+kurchian Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 I note that there are two Garmin MapSource products that cover my area. One is TOPO 100K and the other is TOPO 24k. I currently have the 100K loaded. Questions: Will the 75k version provide better resolution on my GPSr? Can I load both maps and switch back and forth? Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 I note that there are two Garmin MapSource products that cover my area. One is TOPO 100K and the other is TOPO 24k. I currently have the 100K loaded. Questions: Will the 75k version provide better resolution on my GPSr? Can I load both maps and switch back and forth? 100k covers the whole US and is not routable (you cannot tell your GPS you want to go to a location, and have it provide you with turn by turn directions). 24k covers a smaller area, has routable streets, much more details. You should be able to switch between the two, but I can't think of a good reason to load the 100k if you have the 24k. Quote Link to comment
+geodarts Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 You should be able to switch between the two, but I can't think of a good reason to load the 100k if you have the 24k. I have both, in part because I had the 100k first. But I often use the 100k because it has much better trail information. The trails on the 24k are pretty much nonexistent in the areas where I have planned hikes. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 I note that there are two Garmin MapSource products that cover my area. One is TOPO 100K and the other is TOPO 24k. I currently have the 100K loaded. Questions: Will the 75k version provide better resolution on my GPSr? Can I load both maps and switch back and forth? 100k covers the whole US and is not routable (you cannot tell your GPS you want to go to a location, and have it provide you with turn by turn directions). 24k covers a smaller area, has routable streets, much more details. You should be able to switch between the two, but I can't think of a good reason to load the 100k if you have the 24k. I just purchased the 24k. Very good detail. I also loaded the 100K because because the 24K only included northeast and northcentral states and I wanted topo coverage for other states. Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 (edited) OK, two good reasons for having both 24k and 100k on the same unit just make sure you have enough memory. Erickson : thanks for the info regarding trail info on the 24k maps. <rant>This seems consistent with Garmin's marketing strategy of never having one product that has all the features of its "lesser" products</rant>. Edited April 10, 2010 by Chrysalides Quote Link to comment
Keystone Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 I am moving this thread from the Geocaching Topics forum to the GPS and Technology forum. Quote Link to comment
snowfleurys Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 I often use the 100k because it has much better trail information. The trails on the 24k are pretty much nonexistent in the areas where I have planned hikes. You mignt want to check http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/250/ This is an overlay/transparent mapset of the trails on the USGS 100k quads - which may be the source of the trails in Garmin's 100k product, or it may not be. Quote Link to comment
+Walts Hunting Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 The difference between the two is display. The 24K will have TOPO lines every 40 feet in elevation change while the 100K has them every 160 feet. This can lead to you not being able to detect sharp elevation changes as well. The 24K comes with POI's and are routable. The 100K's do not come with the extensive set of POI's and are not routable (unless you are in Canada). The 24's are way more expensive (I think you need a dozen sets or so to cover the US) while the 100K covers it all for one price. Personally I have two 24K's for the areas I go most of the time and have removed the 100K from my Oregon 400T model. I load the 24K's for where i will be the next month and now with Birdseye I also load that in the High resolution. Will probably have to take out the CN Navigator card I have for the US since I will need the room as I build up the Birdseye and it has become redundant with the advent of the 24Ks. Quote Link to comment
snowfleurys Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 Will probably have to take out the CN Navigator card I have for the US since I will need the room as I build up the Birdseye and it has become redundant with the advent of the 24Ks. That seams to imply that the 24k product also uses Navtech data for streets and roads; which I had not heard before. Quote Link to comment
+DavidMac Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 "100K" and "24K" are actually shorthand for the scale of the maps from which the data was obtained, which is 1:100,000 and 1:24,000, respectively. The lower the number, usually, the higher the detail. On a paper map printed at a scale of 1:24,000, one inch on the map equals 24,000 inches of land. A 1:100,000 scale map printed on a sheet of paper of the same dimensions will cover a larger area, and typically include less detail. The most detailed ubiquitous topographic maps produced by the USGS (commonly referred to as "quads") are 1:24,000 scale. I've always been under the assumption that it was from these maps that the data used by the Garmin 24K map products was derived? That seams to imply that the 24k product also uses Navtech data for streets and roads; which I had not heard before. I'm not sure if the data was supplied by Navteq or another source, but I have the Garmin 24K Eastern US national parks map and it does indeed support routing, both on roads and trails. Quote Link to comment
+Redwoods Mtn Biker Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 The OP might want to check out these maps... http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/state/ma They're free, and the NE topo is 1:24K. But they won't have NAVTEQ roads, nor are they routable. Quote Link to comment
+kurchian Posted April 11, 2010 Author Share Posted April 11, 2010 I don't care about auto routing. I only use the maps for hiking and geocaching. is it accurate to say that the primary difference is the additional detail, primarily in contour lines? Quote Link to comment
+ajokey Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 My 100K has the topo lines every 25' not 160'. It's the topo US 100K Western Great Lakes Feb. 2009. Not sure what the difference is but I like mine :-) AJO The difference between the two is display. The 24K will have TOPO lines every 40 feet in elevation change while the 100K has them every 160 feet. This can lead to you not being able to detect sharp elevation changes as well. The 24K comes with POI's and are routable. The 100K's do not come with the extensive set of POI's and are not routable (unless you are in Canada). The 24's are way more expensive (I think you need a dozen sets or so to cover the US) while the 100K covers it all for one price. Personally I have two 24K's for the areas I go most of the time and have removed the 100K from my Oregon 400T model. I load the 24K's for where i will be the next month and now with Birdseye I also load that in the High resolution. Will probably have to take out the CN Navigator card I have for the US since I will need the room as I build up the Birdseye and it has become redundant with the advent of the 24Ks. Quote Link to comment
+DavidMac Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 (edited) My 100K has the topo lines every 25' not 160'. It's the topo US 100K Western Great Lakes Feb. 2009. Not sure what the difference is but I like mine :-) AJO In my experience the frequency of contour lines depends on the region. East Tennessee (which is pretty mountainous) has contour lines every 40 feet, while West Tennessee (which is comparatively flat) has contour lines every 10 feet. Parts of Eastern NC along the coast have contours every five feet, but in some places lines are still few and far between! Edited April 12, 2010 by DavidMac Quote Link to comment
snowfleurys Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 On printed maps the contour interval used is determined by the scale of the map and the relief of the area. This is also true on GPSr maps and is also effected by the scale and type of available source data, the zoom levels the map author uses and the intended purpose of a mapset. Quote Link to comment
Chuck E. Mong Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 This may not pertain to this discussion but I have the Map Source United States Topo version 3.02 that I got to use with an eTrex Legend machine and I was pretty disappointed. It may be that things have gotten better since then with color touch screens and whatnot but I don't see much difference between the machine with the maps and without. There's a local large lake that has two islands on it and the maps don't show them but they do show an island on a lesser body of water nearby. The only things I like about them is the ability to show my trails, tracks and waypoints in Google Earth and the fact that for some reason they overlay roads that no longer exist which is kind of neat from a historical (hysterical?) perspective. I haven't researched the two versions you're asking about but just wanted to throw these comments in for anyone who runs across version 3.02 so you won't be too disappointed. Quote Link to comment
+Walts Hunting Posted April 17, 2010 Share Posted April 17, 2010 If your eTrex came with the TOPO then you bought the same level as you have on there. I don't know what that one comes with. If it didn't then you should see better contour lines. But the TOPO US is 100K. Quote Link to comment
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