GPS software for Garmin?

[Siskiyou]

I am looking for Topo software that can successfully be uploaded to a Garmin Legend. I understand that there are a number of products that  can be downloaded to, but not uploaded.  I was looking at Garmin's MapSource Topo USA, but it is incomplete.  Last night a friend offered me his software because he found it incomplete. (He rather give it away then toss it.)  It fails to show many old roads in National Forest and BLM country.  I checked Garmin's web viewer on the internet.  Yep, many old  roads, and other landmarks that are shown on USGS maps are not on the MapSource software.  I'll take the software and say Merry Christmas.  But it is little like getting a subcription to PlayBoy, without getting the girl.

 Update:  I based the above impression from using Garmin's web viewer.  I stand corrected after using and installing the product on my computer and Legend gps.  I like MapSource Topo USA.  Far more detail shows up.

Siskiyou

[spectr17]

Hello Siskiyou,

The only topo maps you can upload to a Garmin GPS is the Garmin Map Source topo maps. They do this so you'll have to buy the Map Source. Many request to Garmin to allow other 3rd party topo map software upload have been rebuffed by Garmin.

[Siskiyou]

Spectra 17

I am happy with the Garmin N. America Base Map which comes on the Garmin Legend.  I will take a look at the Garmin MapSource that my friend is unhappy with.  At this time I am looking at the National Geographic Mapping software.  Looking at the website their maps have the detail I want.  I always carry a map in my day pack anyway.  It appears that I can download waypoint information from the Garmin to my laptop using their Topo! Sync USA software.  

Thanks for the Post.  If anybody has an opinion on the National Geographic Mapping Software I am all eyes.  My key is that an accurate map in my pocket is more important then having an incomplete map on my gps.

Siskiyou

[coug2wolfs]

Siskiyou

I have the Garmin software and it's fully compatible with all the garmin line.  Upload and download waypoints, routes, the whole enchilada!

I also have the Delemore package and that one is the berries, but it blows up this computer some wicked so I don't use it.  I think they have some SERIOUS bugs in it.  If you could get it to work it is slick though. 3D maps and a whole bunch of goodies.  The Garmin Mapsource is blan compared to it, but the Garmin software is stable.

Every road is NOT on it, just as they are NOT on the topo maps.  The USGS  has taken a loooooong vacation from updating the maps.

This annoys me, and too, it boggles my mind.  The world is constantly changing, new houses, new roads.  Yet they don't keep pace.  

I would think one pass with a satelite and they could have the whole world remapped every 24 hours. I don't get it?

Coug

[Siskiyou]

Coug

I agree that the maps have not been updated for years.  There is a Forest Service adminstrative series that is a little more up to day.  The problem I find with the Map Source topo is that it lacks mining roads that have been on Quad sheets for 50 years.  

I should note that many surveys what the Quad sheets are based on are inaccurate.  It was found that a baseline monument on the Northern California Coast had been moved many times by a farmer plowing his field.  That effected surveys a couple of hundred miles inland.  It made the lawyers happy.  He never seem to get it back to the same spot.

There are some extremely accurate maps being produced in the wildland fire suppression business now days.  They are using updated computer software with topo's on it, then flying the edge of a large fire using a gps to map the fire.  The all the important data to the fire is added to the map.  Much better then the maps I would draw on paper on the hood of my pickup years ago.  If a hunter hunts an area that is impacted by  a large fire there maybe a temporary website to go to.  There should be some maps.  Try downloading them.  Large burns normally mean good deer hunting in a couple of years.

Siskiyou

[Siskiyou]

Coug:

I recieved an e-mail from friend today that stated the Sheriff's Department in Her area uses UTM.  They have computer screen in their units which provide a gps/map tracking.  They also have a printer on board so that they can print out maps for S&R, and man hunt operations.  Neat.  But I do not think I am ready to start field printing maps for my hunting partners.  Will print maps at home.

