Jump to content

Garmin Topo U.S. 24K


Recommended Posts

Has anyone else noticed Garmin is finally releasing the U.S. 24K topos?

 

http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/topo/topous24kcard.jsp

 

The link says they are only on microSD cards, and only one region is available at the moment. I've been wanting this for awhile, but I was hoping for a DVD version so I can load other maps as well.

Interesting development, but it will be very frustrating if they limit it to SD cards.

Link to comment

I say about time. I had recieved notice from some online ( forgot which one ) gps/software dealer of such a new product from Garmin. But could never find any such link at Garmin.com so didn't think anymore about it. I was under the impression that it was going to be the whole western US but now see from your link that in is only several states in the west. I am sure I will make the purchase when my state becomes available but wish they would have done this years ago. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

team sidewinder

Link to comment

Routeable roads AND trails!!! :)

Since we "probably" can't read (I'm only guessing) the microSD card in MapSource, it would imply the routable feature is available in the GPSr unit, unlike Topo 24K National Parks that only allowed you to route trails in MapSource. I wonder how routable it is; such as being able to navigate on the road with turn-by-turn guidance. Somehow I doubt it would have that ability or we wouldn't have the need for a City Navigator DVD anymore.

 

If you look at the upper right in the link under "product compatibility" you'll see every GPSr mentioned has an asterisk after it (which indicates a limitation) except for the Colorado series. I don't have a Colorado unit, so would anyone care to guess what part of Topo 24K U.S. won't function on a none Colorado unit?

Link to comment

If you look at the upper right in the link under "product compatibility" you'll see every GPSr mentioned has an asterisk after it (which indicates a limitation) except for the Colorado series. I don't have a Colorado unit, so would anyone care to guess what part of Topo 24K U.S. won't function on a none Colorado unit?

Might be the feature: "3-D terrain shading on compatible units"

Link to comment
If you look at the upper right in the link under "product compatibility" you'll see every GPSr mentioned has an asterisk after it (which indicates a limitation) except for the Colorado series. I don't have a Colorado unit, so would anyone care to guess what part of Topo 24K U.S. won't function on a none Colorado unit?

Might be the feature: "3-D terrain shading on compatible units"

The newer Nuvi's will do 3D terrain shading. From a Nuvi 255:

 

original.jpg

 

I think it's this, I'd call this 3D modeling:

 

Peak-3D.jpg

Link to comment

I guess I thought that was was feature of the Colorado, not the maps. Here is what Garmin is saying:

Limited Compatibility

 

Some Garmin units may only access limited features when used with certain MapSource products. In these cases, an asterisk has been placed by that product.

 

"Limited capability" may mean that a unit may be able to draw all the map features from the MapSource software, such as roads, lakes, nav-aids, depth contours, wrecks, etc., but the interactive capability of the maps may be limited. For example, you may not be able to "find nearest marinas" or look up additional text about a specific mapping feature.

 

We encourage you to e-mail cartography@garmin.com if you have any questions about the compatibility of certain units and MapSource products.

 

Those are some pretty weak screen shots they have provided.

Edited by coggins
Link to comment

Routeable roads AND trails!!! :D

 

Routable trails are awesome for hiking, but the trails provided in the Topo 24k NP maps are very inaccurate. Makes it difficult to follow a route when the trail is in the wrong place! I doubt that the trails will be any better in the new U.S. Topo 24k.

 

I'm also kind of surprised by the card-only release.

Link to comment

At those prices, the entire U.S. in 24K would cost around $1000! I think I'll stick to my regular Topo for $80. I'll also add the 24K for parks which is a lot cheaper.

 

Mind telling us what topos you are using for $80. And will they work with the 400t?

Link to comment

At those prices, the entire U.S. in 24K would cost around $1000! I think I'll stick to my regular Topo for $80. I'll also add the 24K for parks which is a lot cheaper.

 

Mind telling us what topos you are using for $80. And will they work with the 400t?

