Lowrance XOG

[northidaho]

Has anyone played with one yet?

[rwamf]

Not out yet, I Have one on order,
It sure seems like the unit, Built in Solid state memory with Street Nav maps, "downloadable maps with U.S. satellite and aerial imagery, enhanced USGS topographic data, and BLM mapping from online mapstore" to the SD card.
Does Tracks (Unlike the Garmin street units) up to 100 saved tracks, plus many more track files on the SD card , .
It should be great on both the 610 and the GS.
Below from Lowrance web page


Display

* Bright, 3.5" (8.89 cm) diagonal 16-bit color touchscreen display
* 320H x 240V pixel resolution
* Super-bright, white LED backlit screen
* Simplified touch-screen menus
* Three selectable mapping displays: 2-D Track Up, 2-D North Up, and Elevated 3-D

Navigation/Mapping

* Internal, precision 12-channel GPS antenna with superior tracking sensitivity
* Built-in, turn-by-turn NAVTEQ® street Navigation detail with voice and visual guidance, plus over 3 million POI destinations
* Supports all current plug-&-play map/chart options from Lowrance (FreedomMaps™, Fishing Hot Spots® PRO, LakeMaster® ProMaps, and NauticPath™), as well as Navionics® Classic and Gold charts
* Unique, downloadable maps with U.S. satellite and aerial imagery, enhanced USGS topographic data, and BLM mapping from online mapstore
* Straight-line navigation feature for off-road, on-foot and marine use

Media Players

* Full-featured stereo MP3 audio player for playing audio files loaded on an SD memory card
* Full-featured picture viewer displays JPEG photos stored on SD memory cards

Specs

* Operates on internal, rechargable Li-Ion battery
* SD memory card slot for mapping options, MP3 audio files and JPEG picture files
* Built-in loudspeaker, DC power, and USB ports
* Weatherproof design; splash-proof to IPX4 standards
* 3.75"W x 3.25"H x 0.75"D (9.5cm x 8.2 cm x 1.9 cm)
* Full one-year warranty

Accessories Included

* Device cradle
* Suction-cup mounting bracket for windshield applications*
* 12 vDC accessory plug power/charger cable
* Mini USB cable

Accessory Options

* MB-32 cycle handlebar mount
* PAC-9 120 vAC power adapter/charger
* CC-8 Carrying case/holster

[northidaho]

Let us know how well it works for you when you get it. Any idea when you will see it? Or how much the extra maps will cost? I was about to pull the trigger on a PN 20 but I think I will wait till this comes out. Where did you order yours from? I read your post about the PN 20 and am wondering if this will be different use or are you hoping that it can replace the PN 20? I really liked some of the features of the Delorme (1:24000 topo) but it seems to be a bit clunky to work with and the screen is very small. I am asking all these questions cause you seem to have had both the Lowrances and Delorme.

[northidaho]

Found this over on GPSpassion, http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/t...TOPIC_ID=98703

On page 3 one of the guys must be a Lowrance dealer and has access to the online manuals..battery life 2.5 hrs ! So sort of a zumo. OK on a bike but not so hot for a walk in the woods..I thought I wanted one.

[rwamf]

I ordered it from "Crutchfield" as I have used them many times in the past and all with good luck. Not sure when it will be officially released as Lowrance never seems to hit their target release dates.
I am planning on using this as my main GPS on the dirtbike and the GS, Will keep the 500c for the truck, The Delorme I am sure I will still use as a track logger and backup, as it is small and will log tracks while in my backpack or pocket.
The Bad thing with all GPS's is that you still need multiple Software to use all the features, Like managing tracks you need Garmin Mapsource, It is the best for track editing , Plus I need it for using tracks from all the Track sharing on the Web including here, or for any DualSport rides as they seem to only use Garmin tracks, I use GPSBABEL to convert the "gpx" files to "usr" for the Lowrance. I use Delorme Topo mapping for research and for scouting out trails and or new areas. I have the lowrance Topo also but the PC program is worthless for anything other than cutting Maps to the SD card. The Lowrance Topo is great on the GPS and includes POI's. So I will be able to use it with the XOG.
The Delorme Data packs are too expensive for me and the free packs that I have downloaded have been worthless for me. I hope that Lowrance has a better more affordable option. The Sat images of metropoliton areas on my brothers Iway 600c is not very good IMO, they do not have usable resolution at the closer zoom levels. So I am not expecting High Res Google Earth type data.

[Neil E.]

The XOG looks good at first glance. It's certainly a very compact package. What I want is a 770 with the functionality of a 276C, but I doubt garmin will make anything like that. The 2500T and the XOG both have screens smaller than the 276C. It will be interesting to see what the XOG can do.

[Solaros1]

Saw this on the D-90.com board:

Lowrance GPS

---

I talked to the guy that is over the automotive division of Lowrance the other night for just a couple of minutes. He got his layoff notice a couple of weeks ago.

They were purchased by a Norwegian company some time back and that company has decided to get out of the automotive GPS business. I didn't have time to get any details but he will be gone at the end of this year.

The guy that founded the company 50 years ago has announced his retirement.


I've got a Lowrance BAJA 480C in my Land Rover - hate to think they're getting out of the business as I like their equipment.

[rwamf]

Originally Posted by Neil E.

The XOG looks good at first glance. It's certainly a very compact package. What I want is a 770 with the functionality of a 276C, but I doubt garmin will make anything like that. The 2500T and the XOG both have screens smaller than the 276C. It will be interesting to see what the XOG can do.

