Us Topo Not Entirely Street Friendly

[mustangSally!]

Here's a question for ya'll. I FINALLY got my Legend C and it was packaged with the US Topo map. This map is waayyyyy better than the map that was already on my Legend C so I'm happy about that. HOWEVER, sometimes when I want to go somewhere and I ask it to direct me there (I'm currently using it for road use), it wants to sometimes take me through some paths. I completely understand that the Topo map is mainly for outdoor (out of car) use, however until I can fork out the dough for the city select software, can anyone tell me if it's possible to override this and ask it to keep me on the roads???

[+Renegade Knight]

Topo is not designed for Auto Routing. Your legend is probably trying to use the base map to autoroute and giving you goofy results as a result.

 

A partial solution (if you still have your basemap) is to turn off the topo maps when you want to route. Then the GPS will use your basemap (and show that on the screen) to route.

 

The best solution for routing is to fork over the money.

[+Guitar4Him]

I don't know if the Garmin Topo maps are the same as the Magellan Topo maps. However, if they are, you can't do street routing on them....only point-to-point. This would explain it taking you down paths instead of streets.

[mustangSally!]

Thanks for the help. Unfortunately, the basemap didn't have but one or two streets out of a whole town!!! I guess I'll just have to buy the software sooner rather than later!

[+Miragee]

Check out the package deals that include the City Select software with the auto-mount and the cigarette-lighter adapter. I saw one on eBay the other day that was only $115.00 for everything.

[+S&G.Davison]

FWIW you can route with a Topo Map in a GPSMap 76CSX (well I can with Topo Great Britain)..

 

In Menu settings > Routing > there is a button that says "Follow Road Options" .. This allows me to set options for the vehicle (ie car versus pedestrian) and also things like avoid Unpaved Lanes ... IS there a similar option on the Legend ?

[jackrr]

FWIW you can route with a Topo Map in a GPSMap 76CSX (well I can with Topo Great Britain)..

 

In Menu settings > Routing > there is a button that says "Follow Road Options" .. This allows me to set options for the vehicle (ie car versus pedestrian) and also things like avoid Unpaved Lanes ... IS there a similar option on the Legend ?

 

I also have a 76csx and I can route with Topo Canada.

[mustangSally!]

FWIW you can route with a Topo Map in a GPSMap 76CSX (well I can with Topo Great Britain)..

 

In Menu settings > Routing > there is a button that says "Follow Road Options" .. This allows me to set options for the vehicle (ie car versus pedestrian) and also things like avoid Unpaved Lanes ... IS there a similar option on the Legend ?

 

Yes, I found those same options last night on my unit. I even changed it to look like I'm driving a truck (vs. car or motorcycle); I also checked the box to say to keep me on a paved road. It's still taking me through places that I'm pretty sure there's no road.... tho, I did just move here 7 months ago.... I may have to check these "roads" out! My husband might want to play on them in his jeep!!!

 

I'm pretty sure, after reading all of the help you all are giving me, that those options are for the gps unit itself and the topo software really doesn't care and will send me wherever it wants regardless. I'm sure this will all be worth good laugh after I get the new software.

[yeeoldcacher]

FWIW you can route with a Topo Map in a GPSMap 76CSX (well I can with Topo Great Britain)..

 

In Menu settings > Routing > there is a button that says "Follow Road Options" .. This allows me to set options for the vehicle (ie car versus pedestrian) and also things like avoid Unpaved Lanes ... IS there a similar option on the Legend ?

 

Yes, I found those same options last night on my unit. I even changed it to look like I'm driving a truck (vs. car or motorcycle); I also checked the box to say to keep me on a paved road. It's still taking me through places that I'm pretty sure there's no road.... tho, I did just move here 7 months ago.... I may have to check these "roads" out! My husband might want to play on them in his jeep!!!

 

I'm pretty sure, after reading all of the help you all are giving me, that those options are for the gps unit itself and the topo software really doesn't care and will send me wherever it wants regardless. I'm sure this will all be worth good laugh after I get the new software.

 

Actually, Garmin's Canadian and British topo are routable like the US City Select due the mapping data provider for both of those products.

[peter]

I'm pretty sure, after reading all of the help you all are giving me, that those options are for the gps unit itself and the topo software really doesn't care and will send me wherever it wants regardless. I'm sure this will all be worth good laugh after I get the new software.

Your US Topo maps aren't 'sending' you anywhere since they have no auto-routing attributes whatsoever. Any routing you're getting is due to the basemap in your unit and would be exactly the same even if the US Topo maps weren't loaded.

Comments from people who use Garmin's topo maps for the UK and Canada are irrelevant for your situation since those particular topo maps *do* support auto-routing, but the US Topo product you have *does not*.

 

Get the CitySelect-NA maps if you want auto-routing.

[+SwampYankee]

Did you zoom that in all the way? I find the Garmin basemap on my Legend color to be pretty decent at least in Connecticut. Just a thought. I use the Topo also but only for off road.

 

SwampYankee