MemoryMap Maps - which GPS?

[dansound]

Hello,

 

Hope someone can help before I jump in with both feet and spend a lot of cash 

 

I’ve been pretty traditional to-date and have bought 25k memorymap OS maps for my PCs for maybe 15 areas around the UK that I regularly visit, which I print off a copy of the area I am going to be in and with a route printed over the map, I’d now like to start using a GPS for a couple of reasons

 

1) Plan a route on the PC, download it on to the GPS and follow it

2) Use the GPS maps out in the wilderness, with a paper backup in the rucksack

3) Use the GPS to track where I actually went and upload that on to the PC so I can get an idea of total distance and elevation covered.

4) Track performance, so been looking at Garmin Oregon so I can overlay heart rate with way points etc.

 

Bit confused by TOPO maps, base maps, overlays, discovery maps

 

Thanks

Danny

[+Dartmoor Dave]

Hi Danny,

 

I've been using MM for several years and am now on my 3rd GPS. I'm a huge fan of MM and have always been totally satisfied with the software. When I started the only sensible way to run MM when out walking was on a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) and each GPS I had was a PDA. In the early days the problems were with the quality of the GPS (hopeless under trees and took forever to lock on to the satellites) and battery life. These improved with each PDA. These PDAs all ran Windows Mobile and easily connected to a PC using ActiveSync. The Garmin GPSs were not compatible with MM and couldn't display the maps, but this may have changed now.

 

MM now produce their own GPSs which obviously run their software, but I don't believe these are PDAs so probably won't run other Windows Mobile S/W. Battery life is still improving and some of these now have removable batteries so that you can carry a spare. My PDA has a fixed battery, but I can recharge this on the move using a Power Monkey (which is brilliant). MM have their own forum and this is probably the best place to go for advice on GPSs and compatibility with MM software.

 

Hope this helps. Feel free to ring me on 01822 880260 if you have any questions I may be able to answer.

 

Dave.

[dansound]

Thanks Dave

 

I spent far too much time at the weekend looking in to this and going round the walking shops.

 

pretty dissapointing that the shops know so little, on a premium product.

 

i've gone ahead and ordered a Garmin Oregon 450 with the 50k discoverer maps, should work well with the memory maps that i have on my PC that are 25k.

 

i just think the garmin is a bit more rugged, and the projtection would come in handy when i am up Munros :-)

 

ideally i would be able to use the memory maps on the garmin, but no such luck

 

Cheers,

Danny

[+cadtenchy]

I'm in a similar boat to yourself.

I have the whole country on 50K OS and all the national parks on 25K OS in memory map.

 

The oregon comes with same format 50K memory maps? Or just 50K OS maps but different format?

 

I'm about to buy a 62ST (probably) for both geocaching and general hillwalking.

I've found some nice topos on filesdepot.com that work with mapsource, but nothing like the OS maps.

[+Dartmoor Dave]

Thanks Dave

 

I spent far too much time at the weekend looking in to this and going round the walking shops.

 

pretty dissapointing that the shops know so little, on a premium product.

 

i've gone ahead and ordered a Garmin Oregon 450 with the 50k discoverer maps, should work well with the memory maps that i have on my PC that are 25k.

 

i just think the garmin is a bit more rugged, and the projtection would come in handy when i am up Munros :-)

 

ideally i would be able to use the memory maps on the garmin, but no such luck

 

Cheers,

Danny

I don't understand your post - one line says that the Garmin you have ordered has 50K maps and should work well with MM, the last line says you can't use MM on the garmin???

[dansound]

Sorry for the confusion.

 

Basically – Memory Maps can only be used on a PC or Winmobile or Memoery Map Device.

They can however be used for routing or putting points on the PC, then export the points / route out to the garmin device. The garmin will then overlay those points on to the Garmin Map.

 

So I will plan on 25k Memory Map on the PC, then take that and overlay it on to the garmin maps.

The 50k maps that comes with the garmin can only be used on the garmin.

 

I have bought a Garmin Oregon 450 £230 http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/2618/garmin-oregon-450?ctype=2&gclid=CKHbvtb6-qYCFQ4f4QodbXGfFw , which has no maps and acquired (cough) the 50k discovery maps – these are OS Garmin Maps - http://www.garmingbdiscoverer.co.uk/ . The other option is to buy the 450T with the 50k maps as a bundle, but that is £450 for the same option http://www.ellis-brigham.com/gifts-&-gadgets/garmin/262047/oregon-450t-mapping-bundle

 

Let me know if you need further info.

 

Cheers,

Danny

[+burtsbodgers]

You can add 1:25,000 map sections in 2 different ways

Garmin Birdseye £19.99 for 600km2, this is done with your choice of area and quite easy to do.

Or

Mobile Atlas Creator, Free, But takes a bit more work, suggest watching the utube video on how to use. Quite good but more hassle to upload and get good results with though.

Have a look at both.