Jump to content

garmin montana maps


toil&trouble

Recommended Posts

Okay, I hope this is a simple question, I am think of getting a Montana, I have an Oregon 300 and have been very happy. My needs are, paperless caching, 3 axis compass, better "sunlight readable screen, car navigation and topo maps. So, if I get City Navigator, and buy the 650t, will I be happy with the info provided? Will I want to buy 24k topo maps? If i do buy 24k topo maps, and use city navigator, can i use them at the same time? If I have City Nav, and 24k topo maps on a SD card, can the unit "use" them both at the same time? I spend some time at REI and the staff was great, but she couldn't answer all my questions. What I want is to be able to load a PQ to the device, navigate in the car, grab the device and take a short hike, with minimal "tinkering" with setting. On the Oregon, I find it pretty easy to switch from "navigate on road" to navigate off road", but can I do that without buying the 650t???

Link to comment
So, if I get City Navigator, and buy the 650t, will I be happy with the info provided?
No, the "T" maps are 100K topos. Unless you need 48 state coverage, the Garmin 24K Topos have CN built in, but only for a few states.

 

Will I want to buy 24k topo maps? If i do buy 24k topo maps, and use city navigator, can i use them at the same time? If I have City Nav, and 24k topo maps on a SD card, can the unit "use" them both at the same time?
You can have many maps resident on the SD card, but only ONE active at a time. Easy to switch.

 

I spend some time at REI and the staff was great, but she couldn't answer all my questions. What I want is to be able to load a PQ to the device, navigate in the car, grab the device and take a short hike, with minimal "tinkering" with setting. On the Oregon, I find it pretty easy to switch from "navigate on road" to navigate off road", but can I do that without buying the 650t???

"T" simply means the 100K Topos installed. Adds ~$100 to the 650, otherwise the two are near identical.

Link to comment

Thanks, yes the 300 has profiles, but when I'm geocaching, I don't want to have to switch between profiles. The sales person at REI said if I get the 24k topo maps, I won't need CN, is that really true? We live in our motor home and travel all over the US and Canada, so how many different 24k maps would I have to buy? How much are they? Could the topo maps "live" on a SD card, so when I move from one region to the next, I would have to switch maps??

Link to comment

Thanks, yes the 300 has profiles, but when I'm geocaching, I don't want to have to switch between profiles. The sales person at REI said if I get the 24k topo maps, I won't need CN, is that really true? We live in our motor home and travel all over the US and Canada, so how many different 24k maps would I have to buy? How much are they? Could the topo maps "live" on a SD card, so when I move from one region to the next, I would have to switch maps??

 

Like CN, all of the Garmin Topo US 24K maps are routable. However, the Navteq/POI data on the 24Ks are a few years old. The CN info is updated 4x a year. The US is divided into 6 topo DVDs. Theoretically, you can throw more than 1 topo onto a DVD. However, Garmin tends to impose arbitrary limits on things (i.e., 5000 geocaches, etc.). The units have a "map tile" limit. For example, Topo US 24K West eats up most of the tiles on an Oregon 450. The entire tile set on the CN North America is smaller than Topo 24K West. If you have a large memory card, the best way (although not entirely convenient) to handle multiple Garmin 24K maps is to use a PC and rename the regions on the SD card you are not using. Changing the extension from .IMG to .IMX works great.

 

Save your money and skip the 't' series. The 100K topo is not very good.

 

Hope this helps!

Link to comment

I label my maps like this and they are all available for use. Just enable/disable what you need or don't need. You are only limited by the size of your sd card.

 

gmapsupp1.img

gmapsupp2.img

gmapsupp3.img

gmapsupp4.img

gmapsuppx.img

You may find it easier to keep track of them with more detailed names. I use CO_topo.img, KS_topo.img, MO_topo.img, etc.

Link to comment

I label my maps like this and they are all available for use. Just enable/disable what you need or don't need. You are only limited by the size of your sd card.

 

gmapsupp1.img

gmapsupp2.img

gmapsupp3.img

gmapsupp4.img

gmapsuppx.img

You may find it easier to keep track of them with more detailed names. I use CO_topo.img, KS_topo.img, MO_topo.img, etc.

 

Your probably right. I have just remembered them based on a numbering system and in the GPS the maps are labeled with the type and region.

Edited by GLAMS
Link to comment

Thanks, yes the 300 has profiles, but when I'm geocaching, I don't want to have to switch between profiles. The sales person at REI said if I get the 24k topo maps, I won't need CN, is that really true? We live in our motor home and travel all over the US and Canada, so how many different 24k maps would I have to buy? How much are they? Could the topo maps "live" on a SD card, so when I move from one region to the next, I would have to switch maps??

 

Hi. My go to map is the 24k map for my neck of the woods, but then I don't travel out of the area covered. I don't think you want to spend over $1500 to cover the USA and Canada at 24k. I suggest free topos( http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/ ) with city nav na or the free routeables here: http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/

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...