Looking for this type of topo image to download to my gps...

[+timothy585]

I've pretty new at this but I have been picking up as much info as I can, mainly at GSPFileDepot, for downloading various topos and other overlays. I just got a Garmin 60csx and all the topos I've found and downloaded don't seem to look quite right(kind of cartoonish)...or maybe I'm just expecting a different image than what's possible to download to a gps.

 

Below are a couple of snap-shots of topos that I view and print from mytopo.com and I really like the look of these. Is it possible to download these images and use them as a basemap? I've got other gps units that I use for street navigation, so I'm not worried obout losing the original basemap.

 

Any suggestions or ideas?

 

Thanks!!!

 

1:50,000

 

1:25,000

[+mpilchfamily]

Keep in mind how small the screen is on your unit and the resolution of that screen. If you try to get a detailed topo like those on you unit it won't look very good and allot of the info there will be very blurry or not rendered by the screen at all. Line will look broken and obscure other information. There is only so much that little screen can handle. I think 24K maps are about as good as your going to get for your unit.

[+myotis]

You are showing screenshots of scanned USGS 24K paper maps. Its a picture of a paper map. That means you would get pixilization if you tried to zoom in much. The topo maps at gpsfiledepot are not pictures of a map, they are vector maps. That means instead of a picture of a map, the map stores directions on how to draw lines, points, and polygons (like water). That means the map does not pixiliate no matter how far you zoom in and it draws expondentially faster than a picture map. The maps are gpsfiledepot are also much more up to date. They also tend to be much more accurate on topography and hydrology. There is some software that would allow you to view scanned USGS topos on your 60csx-but its hard to use, has lots of limitations, does not work well, and the gpsfiedepot maps are far superior.

 

The 60csx has a small screen and low resolution. Thats probablly what your issue is. If I remember correctly, the maps look best at the 300 feet zoom. The maps there are really good (I make a bunch of them like My Trails which covers LA). The maps work much better on the newer units with a bigger screen, but they should work fine on the 60csx. Can you be more specific on what you are talking about? Post a screen shot from your GPS.

[+JohnnyVegas]

I've pretty new at this but I have been picking up as much info as I can, mainly at GSPFileDepot, for downloading various topos and other overlays. I just got a Garmin 60csx and all the topos I've found and downloaded don't seem to look quite right(kind of cartoonish)...or maybe I'm just expecting a different image than what's possible to download to a gps.

 

Below are a couple of snap-shots of topos that I view and print from mytopo.com and I really like the look of these. Is it possible to download these images and use them as a basemap? I've got other gps units that I use for street navigation, so I'm not worried obout losing the original basemap.

 

Any suggestions or ideas?

 

Thanks!!!

 

1:50,000

 

1:25,000

A Topo map on a little GPS screen sound good in theory but in practice it will not work very well. When the GPS is zoomed out to display a large area of the map you will lose all the detail. If the GPS is zoomed in you will pick up some detailm but you will not be able to see much of the area ahead of you. Try this as an experment, cut a window in a peice of paper the size of your GPS screen, then place this on a real Topo map. That is all you will see with any detail.

If you find yourself doing lots of urban caching the Topo map will no be all the usefull anyway.

This topic has been brought up many tinmes over the years. Just go out and find a bunch of caches, if you go into the back country take a real Topo map and mark the Caches you are looking for on themap. There are some people that only use Topo maps and a compass to find caches.

[+timothy585]

Thanks for the info. Yeah, now that I think about it a little more and understand the process a little better I see where screen size and available resolution would definately limit what you can actually see and use on a gps screen.

 

What I think I will do is print some 11"x17" - 1:24 & 1:12.5 hard-copies to bring along and use as a reference. This might help me learn to "get the feel" of looking at a gps screen.

 

Below is an image off of the website of the map I downloaded for my state. When I view it on my gps it is much "busier" and there is so much going on it seems to make things more confusing than clarifying things. Maybe I need to check and see if I've got some other overlays on it that is just making it too cluttered.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

Edited to add - And these images are from an Oregon300, and I'm guessing my screen is even smaller than that.

 

Edited December 30, 2011 by timothy585

[seldom_sn]

You are showing screenshots of scanned USGS 24K paper maps. Its a picture of a paper map. That means you would get pixilization if you tried to zoom in much. The topo maps at gpsfiledepot are not pictures of a map, they are vector maps. That means instead of a picture of a map, the map stores directions on how to draw lines, points, and polygons (like water). That means the map does not pixiliate no matter how far you zoom in and it draws expondentially faster than a picture map. The maps are gpsfiledepot are also much more up to date. They also tend to be much more accurate on topography and hydrology. There is some software that would allow you to view scanned USGS topos on your 60csx-but its hard to use, has lots of limitations, does not work well, and the gpsfiedepot maps are far superior.

 

The 60csx has a small screen and low resolution. Thats probablly what your issue is. If I remember correctly, the maps look best at the 300 feet zoom. The maps there are really good (I make a bunch of them like My Trails which covers LA). The maps work much better on the newer units with a bigger screen, but they should work fine on the 60csx. Can you be more specific on what you are talking about? Post a screen shot from your GPS.

 

FWIW, a 60CSX won't support raster maps. Newer Generation ORs, DKs, Etrex 20-30, GPSmap62 will.

 

You may also want to adjust the detail level on your 60. From your screen shots it looks to be set fairly low, but those aren't screenshots from a 60CSX are they?

Edited December 30, 2011 by seldom_sn

[+myotis]

Yea the 60csx screen is much smaller and lower resolution.

 

Additionally, those screen shots are zoomed out. When you zoom in more, much more detail (maqny more contour lines) will show up.