 

Yes it will work, it's what everyone else here is using. http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-MapSource-Top...1754&sr=8-1

Edited by jcc123
Link to comment

Garmin may have the contour at a 24k resolution, but will it have the detail of a 24k quad?

 

The one thing I liked about quads is the detail, including building, roads, streams, etc. The only thing 24k vector maps ever gave me was more contour lines. And many times the roads on vector maps were not accurate.

Link to comment

At those prices, the entire U.S. in 24K would cost around $1000! I think I'll stick to my regular Topo for $80. I'll also add the 24K for parks which is a lot cheaper.

 

Mind telling us what topos you are using for $80. And will they work with the 400t?

 

Yes it will work, it's what everyone else here is using. http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-MapSource-Top...1754&sr=8-1

 

cethomas is also using these maps as well if he's got a 400t, Topo2008 comes preloaded on that GPS.

 

GO$Rs

Link to comment

It is interesting that Garmin does not list the 400t as a compatible unit (all other CO flavors are). I wonder if they are just assuming that people wouldn't want to spend the extra for the 24k maps if they already have the US or if there is some incompatibility with Topo2008? or its just a mistake!

 

GO$Rs

Link to comment

At those prices, the entire U.S. in 24K would cost around $1000! I think I'll stick to my regular Topo for $80. I'll also add the 24K for parks which is a lot cheaper.

 

Mind telling us what topos you are using for $80. And will they work with the 400t?

 

Yes it will work, it's what everyone else here is using. http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-MapSource-Top...1754&sr=8-1

 

cethomas is also using these maps as well if he's got a 400t, Topo2008 comes preloaded on that GPS.

 

GO$Rs

 

Yes I have he 400t. Can I download the Topo2008 from my GPS to my Trip & Waypoint Manager? Or do I have to buy the CD? I assume the 24K for parks is not preloaded on the 400t and have to be bought seperatly. Right?

Link to comment

Preloaded Topo2008 from the 400t cannot be viewed in Mapsource. 24k parks is not preloaded on the 400t, just Topo2008 which is 100k scale topos.

 

GO$Rs

 

Ok. My Topo2008 and 24k parks west will be here today. I have read that they can be pretty hard to install. So what is the best way to install them in Mapsource. The 24k parks west is the only one that I need to install on my 400t. Right? How do I do that?

Link to comment

GPS City just emailed me that my Topo 24K West (Calif/Nev) shipped today, and I should have it by Friday. I also checked the Garmin website and they now say, as of today, that the West microSD is available. I guess today is the day that 24k West is being released nationwide.

Link to comment

Well I got the microSD chip and gave it a quick test on my GPSMAP 60CSx. It looks like what Garmin did was combine City Navigator with these new 24K topo map sets. I can route just as I can with City Navigator, although this version corrects for some of the navigation errors I get in my City Navigotor version 8, so this version is probably based on the latest updates.

 

Besides being able to route by address, I can also route along the trails. Basically the trails are treated like streets and can by added to a street route or used as trails only. One thing I quickly noticed is the active route line and the topo lines share the same color (purple) which can be confusing. It would be nice if the active route line color could be changed, but I don't see a setting for this.

 

Comparing the overlapping areas of 24K Topo National Parks West with the 24K Topo West the detail appears to match which is as expected.

 

I do notice that the map setup menu is slow to access. All other functions appear to access without any additional lag time.

 

The microSD is labeled SanDisk and looks like a generic 2GB microSD with an adapter. It woud be nice if Garmin would make a label for it.

 

My first impression is this is a good product to get if you only need the mapping for your home state. Having both street navigation and 24K topo information combined on the same screen without having to hide mapsets is a real plus. You won't be able to use this with MapSource, but then again you also don't have to worry about entering a lock code or not being able to transfer your maps when you upgrade to a new GPS receiver.

Edited by Low Bat
Link to comment

I just got a Colorado 400T and I haven't added any other maps to it. I'm trying to decide if I should get these maps or City Navigator. I don't venture out of Washington/Oregon much so the coverage of the 24k maps would be fine, I think. The question is, would the topo maps add anything to what comes standard in the 400T? Mainly interested in campgrounds and trails. To make a case for City Navigator over the Topo 24k with routable roads, would CN include more POIs such as gas stations and restaurants?

