Vista - which MapSource???

[timf6]

Which MapSource product works best with the Garmin Vista? I'm looking at Roads and Recreation or Metro guide. I use for off-road trail riding and also on highways.

[Mr502go]

Tim, there's one I'd like to know the answer to also. I have the Metroguide on my Vista, and so far it's worked GREAT. Though, I don't have any trail info on it, or my mapsource topo CD. I wonder too if Roads and rec will show trails, especially ORV trails. That would be great, and something I'll definetely have to purchase.

 

BTW, what do you ride?? I'm on a '94 CR250 or an '00 YZ426F, depending on the day, and my ridin buddy's mood.

[timf6]

Garmin has a map viewer on thier site so you can see the maps. It appears that R&R has more small streams but I'm not sure of other differences. I don't expect the trails to be mapped (would be nice) but some of the logging roads we ride on are there. I ride a Honda XR250 mostly in the Oregon coast range off Highway 6.

 

thanks

[+Alan2]

I use Metro, R+R and TOpo in my Vista. I usually print out the 24000 topo from Topozone as a carry a long of the park I'm caching in.

 

R+R has stream as you said which helps orientation. Metro has POI's which are great for location places you might want on the road like gas stations, fod joints, etc with their phone number, addresses and then you can go to. Also with Metro, you can autoroute at home on your computer and load the route into the Vista.

 

Topo's great off trail. Although it.s hard to see some of the info, it helps orient you and can used for finding your position on the hard copy topo map.

 

For my first purchase today I would go with Metro first then Topo and skip R+R unless money doesn't matter.

 

Alan

[+Hikenit]

My personal opinion is that Mapsource Metroguide would be your best bet between the Metroguide and R&R. It has more labeling at street level and you get the better highway info such as hotels, Rest areas etc..etc. But for the off road Topo is my choice of software. I like Topo because I don't need the highway info. Just a road to get me where I am going. and the elevation contours is a plus when off road.

 

Hope this helps!

[shrekTBA]

I have roads and rec in my vista. The only big advantage to metroguide that i have found is address lookup form the gps. There is a drop down in the options, i think on the map page, that allows you to enter an address and goto it from the unit. Way cool for a strange city with a phone book in hand! I am getting metroguide ASAP.

 

It's not a sport unless there is something dead in the back of the truck when you get home.

[shrekTBA]

Oh, I forgot to add that R&R did show the main trails in a system we were riding 4 wheelers today. We have 2 yamahas and 1 suzuki.

 

It's not a sport unless there is something dead in the back of the truck when you get home.

[timf6]

thanks for all the info!

 

If I load maps from both Metro Guide and Roads & Rec. how does the Vista handle maps covering the same areas? Are they overlayed or can I only see one or the other?

[+EraSeek]

Answer: If you have two or more map types loaded at once, only one of them will be shown even if all are checked. That is: Only one map type in overlapping areas is shown on a particular display section. If you have loaded adjacent map areas, both map types will be shown in their respective areas. Crosshatched areas may appear where the map sections do not exactly coincide.

 

The hierarchy actually belongs with the MapSource products, not necessarily the unit.

Top priority is City Navigator, then, in order,

MetroGuide I or II

Fishing Hot Spots

Waterways and Lights

Roads and Rec.

TOPO

WorldMap - lowest priority

 

g) Does this same hierarchy order apply to all GPS models?

Answer: Yes, this determination resides within the MapSource product and is not determined by the GPS receiver

 

[peter]

You can only see one at a time - I think otherwise the display would get too confusing.

MetroGuide will be shown by default, but you can go into the Mapsource menu on your GPS and turn off the MG map so you can see the R&R instead.

I sometimes have both Topo and MetroGuide loaded and switch between them depending on whether I want to see contour lines or more road names/POIs/etc.

[shabbasuraj]

This is a good thread. I have always wondered about overlaping maps, when they are uploaded onto specific Garmin units. So i have personally done experiments and have come up with similar results as posted by the users in the post above this one.

 

Has anyone else tried to experiment on the relative hierarchy of these maps? Is the above hierarchy correct?

 

thats it for now...

 

lates...

[+apersson850]

In Europe, there is no reason at all to load both MetroGuide and Raods & Recreation maps covering the same area. The map images are identical. The only difference is that R&R doesn't have the POI data file for searching in the GPS unit, which MG has.

 

By the way, the basemap has the lowest priority of them all.

 

Anders

[shabbasuraj]

If you live in Canada, there is no point to upload the RR Canada if you have MG Canada on your etrex unit, as there is no difference in map detail. The only difference is POI address searching capability, that being MG has it and RR does not. BOTTOMLINE is that there is no difference in map detail for Canada between the two products.

 

Are USA products the same?

 

lates...