ndimmick

The MapQuest Aerial tiles refuse to load consistently for me. The worst part is, the tile I most want to see is almost always blank. I'm running Mac OS 10.6.8, Chrome 18.0.1025.142, Safari 5.1.5 (6534.55.3), and Firefox 11.0. I never had any trouble with the Google Maps.

I received an email response from Garmin today. They assure me that the topo data is accurate even when the street data (seen as a sort of bonus in their eyes and not vital to the topo data) is off. Here's a quote from the email... Thank you for contacting Garmin International. I am happy to help you with this. The Topo 2008 software was improved by adding the street detail as an additional reference, however this is still a Topo map. In some areas the street detail that is on the Topo mapping will be offset, however the Topo detail is correct. I apologize for the confusion. With Best Regards, Chris L. Product Support Specialist 2nd Shift Outdoor/Fitness Team Garmin International 913-397-8200 800-800-1020 913-397-8282 (fax) Att: Chris L. www.garmin.com[/i]

Victory Mike, Thanks for the reply. It's great to get some local feedback. Would you mind sending me the track from your hike? You say the geologic data seemed to be accurate. Did you find the road data to be off? I'm really not very concerned that the roads are off. I was just using them as an easy point of reference. My concern is that perhaps the geologic features can not be trusted. That's not a big deal around here, but up in the mountains in a snow storm, an error could make a big difference. I'll PM you my email for the track.

Yogazoo, I recieved your KML file and viewed it in Google Earth. I can verify that the roads in this experiment are off in exactly the same way that the roads in my Topo 2008 are off. I own City Navigator for on-road usage. My concern is that maybe I can't trust the other aspects of the topo maps. Thank you for your help. You certainly have a lot of knowledge on this subject. Do you work in the mapping field? Is ArcGIS something that can be downloaded for free? I sure wish Garmin would respond to my support requests and have the integrity to admit this problem.

ZippZ, thanks for the idea. I checked and both are set to WGS 84.

I've owned a Vista HCx and Topo 2008 for about 6 months. My maps are 300-500 ft off too the west consistently. This is not just a problem with the display on the unit. When I record a track and waypoints on my unit and view them in Mapsource, they show up in the right spots through City Navigator and Google Earth, but they are very off in Topo 2008. I've conducted this experiment in MI, WI, and OH. Everything is consistently off to the west of reality, but the distance of the error varies from about 300 to 500 feet. I've had this problem the whole time and Garmin has been unable to do anything about it. Any suggestions?

Can anyone tell me how I go about reactivating a cache that I previously archived? The container has been replaced, and I don't want to make it a whole new cache. Thanks, Nick

I would like to take scanned or already digital map images and create exlporist compatible maps from them. I have used GPS TrackMaker to import these images and calibrate them so they display correctly on the computer, but I have no idea how to make a map into the "imi" file that the explorist series uses for their detailed map images. Can anyone give me some insight into how this might be done?

I was using EasyGPS just to select 200 caches out of the larger pocket queary file. I saved the ne file as a gpx file and then used the Magellan Geocache Manager to convert and upload the file.

Ah Ha! I opened one of the GS files and many of the data fields, including the name, are missing. I reinstalled the Magelland Geocache Manager, but I still had the problem. I have tracked the problem to EasyGPS. I was using that program to take my larger gpx file of 500 caches and break it into a smaller one of 200 caches for the goofy Magellan size limit. The newer version of EasyGPS is messing up the files and leaving out some data fields. I have since used just the Geocaching Manager to select 200 caches and upload them. I have my caches back!!!! Thanks for the creative thinking about opening a GS file in a text editor. You saved the day!

I do have the correct file selected and I have them turned on in the map setup options. They used to show up just fine. Then, one day, they stopped showing up. It doesn't matter what GS file I use, none of them will show up.

I have an Explorist 500 that will no longer display geocaching points on the map. I can display regular waypoint files correctly, but no GS files. I've wiped the memory, updated the firmware, and nothing has helped. I've tried uploading the GS files with different names, but that won't help either. I've tried saving the GS files to the SD card and to the internal memory. Any suggestions?

Does anyone know the current version of Directroute?

I'm considering buying a Bluetooth GPSr to use with my Dell Axim PDA. I would like to use this for geocaching. Can anyone comment on the feasibility of this? Does anyone have any recommendations for hardware or software? Is this a less accurate approach than using a standard GPSr?

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with both the B/W and Color versions of Garmin's Legend or Vista models. I understand the advantages of the color screen and greater memory capacity. I'm curious if the antennae and chipsets are the same when moving up to the color models and if they are any more accurate or sensitive. Thanks for any thoughts on the matter.