen offline, i.e. on a device that does not require internet access (yes I have heard about Starlink) - also on a paper map if you can plot your location.

The GPS solves the where am I problem in that it can accurately give you your coordinates of where you are.  It goes further by plotting this on a map that is available on the device. You could have achieved the same by using an app on your phone that uses offline maps.

The GPS is also good at finding, i.e. search for the destination you want.  Think about the campsite name and search for it on the GPS.  But the GPS is not very good at allowing you to explore what is around you.  The latter speaks to your comment about not being able to see much on the GPS map.  The device software is designed to declutter the map and actually hides a lot of content that we find handy in remote areas.

Once you have the place you want to travel to, the GPS is also quite good at calculating a route and providing driving instructions to get to your destination.

If I look at what is available today, then the DriveSmart type units will solve the where am I, search and calculate route questions for navigation and they do this very well in my opinion.  The outdoor orientated units like the Montana range or the old 276 will do this as well but with the added benefit of allowing you to see more detail on the GPS, but it is still not great for exploring in my opinion.

Then you need to ask yourself if you will be using GPX data from other people and import this to your GPS in order to follow someone else's tracks.  The DriveSmart does not allow for this whereas outdoor units will do this quite well.  More on tracks later.

The thing I find severely lacking with all Garmin units are the Explore part of the problem.  For that reason we have developed the Tracks4Africa app many years ago to give you an offline map which will show your location on the map with cartography setup in such a way that it allows you to see tracks and points without having to zoom in to street level.  This was the only function of this app and I think it has done well to succeed in this regard.  It does not calculate routes but it may be able to do so in future.

So if you ask me what navigation solution I would recommend at this stage then I will ask you if you think you need to import tracks?  If not then go with a DriveSmart and the app on your phone or tablet.  This is a R5k solution max and will serve you well.  If you want to have the outdoor functions and in particular the ability to load tracks then I would go with the Montana 710 and still add the app.  This is a R20k solution.

Some things to consider:
  • We have developed a 'optimised style' map for the Garmins.  This is the one that most people complain about on Basecamp, but it works really well on something like the Montana and shows minor tracks up much better than the default style map.  This is to make it more useful for the explore part of the problem. Use default style on Basecamp and optimised style on GPS.
  • The Montana will also work well on a handle bar of a bike.  It is rugged and has a good screen for use in direct sunlight.  Mounting options include motorbike and automotive mounts which will adapt to any RAM mount.  Charging cable on the automotive mount is a weak link as it uses a USB C cable whereas the motorbike mount gives you a fixed wire solution that is bare wire on the receiving end.  You can wire this into the ignition permanently or get a plug fitted. Speaker for Montaan is only available in the automotive mount so decide if you need Sally to give you voice instructions.
  • Do not be conned into trying to import Routes into your Garmin.  For some it works, for most it does not and it is because the GPS will recalculate the route.  I prefer importing Tracks only, together with the points I used to set up my routes in Basecamp or Trip Planner.  I then make the track visible on the GPS and calculate routes on the fly and compare them to what I planned at home. This you cannot do on the DriveSmart units.
  • The newer models of Garmin like the Tread, new Zumo etc have a few weird quirks when it comes to Route calculation.  First of all the vehicle type you select determines a lot of route decisions, so be careful there.  Then there is a thing called Adventurous Routing which when used will create weird and wonderful deviations from the actual routes you would expect the GPS to calculate. No more pure Fastest Time or Shortest Distance Calculations. Stay away unless you are happy to drive around aimlessly.  These are found in the most expensive offerings.  Garmin discontinued the Overlander in favour of the Tread Overlander - I recommend people not to buy this unit.
  • The Trip Planner website allows you to plan routes which can then be exported to KML or GPX.  This can be loaded to your GPS or if you use our app you can also download these to the app for offline availability.  The GPX export contains the points and tracks (our routes converted to Garmin tracks) you have in your trip.
  • Garmin units do not connect to a Mac.  If you are a Mac user then be prepared to use the Garmin apps for transfering GPX data.  Maps can be loaded to SD card and inserted.  Windows will still connect to the internal memory of the GPS.
The Tracks4Africa app will hopefully add the ability to calculate routes offline in future.  It will form part of the Trip Planner package that we are developing and we first developed route calculations to work on the website and are now in the process of taking this to the phone.  Some work still to be done here but it is coming.   Thn you need to ask yourself if you are happy to use your phone or tablet as primary navigation devices and for some this may still be a sticking point.  But for R20k I can buy a decent phone and mounting options and dedicate this to my vehicle.  I bought a R10k aftermarket radio for my vehicle which runs Android 14 and has Google Play, so I could load the app directly to the radio.  There are options.