Siskiyou

[GearedForNature]

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[TedTF]

Garmin is just using the best available data out there at 1:1000,000 scale.  They used the most current USGS topo maps at that scale.  The 7.5" topo quads are too data intensive for the small screens, besides if you wnated topo in that scale for the whole US you'd get 80 CDs instead of 3.  Garmin has some new software hitting the market soon to fulfill your nneds.  Keep your eyes open.

[Siskiyou]

TedTF:

The Garmin GPSIII and GPSIII Plus has become the standard unit for most Federal Wildland agencies and National Type I Response Teams that respond to large fires, floods, and other events such as 9/11 which require an organized response.  In the case of Topo mapping the current standard appears to be National Georaphic Topo! State Series.

If the incident is in California they buy the California Software, If the team is in Oregon they buy the Oregon software.  In the case of a hunter or fisherman you do not need 80 CD's.  In regards to Garmin's MapSource I will load the area that I need on my laptop and upload to the Legend gps.  In turn if I do not have a topo map for my hunting area, I believe the maps in the National Georaphic Topo! State Series are more complete.

With the amount of memory in the Legend I should be able to veiw the area that I am in.  When I am on a Mountain side in Northern California, I am not concerned about a Mountain side in New York.  I am more concerned about getting down a ridgeline, not falling off a cliff, locating a trail or a road, a water source or other location. This information is contained on a good topo map.  The outdoorsman in me, is the end source.  What do I want and expect from a product.  Do I need more then one product to accomplish the task.  Is the product a necessity, something nice to have, or a toy!  For me the gps is all three.  When I am in an area I have hunted for fifty years it is a toy, when I am in an unknown area it is something nice to have, and could be a necessity.  If I was to lighten my day pack the gps would be one of the first things to go.

Every year I find myself in a different Western States on short notice.  I am looking forward to using a gps and having good mapping software on my laptop.  I appreciate the imput because I am a new end user of a gps.

Hopefully todays mail will bring me MapSource.  Does computers, new software, gps, cellphones, portable radio's cause brain damage?

Siskiyou

[TedTF]

Siskiyou
  The Nat Geo software is 1:24,000 scale and thus gives greater detail.  Garmins is 1:100,000 scale.  You can load waypoints, routes, and tracklogs back and forth from Nat Geo, but if you want to actually be able to overlay a Topo map on your GPS screen, you have to use Garmins.  To give you and idea of how much Topo area you can load onto your Leged, I live in colo and can load one quarter of the state form Mapsource topo.  Hope this helps.

[Siskiyou]

TedTF:

I recieved the Garmin Topo software today.  The actual software on the cd is more accurate then I first thought after using the viewer on Garmin's website.  I need to look up a few more know area's on the cd but it passed it's first test of the day.  When bringing the area down to a .5 scale I found the old mining road.  I am satisfied.  I must admit that I still like the maps produced off the Nat Geo software.

Glad to know that I can upload such a large area.

Thanks
Siskiyou

[TedTF]

Remember also to turn your map detail setting to "most" to get all data that can be shown for an area.  Enjoy!

[Siskiyou]

TedTF:

Currently suffering brain damage from reading MapSource and manual for Legend.  Do not want to mess things up. Friend just sent me the link to www.topozone.com. Printed a very usable topo map off it.  Looks like a very cheap source of topo maps for the hunter.  Find the location and print the map you want.  Cost ink and paper.  The right size for carrying in the day pack.

Siskiyou

[Siskiyou]

Today was my day to link my Garmin Legend gps to my laptop computer.  My laptop uses Windows 98 SE operationg system.  The Legend comes with a cable that connects to the  Serial Communications Port on the laptop and connects to the gps.

