Magellan Mapsend Directroute

[+BeachBuddies]

I just got my MapSend DirectRoute software in the mail. I have one question (so far) that the manual doesn't seem to address.

 

If I upload the detailed map data for a region that I already have other (MapSend Topo) detailed map data, how does the GPSr determine which data to use?

[+phantom4099]

If you have a sportrack (or load the meridian through the serial cable) the old map data will be erased when you load new data.

 

If you have a meridian you can load diffrent map sets to the SD card with a card reader. You can then pick which map you want loaded with the card utilites menu.

 

Wyatt W.

[+leatherman]

The way I read the Meridian navigation.

With duplicate regions you will see them in the GOTO menu. That's why there are so many new clicks to make in the GOTO menu.

 

The new clicks make you choose the map as well as the destination. So if you want Directroute navigation you would choose the Directroute map, first, then the address or user waypoint. If you just wanted a user waypoint you would choose the TOPO, or which ever Mapsend you have, then the user waypoint.

[robertlipe]

You can't have both a Topo map and a DirectRoute map active at the same time. Phantom's answer is correct; only Meridian will let you have both in the unit at the same time and flip between them.

 

Leatherman's answer is kind of correct, but at least confusing. DirectRoute will not allow you to combine multiple regions into one map as previous Mapsends will. (Apparently all the user fussing about having only four made them think that "one" was OK. Boooooo.) The goto DOES allow you to select between street route and point-to-point navigation, but doesn't allow you to select which map region (or which map) is used for that - since the street route is only available with DR and DR only allows one region, that's consistent. But only one detailed map is active at a time and only one region is allowed per detailed map now.

 

I have a write-up of DirectSend in progress that's targeted toward previous Mapsend users. Stay tuned.

[+Stunod]

DirectRoute will  not allow you to combine multiple regions into one map as previous Mapsends will.  (Apparently all the user fussing about having only four made them think that "one" was OK.    Boooooo.)

I'm assuming that multiple regions were eliminated to avoid problems navigating between separate regions. DirectRoute does not use the basemap for routing, so both the start and end point must be in the same region. Magellan must not have realized that some users would want to create adjoining or overlapping regions (for example, to include all of a state with minimal inclusion of neighboring states).

Edited December 2, 2003 by Stunod

[+CWL]

I use the Color Meridian with Mapsend Destinations. (I'm planning on getting Direct route for Christmas) Anyway....

 

I have a 128MB SD card installed in the GPSr. I sat down at my computer one day to load some map regions. I made several regions for my area. (Mapsend limited each region to 15MB) I started to load them at the limited three regions at a time through the serial cable.... Man did this take a long time.

 

After I finished loading like 20 regions I turned on the GPS and noticed it only had the last set of regions I loaded. It names the file "Detail001" (or something like that) and everytime you load another set of regions it names the file the same so thats the main reason you have to have a card reader, to rename the file so you can have more than one map file on the card at a time. (Also it loads like 200% faster)

 

When you load directly to a card reader you can load four regions at a time. Then go back and rename the file and load another set until the card is full.

 

Now back to your main question. You can only have one detailed map loaded at a time. You go under your card utilities and choose change map, and choose the one you need. Topo or Direct route, or which ever region you need at the time. You can have several different types saved to the card, but you can only have one loaded and active at a time.

 

Hope this helps.... if I made a goof please someone corrrct me.

Edited December 4, 2003 by Cwlutterloh

[robertlipe]

I have a write-up of DirectSend in progress that's targeted toward previous Mapsend users.    Stay tuned.

I've put up a draft of that report at http://www.mtgc.org/robertlipe/DirectRoute for those interested in such things.

[+Marky]

I've put up a draft of that report at http://www.mtgc.org/robertlipe/DirectRoute for those interested in such things.

Very nice. I'm getting this for my son for Christmas. He has my old Platinum and uses it more for auto navitation than for geocaching or hiking. It sounds like just the ticket for him. I may pass on it for my Sportrak though. It sounds like I am losing more than I'm gaining with respect to geocaching. Maybe I should MagDown to the previous rev of the firmware so that I can go back to fewer clicks...

 

--Marky

[+CWL]

I've put up a draft of that report at http://www.mtgc.org/robertlipe/DirectRoute for those interested in such things.

 

Excellent Report!!

 

I agree, the rectangular regions reqirements is my number complaint. They sould have some defalut regions like all of one state or atleast Eastern and Western portions of a state. I hope they fix some of those minor hassles with the next firmware update.

[robertlipe]

I've also just added link to http://www.mtgc.org/robertlipe/ which contains an HTML version of the Meridian FAQ, unlocked from the yahoogroup confines and a copy of a "modern mapping magellan" faq that I started and never really finished...

[+embra]

Ah! Now *that's* worth bookmarking. I can start referring people there instead of the Yahoo group.

[+BeachBuddies]

Hmmm.. I do have a Meridian (plat). I do have an SD card.

 

I used DirectRoute to add a new region, and it did replace my old (multi-region) DETAIL (topo) file (I have MapSend Topo also).

 

So, I'm still a bit unclear on this. I understand I can only use one detail file at a time while I'm navigating, but:

 

Can that file have multiple regions (yes for topo, not sure for DR)?

 

Can I copy other region files onto my SD card? (not via the DR software, but perhaps manually)? And if so, what do I have to name them?

 

If I can only have one detail file (with one region), then DR really seems like a step backwards to me. I may just go back to topo files. If I could copy multiple detail files, then I think it would be ok. Though there sure are a lot of annoying user interface changes with DR. I hope future revisions address them.

 

Thanks.

 

-BeachBuddies

[+Solar Max]

I found the same thing, namely only being able to create and load one region. I'm using 2 SD cards, one 128 MB, the other a 256, and the single region is limited to 64 MB. Now that is downright ornery. Is there a way to load multiple regions?

 

I guess this means that I'm buying a card writer/reader.

Edited December 12, 2003 by marinerBC

[robertlipe]

This is totally lame. Meridians have shipped for about two years now, and Mapsend is still not really caught up. Now that Topo 4.20d and DirectRoute offer an "upload to SD card" option, they still hardcode the stupid filename used as the destination for the copy instead of popping open a "save as" dialog or even just using the 8.3-ified version of the region name.

 

This means that you have to let Mapsend create the regions, then run behind its back to do the SD copies and give things sensible names so you can flip between them with card utils. This horror is explained somewhat at:

 

http://www.magellangps.com/en/support/prod...rectroute.asp#r

 

As to NoVa's last clause of the first question, the current answer is no: DirectRoute allows only a single region in each map file.

 

Since I listed this as my second biggest gripe about DR, I've added this lame workaround to the prose at http://www.mtgc.org/robertlipe/DirectRoute/

[+Quoddy]

I recently installed 5.12 and Direct Route. Both seem to work REALLY well. As far as I can tell, only one block should be loaded onto each SD card. It will take up to 64 mb, as opposed to the Topo's 4 x 16mb. The ONLY problem I ran into was trying to load a 2nd region onto it. I've stored two additional regions onto new 64mb cards, and all seems to be well. By the way, so far I've found that Direct Route has been giving me very good routing. Routes that have taken me years to discover, are there in seconds. . I do still tend to use Topo for strictly geocaching days in the woods.

[Vacman]

Wow - great stuff folks. I wonder if anyone has thought of contacting them with these issues - maybe even point them to this forum?