Hope this helps.

Johann



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Kind Regards

Johann Groenewald

johan le grange

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Aug 26, 2025, 8:47:57 AMAug 26
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Thank Johan for a comprehensive explanation.
I am considering the Montana 760i or the Tread Overlander. You do not recommend last mentioned so well.
What attracts me to the Tread vs the Montana is the big screen - with the uninformed believe that it shall provide more detail along the way. I am also told that the maps are all free for life.

What is your, and others, comments please? 

Johan le Grange
0823663772

Mike Lauterbach

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Aug 26, 2025, 9:18:35 AMAug 26
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Hi Johann

A great reply, thanks!Fully agreed with the DriveSmart GPSrs comments - something I also maintain.  I have them in my plat cars, primarily as speedometers.  The 276cx gives much more detail for what you describe as "Explore" while driving along a route.

Cheers
Mike

Tim TDP

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Aug 26, 2025, 11:02:20 AMAug 26
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The 276cx is frustratingly slow. Esp the search function

Brett

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Aug 26, 2025, 11:57:25 AMAug 26
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Thanks Johann, great post.

My 2c worth ...

Part of the enjoyment of going on a trip, whether it is Zambia or Timbuktu, it does not matter, is the planning of the trip. Today, we have so many sources of information it boggles the mind, we really are spoilt for choice.

I research different legs of the trip for areas or places of interest.  If something seems worthwhile the time and effort then I will insert a waypoint .. rather than search for places of interest on my GPS.

My GPS is a tool for getting me from point A to point B in the most reliable manner. I already know what to expect at point B via books or fellow travellers plus, after chatting to locals I get a good tip off, I will consider visting or staying at the point of recommendation.

Please don't bloat a tool that is essentially a  digital  road map with an encyclopedia of information. I would rather have a bulletproof driving aid than loads of unnecessary bloatware. Essential travel information like fuel stations, workshops, accommodation  and basic food sources is alm one needs.

Cheers, Brett 

Mike Lauterbach

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Aug 26, 2025, 1:15:35 PMAug 26
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It is, as is the screen refresh rate.  But in remote off-road areas,
where we need a GPSr, it is fast enough.  Positives are the big screen,
and buttons, which are better than touchscreen on a bumpy road

Cheers
Mike

Hugo Knoetze

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Aug 29, 2025, 2:48:49 AMAug 29
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Dankie Johann vir al die info rakende Garmin Drive ek het die vrae 2x aan hulle gestuur met geen terugvoering. Jou info my gehelp met keuse en behoeftes en ek gaan vir die Drive 53.

Dankie weereens
Hugo

On Tue, 26 Aug 2025, 14:08 Johann Groenewald, <joh...@tracks4africa.co.za> wrote:

Johann Groenewald

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Aug 29, 2025, 6:57:59 AMAug 29
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Hi Johan,

The Montana 760i essentially offers a camera over the 710i, so decide if you need the camera else the 710i would be the better option.  The "i" refers to InReach.  The 710 does not have InReach and if you do not need this then I would consider the 710.  The 710i does come with a host of preloaded maps as well.