Link to comment

I've been using this new microSD more and so far it's CN appears to be the full version (limited to two states) as the regular CN DVD. I haven't compared the POI's in detail, but I'd guess the amount of POI's are the same for the each state.

 

I was in error earlier about the active route color being the same as the contour lines color. They are close but not exact. The shades of red and purple can be a little confusing when following an active route on a trail with a lot of contour lines.

 

I don't hear the arrival alarm with this version (I do with turns), and I'm not sure if that's a setting on my GPSr or if this version of CN doesn't support it. I'll have to test it some more.

 

BTW, the 2GB microSD for CA/NV is almost completely used up (1.9GB used). The data is locked to the permanent ID of the chip so even if it is copied to another card it won't work. The microSD card can however be used on another GPSr.

 

I'm surprised there isn't more interest in this new product. Combining 24K topos with City Navigator is about as good as it gets in my opinion. :lol:

Link to comment
The question is, would the topo maps add anything to what comes standard in the 400T? Mainly interested in campgrounds and trails. To make a case for City Navigator over the Topo 24k with routable roads, would CN include more POIs such as gas stations and restaurants?

I don't have a 400T so I can't be sure, but I think your included topo maps are 1/100th scale. Maybe somebody else could confirm this.
Link to comment

 

I'm surprised there isn't more interest in this new product. Combining 24K topos with City Navigator is about as good as it gets in my opinion. :lol:

 

Not really not interest. As someone like me who already owns city navigator and 2008 topo map, I'm more interested in knowing if the 24k map has more trails, that is the only value added part. Waiting for more reviews.

 

For the record, topo 2008 map contains barely any trail. the few trails it has are the wide open fire trails we hikers rarely take (or at least don't need GPS for such case).

 

[edited to correct typos]

Edited by dualcore
Link to comment
I'm more interested in knowing if the 24k map has more trails, that is the only value added part. Waiting for more reviews.
The trails appear to be present for the national parks just as in the Garmin 24K Topo National Parks West DVD. The trails for other places I'm familiar with (such as state and county parks) are not present in most of what I've looked at so far. Some of the trails I know of are shown as an "unpaved road". If you're looking for really good trail data I'd say this isn't it. Hopefully Garmin will soon have a viewer on their website so you can review this product just as they've done with most of their other mapping software.
Link to comment

The trails for other places I'm familiar with (such as state and county parks) are not present in most of what I've looked at so far.

 

Thanks a lot for the answer.

 

I also have the shaded 24K national park (version 3.02, latest) from garmin, so I think I might skip this map,

 

but I do think for anyone who has no city navigator or any of the topo map, this product is really appealing and cost effective.

Link to comment

Hopefully someone can answer this question.

 

Is the new 24K map shading based on 30meter Dem's (like Topo 2008) or is it more detailed such as a 10meter DEM? With all of the freely available topo maps that already include 24K resolution (20-40ft contours) I would only be buying for the better, more detailed terrain shading for my Oregon300 that could potentially come with this product.

 

Anyone know? If you dont know but have the product and would like to guess, open your Mapsource and switch between Topo2008 and the 24K products and look for any changes in the level of detail in the shading. I know the 24K National parks maps had better shading detail. How about the new 24K product?

 

Thanks in advance!

Link to comment

I just got the 24k West (California and Nevada) maps for Christmas and was excited to try it. I ended up very disappointed.

 

I had been looking forward to the extra detail and routable trails, but the fire roads I was hiking on were not included on the map. I made sure that there was sufficient detail and that other maps were turned off. This was surprising because the roads were included on the topo 2008 map. After getting home, I checked other areas where I often hike -- the trails and roads that were on the 2008 map were not included on the 24K.

 

The street routing worked fine, but what good is the routable trail feature if the trail data is so limited?

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...