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GARMIN MAPSOURCE PRODUCTS A RIP OFF


RAD Dad

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Here is the reply email I recieved from Garmin from a earlier post to this subject:

 

Thank you for contacting GARMIN International,

 

We're sorry you are disappointed with the mapping. The fact is, nearly everyone gets mapping data from different map providers who customize the data for different needs. Our TOPO data comes direct from the government USGS service and is nearly equivalent to the 1:100,000 scale maps. These maps are not updated often as most of the major land features do not change often. Of course, there is the whole other issue of configuring the maps so that they can be utilized IN the GPS receiver. Not all of the nicer, 'more detailed' maps are able to be used in a GPS due to memory/system constraints in the handheld units.

 

I will pass your comments along for review, as customer suggestions are very valuable to the company. Also, the Metroguide USA maps are actually current as of December 2001, not 10 years ago. Keep posted on the web for future updates to such software.

 

Best Regards,

 

Daniel Cobb

Product Support

GARMIN International

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quote:
Originally posted by avaloncourt:

 

I took a look at my Mapsource CitySelect and all of the roads you named above were on that disc. The catch... it can only be used on a GPS V (for autorouting functions), NavTalk® GSM phone and the GPSMAP 196. Otherwise you can't use it on any of the other receivers.


 

Odd, I Just loaded Mapsource City Select 4.01 (came with my V) into my wifes new GPSMAP 76S and it works fine (Without the auto routing of course). It even shows the next street ahead and will do address lookups. icon_smile.gif

 

66427_2800.gif

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to buy some N-size batteries for my old HP 28S calculator, when I saw that they are now carrying a bunch of Magellan GPS's (at full price, of course). The guy (kid) there showed me a bundle that they are selling, a serial GPS (no display) packaged with Street Atlas 2003!

 

UGH!!!!

 

Now, here is a product that will not work, right out of the box (at least here in SoCal). Delorme KNOWS the maps are wrong, and that using a GPS with the product to provide driving direction is useless! icon_mad.gif

 

Yet, there it is, on the shelf, ready to be purchased (and hopefully, promptly returned).

 

This pisses me off – when a company knowingly sells a defective product. Not just a minor bug, but a MAJOR defect that makes it unusable as sold. Yet, visit Delorme’s website – no mention of the problem. In fact, it is featured as the first product on their home page. This product should be pulled from the market.

 

Ahhhh…. I actually feel a little better now….. icon_smile.gif

 

/rant off/

 

SteveL

 

Wherever you go, there you are.

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Just going by what they had on their website. It said only those three models. So, there's another option for use on a lesser Garmin but unfortunately it isn't available for sale.

 

quote:
Originally posted by Centaur:

quote:
Originally posted by avaloncourt:

 

I took a look at my Mapsource CitySelect and all of the roads you named above were on that disc. The catch... it can only be used on a GPS V (for autorouting functions), NavTalk® GSM phone and the GPSMAP 196. Otherwise you can't use it on any of the other receivers.


 

Odd, I Just loaded Mapsource City Select 4.01 (came with my V) into my wifes new GPSMAP 76S and it works fine (Without the auto routing of course). It even shows the next street ahead and will do address lookups. icon_smile.gif

 

http://img.Groundspeak.com/user/66427_2800.gif


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There should be a way for the Government to Automatically digitize Satellite imagery of the ground into map data, then compare that with present mapping.

 

Super powerful computers could scan the whole USA using a Satellite's onboard GPS and cameras. This of course would be expensive, if manned by a crew of humans.

 

All Software and Hardware are subject to human errors, because of the tremendous amount of data and technology required to accomplish perfection in todays electronic gadgets. To ERROR is to be human, for they can really mess up at times, but can they be nice, and offer corrections in the form of Software patches on the Internet, to correct for mapping errors.

 

I stock shelves for hungry humans, for a large company, and they make lots of errors as far as ordering lots of stock that wont sell. There is alot of problems with the Computer Assisted Ordering also, because of all the errors in the system. Now what if GOD did the ordering of the stock that that my company recieved daily.

 

What if GOD provided the mapping data on the internet for our use?

 

The Technology for Map data Gathering, should become more ROBOTIC, using advanced computer and satellite technology, but guess what, the Government would own the rights to it, and modify the data to their needs.

 

------------------------

5_Rubik.gifMy home page about GPS units and information

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I am greatful that GPS works at all, it is neat to see where im at on a map.

 

As far as Detroit Michigan goes, the Garmin Mapping is far better than Delorme or Magellan.

Depending where you are in the USA, one Mapping software, will be better than the others. The City Select software is very accurate in the Metro Detroit area.

