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Which street map program to use?
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| Johndagolfer@gmail.com 2006-03-06, 2:48 am |
| I just bought a Garmin Legend CX for my wife and I am wondering which
street program is the best to buy? I really don't want to pay that
much because we don't travel that much...yet. Are there any freeware
programs that may not have all the frills and thrill that something
like city navigator would have?
Thanks,
john
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| Johndagolfer@gmail.com wrote:
> I just bought a Garmin Legend CX for my wife and I am wondering which
> street program is the best to buy?
Interesting how many people ask for recommendations for maps but don't
give any indication where they are. Great maps of Alaska may not be of
much use if you live in NY or Budapest..
There are some freeware maps at sites like:
http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/
But generally the CitySelect & CityNavigator maps are worth their price
and it seems counterproductive to pay extra for a GPS that has a
high-resolution color screen, supports auto-routing, and has expandable
memory and then not get the maps that would let you use those features.
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| Johndagolfer@gmail.com 2006-03-06, 2:48 am |
| Oh yeah, my bad. The area we live in now is Frankfort, Kentucky. The
use probably won't be limited to that area though. My wife loves to
Geocache whenever she goes to a Where'sGeorge Gathering.
I hear that CitySelect is going to be discontinued. Does that mean I
should opt for CityNavigator instead?
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| Johndagolfer@gmail.com wrote:
> I hear that CitySelect is going to be discontinued. Does that mean I
> should opt for CityNavigator instead?
It doesn't matter much - either will work fine. Garmin has indicated
that you'll be able to upgrade from either CitySelect or CityNavigator
to the later versions of CityNavigator - presumably for the same
upgrade price.
The map data and POIs are the same and the main difference is that the
CityNavigator maps are divided into much larger segments. If you'll
just use the 32MB card that comes with the unit then CitySelect would
be preferred. But if you'll get a larger card anyway then you may as
well go with CityNavigator.
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| Jack Erbes 2006-03-06, 11:48 pm |
| Johndagolfer@gmail.com wrote:
> I just bought a Garmin Legend CX for my wife and I am wondering which
> street program is the best to buy? I really don't want to pay that
> much because we don't travel that much...yet. Are there any freeware
> programs that may not have all the frills and thrill that something
> like city navigator would have?
>
If you're in an area where you roadways have not changed remarkably in
the last few years, not having the most recent version of the optional
detail mapping software may be of little importance to you. And, with
that in mind, you may be able to find a good deal on one of the older
versions on eBay.
I don't know the conditions of the unlocks on Garmin software, you may
have to be careful that you don't buy something that won't work for you
because a previous owner registered it or used up all the unlocks.
Jack
--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA (jackerbes at adelphia dot net)
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine dot com)
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| peter 2006-03-06, 11:48 pm |
| Jack Erbes wrote:
> If you're in an area where you roadways have not changed remarkably in
> the last few years, not having the most recent version of the optional
> detail mapping software may be of little importance to you. And, with
> that in mind, you may be able to find a good deal on one of the older
> versions on eBay.
>
> I don't know the conditions of the unlocks on Garmin software, you may
> have to be careful that you don't buy something that won't work for you
> because a previous owner registered it or used up all the unlocks.
Good suggestion, but you do have to be careful about the unlock code
situation. Garmin software like CitySelect & CityNavigator that uses
unlock codes is restricted to use with up to two specific Garmin
receivers. So if the original buyer only used the maps with one
receiver you may still be able to use it on yours. But it does require
more trust of the seller's word&memory and also that you'll get the
needed documentation on registration codes in addition to the actual
CDROMs.
Another option that sometimes still appears on eBay is to get either
version 4.01 or 4.02 of MetroGuide-USA. These are from 2001 so they
are getting a bit dated, and they're from TeleAtlas which has somewhat
poorer auto-routing properties than the current NavTeq-based maps.
OTOH, in many areas they have somewhat better coverage of rural roads
than the current NavTeq maps. They don't have unlock codes so there's
no issue about how many other GPS receivers they've been used with
before.
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| Liberal Burial Pit 2006-03-07, 2:48 am |
| View the aerial photos of your area with the streets turned on. If the
20 year old highway projects are not reflected and match the satellite
photos, you got a worthless product match. On the sites that don't
have sagellite photos, type in a few business names and check for
accuracy. Use Google, Microsoft, Mapquest, Yahoo, Switchboard and
Yellowpages.
All of them are using geocoded data from Navteq and Tele Atlas. Both
are selling data in some areas that are 20 years old. Do not assume
your area is correct or will be corrected this decade.
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| Johndagolfer@gmail.com 2006-03-07, 2:48 am |
| is CityNavigator the only option I have? I've been doing research and
see that Microsoft is suppose to have a nice map program.
Or is garmin proprietery? Can I only use stuff Garmin puts on for
their GPS's?
Thanks again
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Johndagolfer@gmail.com wrote:
> is CityNavigator the only option I have? I've been doing research and
> see that Microsoft is suppose to have a nice map program.
>
> Or is garmin proprietery? Can I only use stuff Garmin puts on for
> their GPS's?
Pretty much. There are ways to create your own Garmin-compatible maps
and Garmin even lists sources of some 3rd-party maps on their website
but those are for areas not covered by Garmin's map products. So for
practical streetmaps in the US you're essentially limited to
CitySelect/CityNavigator (or the older 4.01/4.02 versions of MetroGuide
mentioned earlier).
Things like MicroSoft Streets&Trips work fine on Windows products but
don't load to anyone's dedicated GPS.
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| Jack Erbes 2006-03-07, 5:48 pm |
| Johndagolfer@gmail.com wrote:
> is CityNavigator the only option I have? I've been doing research and
> see that Microsoft is suppose to have a nice map program.
I have Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006 on a laptop. That has the most
recent current (NavTeq and Teleatlas are creditied) I've seen, it has a
lot of the newest streets in my area on it. It is a good program and
quite reasonable in price.
You can add a NMEA input to the laptop and travel with it when/ir there
is room for a laptop. data and find it to have excellant
> Or is garmin proprietery? Can I only use stuff Garmin puts on for
> their GPS's?
That is generally the case, that the Mapsource products are needed for
more detailed mapping for streets, topo, and marine use. There are
some provisions available now for making your own maps for Garmins but
that is a pretty technical process and you generally won't get the
autorouting, POI databases, and some of the other features when you do
that.
Jack
--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)
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