Shopping CartGarmin TOPO! 2009 North Central U.S. Map DVD (Windows or Mac)
date : November 25th, 2011Garmin Maps
Review : 3 Reviews
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List Price : $ 129.99
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Tags : 2009, Central, Garmin, North, TOPO, U.S., Windows
- Provides detailed digital topographic maps, comparable to 1:24,000 scale USGS maps
- Contains detailed hydrographic features, including coastlines, lake and river shorelines, wetlands and perennial and seasonal streams
- Contains many routable trails, rural roads, city neighborhood roads, major highways and interstates
- Displays national, state and local parks, forests, conservation areas and wilderness areas
- Includes BaseCamp¿ software for managing data on GPS and computer, playing back routes and tracks, geotagging photos and more
Outdoor enthusiasts: your adventure is waiting – in vivid detail. TOPO U.S. 24K North Central (DVD brings you the highest level of topographic detail available, with maps comparable to 1:24,000 scale USGS maps. These highly detailed maps on (DVD include terrain contours, topo elevations, summits, routable roads and trails, parks, coastlines, rivers, lakes and geographical points – and they also display 3-D terrain shading on compatible devices. With routable roads and trails in metropolitan and
How to Use Garmin BaseCamp; Review of Garmin Topo US 24K,
HOW TO USE GARMIN BASECAMP WITH GPS TOPO MAPS (SOME BASICS); A REVIEW OF GARMIN TOPO U.S. 24K WEST & OTHER GARMIN BASECAMP MAPS
2/26/10
FIRST SOME PROS & CONS ABOUT BASECAMP: PROS: This is a really cool program. You can find any area on the map, blow it up to whatever size you want, print out a paper copy with UTMs and/or transfer the map to a Garmin (at least) mapping GPS, which shows you exactly where you are on the map, etc. It works great in general and is easy to use ONCE YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE IT. Excellent tech support is available via email (through [...]) or phone. It apparently works well on Mac (OSx 10.4 or later) as well as PC (I have it on Vista). CONS: NO INSTRUCTIONS EXIST (as of Feb. 2010)! It has many, but not all, of the trails that are on USGS or Trails Illustrated topo maps (although you can compensate for this by adding “tracks,” perhaps with assistance from a topo map that shows where the trails are). Apparently route lines have to at least partially be on a trail or road; they won’t necessarily go exactly how you want them to.
YOU CAN SKIP THE REST OF THIS REPORT UNLESS YOU ARE ACTUALLY ORDERING, OR RECENTLY ORDERED, YOUR FIRST GARMIN TOPO MAP THAT USES BASECAMP SOFTWARE. IN SUCH A CASE, WHAT FOLLOWS SHOULD BE VERY USEFUL. IT CAN SAVE YOU HOURS OF FRUSTRATION AND MAKE BASECAMP USEABLE FOR YOU. IT CAN ALLOW YOU TO BE MORE CONFIDENT IN MAKING A GARMIN BASECAMP MAP AN AMAZON PURCHASE.
INTRODUCTION
In December 2009, after researching mapping GPSs and studying reviews on Amazon for mapping software for a Garmin GPS, I ordered a Garmin etrex Vista HCx mapping GPS, the Garmin TOPO U.S. 24K West DVD, a topo map CD of Utah from Above the Timber ([...]; works with Garmin’s MapSource software) and blank microSD Cards.
To my dismay, as of this time (Feb. 2010), Garmin maps that rely on BaseCamp software do not come with instructions. Nor are such instructions on the Garmin website yet. (Garmin’s website does have a user’s manual for their older software, MapSource, which I eventually and inadvertently discovered could be used with BaseCamp maps.) I was also unable to find instructions for BaseCamp from a brief Google web search. I ordered two books from Amazon that discussed GPSs and mapping (the newest with a 2008 copyright) in hopes they would talk about BaseCamp, but BaseCamp (c2009) was too new to be in them.
Never having used mapping software before, I felt at a disadvantage without ANY directions. (This is one reason for my giving this software a four instead of a five star rating.) In my opinion, Gamin was irresponsible in not providing purchasers of its new mapping software with at least a set of basic BaseCamp instructions until a more thorough user’s manual could be created. While I have a high regard for Garmin quality, this experience diminishes my faith in the Garmin name. Garmin’s website does allow you to email tech support and ask questions, which I did, and my experience with their tech support has been extremely positive. I also spent many hours experimenting with my Garmin DVD map and GPS in order to figure a lot of things out on my own.
