How to Use Your Hema HX-2 Navigator

Setting up and learning how to use your Hema HX-2 Navigator can take a few minutes, but once you understand how it works and what it can do, you can enjoy a multitude of benefits.

Hema’s HX-2 On-Road and Off-Road GPS Navigator allows you to plan, experience and share your adventures no matter how far you travel off the beaten track. It is the first updatable, offroad vector GPS in the whole world, and when you see the boatload of information in this tiny machine, you won’t want to use another navigator again. The HX-2 features more than 100,000 Hema-moderated listings including over 40,000 Hema-verified points of interest. The points of interest include a variety of locations such as bush camping sites, campgrounds, caravan parks, hotels, motels, dump points, wineries, lookouts, fuel stops and much more. If you love going offroad and discovering parts of Australia that few have, the HX-2 has you covered.

Key Features

The HX-2 can be used offline and online and includes three modes tailored to the type of journey you wish to take. These are On-Road, Off-Road and Adventure Maps. On-Road mode includes easy-to-find destinations with integrated 3D buildings and street numbering, speed limit and current speed displayed on screen, live traffic information (if online) and much more. Off-Road mode includes everything On-Road mode includes, plus road access type (permits, private, MVO, seasonal closures), 4WD track difficulty (easy, medium, difficult, very difficult), topographic features such as elevation, control and survey points, the ability to record your track and create waypoints to always find your way home and plenty more. Adventures Maps mode includes digitally rendered versions of Hema’s much-loved paper maps, including their iconic maps, explorer maps, great desert tracks maps series, touring maps and state maps.

How to Set Up

When it comes to setting up your Hema HX-2 Navigator, like all technology, it can be a little tricky at first. However, there are multiple sources you can access to make it easier — access Hema’s online training webinars by heading to the Hema website and there are videos showing how to set up and use your navigator on the Hema YouTube page. First start by pressing the power button for two seconds and release, an animation will display followed by the main screen. The first time you switch on your HX-2, you will be guided through the setup process by a setup wizard. This will help connect your HX-2 to the internet and sign into or create your HemaX account. To register your HX-2, it will need to have an initial GPS lock. Before trying to register, please take it outside in direct line of sight to the sky for 3–5 minutes. You will also need to connect to wi-fi during this step by clicking on the ‘View WiFi Settings’ and selecting a network from the list displayed.

It is highly recommended that you sign in from your HX-2 as this will allow you to receive updates and support, allow you to back up and share trip data and unlocks premium map content and navigation features available to you. Once you have completed the registration process, you can complete the initial setup by clicking ‘Let’s Go’.

How to Use

Once you’ve set up and registered your HX-2, the main screen will be displayed, giving you the option of the three modes. Select which mode best suits your journey and take some time to play around with the settings and all the features available to you. You should also always ensure that your software is up to date. All the features and add-ons, particularly in Off-Road mode, are updated every three months with important information regarding road closures, road types, weather conditions and so on. And remember, if you encounter any issues using the system, there are approximately 12 videos on the Hema YouTube page which are very helpful.

The Benefits

The benefits of using the Hema HX-2 Navigator are manifold. But let’s consider why would you pay hundreds of dollars for a mapping system when there’s the likes of Google Maps and other free navigation services. The HX-2 Navigator is completely different to Google Maps — you could liken the On-Road mode of the HX-2 to Google Maps in that it provides turn-by-turn guidance on gazetted roads but apart from that, it’s a completely different device. The Off-Road and Adventures Maps modes are way more advanced — they have all the information loaded onto the device for offline use and they have an advanced ledger featuring a plethora of information regarding the roads travelled including the type of road, whether the road is accessible by the public (which is important as you can get hefty fines for driving on someone’s private property in Australia), the steepness of the terrain and much more. Not to mention, Hema actively listens to its customers and integrates this feedback into its quarterly updates — Hema HX-2 Navigator users are essentially a community that help each other to find drivable tracks and points of interest.

The Hema HX-2 Navigator can be purchased from the Hema website and leading outdoor and automotive stores.

Next steps

At Hema Maps, we strive to provide the most comprehensive and accurate maps and guides for outdoor enthusiasts looking to explore Australia's natural wonders.

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