TopoUSA

[Guest bsidwell]

Sorry if this has been discussed before.

 

I'm gettin my husband a unit for Christmas. He has the TopoUSA software and I want to make sure and get a unit that will work well with it. Any suggestions. I'm looking at the eTrex, eTrex Venture, and Magellan 315.

 

Thanks

[Guest bunkerdave]

VE the software. Are you getting the entire USA, or just your region?

 

Oh - I can also record routes with my laptop PC as I travel, and play them back. I haven't found any really practical uses for this yet, but it is neat. Who said ANY of this was practical?

 

Anyway, I *think* that the GPS units you mentioned will all work with the software. My only advice is that I know the consensus is that the Magellan units tend to hold a lock better than the Etrex units. I have used both, and found this to be the case. As long as the GPS has a PC data cable, you should have no trouble hooking it up. Remember to set it to NMEA, and be sure the baud rates match in the setup menus on both the GPS and software. If you need any further help, I will be happy to tell you what I know.

 

It is interesting that he got the software BEFORE the GPS, as my involvement in Geocaching is what really got me going on the software. It is fun to play with in its own right, but with a GPS, it really comes to life.

 

Merry Christmas

[Guest gstrong1]

And while we're talking DeLorme software, a great stocking stuffer would be their new Street Atlas USA Deluxe software. This stuff is fantastic.Too many options to get into here, but a few I really like are: the ability to add newly constucted roads into the map files,point to point driving directions with the option of telling you how far before an upcoming turn that your GPS beeps(if your unit has the option) to let you know a turn is coming, option of loading whole mapping program to the hard drive so you don't have to insert the disc every time you use the program, how many miles per gallon your cachemobile gets so it can automatically insert a waypoint in the route when you will need gas(don't need it,but cool!),& if you're not crazy about sitting at the keyboard typing up your route, they have incorporated the Microsoft Speech Recognition Engine 4.0, so you can sit at your PC and input info via a microphone. Can easily transfer info from my Topo USA files into Deluxe. Much,much more. Uploads or downloads routes & waypoints to/from most Garmin & Magellan units. Works great in my Garmin III Plus, eTrex Vista & MAP76. I'm a repeat DeLorme customer, so the package cost me $39.00. Can't be beat. And I agree with bunkerdave on the GPS unit.If your choice is between an eTrex or a Magellan, go with the Magellan. All I own is Garmin, but in heavily wooded areas,I can believe the maggy owners when they say their unit holds a better lock on satellites.

 

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Gary "Gimpy" Strong

Rochester,NY

[Guest gstrong1]

And while we're talking DeLorme software, a great stocking stuffer would be their new Street Atlas USA Deluxe software. This stuff is fantastic.Too many options to get into here, but a few I really like are: the ability to add newly constucted roads into the map files,point to point driving directions with the option of telling you how far before an upcoming turn that your GPS beeps(if your unit has the option) to let you know a turn is coming, option of loading whole mapping program to the hard drive so you don't have to insert the disc every time you use the program, how many miles per gallon your cachemobile gets so it can automatically insert a waypoint in the route when you will need gas(don't need it,but cool!),& if you're not crazy about sitting at the keyboard typing up your route, they have incorporated the Microsoft Speech Recognition Engine 4.0, so you can sit at your PC and input info via a microphone. Can easily transfer info from my Topo USA files into Deluxe. Much,much more. Uploads or downloads routes & waypoints to/from most Garmin & Magellan units. Works great in my Garmin III Plus, eTrex Vista & MAP76. I'm a repeat DeLorme customer, so the package cost me $39.00. Can't be beat. And I agree with bunkerdave on the GPS unit.If your choice is between an eTrex or a Magellan, go with the Magellan. All I own is Garmin, but in heavily wooded areas,I can believe the maggy owners when they say their unit holds a better lock on satellites.

 

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Gary "Gimpy" Strong

Rochester,NY

[Guest bsidwell]

Thanks guys.

 

My husband bought the TopoUSA (entire USA) out of an interest in the outdoors and general geekdom! He saw an ad in a magazine and had to have it. We are both geologists, and he loves making the 3-d maps and profiles. I've even used it for my job! I process seismic data and needed to create and elevation profile.

 

Thanks for the info on the units. I feel I am closer to a studied and confidant decision!!! I'm going for the Magellan 315. Of course, that leads me to another question.

 

At Amazon, they have a 315X that includes cable, case and software (for an extra 60$ over the basic 315). They say the software allows you to download data. Will I require this software? Or, will the unit, a cable and TopoUSA do it?

 

-Becky

 

[This message has been edited by bsidwell (edited 30 November 2001).]

[Guest prv8eye]

quote:

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Originally posted by bsidwell:

Thanks guys.

 

At Amazon, they have a 315X that includes cable, case and software (for an extra 60$ over the basic 315). They say the software allows you to download data. Will I require this software? Or, will the unit, a cable and TopoUSA do it?

-Becky

[This message has been edited by bsidwell (edited 30 November 2001).]

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Jeeze, Becky, if your husband is a geologist/techno geek, who already owns Topo, DON'T buy him that old model. He'll be disappointed.

Take a look at the new Meridian line with expandable memory or, at least, the model 330.

I would think that a geologist, especially, would want the waterproof protection of the Meridian.

 

Gus Morrow

Oceanside, CA

Take a look at t

[Guest bunkerdave]

MY first GPS was the Delorme Tripmate (I think that is the name) and I hated the unit. Loved the software that came with it, however (I had the RoadWarrior edition). Street Atlas is quite nice, and with a GPS to download tracks, it would be quite accurate in adding those new roads. If you ever found one that wasn't on the map, you could just use your GPS track to add it.

 

I have been using the 3D maps since August to report on my Geodashing exploits, and have done this with a few of the more interesting cache hunts I have been on. It is really so much more fun to be able to see precisely where you went/are going before and after you get there. I placed a cache in the La Sal Mtns. of SE Utah last August, and before I even got there, I felt like I knew the range like the back of my hand. A laptop PC helps a lot, too.

 

I agree that the 315 is somewhat limited, but with its antenna, it is probably the best unit for the price. Clearly, the Meridian models are sweet, but like anything, they cost money. My motto is that the bitterness of poor quality persists long after the sweetness of a low price has faded, which was why I went with the 330 as my first GPS (after I returned that lousy TripMate). HOWEVER, this is not necessarily true with GPSs, or any other gadgets. It doesn't make sense to pay twice as much just to get extras you won't use. The main thing with a GPS is to get a good antenna, and enough memory to do what you want. Also, I wouldn't buy any unit that doesn't have an available power (car adaptor) AND PC cable (dead batteries and cumbersome waypoint-entering interfaces are a BIG frowny face). I might further recommend getting a plug ($10 at radio shack) that you can plug into the wall socket, and then plug the car adaptor into that. Then you don't have to use batteries when you are uploading/downloading at home, either. The only time I use batteries is when I am out walking with my GPS, actually hunting caches and what-not.

 

Just my $10 worth.

[Guest prv8eye]

ck) that you can plug into the wall socket, and then plug the car adaptor into that. Then you don't have to use batteries when you are uploading/downloading at home, either.

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WOW! What a GREAT tip. Thanks Dave!

 

Gus Morrow

Oceanside, CA