Garmin Street Mapping Software: Mapsource City Navigator Vs. Metroguide

[+Captain Max & the Kids]

Garmin now offers two street mapping software solutions that will work with my new 76Csx unit. I already own the TOPO series which is straightforward, but this street mapping stuff is complicated--DVD or CD, locked or unlocked. One is $30 more than the other-but does that make it Faster, Better, Nicer.? They seemingly do the same thing and the Garmin website and REI isnt all that helpful in deciphering which to get. They just say get whatever is compatible with your unit--Well BOTh are..sheesh.

Any advice would be extremely helpful. THANKSS!!

[Neo_Geo]

Actually, Garmin offers 3 solutions, but you dealer may only offer 2. It's a big SNAFU going on. Anyway, MetroGuide does NOT send routing data to the GPSr. Your GPSr would SEEM to autoroute with MetroGuide, but it would actually be using its basemap - and that results in very poor routing. So do not consider MetroGuide as a solution.

 

If you can get it, buy City Select 7! It sends routing data to the gPSr. Right now, City Select 7 is best suited for your model. It has much smaller map segment sizes for you to choose to send to the GPSr. The smaller segments allow you to be more precise in selecting what areas you want to send to the unit. City Navigator's larger segments means that you might have to send an entire state's map if the area you're interested in just gazes the corner of the state! This isn't such a big deal if you're gonna use a 256MB card or larger, but it can be limiting for smaller sized cards depending on your mapping needs.

 

It has been mentioned that the current version (7) City Select will be the last version, and will be replaced by the next version (8) of City Navigator. Garmin would supposedly reduce the map segment sizes, and allow current City Select users to upgrade to City Select in the future. I've recently heard that now Garmin may not discontinue City Select... So it's like one big major conundrum!

 

Again, if you can find it, get the City Select version 7. You might have to purchase it in an Auto Navigation Kit.

[peter]

Garmin now offers two street mapping software solutions that will work with my new 76Csx unit. I already own the TOPO series which is straightforward, but this street mapping stuff is complicated--DVD or CD, locked or unlocked. One is $30 more than the other-but does that make it Faster, Better, Nicer.?

What the $30 buys you is auto-routing on your 76CSx. Both will auto-route on your PC. There is a workaround (albeit somewhat questionable in terms of the license agreement) to allow MetroGuide-NA to also auto-route on the GPS receiver, but it has other drawbacks as well by breaking some other functions.

 

If you're deciding which to buy I'd certainly go with CityNavigator (CitySelect would also be essentially equivalent, and also auto-routes).

 

[Neo Geo beat me to it.]

Edited March 20, 2006 by peter