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Are Garmin TopoActive Maps Worth The Extra Money?


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I'm thinking of upgrading my old eTrex to the latest Oregon 750 and cannot decide if to get the standard 750 base maps or pay the extra £40 to get the 750T model which comes with the Topoactive installed.

If anybody has any experience with these please let me know your thoughts.  The Oregon will only be used for Geocaching but if I'm going to spend this amount of money then is it worth going that little bit extra to get the 'T' 

Many Thanks

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Go for the TopoActive version. It's OSM based, will be updated on a regular base and the map is routable. And you got the entire European area covered without the hassle of downloading and installing several maps.

 

Hans

Edited by HHL
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2 minutes ago, Mineral2 said:

If you're worried about the cost the device, consider the 700/t instead? Do you really need a sub-par camera on your GPS?

 

Maybe, maybe not. I find the Flashlight feature to be worth that price of admission, FWIW. The automated SOS beacon may save your life some day....

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ohhh yeah, the flashlight. Truth be told, I almost always have my phone on me when I'm caching, so if I forget my geocaching lantern/flashlight, I've got the flashlight function on my phone. I don't know if having an LED is worth $100 on the price of the unit. But I see that they didn't offer a 700t version, so in my view, it's an extra $150 for the maps. Are the TopoActive maps that much better than any of the free OSM alternatives? Talkytoaster, OpenVelo/OpenMtbMaps, etc. that seem to be freely available for Europe but require a donation for North American maps.

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You don't even need an cell phone app, the night vision goggles on SAR helicopters "sees" the light from the screen of the cell phone very easily.

" Cell phones can also be used as a signaling device during the night. Should you find yourself lost and without a flashlight, use your lighted cell phone screen by turning it towards any ground search and rescue or helicopters you hear. "

 

https://www.sbsheriff.org/sheriffs-search-and-rescue-team-rescue-lost-hiker/

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Always the 'cell phone' crowd promoting their less durable, lower run-time hero's that once dead can not be re-energized for an additional 20+ hours with a simple pair of fresh AA batteries....

 

Cell phones are fine for urban activities, but when you actually leave civilization for the real outdoors, not so much.....

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On 4/4/2019 at 9:51 AM, Atlas Cached said:

Always the 'cell phone' crowd promoting their less durable, lower run-time hero's that once dead can not be re-energized for an additional 20+ hours with a simple pair of fresh AA batteries....

 

Cell phones are fine for urban activities, but when you actually leave civilization for the real outdoors, not so much.....

 

amen. 

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On 4/4/2019 at 7:51 AM, Atlas Cached said:

Always the 'cell phone' crowd promoting their less durable, lower run-time hero's that once dead can not be re-energized for an additional 20+ hours with a simple pair of fresh AA batteries....

 

Cell phones are fine for urban activities, but when you actually leave civilization for the real outdoors, not so much.....

 

Some cell phones, maybe.

 

Design one for the outdoors and rough use, and everything changes.

e8ff40a6-67e7-4f20-9345-d661079297f8.jpg

 

To the OP's question, no.  You can get OSM maps for free elsewhere.

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6 hours ago, Viajero Perdido said:

 

Some cell phones, maybe.

 

Design one for the outdoors and rough use, and everything changes.

e8ff40a6-67e7-4f20-9345-d661079297f8.jpg

 

To the OP's question, no.  You can get OSM maps for free elsewhere.

 

 

That still doesn't hold a candle to a Garmin Handheld. It's comparable to the 20 yr old Garmins.

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8 hours ago, capt caper said:

 

 

That still doesn't hold a candle to a Garmin Handheld. It's comparable to the 20 yr old Garmins.

In what way? That rugged phone has more capability than even the most modern Garmin. A 20 yr old Garmin has a low resolution monochrome screen that can't handle detailed maps because the internal storage is measured in kilobytes. Even today's wifi connected handhelds don't browse the web.

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5 hours ago, Mineral2 said:

That rugged smartphone can do everything a garmin device can, plus more.

 

No, they can not.

 

Just to get started, the phone can not run for 16-25 hours on a pair of AA batteries...

 

This is an apple and oranges comparison, and quite silly.

 

Edited by Atlas Cached
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Ha ha. I've tried several times to find geocaches with just my phone. I mean, how handy can it be? I have the app in it, I can log a found (or not) right there in the field and it fits more comfortably in my hand (and back pocket), but how do I brighten that screen where I can see it!!?? I'm being serious.....

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On 4/3/2019 at 11:25 PM, HHL said:

Go for the TopoActive version. It's OSM based, will be updated on a regular base and the map is routable. And you got the entire European area covered without the hassle of downloading and installing several maps.

It is now the second time I read about the TopoActive Garmin maps and I'm again not able to find a link or documentation to answer the following questions:

1) How does the map look like?

2) Is it only a .img-file or can I install it on Bascamp/Mapsource

2) Does it have contourlines?

3) Does "update on a regular basis" mean I can download updates for free?

4) How often is it updated?

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15 minutes ago, Hynz said:

It is now the second time I read about the TopoActive Garmin maps and I'm again not able to find a link or documentation to answer the following questions:

1) How does the map look like?

2) Is it only a .img-file or can I install it on Bascamp/Mapsource

2) Does it have contourlines?

3) Does "update on a regular basis" mean I can download updates for free?

4) How often is it updated?

1) Do a Google search for "Garmin TopoActive" and select the Image section

2) It's an .img file

2) No

3) Yes

4) Asked Garmin

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49 minutes ago, HHL said:

1) Do a Google search for "Garmin TopoActive" and select the Image section

2) It's an .img file

2) No

3) Yes

4) Asked Garmin

Thanks.

I'm still puzzled by the fragmented information I'm getting from the various original Garmin pages regarding their maps.

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12 minutes ago, Mineral2 said:

Wait... if it doesn't have topo lines, why is it called TopoAcitve? That's a bit misleading, is it not?

 

No.

 

to·pog·ra·phy
/təˈpäɡrəfē/
noun
  1. the arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area.
    "the topography of the island"

 

Garmin 'TopoActive' maps route the user based on their selected activity and the ambient topography. The GPSr will actively route the user for activities such as Hiking, Biking, Driving, etc. according to the map topography.

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41 minutes ago, Mineral2 said:

Wait... if it doesn't have topo lines, why is it called TopoAcitve? That's a bit misleading, is it not?

No. A topo map does show more topographical items (rivers, lakes, view points, towers, houses, trails, etc) than just contour lines (that's the correct wording).

 

Hans

Edited by HHL
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Quote

In modern mapping, a topographic map is a type of map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines, but historically using a variety of methods. Traditional definitions require a topographic map to show both natural and man-made features. A topographic survey is typically published as a map series, made up of two or more map sheets that combine to form the whole map. A contour line is a line connecting places of equal elevation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topographic_map

 

The fact that these maps don't provide visual information about the 3rd dimension (elevation - they probably have DEM data hidden within) is unfortunate. I would rather have the Topo 100k as my basemap than a flat, but routable, map on a hiking handheld device. Are TopoActive maps worth the extra price? Without contour lines, I would say no. I'm sure Garmin adds some extra data over the OSM layer, but OSM maps are free and good enough at that price.

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