Garmin Metroguide North America V6

[+Milbank]

I bought the MetroGuide North America V6 software at Cabela's.

 

I must say I'm very happy with the detail of the rural roads it shows.

 

I do a lot of driving in rural areas for work.

 

It's going to be really nice to have the map on my Legend show the rural roads and address.

 

It's almost like having a new gps now that I have a much more detailed map loaded into it.

 

The software is going to make my legend a lot more useful for work.

 

Are you thinking about getting the Garmin MetroGuide?

 

Do you already have the Garmin MetroGuide?

If so what do you use it for most, geocaching, work, vacations, etc?

Edited October 31, 2004 by Milbank

[cdnav8r]

Does this new "North America" version cover detailed maps for both Canada and USA? I know in the past they separated Canada and USA and you had to buy each individually. Is this one combined?

[+Milbank]

Yes, MetroGuide v6 does cover USA and Canada.

[+Texan78]

Ok, what is the difference between the Metro Guide and City Select. Im looking to buy it but i dont know which one. I cant find any differences in them but price.

[+dcfox]

I noticed that the new MG has less rural coverage now in the Pa area, the old one had private dirt roads like mine and the new one does not. I also have the new City Nav which now is better on rural roads but the MG is better with some of the local name places by several miles, at least in Lancaster Co. Pa and at my cabin in the Mountains of South Central Pa. I use the garmin topo map there exlporing. I wish they would update that one.

[+Milbank]

Ok, what is the difference between the Metro Guide and City Select. Im looking to buy it but i dont know which one. I cant find any differences in them but price.

I do not have City Select, but when I looked at it online it did not seem to have rural roads for this area.

 

When I was trying to decide between the two myself I think I read that you had to use unlock codes for CS but not for Metroguide.

 

I do not need any kind of internet connection to use Metroguide, but I think with City Select you had to use the interent to download different area maps.

[+LordSaw]

I do not need any kind of internet connection to use Metroguide, but I think with City Select you had to use the interent to download different area maps.

No, you only need it one time to unlock the maps for a specific GPSr. After that you use it without going to the internet. Only if you want to unlock it for a second GPSr.

 

Additionally, Metroguide only allows autorouting on the PC, then downloading to the GPSr, where City Select is compatable with autorouting that is done on certain GPSrs.

 

Cache Well

[+Texan78]

So what is the better deal for my money, MG or City Select? Also which has a great detail in roads and what not?

[+LordSaw]

So what is the better deal for my money, MG or City Select? Also which has a great detail in roads and what not?

The Garmin Website has a viewer where you can check out the details of each of the maps. I suggest that you go take a look at areas you are interested in for each. I happen to like City Streets for the autorouting on my 76C. As I read the information on the Garmin site, Metroguide doesn't support this.

 

Cache Well

[+Texan78]

I've look at the site several times but i dont see a difference in the two. Which one is the better one to get for the Money? Which has money detail and more information? Thats mostly what i'm looking for is one thats more indepth. Money isnt a option to me. Autorouting is a feature i would like to have. Will the Vista autoroute with the City Select? If so i will go with that since the MG doesnt.

[+Milbank]

Money isnt a option to me.

 

Well then just get two of each.

 

Will the Vista autoroute with the City Select?

 

If the vista does not have autoroute to start with it will not have no matter what software you pick.

[+Green Horn]

You need to go to Garmin web Site.... Bring up your gps product. To the right side it will say, Garmin Recommends::::::::: That will tell you if it will work for GPS or not... Metro Guide won't work on my 60cs. But will work on my Vista. City Select Will work on my 60cs, but won't work on my Vista. So Be Careful What Which One You Buy.

[Neo_Geo]

I've look at the site several times but i dont see a difference in the two. Which one is the better one to get for the Money? Which has money detail and more information? Thats mostly what i'm looking for is one thats more indepth. Money isnt a option to me. Autorouting is a feature i would like to have. Will the Vista autoroute with the City Select? If so i will go with that since the MG doesnt.

