Crocmort Posted July 11, 2003 Share Posted July 11, 2003 I want to buy a GARMIN eTrex Legend or a Magellan SporTrak Map... But the topo maps from the 2 company seem to have topo maps only for the US... I don't know if I'm wrong or not... But since I would use my GPS mostly for geocaching and for hiking/camping, I would not pay for the map feature of the GPS if I can't get any topo map of Canada (or regions of Canada) on it . I'm pretty new to all this stuff. I found OziExplorer but you can't send the topo maps on Garmin and Magellan GPS. So I was wondering, what is my best choice for a reasonnable price GPS (around 350$) with map features where I can get topo maps of Canada on it... Thanks a lot!! Can't wait to go search my first cache!! Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted July 11, 2003 Share Posted July 11, 2003 Crocmort As you have already guessed there are no topomaps for Canada that can be uploaded into a GPSr. It's a result of the small market in Canada and the fact that royalities have to be paid to the government for their use which makes it unecononical for companies like Garmin or Magellan to sell them. The best you can do is to use a program like Ozi Explorer with digital maps on a PDA. See my site for some ideas on this. PDOP's GPS Pages Quote Link to comment
Crocmort Posted July 11, 2003 Author Share Posted July 11, 2003 Ok, so then I should probably go with a cheaper GPS without maps if I don't have a PDA and don't plan to buy one hehe. I can always plan my trips on oziExplorer for example and upload them on my GPS. So for my needs, the Magellan SporTrak GPS should be Ok if I don't want to pay for the map feature since I won't use it anyway . Anyone had bad experiences with this GPS before?? It says on www.offroute.com that it doesnt have a PC interface cable included, so I was wondering if it have the capacity to connect to the pc to download waypoints?! Thanks a lot for the help! Quote Link to comment
gm100guy Posted July 11, 2003 Share Posted July 11, 2003 Another alternate you can use is buy the Softmap Topos for your province. You can then plan and make routes and tracks on the map on your computer and then upload them to your gps if you have the gps option for Softmap. You can also download the tracks and waypoints from your gps after you record an outing and display it on the maps on the computer in Softmap. This is what I use and find it a good combo for using my gps. gm100guy http://members.rogers.com/gm100guy/cachepage.htm Ontario geocachers http://groups.msn.com/GeocachinginOntario/homepage Quote Link to comment
Curious George Posted July 11, 2003 Share Posted July 11, 2003 Even though you can't load topo maps to your GPS you will really appreciate having mapping capability. Once you try it you won't go back. As gm100guy said you can use any number of mapping software programs (I use Ozi) to map out your route and then upload it to your GPS. If you can find one out there, one of the best deals right now is to pick up a Magellan Meridian (yellow or green) as they are discontinued. The base map is just that, basic, but once you load the detailed Mapsend maps you will be very happy. And if you have a laptop you can connect your GPS to is to get a real time display of where you are. Much easier that looking at the small display on the GPS. I love the smell of Lock 'n Locks in the morning...they smell like $$$ Quote Link to comment
+MercRocks Posted July 11, 2003 Share Posted July 11, 2003 I agree about "once you try it you won't go back" A buddy just went from our mag 315 to the meridian gold...YE HA I want one....Just helped him load mapsend today and was very impressed, as it was pretty close to the actual roads and streets... Check out www.gpscentral.com they have pretty good deals........R Without your brain, a map is a piece of coloured paper, a compass is a glorified magnet, and a GPS is a waterproof battery case." " Foothills SAR " Quote Link to comment
peetz Posted July 11, 2003 Share Posted July 11, 2003 I got the SporTrak and i think it's great.......it works great for caching Quote Link to comment
+mrcpu Posted July 12, 2003 Share Posted July 12, 2003 I originaly bought the Garmin Venture because of the "no topo maps" issue. It was cheaper and had a blank "map" that showed your track and waypoints but that was it. Last year I bought a Magellan Spotrak Map. I started out without the street maps uploaded but soon realized that the base map was useless and that my old Venture was probably a better unit in some ways. I finally got the map software and uploaded it to the unit. HOLY COW! I was extremely impressed! Now as they say "Once you go map, you'll never go back!" Maybe someday there will be topo data for Canada. I heard a rumour that Garmin was going to release some this year. Cheers, Rob Mobile Cache Command Quote Link to comment
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