 

I would be willing to pay $200 for detailed mapping for the US, if they filled up a DVD with the mapping data, that would of course be about 4.7 gigabytes of data, if I remember right. A laptop with this DVD disk would be neat to have.

 

650 megabyte CD-Rom is not quite enough for mapping of the USA.

 

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5_Rubik.gifMy home page about GPS units and information

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quote:
i just read this whole thread. very very interesting; but, holy S*%t, my head hurts!

 

I design roads for a living. And have been using maps professionaly for over 20 years. When we begin a roadway project, either a new road or to improve an existing roadway, it is typically 2 or more years before any earth is moved.

 

From experience, in order to digitize an aerial photo of an area one mile long by 500 feet wide takes several weeks. First a survey crew must place and reference observable panels. Then the photos are taken. Then a CADD operator must input the photos and adjust the software-generated lines which mark roadway edges, houses, fences, and the like.

 

For my time and money, the Mapsend Topo is a good product. Some newer roads are missing, but it does exactly what I wanted it to do. And that is to enable me to navigate close to my destination without having to open my paper map.

 

By the way. The USGS accepts volunteers to update the 1:24k quad sheets. The program is called "Earth Science Corps" and info can be found at: web page We participate in our town. And you get a cool bumper sticker, too!

 

Happy Caching

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quote:
Originally posted by SteveL:

to Delorme - not only is it missing most of the town I live in (Ladera Ranch, CA), but the datasets are off by ~1000'! When driving with the GPS hooked up to my laptop, SA2003 had me driving through lakes, houses, etc. - it was useless. After calling Delorme's tech support, and e-mailing them screenshots of my GPS track and tracklog, they confirmed that the data on the CD is wrong (at least in SoCal).


 

The problems with SA2003 are far worse than just missing data. The interface is a total distaster. They tried to be a little too clever, and ended up with an interface that is totally non-intutive, and breaks just about every rule for windows interface design. You would almost think that microsoft designed it.

 

So many things either work wrong, or don't work at all. It makes you wonder if any kind of testing was done before this was put on the market.

 

I still use SA9 a good 95% of the time. It's fast and easy to use. The only time I bother to boot up SA2003 is when I have to deal with multiple route simultaniously.

 

3608_1400.gif

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Hey guys,

I don't want to "butt in" or give the impression that I condone piracy in any way but a great way to try out these products is to download the full version. I have downloaded Garmin Mapsource from a popular file sharing service and found it is not what I wanted or expected from this product, So I did not buy it, hence I saved over $100 dollars and I deleted it. Might as well it was useless. I am downloading other Garmin products as we speak and will evaluate them. If they meet my needs and expectations I will spend the extra cash that I saved earlier to support Garmin and their quality products. Just a thought. Sorry So Long and my apologies if I offend anyone. Thanks

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ALL electronic mapping (land use) and charting (marine use) software today is a COMPLETE AND TOTAL RIP OFF!!!!!

 

What pisses me off about it is this: WE all pay for the data, in taxes. The US gov't does ALL the data gatehering to map the entire planet. Then, they allow it to be accessed by a few companies which then reformat it and re-sell it. THAT is the part I don't like. The DATA should be FREE to everyone, for the entire planet. We should then ONLY have to purchase software which allows the data to be viewed. And that, the separate companies (Garmin, MS, Delorme...) could develope any way they wish, and charge us for any way they wish. BUT, the DATA of the entire planet should be downloadable, for FREE. PERIOD.

 

That includes marine charts data. Ever try to buy a marine chart electronically? C-Map NT cards for a samll region cost $300. And your NOT even getting ANY software, just the data!! You know, the data that we already payed for in taxes!!!

 

Regards,

Birdman

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quote:
If the census people are the source of the information for these maps maybe there's just not enough people on these streets to warrent the memory it takes to put them there.

 

OK, call me silly. Exactly what "census" data are we talking about?

 

Last census person I talked too asked me the name of the road they were parked on. My answer, "My driveway." (Its ~9' wide asphalt about 200 feet long off a cul-de-sac.)

 

To be sure this isn't the source of any mapping data.

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quote:
Originally posted by Fatboy Slim & Rainey Belle:

By the way. The USGS accepts volunteers to update the 1:24k quad sheets. The program is called "Earth Science Corps" and info can be found at: http://www.volunteer.gov/gov/uidetail.cfm?ID=1095 We participate in our town. And you get a cool bumper sticker, too!


 

This is really intriguing to me. I visited the site, but it did not go into much detail regarding what types of tasks are involved, what skills are required, etc. Can you tell us more about this? It seems to me that if if more data is collected regularly, then the programs like Mapsource will have more current data to draw from, right?

 

Tazzmann

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