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This is a good deal, and you may even learn something about maps. It is possible to switch back and forth between your GPS and the laptop, which makes the whole operation seem surrealistic. I find the lack of drop down menus, to assist the ham-handed rookies among us, to be needed. I am still jazzed by this purchase, and often just look at the maps because they are cool to look at. I have the Garmin GPSMAP 60, and needed some mapping software to use with it.
You can have a lot less fun and spend a whole lot more money. I often find myself asking,"Why does it do that.". The TOPO is as it is advertised: a US Continental map, loaded with information, color, symbols, menus, and mapping tools. I am new to the GPS hobby, as a walker/hiker/biker, and wanted to upgrade both my GPS inventory of tools, and my skill using them. It is overwhelming at times, but still very interesting to use.
It is truly like living in the future.
I had to spend over an hour with the Garmin help desk and they finally installed the product using some back door after giving the rep access to my pc. The software is great but I was unable to install it. There was some issue with the Install Shield.
Nada. Think I might try the preloaded Garmin Topo chip instead, but once burned.etc.Previous poor reviews of TOPO USA were warranted, I was wrong to have dismissed them. Instructions were 3 steps inside the CD jacket, ending with "Follow the prompts" (which I did), there are NO OTHER INSTRUCTIONS. In spite of my 20+ years on a PC, I had to try a variety of PC reboots (1st, or 2nd), with the GPSMAP (on, or off).
Zip. I did finally manage to get Colorado topo data transfered, and while still "connected" discovered the software/GMPSMAP no longer communicated, and had to revert to rebooting. well, too basic, I purchased TOPO, USA to supplement the map features of my GPSMAP 60Cx. Restarting TOPO USA did not reset any connection. How tough can these be to install and use. And earlier reviews about their basemaps being.
(Magellen offered MapSend, therefore Garmin's topo program must be similar and useful, right.). The Weakest Link can now be applied to TOPO, USA. Not even on the CD.Getting the software to connect via USB to GPSMAP 60Cx was. And finally, the map is not accurate, as the local US highway curves in opposite directions than the underlying Garmin map, my street has no 45 degree direction changes and is about 2-tenths of a mile further south than Garmin claims.The receiver closely matchs my aging Magellen in lat/long numbers, so I give credit for all the above anomalies to the Garmin map datum and implementation. Based on my earlier experiences with GPSs for 20 years now (recreation, flying, nothing exotic), and a recent Garmin street pilot, I decided to stick with the name brand Garmin. I pretty much discounted low rated reviews about TOPO USA issues, such as being locked, maps being off, etc.
interesting.
Received Shipment in a timely manner. I will use the Vendor again in the near future.
This method of requiring these downloads means you must have a pretty good idea of all places you intend to travel or you won't download the right map. The instructions were not clear of how to do this at all. I had to learn how to download maps from the software to the GPSmaps 60CSx. I missed a couple of individual map areas and this rendered the GPS useless over long stretches of road. TOPO U.S. 2008 is a let down in some areas. The individual map areas are not that large requiring downloads of many, many, maps to get from one place to another.
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