The Tread does have a bigger screen.  I checked on the Tread 2 I have with me and it does a better job of showing detail but I will post some comparisons between the Tread2, Montana and the app. I zoomed to an area in Moremi around Lion Den Pan.

WhatsApp Image 2025-08-29 at 12.39.52.jpeg

Above the Montana 710 - shows the least amount of map attributes.

WhatsApp Image 2025-08-29 at 12.31.15.jpeg

Tracks4Africa app above, the cartography aims to show everything we have. If I use the categories at the bottom of the screen I can force certain POI types onto the map, e.g. Fuel when I am looking specifically for fuel.

WhatsApp Image 2025-08-29 at 12.31.14.jpeg

Tread 2 above, shows the names of certain types of map points, like the pan but many others are still suppressed.  They have definitely improved the map experience on this latest device.



 The route calculations on the big Tread is a deal breaker for me, especially if you are going to use Tracks4Africa maps.  Garmin may have adjusted their own maps to take more of the routing decisions into account but my tests did not yield great results.  As an example I would set a route from Cape Town to Wupperthal and see what the routing engine does and it really will confuse users.  This route offers many options to get to Wupperthal but when I am in a hurry to get there you really do want to stick to the N7 and then enter the Decederberg from the north.  The adventurous routing suggested huge time penalties for the same destination and if you have the time then sure, but I always think that a GPS is used by people who are not that familiar with the area which means you would not be able to evaluate the route presented to you..  As mentioned in the previous message, the Treads now take its lead from your choice of vehicle and will give you different routing results based on what you chose.  Maybe their data in the USA is populated with adequate attributes to know which tracks can take a side by side over a full sized truck, but we most definitely do not maintain these attributes and again the results are misleading.

If you look at how we create our maps and who we expect to use it then you actually just want a pure Fastest Time or Shortest Distance calculation without taking other factors into account.  We assume you have a 4WD so you can go on all the tracks.  We assume you will have the common sense to check water crossing so when driving in the wet season you may have to deviate from the route calculation - think Moremi for instance.  We assign drive times to the roads and tracks based on the GPS tracks we receive from real world travellers and while this may not be accurate under all conditions, it has proven to be a good indicator of which route to prefer for Fastest Time calculations.

The Tread 2 I tested seems to be doing better ito route calculations but you still have to be careful of the vehicle type you choose.

Other considerations are that the Tread is a huge device that is about 21cm wide.  Look at the photo of me testing out some of the pre production devices during 2021.  My trusty old Montana 600 was the best unit on the dash.  The police had something to say about the visibility from within the cab.
Devices on dash_Johann Groenewald-IMG_8352-Edit.jpg

The Montana is not perfect but still better than the automotive type units.  I use it for the ability to load tracks and waypoints for which it will show waypoint names.  I also use it for track recording and route calculations, knowing that it will do more or less the same as our Trip Planner.  For the Trip Planner we control the maths in the background and we know that it does a true Time or Distance based calculation. 

So my solution remains to use a small form factor GPS for track recording and route calculations and my phone or a tablet with the app for exploring what is around me.  My family also finds the app more intuitive to use if they need to see where we are and what's ahead.  I will have my phone mounted where I can use it and the tablet floats around in the car for the family to use as a digital paper map.

Wrt to comments about the 276cx, yes I find the processor on this device to be slow.  I prefer the Montana's touch screen for easy typing and panning around the map.  The Montana also works great in direct sunlight on the motorbike.  

Hope this helps.

Kind regards

Johann

johan le grange

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Aug 29, 2025, 9:27:00 AMAug 29
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Thanks a lot Johann
Are you then saying that there is no Garmin (including the Montana 710) that shall provide me the details along the route that I get from the app on the Tablet, while driving?

Johan le Grange
0823663772


Johann Groenewald

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Aug 29, 2025, 9:40:00 AMAug 29
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Hi Johan,

The app cartography is fairly unique. I believe a map has a story to tell, e.g. political, geological etc.  Ours aim to provide as much detail as possible for self drive trips.

