birchfinch Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 How worthwhile have people found having the ability to load topo maps into their GPS unit? Which leads to the corollary questions: What is a better, more flexible long-term strategy? - Get a non-map-loadable GPS and get the Nat'l Geographic Topo (seems to be considered one of the best) for the state? OR - Get a map-loadable GPS and just make do with the manufacturer's topo program? This, of course, assumes that one is only willing to afford a single topo program and a single GPS. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment
+Team Sand Dollar Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 My Dad uses a SportTrac Pro with the Magellan Topo. The Topo software also runs on the desktop as a stand alone program. Don't know about the other products but I assume they should work the same. Team Sand Dollar Quote Link to comment
Alphawolf Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 (edited) I know for sure which I like best! I use NG and Garmin TOPO both. In case you're not aware, the NG TOPO is 1:24,000 scale (7.5 min. quads) while the Garmin and Magellan products are 1:100,000 scale (approx.). I MUCH prefer working with the NG maps. I can print paper copies of those I need at any particular time, work with waypoints and such for uploading and downloading and much more. I hate the little screen when I am trying to pan around and get a "feel" for a particular area. That little "window" on the world which is your screen size sucks! Using a grid card, I can find my location from my GPS on a paper map very, very quickly with precision. I can also input coordinates into my GPS using the same technique in reverse(from the map). Having the topo maps on my GPS is "cool & tricky" but having them on paper, spread out in front of me, is way, way more functional. The cost is $90 to $100 for either product, but in the case of NG, you get one state, while with Garmin or Magellan, you get the whole country, albeit at a much larger scale. Like I said before, I have and use both, but my serious work is always done on the paper quads. Edited January 16, 2004 by Alphawolf Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 What is a better, more flexible long-term strategy? A mapping unit is better long term because of the mapping option. Keep in mind that beside the topo maps, you can load street maps which I use 90% of the time to my topo's 10%. Getting around especially in places I'm unfamiliar with is easier with a Street map loaded. You also can look up address it in and fast food place and create waypoints and "goto's" simply. Heck, if you're going for a maping unit, you might as well get one with a magnetic compass built in. Although I have NG Topo, for a fast map I'll print out Topozone off the cache page. Although they're are no grids, you can easily find your spot against the little maps in the GPS with the 100K Garmin topo map. Like Alphawolf, I usually look at the paper topo - my eyes aren't what they use to be Alan Quote Link to comment
+embra Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 I'd say it's a combination of how demanding you are in your mapping needs and how much money you have to spend. I have multiple mapping programs because none of them do all things well; they tend to do only one or two things nicely and limp along in other areas. I have MapSend Topo to generate detail maps for my Meridian. It doesn't really do much of anything else satisfactorily. ExpertGPS is great for waypoint management, and I used to use Delorme Street Atlas USA to generate routes...that function has been taken over by MapSend DirectRoute (which also gives me detail maps for the GPS but lacks topo information), but I still go back to SA to locate an address or do prelimary route planning. And then I use NG Topo for the best topo map display on my desktop. Hmm. I may need a 12-step group for mapping program users. My case may be a bit extreme, but I'm sure I have company...and many others probably follow this philosophy to a lesser degree. Quote Link to comment
+Logscaler and Red Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 and many others probably follow this philosophy to a lesser degree. I about fell on the floor laughing over that one. I have a Mag 330 and 315. The 330 has the maps from Mapsend Streets, magellan style roads but no topo function (yet). but then I have: NG TOPO! for Oregon, Idaho and Washington. MS S&T 2002 and 2003 Rand McNally Streetfinder deluxe. Mapquest Streets and Destinations about 30 Quad maps of Oregon 10-12 USFS Ranger District Blue line maps 4 BLM district maps All of the Mesker maps for Oregon All the Pittman maps for Oregon About a dozen Atlas's State Road maps for 15 states dating back somewhere around 50 years half a dozen website's bookmarked A globe Books on map making and drafting tools for working up maps I have most of this stuff loaded onto the laptop for live trackin And I am sure I forgot several items along the line. Now only if Red does not read this and remember it when I ask for the next cd/map/atlas/program! I download several hundred caches with the PQ's, load the waypoints into the gpsr, download from the gpsr to TOPO and see where the caches are located in relationship to areas we want to go to, Use gpsbabel to convert the easygps loc files to MS S&T files, plan a route around the caches and then sort the GPX files through Watcher for the cache pages in an order from start to finish. And then do this about three more times incase we change our minds about the location we where heading. At any one time, we will have about 1000 caches loaded onto the laptop plus we will have a couple hundred printed pages just incase things go haywire. A lot of planning and then we just might only hit half a dozen caches on our way through. logscaler. Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 I thought I was bad! Now that's OCD (Obssessive Compulsive Behavior). You can be chairman of the group Alan Quote Link to comment
AJK Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 I use: USAPhotoMaps – free, donation suggested - allows you to download 1:24,000 topo maps and sat images for free from USGS on to your PC. Will import routes and waypoints from GPS. Will import xml or gpx files (will not cope with large GPX format (with extra details such as logs) from GC.com, but .loc pocketqueries can be converted using GPSbabel. Waypoints shown on topo or sat images. Quote Link to comment
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