I went to Garmin's software update page(internet) and found that Garmin has updated the basic software for my gps twice since last fall.  Now I am little bit of scardy cat when messing with the computer and the gps.  Would my computer suffer the famous Windows Blue death, would my gps die, and I have to send it back to Garmin.  No! It was a seamless operation with no problems.  The download information stated that if I wanted to save my tracks, waypoints, and routes I would need to save them.  I did not bother.  After the download the information stated that the gps needed to be taken outside and powered up.  This would allow the gps to update itself.  As an example the calendar had reset to December 31st.  I went out and set the gps on a fence post and let it do it's thing.  I played catch with the dog.  

In half hour I checked the gps and it had found itself.  The calendar had reset itself for February 16, 2003.  I did have to change the battery setting because I was using a rechargeable battery.

I then went back to the computer on which I had installed the Garmin MapSource Topo USA program on.  I selected 14 maps and downloaded them to the gps.  Again this was a very painless operation.  While outside I had created a Waypoint called home.  Home now had contour lines and a road next to it.  Now I was getting excited about this.  I had maps showing my hunting areas, and my fishing holes.  Now the Topo map is not what you want to find addresses in a city.  But that is not what I want.

The one thing I am not sure on is how much storage memory I still have.  The gps says that I am only using 4 percent of the memory.  If that is the case I can load many more maps on the gps.  

Time for a walk.  I went for a 2.6 mile walk creating a number of Waypoints.  Before leaving I turned on the track mode.  I would not normally do this to save the batteries on a multi day hunt.  When I returned home I saved the track.  I then downloaded the Track and Waypoints to my laptop which was open to MapSource.  I should note that when you reopen MapSource it defaults to the last map you were veiwing.  The tracking software is very good.  It laid my track right down the different streets that I used.  I am impressed.  

I thought the batteries would take a beating in the process, but they held-up.  I put the powered up gps on a table while I watch a game, and otherwised killed a Sunday.  The batteries were at about 90% when I started, and they were powered up around ten hours before they died.

The product is good, and I have a lot to learn.

Siskiyou

[TedTF]

Siskiyou
   The memory you are seeing on the unit is indicating the amount of tracklog memory you have left, not the memory for maps.  If you have your mapsource software open and have the Maps tab active as you are clicking on map sections to load, the bottom of the box will show the amount of memory it requires to load those selected maps.  Your Legend can load 8mb or 8000 kb of maps.  Hope this helps.

TedTF

[Siskiyou]

TEDTF:
That is what I thought, but I was not sure.  I have about one meg left.  Need to make a 100+ mi roadtrip later today.  I went to the map and created a couple of Waypoints.  Realizing that the topo software is designed for rual areas and not cities.  Created a couple of waypoints on the far end.  See how close I can come.

Thanks,

Siskiyou

[Siskiyou]

Went out and tried geocaching yesterday.  Geocaching.com  . Found two caches.  Pre-planned search by using MapSource Topo Software.  Saved me a long hike up a steep slope.

Great way of learning to use gps.  Kind of like a kid looking for treasure.

Siskiyou

[coug2wolfs]

BeAwrite!  We're light years ahead of where we were BEFORE GPS came out, but it's simple human nature. We make an advance and that gets the gears workin.  And we seek more, and more, and more.
It's how we advance as a civilization  

[Siskiyou]

Went to work today using MapSource Topo to plot against the fish in one of the lakes.  Created routes over the deepest old river channel on one arm of the lake. In the past worked the shoreline for Bass, Rainbow, and Brown trout.  I am now looking at working the center of the river arm to get into the cooler deep channel for trout and koke's later in the summer.  I have never seen anybody working the channel.

I was also able to identify old sand/rock bars and rock points that are under water using the Topo map.  I created Waypoints at these locations. I generated the Routes and Waypoints on my laptop using MapSource USA Topo then uploaded the information the Garmin Legend.  

I checking out another lake using the software.  I have only fished this lake one time.  A trip to this lake is a camping trip in the making because of distance.   It is a very dangerous lake at times because of extreme winds.  

Siskiyou