disconnect industries Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 I'm new to using GPS units, but I am thinking of purchasing a explorist series. I did have one question that I haven't really found an answer to: if I buy both the MapSend 3D Topo USA and DirectRoute, can I have both on the GPS at the same time as long as I stay within SD card limits? (So whatever software suited the moment better I could just switch to). Or is that not possible? Thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment
+Trail Buzzards Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 That is what I do with my eXplorist 600. I keep the DirectRoute as my primary map most of the time, but can quickly switch to Topo as necessary. Quote Link to comment
+Muddler Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 Do you know that the two programs reside on your PC and that each of the programs prepare maps which can be up loaded to the GPS? You can load the two different types of map files to the SD card and select between the differend maps depending on what situation you need the map for. There is also a hack that will allow you to put the topo lines on the Direct Route maps and have the best of both worlds on the same map, Direct routing capabilities and topo lines so you can tell tell if DR is taking you over the edge of a cliff before you actually get there, LOL. Quote Link to comment
disconnect industries Posted April 12, 2006 Author Share Posted April 12, 2006 Thanks guys for the help, I really appreciate it. The 210 doesn't have a SD card slot, so if I wanted to have both DirectRoute and 3D Topo USA I'd have to keep the maps limited to pretty small areas right? Quote Link to comment
+embra Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 (edited) Right you are...I took a look to see how much territory a 10mb file in T3D would cover. It makes for a square region about 115 mi. on a side. Edit: The hack that draws the contour lines on a DR detail map files might be a good use for you. It would give you a larger file, although it would leave out the T3D-specific POIs. Edited April 12, 2006 by embra Quote Link to comment
disconnect industries Posted April 12, 2006 Author Share Posted April 12, 2006 Thank you for the useful information Embra. Do you have a link to a page where I can find more information about this hack and how to obtain it? Quote Link to comment
+embra Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 This thread discusses how to meld the old TopoUSA with DirectRoute. I think the same rules apply for using Topo3D and DR (although see my note at the end of the thread). Quote Link to comment
+Trail Buzzards Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I'm not sure their is great value adding topo lines to DR. The real value that I find with Topo is there seems to be more rivers, etc. So, I will switch maps if we are taking an extensive hike in the area or it looks swampy. This comes in handy when determining which side of the brook I need to be to find the cache. If you have limited storage memory this may not be an option. That is one of the reasons why I upgraded to an eXplorist. Quote Link to comment
Dosido Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Like the Trail Buzzards, I have both DR and 3D Topo maps on my 500. I find that I use DR as my detail map about 90% of the time, and only on longer hikes and/or stream/river geocaching trips do I switch to the topo detail map. Topo is useful for scouting geocache placements, however, as you can, for example, select 'goto nearest summit' from the menu. I think I could live without the topo, but not without DR if I had to make a choice between the two. Quote Link to comment
disconnect industries Posted April 14, 2006 Author Share Posted April 14, 2006 Yes, that's where I'm having a problem deciding on which model to get. I like the 400 or 500, but I would like the 2 AA battery power for backbacking where I don't have access to power. The 400/500 would require multiple expensive batteries, but has the SD slot which I really want. The 210 has the batteries I want but really limited memory. I might stick with the 400 or 500 since I'll be using it more in the city and stuff than long backpacking trips. Car camping with a 400/500 will be no problem with the optional car charger. This leads me to another inquiry. I've heard DirectRoute uses a lot of memory. Is that true? If it is, it pretty much cuts the 210 out. Thanks guys for all the help. Quote Link to comment
Dosido Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 I know on a 210 that a friend has, we put all of Massachusetts, Connecticut and NY to Albany on the unit (didn't incude NYC). That might give you an idea of how much you can fit on the unit. It was pretty well maxed out then. Of course, you always have the ability to swap the files off and on once created. Quote Link to comment
disconnect industries Posted April 17, 2006 Author Share Posted April 17, 2006 (edited) Was that 3D Topo USA or DirectRoute that he put on his 210? Edited April 17, 2006 by disconnect industries Quote Link to comment
Dosido Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 Was that 3D Topo USA or DirectRoute that he put on his 210? Direct Route 2 Quote Link to comment
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