I have not come across a Garmin that shows the same level of detail and I think by design it was never aimed to be a map for browsing.

The now discontinued Overlander had two apps on it, one Drive and the other Explore. The Explore map display was good but you could not replace it with you own data, so in the end also not that useful.

Kind Regards

Johann Groenewald

Lizette Swart

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Aug 29, 2025, 9:50:38 AMAug 29
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For now, I have reached a compromise.... the Montana (top) does the navigation but every instruction that it gives, I query by panning on the T4A app on an 8" tablet (bottom).... My "go to" destination on the Montana is also determined by first consulting the T4A app. For now my make-shift cable tie plan for holding the tablet works OK except on really bad axle twisters - but a RAM mount is in the near future I feel.
image.png

Regards/Groete

Lizette

Lizette Swart



Charles Parrington

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Sep 2, 2025, 5:57:38 AMSep 2
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HI Lizette

What is required when using the T4A App to show the actual current location of where I am at? Does this require a cell phone, or a SIM card, reception or some other comms interface to show my current location on the map?



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Regards
Charles Parrington

Johann Groenewald

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Sep 2, 2025, 6:07:59 AMSep 2
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Hi Charles,

The location service from your device does not require a SIM or internet connection, if the device has a GPS chip.  Smartphones these days all have a GPS chip, however when it comes to tablets you need to verify this in the specifications of the device.

For Apple iPads the following rules apply.  iPad's with a SIM card capability comes with an embedded GPS chip whereas the Wifi Only models do not have a GPS chip.  This does not mean you have to have a SIM inserted to the device, it is simply the way Apple decided to spec these units.

I have found that on some Android devices a similar rule applies, so best to check.

If a GPS chip is available on the device then the GPS chip will be able to receive the GPS satellite information regardless of having internet access, i.e. the same as a Garmin device.  You may need to ensure that the device allows this permission to the app.  When you install the app the first time it will ask for this permission and you select "While using the app".  If for some reason you did not grant the permission you can do that afterwards in the device's app settings.

The GPS receiver in the device is subject to the same constraints as a Garmin GPS, i.e. you need line of sight to satellites and the signal can deteriorate if you are indoors or in deep canyons (like high rise buildings in a city or when hiking next to a mountain slope)

Further to this, when you have installed the app and the high definition map then the content is available offline.

Kind regards

Johann


Piet Visser

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Sep 2, 2025, 6:17:48 AMSep 2
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Stil have the old 276c. Using the t4a phone app. Which is great. Some commensense. And the road will provide the rest.
Piet Visser 

Charles Parrington

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Sep 2, 2025, 6:42:55 AMSep 2
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Hi Johann

Many thanks fully understand. I have also replaced my existing Pajero old analog radio with an Android head unit, with a built-in GPS facility, so that should work well. I have already downloaded the T4A onto the new head unit and purchased the extended Maps, so I am ready to drive. The head unit also supports a SIM so hence my question, I was not sure if I also needed to add this option as well.

I also have an older IPad and this did not show location, but now I understand why, it is a WiFI only device, has no SIM.



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Regards
Charles Parrington

FRANCOIS VAN DER MERWE

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Sep 2, 2025, 8:28:52 AMSep 2
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Hi All

I’m very new in the overland game (13 months), but so far my experience is the following. I run both Tracks4Africa and OsmAnd on my phone in no connection mode, so the maps are downloaded for both to my phone. My phone connects to a big screen on bakkie radio and displays my tracks in OsmAnd via Car Auto from my Android. My phone (mounted next to the big screen) displays Tracks4Africa. I plan my tracks on either Tracks4Africa (before trip on my PC) or directly on the OsmAnd app on my phone. I make sure both apps have access to the GPX files.