If you have a Vista, go with MetroGuide.

City Select is basically MetroGuide with autorouting data for autorouting GPSrs. Since the Vista does not do autorouting, MetroGuide is the one for you.

[Neo_Geo]

Metro Guide won't work on my 60cs. But will work on my Vista.    City Select Will work on my 60cs, but won't work on my Vista.  So Be Careful What Which One You Buy.

Not true. Both maps will work on 60s and mapping Etrexes. Garmin provides the recommendations based on what works best for the GPSrs.

 

While City Select WILL work on a Vista, they do not recommend that you use City Select with a Vista because the Vista cannot autoroute. Why pay more for the autorouting data that cannot be used? If you already have City Select for a 60, and then buy a Vista or Legend, and don't want to buy MetroGuide for your 2nd GPSr, then you can use City Select. You will use up your 2nd available City Select unlock on a non-autorouting GPSr, but you can certainly do that.

 

Also, MetroGuide WILL work on a 60 series GPSr, but it will not autoroute properly with MetroGuide. Even when autorouting on the PC and uploading the route to the GPSr, the routes do not work properly. Still, the maaps will show up fine - you'll be able to see the roads on the screen and see where you are in relation to the roads. So, if you're upgrading from a Legend to a 60CS, and don't have enough money for City Select right now, you can upload MetroGuide to the 60CS.

Edited November 1, 2004 by Neo_Geo

[+the hermit crabs]

We got the Metroguide (for our two Vistas) when we went on vacation a few weeks ago. I loved it, especially since we were in an unfamilar area had only a local street map for two cities; we had nothing for the adjoining areas. (At home, we have street-map books that cover every city and town in the state, but those books didn't appear to exist where we were vacationing.) Without the Metroguide map, we would have been at a loss to find the starting locations of several caches. It also came in very handy when we were trying to find restaurants and such, since they're all included in the maps. It even helped us find a Walmart, when we decided to buy a Rubbermaid container to replace a broken cache out there.

 

I'm very happy with Metroguide V6.

[Vlad]

here's some feedback on metroguide vs city select for those in CANADA...

 

let's start with some info on metroguide v4 CANADA edition - don't confuse with Metroguide USA v4...

 

mgv4 CANADA is the definitive choice when you're looking for all-around detail - for example, not just city and town roads (all quite accurately named/numbered and displayed), but also water structure. while driving with mgv4 loaded you'll see the names of surrounding lakes and larger rivers are displayed with fairly good shoreline detail. you'll also see islands within the lakes and again all displayed with nicely detailed shorelines. mgv4 will also display federal parks (in green) and their associated boundaries. lots of detail on rail lines also, and 750,000 points of interest. yes you can search for atm's, gas stations, hotels and all that other stuff. and best of all, mgv4 CANADA autoroutes on gps units that support that functionality.

 

city select v6 now incorporates detail for all of the us, canada and puerto rico. while called v6 it might more accurately be considered v1 in some respects. in places like toronto and vancouver (and the other 10 or so cities previously mapped in csv5) the detail in v6 is the most current and most detailed of any map software garmin has available today - kudos to navteq/garmin. that said, however, the balance of canada is completely new data from navteq. while quite accurate it is not as accurate nor as detailed as mgv4. for example, my street is numbered completely backwards and ends at 99. this same street actually ends at 131. i have seen this same behaviour in a few places now. rural centres are displayed fairly accurately but that's where the detail seems to end. interconnecting roads no longer have names, river and lake detail becomes much choppier and there are certainly no islands within. parks are not displayed at all. as you know, csv6 supports autorouting.

 

metroguide v6 takes this same mapping detail (or lack thereof, navteq) and essentially just chops off the autorouting functionality - no autorouting...

 

so if you wanted to buy one because you lived in or were travelling to canada...

