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Garmin MG vs. CS vs. CN Europe


TresOkies

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Does anyone have any experience with Metroguide versus City Select versus City Navigator for Europe? I have the older Roads and Rec product, but the maps aren't very detailed off the major roads.

 

We're planning to travel to Europe next year for an extended vacation. I'm looking to get map software that I can download to my StreetPilot III as well as the various eTrexen and eMapen.

 

I'm not interested in routing so much. I don't use that feature on my SPIII much as is. I'm particularly interested in how the various products require unlock codes. After messing with City Navigator 4.0 and the frustrations therein, I've sworn off anything that requires unlock codes.

 

When I travel in the US, I like to get deliberately lost. I like to find the out of the way places and the interesting little things that you usually don't find in the tour guides. I want my map software to have the little country roads in France just like I have for Oklahoma.

 

Thanks for any insight.

 

-E

 

--

N35°32.981 W98°34.631

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I've never gotten a good answer as to what the difference is between CityNavigator and CitySelect, other than:

CityNavigator ships with SP III, CitySelect with the GPS V.

CityNavigator costs a factor of 2 more if you purchase it separately.

 

When I look at their specs, they say that, although CN is designed primarily for the SPIII, the SPIII is listed as supported by CS. The European seems to have identical coverage and (based on a cursory examination using the online map viewer) exactly the same data. Maybe there are some differences, but I haven't found any. I suspect the only REAL difference is that people who buy the SP III are seen as having a higher "pain" threshold when it comes to price. icon_wink.gif Both CN and CS use unlock codes, but I think they've gone to a single unlock model, rather than region-by-region (at least they have for CS shipped with the V.)

 

The primary difference between MG and the C{S/N} seems to be that MG doesn't support routing data that can be downloaded to the V or SP series, so you wouldn't be able to support auto-routing while using MG maps. Since you said you don't care about that, I'd say go with the MG.. it's probably cheaper, and doesn't require unlocks.

 

-- Pneumatic

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I looked at the maps on Garmins site and I couldn't see any differences between CS and CN either. I got CN with my SPIII in 2000 and it was utterly useless for most of the places I go to most of the time, so I wasn't going to make that mistake again. I understand that the newer CN is better, but once bitten...

 

I don't understand why doesn't MG support auto-routing, though. MG USA does, so why wouldn't MG Europe? I don't use auto-routing to guide my travel, but I do use it occasionally to help choose a route and calculate distances. Grrr.

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

-E

 

--

N35°32.981 W98°34.631

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I'm not sure, but it's my understanding that while MG Europe and USA support auto-routing on the computer, they can't/won't transmit that information to the V or the SP III. So, unless you take the laptop with you.. no autorouting, and even then, only with the computer.

 

-- Pneumatic

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So, being a "European", I'll chime in with some info, that may clarify this to some extent.

 

First, it's true that MetroGuide, City Navigator and City Select in Europe all have the same road network. The same goes for R&R, by the way. They are all based on the same NavTech data (disregarding differences between different releases of that data, which does influence the level of detail for these maps).

 

Since they are based on the same data, MetroGuide does not offer autorouting in the GPS. The reason that it does (or is it "did" now, with version 5?) in MetroGuide USA, is that the coverage of USA in the CN and CS products was considered too bad in the past. As an alternative, MG USA was offered with autorouting data as well.

 

So, for Europe, there is MG, which auto-routes on the PC only. This product works perfectly with units like the eTrex Vista and GPSMAP 76S. They can both utilise the street search functions in MG Europe, but they'll only give you the straight line to your destination.

 

CN will allow autorouting over Europe, as will CS. But CS is tailored to the memory-less GPS V, compared to the card-equipped StreetPilot III (and the new StreetPilots 2610/2650). Hence, some auto-routing attributes have been omitted from the CS maps. This is particularily noticeable when you pass a roundabout (traffic circle in the US, maybe?). To an American, this may seem a minor problem, since there are hardly any of these in the US, at least outside of Massachusetts. Over here, it's a major problem, I can assure you!

 

This has become noticeable with the introduction of the iQue. It can't find its ways around a roundabout, since it's bundled with the CS Europe 5 maps here. According to statements from Garmin's Customer Support, the CS Europe 6 (due Q1 2004, or so they say) will rectify this problem. The iQue isn't limited to the 19 MB of user maps memory as the GPS V is, so there is no reason omitting this information for the iQue.

 

To be more specific, when entering a roundabout with a SP III, it will state something like "Take the third exit", while the iQue will treat each exit from the roundabout as a separate street crossing. Very confusing, if you try to follow the voice guidance given by the iQue through a roundabout. The GPS V handles this somewhat better, since it does graphically display a special note about hos to proceed in the roundabout. There are no spoken messages from the GPS V, anyway.

 

Finally, Europe is covered by NavTech, and consequently by all these products, in different ways. Some countries are mapped down to an almost incredible level of detail, all over the country. Sweden is one example of this. Other countries are mapped to the same level of detail, but only at a part of the country. For the remaining areas, there are no map tiles to download at all. Norway is one example of this approach.

Finally, some countries have a varying level of detail. In some metro areas, every street is on the map. In the rural areas, only more major roads are represented on the map. Unfortunately, France is one of these countries. So it will not be as detailed in that country as it is in Oklahoma, regardless of which map product you choose.

 

Anders

 

[This message was edited by Anders. on October 06, 2003 at 02:32 AM.]

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