Foss Stars

I have seen the acronym 'TFTC' posted many times. What does it stand for? I have figured out 'TNLN'. Are there any other common 'geospeak' words/acronyms I should know of that you can translate. Thanks in advance. Foss Stars

I have a Legend about 11 months old. I have'nt used it very often and have never dropped it. I purchased and installed MapSource Roads & Recreation for it a few months ago and IMMEDIATELY noticed some funny things on my view screen. A series of faint horizontal lines that moved up and down. Also, many of the character pixels were missing. I turned the unit off and on a few times and the problem went away, but then came back a few days later. I changed the batteries and the problem went away again only to resurface after another few days. I re-installed various map sets of different memory sizes and still had the problem. I have noticed the problem gets worse when I activate the backlight and when I hold the unit at certain angles. Finally now I have sent the unit back to Garmin (for repair?). I am curious, has anyone else heard of this? Is it a problem with the unit, or the Mapsource R&R software, or both? Thanks in advance

Is there any disadvantage to buying near new mapsource software CD's on Ebay? I am interested in the Roads & Recreation mapping software and I see it lists for $116 thru Garmin, but I can get the same thing brand new on Ebay for $84. Also, I see you can get a 'nearly new' product for much less. If I buy a nearly new version, am I disqualifying myself for future upgrades? In other words, assuming the R&R software is as the seller discribes (like new), is there any reason not to buy a 'used' version if I can get a real low price?? Thanks, Jeff

I have an eTrex Legend GPS that I am very happy with. I am interested in getting detailed mapping software for it and some have suggested the Metroguide product. Others said US Roads and Recreation, but that doesn't appear as a 'compatible software choice' for the Legend on the Garmin website configurator - is this correct?? Which is the best software to get? this is mainly for geocaching. Also, the Legend comes with 8 MB; I see that additional memory (32, 64, 128 MB cards) can be purchased from Garmin. Will any of these work in the Legend; I would like to add more memory to be able to store more map detail in the unit once I get the detailed software. Thanks, Foss Stars

Everyone: Thanks SO MUCH for all of the comments! I never imagined such a great response. I will go ahead and get the Legend and a couple of the mapping cd's - it seems worth it based on your comments. Perhaps we will cross paths sometime. Jeff (Foss Stars)

We will be starting to fish soon as my oldest son is now 7. How much for the Roads and Rec CD? I am just about convinced to add the Legend and the POI CD

Thanks for the comments Rubberhead. I will consider the POI for my Venture. Do you or others have any other mapping recommendations for the Legend if I buy it? Also, how much $$ will that add?

How helpful have people found the Mapsource info? Have just been using the eTrex Venture for geocaching with no maps and may not realize what I am missing. Want to buy a second unit and am considering the Legend. Is it 'worth' it to buy the map information as well? Why? How detailed are they and what should I expect to pay for it? TIA Jeff

Hi, The family and I are also new to all of this and have a follow up question to this discussion: How beneficial are the maps from Mapsource? We have been using an eTrex Venture and like it but were considering getting a second GPS unit for the family and have heard everyone recommending the maps & Legend. Perhaps I don't know what I am not missing with the Venture, but so far it is working just fine for geocaching - w/o maps. I have seen the good deals currently available on the Legend and was thinking about going ahead and buying it. So, in a nutshell, why is it better to have the maps? Are they that detailed and helpful??? Also, how much should I expect to lay out for the map software and which should I get? TIA