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Which Is Better? Topo Canada Or Direct Route 2?


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I have a merigold and I have two different kinds of software for it. The first is Mapsend Topo ver. 1.00e, and the second is Direct Route NA ver. 2.00f build 1087. I want to use my merigold on a moose hunt that I have planned for this fall and I wanted to know if there was any clear cut better choice in which one of these I used for this type of applcation? I know that around the city while trying to learn how to use my GPS, I have been using Direct Route, and it seems very good. I just wasn't sure if this is just a personal opinion type of choice or an actual better and second best type of choice. Any input would be greatly appreciated in helping me out with this one. This is a wilderness area that I plan to go into. I do have an experienced partner going with me that knows the area well, but I would really like to be able to depend on myself, especially for the other times when I do go alone just for a little scouting and alone time.

 

Thanks, 1Woodsman

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I have a merigold and I have two different kinds of software for it. The first is Mapsend Topo ver. 1.00e, and the second is Direct Route NA ver. 2.00f build 1087. I want to use my merigold on a moose hunt that I have planned for this fall and I wanted to know if there was any clear cut better choice in which one of these I used for this type of applcation? I know that around the city while trying to learn how to use my GPS, I have been using Direct Route, and it seems very good. I just wasn't sure if this is just a personal opinion type of choice or an actual better and second best type of choice. Any input would be greatly appreciated in helping me out with this one. This is a wilderness area that I plan to go into. I do have an experienced partner going with me that knows the area well, but I would really like to be able to depend on myself, especially for the other times when I do go alone just for a little scouting and alone time.

 

Thanks, 1Woodsman

Directroute is very slightly more up to date for streets but has no topo information. Among the things you get on topo are more complete displays of streams, marsh areas, lakes, hydro line right of ways, etc. so in the bush (off road) its much better and keeps you out of trouble a lot of the time.

 

JDandDD

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One thing to consider between the two maps is the amount of memory you have access to. I have Garmin's TOPO Canada and when I look on the web site, the difference between this and the City maps in memory needs is huge. I have a GPSMAP60C with 56 Megs of built in memory (no card) and I was able to only load in part of Alberta and a very small part of BC. It holds nearly all of the places in Alberta that I would want to go to. However when vacation time comes around, most Alberta's head to BC. I'll have to rearrange things a bit and load just part of that Province. BC uses more memory than Alberta for obvious reasons. There are lots of topographic features in BC that we don't have in Alberta. Of course, that is why we go there. I could probably add all of Saskatchewan by only deleting a few BC mountains. :)

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Thanks for the help, I was sort of thinking that way. The name of both the software titles implied to me which might have been better for me, but Direct Route looked so much more advanced that I really needed to ask from those that knew and weren't just guessing at it like I was doing.

 

1Woodsman

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Thanks for the help, I was sort of thinking that way. The name of both the software titles implied to me which might have been better for me, but Direct Route looked so much more advanced that I really needed to ask from those that knew and weren't just guessing at it like I was doing.

 

1Woodsman

Since you have a Merigold, you can generate maps for the same area, one using Mapsend Topo Canada, and the other using Direct Route, and load both maps into the SD card. You can then toggle between the two maps in the field. As previous posters have said, I believe you will find the Topo maps more useful off the main roads.

Clement

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Thanks, that's another good suggestion. I'm very new to GPS and especially this one I have. I have had only one other before and that was a used Garmin GPS12XL and I only had that for a very short time and resold it because it was so basic and lacked any of the functions that were suggested to me that I would maybe need, such as track back, for one. So the things like you just suggested don't come as second nature to me yet, but I hope to get a decent knowledge and comfort level with this one by the time my moose hunt is here in the fall. I have three SD cards to be able to take with me, one is a 1 gig, the other two are 32 megs each. Someone also sent me the information to be able to load as much as 1 gig onto my card in as many maps as I want from 1 to however many I figure I might need. The area I plan to hunt in is not near as large as that from even the time I leave my home and return with my moose.... hopefully :laughing:

 

1Woodsman

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If you have both DirectRoute and Topo, there's an easier way...

 

Copy \MAP\BLX folder from Mapsend Topo to the MAP\ folder of DR.

Copy \Map\topo3d.ini and topo3d.cfg to DR's \Map folder

Add "Topo3DInit=topo3d.ini,BLX0" line to the Root\mapsend.ini in the [PATH] section.

 

After that you will see topo checkbox, similar to MapSend Topo to choose if topo info should be included to the region exported.

 

(instructions courtesy of http://www.msh-tools.com/)

 

Doc

Edited by docdigit
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If you have both DirectRoute and Topo, there's an easier way...

 

Copy \MAP\BLX folder from Mapsend Topo to the MAP\ folder of DR.

Copy \Map\topo3d.ini and topo3d.cfg to DR's \Map folder

Add "Topo3DInit=topo3d.ini,BLX0" line to the Root\mapsend.ini in the [PATH] section.

 

After that you will see topo checkbox, similar to MapSend Topo to choose if topo info should be included to the region exported.

 

(instructions courtesy of http://www.msh-tools.com/)

 

Doc

Since the OP is relatively new to this game, let me add a few comments about this method. While it works, it may be confusing, becuase, with DR2, it only adds contour lines to the maps displayed on your GPS, but not on the PC screen (at least, I cannot make it appear there). Only some additional numbers appear, representing the elevation labels of the contour lines. I remember users of DR Europe reporting the same behaviour. However, if you do see the topo checkbox, and the estimated size of the generated map changes depending on whether the box is checked, then you have it working.

 

I should add also that this method adds only the contour lines. The map still lacks other information, e.g., small rivers and lakes. I still believe that maps generated by Topo Canada is more useful for the OP's purpose.

 

Clement

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hehehe, guess what? now I can say without a doubt that I am totally confused! I do know that the intent is to help me, but I am still so very new to this and the unit that I have, that I can't even get the back track feature to work properly for me yet. I am using this while travelling around the city and I make a route to any given destination that I have to go to on a given day and then I try to find my way back form there by way of track back and only end up frustrating myself each time. I am becoming more familiar with this each time I use it, but I am sure there is something very simple that I'm overlooking. I also want to add something from my last post where I said I could upload any number of maps, well that turns out to be wrong, I can only add one map at a time to my SD card. I can however make the map up to 1 gig in size, but when I try to add two maps I can't do it. I know I must be doing something wrong here also, I'll get it all figured out soon hopefully. I'll try to digest the new info and the link given to try and figure all that out.

 

Thanks, 1Woodsman

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I want to add another update to the abilities that I am now aware of again. I can add more than one map and up as high as one gig onto an SD card. The more than one map information is in the FAQ that is the one circulating at the Yahoo groups that was put out by Kevin Harrelson, and Dan Surratt with the newest version being 2.0 put out on 10/31/2003. The information for being able to use a full gig was sent to me by someone that I can't remember, but it works flawlessly. I can send the info for either of these to anyone that wants them, provided of course that I'm not breaking any forum rules by doing this. I hope I'm not already breaking the rules by even mentioning this or offering to send it. Please, someone let me know if I am stepping on any toes already, or I am about to make that type of mistake. I would not like to do this in any way.

 

Thanks, 1Woodsman

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