The advantage I find is that I can see all the nice goodies from T4A on my phone, as well as if I’m on my planned route while the big screen shows me “trip” information and guides me along the way. For a backup I do have a paper map as well and I’m old enough to remember how to use it 😉

Expenses for the maps, but not near the price of an expensive Garmin unit, and, so far it works. If I ran into trouble in the future I will invest in the Garmin system (new toy yay!)

Best regards / Vriendelike groete

Francois van der Merwe

Senior Integration Specialist, IBM Technology, South Africa

+27 (0)82 556 9467

fv...@za.ibm.com

On Leave: 20 Sep – 24 Sep

From: tracks...@googlegroups.com <tracks...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Charles Parrington <cparrin...@gmail.com>
Date: Tuesday, 02 September 2025 at 12:43
To: tracks...@googlegroups.com <tracks...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [T4A] Best Garmin for 4x4

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Charles Parrington

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Sep 2, 2025, 11:29:37 AMSep 2
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HI Willem

I got the unit from Sound Loader in JHB. But their service is not great and so not sure I would recommend them. But the unit did arrive and were very happy with it, not real issues.

Take a look at Joying, see link below, I nearly got this unit, but decided to support a SA business:



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Regards
Charles Parrington

Peter Wood

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Sep 2, 2025, 12:34:16 PMSep 2
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This has been an interesting discussion, though I’ve been out of contact and missed some of it.  I’m on my way back from Bots via Namibia and have been using T4A on my phone. On the phone app (and I assume iPad - left mine at home) the resolution is poor - by which I mean, when you zoom in you can’t get far before you get the blank pale blue screen. Why is this?  I found that disappointing - Maps.me (an OSM derivative) was much better where it had info, which was surprisingly extensive.  With the mass of tracks in Moremi for example, the T4A phone app was pretty useless.  Obviously the other offline info it has is great. 

I didn’t do a detailed comparison but one of the guys had T4A on a Garmin unit and it seemed to zoom into more detail - is that the case?

Thanks
Peter

----------------------------------------------
Peter Wood
+27 84 5619425


Lizette Swart

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Sep 2, 2025, 1:06:50 PMSep 2
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Hallo Peter,

Did you purchase and install the HD Africa map? The free app is a demo app and will not show you any detail beyond 5km zoom. To see more you must install the Africa map, that allows you to zoom up to 1m. 

Attached a screenshot of 5km zoom on the free app, and then 1km zoom on the HD Africa map in the Third Bridge / Xakanaxa area, to show the difference. 

Note that if you purchased the Africa map, you still have to download and install it. If there is a grey download arrow next to the map, it means it was not downloaded and I stalled. 

Kind regards

Lizette Swart
lizette@tracks4africa
co.za

1000009715.jpg
1000009716.jpg

Peter Wood

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Sep 2, 2025, 1:40:18 PMSep 2
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Ah, thanks Lizette.  I purchased and downloaded the Bots, Nam and SA  guides and then the Africa HD map but when I go in now I see the Africa map has only partially downloaded - user error.   Even now with a WiFi connection I’m struggling to download it for some reason. 

Will get that sorted and have a look. 

Tx
Peter 

----------------------------------------------
Peter Wood
+27 84 5619425

Lizette Swart

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Sep 2, 2025, 1:49:52 PMSep 2
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Great! Its not a small download so make sure you have a stable WiFi connection and start again!

Kind regards

Lizette Swart
lizette@tracks4africa
co.za

VIEIRA DIAS - NETCABO

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Sep 12, 2025, 4:40:33 AMSep 12
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I am using my old GARMIN GPS III Plus, only for track and waypoints recording, for later data submission to
TRACKS4AFRICA. And I am very happy with it. I use it for offroad 4x4 and when I'm flying small planes, just for navigation backup.

Best regards,

Antonio Vieira Dias


From: tracks...@googlegroups.com <tracks...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Piet Visser <kui...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 2, 2025 12:17 PM
To: tracks...@googlegroups.com <tracks...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [T4A] Best Garmin for 4x4
 
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