Not by much, as the XOG has a 3.5" diag screen and your 276 has a 3.625" screen
Where the diff is in the resolution, the 276 has a 480x320 and the XOG is only 320x240.

[rwamf]

Got a tracking # today should have in hand before Thanksgiving, Cool
Will give a full report a few days after I try it out.

[rwamf]

Very nice and worth the price,($250.00) will do tracks, multiple map sets and not sure how water resistant when on external power as the usb connector is below a rubber flap Should be fine in the rain when running on Batteries, Very solid unit and love the size. Screen is still like most touch screens not the best in in direct sunlight.






Now I just need the Motorcycle handlebar mount to get here.

[svwayne]

RWAMF,

I've been using the H2Oc for a couple of years now with the MapCreate 6.3 TOPO software. The H2Oc does everything I need but the screen can be a little tough for my eyes to read. I see that you also have a H2Oc. Do you see any differences between the XOG and H2Oc other than screen size, touch screen, and mpeg player? Does it lock satellites as fast? Can track recording parameters be changed (like on the H2Oc)? I'm assuming that an SD card loaded with maps/routes/tracks for an H2Oc will plug and play with the XOG.

Thanks

[rwamf]

Originally Posted by svwayne

RWAMF,

I've been using the H2Oc for a couple of years now with the MapCreate 6.3 TOPO software. The H2Oc does everything I need but the screen can be a little tough for my eyes to read. I see that you also have a H2Oc. Do you see any differences between the XOG and H2Oc other than screen size, touch screen, and mpeg player? Does it lock satellites as fast? Can track recording parameters be changed (like on the H2Oc)? I'm assuming that an SD card loaded with maps/routes/tracks for an H2Oc will plug and play with the XOG.

Thanks

Its better in most every way than the H20c, The screen is easier to see 90% of the time over the H20c, but it is a different type of screen . You can work with the tracks the same way, (change color and they way they look etc) and you can interchange the SD cards maps,routes and track files. The XOG is great as it has the latest Navtec maps built in as your base map, for Turn by turn Auto routing with voice routing etc. The Auto zoom while riding is great ( speed dependent). The GPS chip is much faster and it locks very quick. The addition of more map options is very nice, They had the Mapselect web site up for a day and I played around with the 2 meter resolution sat images and was very impressed, but they would be quite expensive to do an entire state.
I do not use the mp3 player or the photo viewer so they do not interest me.
but having multiple maps, an abundance of track files on the card and the ability to load an entire area of tracks into it all at once is great. Garmin only allows you to bring in 20 tracks @ up to 500 points each, Lowrance will allow you to bring in 99 tracks @ up 9999 points each.
So far this seems to be the best bang for the buck out there.
Keep it up Lowrance

[svwayne]

It sure would be nice if Lowrance would get the user manual posted on the website.

Originally Posted by rwamf

... You can work with the tracks the same way, (change color and they way they look etc) and you can interchange the SD cards maps,routes and track files.

Can you change the way tracks are recorded? i.e. total # of points and points per mile/time/auto?

Originally Posted by rwamf

... The XOG is great as it has the latest Navtec maps built in as your base map, for Turn by turn routing etc.

So are the detailed MapCreate TOPO 6.3 (or 7) files no longer required?

It looks like the unit has autorouting capabilites which are based on the base map only, I assume. How difficult is it to edit an autoroute? I'm assuming that I can still build routes in MapCreate TOPO and download to the XOG.

Thanks for your time. The XOG may wind up at the top of my Christmas list.

[JimC]

Originally Posted by rwamf

Garmin only allows you to bring in 20 tracks @ up to 500 points each, Lowrance will allow you to bring in 99 tracks @ up 9999 points each.
So far this seems to be the best bang for the buck out there.
Keep it up Lowrance

Do the track points created on the XOG contain date, time of day, direction of travel and speed like all the Garmin tracks do.

I found out the hard way that the H20C tracks only contain a lat/long coordinate and none of the other information found in a typical track file.

Thanks,
Jim in Sacramento

[rwamf]

Originally Posted by JimC

Do the track points created on the XOG contain date, time of day, direction of travel and speed like all the Garmin tracks do.

I found out the hard way that the H20C tracks only contain a lat/long coordinate and none of the other information found in a typical track file.

Thanks,
Jim in Sacramento

Sorry the data is still limited, like this..........
1 26 ft 79° true N38.79978 W119.25686
2 56 ft 87° true N38.79979 W119.25677
3 34 ft 63° true N38.79980 W119.25657
4 52 ft 63° true N38.79984 W119.25646
5 29 ft 80° true N38.79990 W119.25630
6 24 ft 49° true N38.79992 W119.25620
7 37 ft 12° true N38.79996 W119.25614
8 40 ft 320° true N38.80006 W119.25611

But with the 300 + miles I have logged over the past couple days on a bunch of my favorite single track the tracks were spot on , so far they seem to be much more accurate than the H20c, not the deviation seen on my H20c.
I have not found a way to change the track parameters either, but that never seems to be a problem with it's ability to save full resolution files. I know that the Garmin can save to the card also but try loading your saved full resolution tracks back in.
This unit seems to be very tough as it survived my crash today, the usb power connector bent but the XOG survived and it is great to have a bigger screen with both street and topo data on my dirt bike.
It would be nice if it did have more Track data , but I use my PN-20 for data logging as it has all that data + and it is very nice to have, When I lay out my Dual sport rides I use a couple of GPS's and the Delorme is the best data recorder I have found.