To make it easier for other purchasers of this software, I have written the basic instructions for BaseCamp that follow. (I have also added some instructions for Garmin’s MapSource program that are not in that program’s user’s guide.) Others could write something better and more complete but this is the best I can offer. As I learn more, I might make revisions. I am not aware of any other instructions for BaseCamp at this time (Feb. 2010).
Thanks to Garmin Tech Support for providing some of the following information.
USING GARMIN’S BASECAMP DVD MAP
Opening the program on your computer: After the program was loaded into my PC (which has Vista) I was able to access it by going from the lower left Start button to Programs to Garmin to then being able to select BaseCamp (with the other option available being MapInstall).
When the program opens and map appears, to find the geographic area of interest: move the marker for the “+” and “-” scale on the left up or down to select the size of the map you want to see (zooming in or out), while using the “compass” on the left (using your cursor to work with the middle section that has a pointer for each direction), and/or using the cursor’s “hand image” on either of the two map images that appear, to move the map up or down, to right or left. If you use the mouse/cursor to “left click” on the “N”, “E”, “S”, or “W”, or click/hold/drag on the outer ring of the compass, it will reorient the map, if that is desired for viewing or printing. If you have entered a waypoint on the map and that waypoint is not visible on the area of the map that you are viewing, but it is listed on the left end, you can click on the symbol or name on the left and that area of…
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|Great new product!,
I’ll cut to the bottom line: As far as I can see, this is the best topographic mapping product available.
It’s better than computer maps from DeLorme, National Geographic or other vendors, and much better than Garmin’s earlier “MapSource” product. Maps displayed on one’s PC or Mac (I’ve tried it on a Mac) are visually compelling, with very high resolution and near-perfect accuracy. There is also an excellent user interface — you can browse, zoom, rotate or tilt to your heart’s content. Even better, these high-resolution maps (unlike anything from other vendors) can be downloaded directly into your Garmin handheld. Most recent Garmin models are supported.
Today while out hiking I was astonished at the detail and resolution on my handheld — 40 ft topo lines make a enormous difference when deciding whether the hill in front of you is a mountain or a molehill.
The only downside I have noticed is that there aren’t very many hiking trails indicated on the maps. But it’s always a good idea to obtain a local trail map if one is available. Drivable roads near where I live are all there, and as far as I can see there are no errors of labeling or placement. This is a big relief, because some other products I have seen are loaded with errors.
P.S. (7 Aug 2010). With some recent software fixes (both to my Garmin 60 Csx firmware, and also updates to the “BaseCamp” and “MapInstall” software, I have been able to download almost the entire mapset (California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington), except for a few panes in eastern Nevada, onto a single 4 Gbyte microSD HD card in my Garmin 60 Csx handheld. It works wonderfully. How did I ever live without it?
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|Good, Not Great,
Pros:
Route-able Roads and Trails
24K Topo Detail
Cons:
Dark Colors and Poor Contrast
Missing Trails
Trails aren’t named
No BLM or State Lands
My comments are limited to Colorado and I’m comparing the Garmin maps to another 24K topo set by Above the Timber. On a recent 3-day backpack I used the Above the Timber maps 95% of the time, Garmin 5%, readability was the key. The good news, both map sets reside inside my Garmin GPS and switching is a breeze.
In my opinion a 24K Topo is a back country map used for foot, horse or other slow travel. This map set combines the excellent route-able Navteq highways and also route-able trails, that’s slick. However due to an overly dark set of color choices, it’s very difficult to see the trails to make an intelligent trip and/or route selection. Having the routing engine choose your route based on time or distance misses the human dynamic of most scenic. Not seen a routing engine that knows my scenic values . . . it’ll happen someday.
The Garmin maps do not show BLM or state lands, a very big deal in Colorado. Also the trails lack either names and/or numbers, kind of like having a highway map w/o names or numbers, huh? Names and/or numbers give you valuable clues as to where you’re going, which you verify with occasional sign posts.
To understand my colors and contrast comment, you’ll have to view the attached Nuvi screenshots. They’re fuzzy, the Amazon import did that and I’m not sure why.
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