 

if you're in vancouver, calgary, edmonton, toronto, ottawa, montreal and the 8 or so other cities previously included in city select v5 then you will be well served with city select v6. it will contain the most up-to-date and detailed road information available today for those metropoli.

 

if you're travelling anywhere else in canada regularly then i would recommend mgv4 instead of csv6. the detail is definitely more accurate and frankly more comprehensive than that of cs. you might say that mgv4 just has more "ambient" detail. it's not quite as up-to-date (the data being approx 1 year older) and doesn't include some of the finer detail that cs does (speed categories for example) but for general purpose driving within canada mgv4 is an excellent product. if you own a garmin autorouting gps it will work correctly and allow you to perform all the same poi searches you're used to performing. yes it works perfectly well on the streetpilot family, quest, 60's, 76's, and the new colour etrexes for example.

 

unfortunately, now that garmin has released mgv6 and it "includes" canada it is likely that mgv4 may soon be discontinued or at a minimum modified in it's next release to no longer support autorouting (history of mg usa supports this i believe). mgv4 is an interesting product because it is like a bridge product that provides some of the detail contained in garmin's topo canada along with detailed street mapping and autorouting capability like that found in city select. great value for the $.

 

it's definitely one product you'll want to have in your map library/database if you're doing any travel within canada.

 

yes - mgv4 CANADA autoroutes...

Edited November 1, 2004 by Vlad

[+Texan78]

I've look at the site several times but i dont see a difference in the two. Which one is the better one to get for the Money? Which has money detail and more information? Thats mostly what i'm looking for is one thats more indepth. Money isnt a option to me. Autorouting is a feature i would like to have. Will the Vista autoroute with the City Select? If so i will go with that since the MG doesnt.

If you have a Vista, go with MetroGuide.

City Select is basically MetroGuide with autorouting data for autorouting GPSrs. Since the Vista does not do autorouting, MetroGuide is the one for you.

Thank you. you gave me the exact answer i was looking for.

 

OK my next question is since the Vista doesnt do autorouting. Which would be the best program to use on PC that does do Autorouting. I know i cant transfer that to the Vista, but i would like to also find a autorouting program to run on the PC.

[+Texan78]

Well then just get two of each.

[/quote

 

No sense in that when i dont have to spend that much money to buy the same maps. Now if i need both of them then yea i would buy both. Its not a option to when money is concerned to get the maps im needing to be happy with.

[peter]

OK my next question is since the Vista doesnt do autorouting. Which would be the best program to use on PC that does do Autorouting. I know i cant transfer that to the Vista, but i would like to also find a autorouting program to run on the PC.

Depends on exactly what you want to do. MetroGuide-NA (v6) will calculate routes for you on your PC and you can transfer those routes to your Vista. Note that the routes will appear on the Vista (reg. B&W version) as straight lines connecting the places where you need to turn from one road to another - they won't follow all the bends in the road along the way, but that isn't generally needed. I use this method with my non-autorouting eMap and it works very well.

 

There are also two ways to use auto-routing on a laptop PC that you take along. One is to let the laptop calculate the route in advance, show it on the screen (incl. following all the bends in the road), and just show your current position with a moving cursor. MetroGuide-NA will work fine for this method, as will CS-NA.

 

The second way is to also download the free nRoute software from Garmin's site. This works with the Garmin mapping products to give you a full navigation system using your laptop and your GPS unit (like the Vista). Using nRoute you get spoken commands as you approach intersections ("Turn left in 400 feet" etc.) and automatic reroutes if you get off course. It works very well but requires that you have a mapping product that supports 'in-GPS' auto-routing - i.e. one like CitySelect-NA and *not* one like the current MG-NA. I use nRoute together with my eMap connected to my laptop on longer trips and have been quite impressed with its capabilities. If you have a laptop that you would consider taking along while driving then having this option with nRoute may make it worthwhile to get CitySelect-NA for the extra $ rather than MG-USA. Note that you'll also need an RS-232 port on the laptop or an RS-232 to USB adapter.

