Review, Holux FunTrek 130 GPS with Memory Map

[bluewombat]

I bought a Holux 130 GPS with the additional Memory Map Micro SD card with all the Tassie Maps just recently. I am a GPS novice my only previous useage is the rather simple GPS function on my Nokia N95 which I use to prevent severe geographical embarrasment.
I found this unit a bit overwhelming at first, the amount of options and possibilities is staggering. I really could not get it to work properly initially but a quick email revealed I needed to do a software reload and that solved all the problems immediately.
It is a stand alone GPS that allows you to do all the usual GPS things including put in routes and waypoints, follow a trail,trackback, upload trails, geocaching etc. It also has barometer, electonic compass, calculator, calendar and a bunch of other applications.

If you put in a Memory Map micro SD card then voila you have standard topo maps and can plan/follow/backtrack/save them on the the Holux (or your computer, iphone/ipad/windows phone ). The memory map licence allows you to have the software on 2 computers and 2 mobile devices including the Holux. The Tassie version of Memory map has the standard street directories, the towns directory, the 1:100,000 and the 1:25,000 maps sets in their entirety, at about a 1/3 the price of buying them from TasMaps. If you want other states/countries you have to buy them or assemble your own using the memory map software. I do not know if you could get shonky maps etc onto the holux, my skill set doesnt go that far. On the computer you can have 3D images from the Memory Map stuff but this doesnt apply to the images on the Holux.
I had first chance to try it out yesterday walking the 25k from Lake Dobson to Lake Emmett and return in the Mt Field National Park. Piece of cake, I turned it on, it nabbed satellites in about 1 minute and then it started tracking automatically, started the Memory map topos and I could instantly see where I was, zooming in and out is easy. Accurate, I wandered about 10 mtrs off course at one stage (not hard on this old track) and was instantly able to see where I was compared to where I should be on the Holux
Other good things, it is light at 125 gms, waterproof ipx6 and comes with mounting for your bike
Bad things, battery will only give you about a days worth of operation time. That said it is a removable lithium ion one which can be recharged using an ultraportable battery charger like the Energiser Xpal. Cost of Holux and MM about $600 from a supplier in Sydney.

For a GPS novice this thing works like a charm.
bw
I have no association with any of the companies mentioned apart from the fact that they took money off me

[Liamy77]

have you seen this:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5799

i have been very hard on the unit in my review....
it is a great unit well worth the $
HOWEVER as a windows CE v5.0 unit it is capable of a LOT more than it is currently easily able to do.... with the memory map application and ignoring the Holux software it is brilliant, but the holux software needs more work IMHO..... i have seen them doing many more functions on youtube for instance than i have been able to get going atm (and i believe it is the holux programming/software preventing me getting it working on my unit)

BTW rather than fiddling around with the recharger, the Nokia BL5C battery fits this unit (holux wont tell you that) you can get a battery for under $5 on ebay..... and they only weigh 20 grams for a full lithium ion rechargeable battery...

[Liamy77]

BTW blue wombat, when you plug your unit into your PC with memory map running on your PC have you been able to get your current real-time position showing on the PC? this is the only bit really pissing me off atm... can't yet get it on this unit.... I'm a bit geeky but i need more geeky freinds i think

[bluewombat]

Hi Liamy
I did not read the update on the post you have on this topic, mea culpa, I am revisiting some well trodden ground.
Not being much of a geek I am just reviewing the unit from novice GPS point of view. Given it has CE 5 it is reasonable to think it could be capable of more but that is driving the unit in a somewhat different direction to its core business, which is to tell me where I am. Other features like a reader might be nice but will also suck more battery.
The advantage of the recharger over a spare battery is that I can recharge different things like my phone,my mates phone, the Holux etc off the one unit. It doesnt weigh much and I get several recharges out of it before it needs recharging itself.
I have not tried the trick you mention in your second post, will have a go and see what eventuates.
bw

[wilson]

Hi bluewombat
read your post recently about your use of the Holux funtrek 130 GPS
I'm considering getting one and wondering of there's a supplier in tasmania
Does this unit accept TIF or ECW format that are supplied by tasmap or do you have to convert them ?
How has funtrek performed over the last 12 months ?
regards
wilson

[photohiker]

If you're not in a hurry, might be worth waiting for the Funtrek 132 - It's a new improved version running Android.

I read about it recently on GPSAustralia here

[svEngineer]

I bought the Holux 130 and memory maps tas topo for A$385 last month. A bit fiddley setting up, but thanks to a friend with one i'm very happy with it now, but had a few hiccups setting it up. The big attraction for me was the tas maps 1:25,000 map series, as I have been walking with these for over 25 years I have never felt comfortable with the Garmin contour map series.
I have loaded the entire tas topo 25k & 100k onto the SD card and it copes well, you can switch between maps easily, tracks from mmo stay visible on both scales.

One problem was that I needed to load the earlier holux firmware as on the mem-maps website ,http://memory-map.com.au/faqs/ as my unit kept crashing after getting its position. Had to load this on a 1MB micro SD as it wouldn't accept it on the 16mb card that I had my tas maps on. Also initially had problem with getting the mmo, memory maps overlay to work. But found that you need to load it via usb to the "userdata" file on the Holux, not on the SD card.
Would be good if they got mem maps working on mac, but for now I just use my old winxp laptop.

Still learning how to drive it, can't switch the screen off when mm is running, & can't get it to centre onto the current position automatically, I have to zoom out to find myself.