Topo Maps on a 60CSx

Does anyone have any experience of the quality of Garmin Topo maps?

I'm really interested in the quality of the footpath markings.

My new years health kick involves walking, so it seems like a good alternative to carrying big, soggy maps about.

BUT - are they actually any good?

i have them on my GPSMap60CSx. TBH they are not much better than city navigator, certainly not worth the extraordinary sum garmin want for them.

not sure they have footpaths at all, i'll have a look.

edit: nope, no footpaths.

I'm not impressed by Topo either.
One solution is to use memory map. You can draw a track along a path in memory map on the PC and then transfer the track to your garmin.
It is a real shame that Memory map is not directly compatible with Garmin otherwise it would be the ideal solution.

Having seen Topo UK, France, Spain, Norway & Germany, I just don’t know what use they are to anyone, If they looked more like an OS mapping (Memory Map), well, that would be great, but as they are I think they’re a complete waste of time and money.

As per Cookie above, I also have them on my 60CSx. They are little better than City Navigator and not worth the money. There are some footpaths, and parts of some footpaths, but they are not easy to see and you don't get a full screen view in Mapsource.

Alternatives?

cookie said:

i have them on my GPSMap60CSx. TBH they are not much better than city navigator, certainly not worth the extraordinary sum garmin want for them. Not sure they have footpaths at all, i'll have a look.
edit: nope, no footpaths.

Click to expand...

ebbo said:

Having seen Topo UK, France, Spain, Norway & Germany, I just don’t know what use they are to anyone, If they looked more like an OS mapping (Memory Map), well, that would be great, but as they are I think they’re a complete waste of time and money.

Click to expand...

Do you know of an alternative to the GPSMap60CSx?
If so, will it run memorymap UK regions?
Hew, I may need some tuition, how are you fixed?


Timpo.

the GPSMap60CSx will not run memory map, but it can upload tracks to it.

i did see a gps that ran what looked like OS quality maps at a local outdoor shop, but i've forgotten what it was called. i remember it didn't route.

if you're interested, this is the shop.

Timpo said:

Do you know of an alternative to the GPSMap60CSx?
If so, will it run memorymap UK regions?
Hew, I may need some tuition, how are you fixed?


Timpo.

Click to expand...

No problem but I am away Monday to Friday.
So if you are in a hurry let me know tonight.

Hew said:

No problem but I am away Monday to Friday.
So if you are in a hurry let me know tonight.

Click to expand...

No rush mate, I haven't purchased a unit yet.
I'll give you a shout when I do.

Timpo.

Hi
some mates of mine use menory map on a PDA
would probably have use water proof bag/case not sure how robust they are ?

I have Topo Great Britain and agree with other posts, it's total crap. You get the contours but there is so much other missing data, such as place and hill names that it's pretty unuseable.

When I get off the bike I either use OS map and compass or Memory Map on my Ipaq.

Memory Map covers the whole of the UK in 1:25000 and 1:50000 OS Maps plus others such as high res. photos, town plans and road maps. Although it cannot be used to calculate a route, for outdoor use that is not practical as you won't be on roads anyway, it does enable you to click waypoints to make a route. Best done on a PC and transferred to the GPS. Then it shows distances between, bearing and height gain and loss between points and enables you to print out a detailed route card. You can even view the maps in 3D, fly routes in 3D and save them as a video. It is also possible to use any map you can get into your PC so you can scan a section of an OS map, town plan, etc. into your PC and be asble to define two lat long points on the map. Then Memory Map can use it.

It's quite expensive to get the whole of UK but then its expensive to do that on OS maps - and you can't find torrents for OS maps!! Also to store all of UK in 1:50000 and 1:25000 is about 20 Gbytes of data.

My Air Training Corps squadron uses it to plan expeditions and although they don't use GPS it gives them a full route card to follow on their OS Maps - it will even print the card in standard Duke of Edinburgh Award format. Using the 3D facility it also gives them a feel for the terrain which is more realistic than just looking at contours on a map.

Toad said:

Does anyone have any experience of the quality of Garmin Topo maps?

I'm really interested in the quality of the footpath markings.

My new years health kick involves walking, so it seems like a good alternative to carrying big, soggy maps about.

BUT - are they actually any good?

Click to expand...

I have the full topo uk v2 on my 60csx and it is generally very good,there is another version of topo ukv2 but is not the full version and does not give as much detail but the full version is very good and displays major tracks, bridleways etc......But never go out without a map if the gps dies you've had it. If the map getting soggly is your worry get an os active map thay are 1:25000 laminated and fully waterproof. Only a fool would go out in unknown areas with only a gps. I also use memory map on the pc and have all of England in 1:25000 so i can use that to programme my gps to the route i want but the memory maps takes up 23GB of memory spaces on the pc.


Just another point reading previous posts you can view your topo on the pc through mapsource but when you down load it to the gps you may not get as much deatail. You have to go to the MAP SETUP on the gps and select higher or most also if you transfer data from the pc to the gps at low detail the maximum detail your gps will show you onscreen would be low detail. Over all i have set my 60scx up to receive maximum data and if the screen gets to cluttered i can reduce the amount of detail on screen. I anm extremely happy with the unit and what it does and i find it extremely accurate