[Phunnla]

Thank you. you gave me the exact answer i was looking for.

 

OK my next question is since the Vista doesnt do autorouting. Which would be the best program to use on PC that does do Autorouting. I know i cant transfer that to the Vista, but i would like to also find a autorouting program to run on the PC.

Try the NRoute beta from Garmin. I used Version 2.0 on a recent trip to the Smoky Mountains and I was pleased. Version 2.1 looks better. (I already had City Select v6 on my laptop. Using a Legend C.)

 

http://www.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=609

[+Texan78]

I couldnt find a download for it, just an update it wouldnt let me download it.

[+the hermit crabs]

I couldnt find a download for it, just an update it wouldnt let me download it.

I don't think it's downloadable -- you have to buy the CD. I got mine from Planet GPS; it was the lowest-priced one I found on Froogle ($76.95), although I did have to pay additional for shipping. Maybe other places end up with a lower total if they have free shipping.

[peter]

I couldnt find a download for it, just an update it wouldnt let me download it.

I don't think it's downloadable -- you have to buy the CD. I got mine from Planet GPS

That's MapSource MetroGuide-NA, not nRoute.

 

nRoute is a free download, but you need to already have some installation of MapSource with maps that support auto-routing on a GPS unit to get the full capabilities.

nRoute by itself doesn't provide any maps. It just uses the MapSource maps you have and a connected Garmin GPS to turn your laptop PC into a navigation system. See my previous post above for more of a description.

[+Texan78]

Ah i see thanks, that wasnt explained when it was first brought up. OK then back to the drawing board.

 

What program can i run on my PC that i can plan trips and do auto-routing and has noting to do with my GPSr. Can i do this with Microsoft street and trips? I dont need nor am i looking for a program that will transfer routes and do auto-routing to my GPSr just so were clear. Basicly just forget i own a GPSr and i want some that has like maps and stuff that i can use on a PC.

[peter]

What program can i run on my PC that i can plan trips and do auto-routing and has noting to do with my GPSr. Can i do this with Microsoft street and trips?

Yes you can, but you can also do it with websites like mapquest, mapsonus, etc. and those don't cost you anything and are automatically updated.

 

But since you actually do have a GPS it seems silly to me to assume that you don't.

If you get MetroGuide-NA to download maps to your Vista then you can also use it to do your trip planning and auto-routing on your PC. And it's much easier to follow the calculated route if you download it to your Vista so the Vista display can keep you updated about how far it is to the next turn and which way you should go when you get there.

[+Texan78]

Great thanks, thats pretty much what i was wanting. It looks like i will go with Metroguide from what all i've gathered here. I dont like mapquest so i will just wait until my GPSr gets here tomorrow and i get the MG ordered and see if it does what im wanting it to do. If not i will just go with the Microsoft, its only $25 anyways.

Edited November 1, 2004 by Texan78

[+spraay]

A quick note on 'the what to get to use with a Vista'. I have a Vista and a GPS V. I bought the MG for the Vista before I got my GPS V. Someone correctly asserted that the City Select contains the autoroute data needed for GPSrs that do that. This is why it's included with the GPS V, because it needs the autoroute tables.

 

MG will autoroute on your PC and download route information to your Vista. This is probably the software you will want.

 

SP

[+Team Tigger International]

My biggest problem with Metroguide V6 is that while it lists the POIs in an area, it shows them more or less in the 'general' area. I was sitting in a Burger King parking lot on the weekend and was looking for a less busy place to eat. The POI told me that the closest place to me was Arbys followed by BW3 a few other locations and finally about 5 down the list, Burger King. If I look at the downtown area of Star's town, it shows about 1/2 the businesses up to a block in the wrong direction. I can accept inacuracy if I'm looking at a free map like Mapquest, but when they charge you $100, you'd expect things to be correct. Also I noticed that none of the streets in Star's communty are shown in this version, but were shown in Roads and Rec.

 

Wulf