OS Maps.. and 60c or others.

[rocks]

Hi Guys,
Can those in the know, please help me.
I looked at GPS's a while back , but held off as various new mobels were due out. I like the 60C.. however i was wondering do any of the GPS, actually show an Ordenance Survey style topo map?

If so.. which ones, and what software do you need for the UK.?

I want a GPS for 95% of the time UK use.. to get me to sites. I want to bung in a postcode and let it get me there, or bung in an OS coordinate.

I would also like to use it on planned future trips to the Alps. now i know the 60c has a limited memory and so i would have to select my areas.. however is it feasible.. or very limiting, this selecting areas?


Cheers..

 

[Trevor S]

i was wondering do any of the GPS, actually show an Ordenance Survey style topo map?

No, they use a system of vector mapping, what you are after with "Ordenance Survey map" is raster mapping, you need other solutions for this. I use OZiexplorerCE and the equivalent of your Ordnance Survey maps in Australia, the vector mapping in most GPS units is useless for me.

This flexibility does add a degree of complexity that may "frighten" some end users.

Why do I prefer that system, I picture speaks a thousand words and these 4 pics speak volumes IMO. Research your mapping needs thoroughly or you may be disappointed. You might be better suited to a PDA solution like I have gone with where you can run whatever mapping suits you.

In the examples below, the road coming in from the North West is unsealed but is quite well travelled, I use it all the time. Garmin mapping does not even bother to show it albeit well done Magellan. City Navigator doesn't even mention the thriving metropolis of Mingela, which consists of a pub, a rail siding, 5 houses, a cop shop and toilet block

I can't speak for mapping in you're part of the world, though here is a link to an article riding in Europe with a GPS that might be of interest.

http://www.bluerim.com.au/Ulysses Review.htm

And a site in your part of the world with lots of GPS info.

http://www.pocketgps.co.uk

Gramin Metroguide Aus

Garmin City Navigator Aus.

Magellan Discover Australia Streets and Tracks

Oziexplorer & 1:250,000 NATmap map sheets

 

[rocks]

Thanks..

Arh.. thanks for that..

Hmm it seems that as with all things.. what you really want is not catered for,, you simply have to choose the best conciliation...

For my travels, i can live with the vector mapping.. but for work it would be good to have a OS display.. but then i always have OS paper maps.. so thats not too much of a problem.. just would have been nice.

Megellan units got much of a mention on here.. Seems Garmin are extremely popular.. is there any particular reason for this?

 

[Gecko]

I just went all through Belgium. Luxembourg, France, Andorra and round the Pyrennees with my 60c and it's limited memory.....no problems. Of course more memory would be nice (See the new Quest with 256mb) but the 60c is more than adequate for most trips we are likely to perform - or course we can dream about going off round the world or doing all of Europe in 3 weeks but in reality few get out of the rat race long enough to do so but even then the map coverage starts getting pretty poor when you get past Italy. Even Greece is very poor so yoru extra memory is unlikely to be much use because the maps contain bugger all detail to upload......

 

[rocks]

Memory..and software

I think your right Gecko.. I was set on getting a 60c, as it was smaller, did what i wanted it to do.. BUT.. no software.
So adding the extra cost of software, meant its looking like a better idea to get the 2610, and pay the bit extra.

For work I think I will grab a second hand, handheld unit, from ebay...

I know the mapping is fairly good for France, Germany, UK, Holland, Spain, Italy.. and reality wise i am not likly to get past these, as you say. Cant escape the rat race for too long.

One of the problems i had of late, is my biking has got a bit stale.. i have roamed a fair bit of North Wales, and though its a wonderful part of the country, i wish to try pastures new.

I am hoping the GPS, will help with navigation and make life a bit easier, with items such a fuel stops and detours etc and allow me to be a bit more spontaneous about my destinations.

 

[BurnieM]

Trevor,
your comparison screen shots of Garmins Metroguide and Magellans DiscoverAus are grossly misleading

If you adjust the zoom level you will see that Metroguide has 80% of the secondary rural roads and all the town roads that are on DiscoverAus.
DiscoverAus does have more watercourses.

Yes, the CIty Navigator lack of rural detail is a true representation.

 

[Trevor S]

Trevor,
your comparison screen shots of Garmins Metroguide and Magellans DiscoverAus are grossly misleading

If you adjust the zoom level you will see that Metroguide has 80% of the secondary rural roads and all the town roads that are on DiscoverAus.

Wow You counted everything and you have the gall to say my pictorial images are misleading ?

I was simply using the front end display of the Garmin website, I don't have the software itself. I had clicked "more detail" and that was as much as it showed. No matter how much I zoomed in, nothing there, no matter how many times I clicked more detail, nothing there.

I can point out numerus examples of a lack of detail using the Garmin mapping and the front end on the website, this was not an isolated example. All I can suggest is that if the data is not shown on the web site (as you seem to indicate ?) , that's not my fault.

I will highlight the point that for Garmin to use the term "mapping" with these products is itself extremely misleading and for Adventure Motorcycling they are basically useless.

My synopsis for Adventure Motorcycling ? Gamins mapping is bad to dangerous (dangerous in that people might be lulled into thinking it's acceptable), Magellan's is poor, NATMAPs is very good. I have yet to come across an excellent product

I try and combine the Magellan with the Natmap hoping that between the two I will get something reasonable representative of what's on the ground.

That doesn't mean Garmin's product is not okay for someone who rides bitumen roads or who's idea of Adventure is to find the nearest Cafe for a Latte (my Dad for example)

You want me to continue with a plethora of other visual examples of Garmin mapping inadequacy, they are indeed rife. In the dozen or so random examples I tried locally, the one I highlighted was not alone, 8 out of 12 I tried produced unacceptable results, IMO that an appalling strike rate. Using the Garmin website as an example, it's nothing like 80%. and I am not defending DAST, i reckon it's pretty bad a well, just not quite as on the nose as Garmins product.

In this example, at least they show the Dam BUT is a major recreational area and they don't show the main road in for gods sake let alone the tracks out the back.

While you may want to send them accolades for getting it right where you are, they deserve nothing but brickbats for the crap they produce where I ride and they have the gall to attempt to fob it off as mapping. Of course, if the front end on the web is not representative of the mapping, one has to wonder what the hell it is doing there in the first place ?

 

[Frank Warner]

One of the guys here used a garmin to lead a bm club run. Took quite a few wrong turns due to the garmin error of around 500 metres ... and these are for MAIN roads!!!! Garmin may be fine in the states but downunder their maping sucks big ones. Magellen is better .. they do have the option of getting the hemma dersert tracks maps .. but they charge many time what the rastor version costs that goes straight into OZiexplorer.

My experience is that no one single map will show everything, if you want more reliablity you must have maps form different sources. Mud maps drawn at the pub can be the best info. Depending on the beer intake.

 

[BurnieM]

I believe that Garmin and Magellans rural area mapping is good but not excellent.
There is room for improvement in both products.

In NSW Garmins Metroguide has a pretty complete coverage of secondary sealed roads and about a 70% coverage of dirt tracks,

Magellans DiscoverAus is similar but with about an 80% coverage of dirt tracks.

Searchability on cities/towns, street names, POI is a very useful feature in MGA and DA.
I am aware that you can add name searches into Ozi but it takes a lot of work to even get half the functionality available easily in MGA or DA

 

[Peter Björkdahl]

I already have the software "Map Source European Metro guide v4.06" can I use that with a Garmin 60C (I will buy it in USA) ?

www.garmin.com says they don't recommend Metro Guide to 60C.


/Peter Björkdahl