Magellan GPS - MapSend Topo 3D USA vs MapSend Direct USA

Author

MapSend Topo 3D USA vs MapSend Direct USA

David Rickon

2005-10-06, 2:48 am

I just purchased the hand held Magellan Meridian Color.

Can anyone using the two current versions of MapSend TOPO 3D USA and MapSend
Direct Route USA give me a comparison of the features of each.

Since MS Topo also has street & POI detail, how does this differ from MS
DirectRoute USA?

I would imagine MS DirectRoute does not have the topo detail that MS Topo 3
D has.

I understand MS Direct USA provides audible tones nearing turns that Topo
does not provide.

Other than those differences. are map details the same?

I am more interested in the outdoor features offered by Topo than the travel
features offered by MS Direct.

Thanks,
Dave
Cleveland, OH

Jack Erbes

2005-10-06, 5:48 pm

David Rickon wrote:

> I just purchased the hand held Magellan Meridian Color.
>
> Can anyone using the two current versions of MapSend TOPO 3D USA and MapSend
> Direct Route USA give me a comparison of the features of each.
>
> Since MS Topo also has street & POI detail, how does this differ from MS
> DirectRoute USA?

You cannot autoroute from point to point on the data (streets/POI) with
Topo 3D DetailMap, autorouting only works when your DetailMap is a
DirectRoute map.

> I would imagine MS DirectRoute does not have the topo detail that MS Topo 3
> D has.

That is correct, no unimproved roads, no terrain contours, no creeks,
etc. Pretty much a world empty of details other than streets, roads,
towns, and major geographical details.

> I understand MS Direct USA provides audible tones nearing turns that Topo
> does not provide.

It has a "Beeper" (in the Setup menu) that can be turned on and off for
keystrokes and/or alarms. I tested it with keystrokes and found it to
be of no use for me because I'm pretty hard of hearing. If I was using
it anywhere with much background noise, I doubt that I would ever hear it.

> Other than those differences. are map details the same?

Topo 3D has better detail on secondary roads, unimproved roads, creeks,
small rivers, and other things typically found on topo maps and not
street maps. How much data? It is hard to quantify. It is less data
than would be found on a 1:24,000 USGS topo map but more than on a
1:100,000 map. It looks to me like the topo mapping detail is best
described as somewhere in between the two.

All things considered, I like the amount of detail as seen on the Topo
3D maps. It seems to satisfy most of my needs most of the time. Using
a Meridian with a Topo 3D DetailMap and having all the attendant
features that come with the GPS is a great thing off road/in the woods.
In some areas, I would also want to have a paper USGS 1:24K topo map
with me for reference, additional details, and backup.

If you have not figured it out yet, you have two map choices. The
primary (Basemap) is always active, it cannot be turned off. The
secondary map (DetailMap) can be a DirectRoute, Topo 3D, or BlueNav map.
It can be turned off.

With the Basemap and a DirectRoute map active, changing from Land to
Marine use in the Map Setup menu changes the color of bodies of water
from dark blue to light blue, making waypoints and marks on water easier
to see.

Changing from Land to Marine with a topo map active does not appear to
change anything, bodies of water are dark blue and waypoints and marks
located on bodies of water are a little harder to see. This is
unfortunate, it would ideally change the water color for all DetailMaps.

As it happens, the data in Topo 3D is newer than the data in
DirectRoute. I can tell that because my street (a recent extension
added to an older street) is shown and correctly named on Topo 3D but is
missing on DirectRoute.

> I am more interested in the outdoor features offered by Topo than the travel
> features offered by MS Direct.

I think a Meridian with Topo 3D is a real asset for outdoor/off road
use. Street and eBay prices on Topo 3D can get down around $70, I
consider that a good buy (the MSRP is $149).

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

Pieter Litchfield

2005-10-06, 5:48 pm

I use both an Explorist 600 and a Meridian Color with MapSend Topo 3D USA,
and it works well with both. I cannot compare to Direct Route since I do
not use it, but agree with Jack's comments below specific to Topo 3D USA.

"Jack Erbes" <jackerbes@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:aKqdnVCmPJHpsdj
eRVn-iQ@adelphia.com...
> David Rickon wrote:
>
>
> You cannot autoroute from point to point on the data (streets/POI) with
> Topo 3D DetailMap, autorouting only works when your DetailMap is a
> DirectRoute map.
>
>
> That is correct, no unimproved roads, no terrain contours, no creeks, etc.
> Pretty much a world empty of details other than streets, roads, towns, and
> major geographical details.
>
>
> It has a "Beeper" (in the Setup menu) that can be turned on and off for
> keystrokes and/or alarms. I tested it with keystrokes and found it to be
> of no use for me because I'm pretty hard of hearing. If I was using it
> anywhere with much background noise, I doubt that I would ever hear it.
>
>
> Topo 3D has better detail on secondary roads, unimproved roads, creeks,
> small rivers, and other things typically found on topo maps and not street
> maps. How much data? It is hard to quantify. It is less data than would
> be found on a 1:24,000 USGS topo map but more than on a 1:100,000 map. It
> looks to me like the topo mapping detail is best described as somewhere in
> between the two.
>
> All things considered, I like the amount of detail as seen on the Topo 3D
> maps. It seems to satisfy most of my needs most of the time. Using a
> Meridian with a Topo 3D DetailMap and having all the attendant features
> that come with the GPS is a great thing off road/in the woods. In some
> areas, I would also want to have a paper USGS 1:24K topo map with me for
> reference, additional details, and backup.
>
> If you have not figured it out yet, you have two map choices. The primary
> (Basemap) is always active, it cannot be turned off. The secondary map
> (DetailMap) can be a DirectRoute, Topo 3D, or BlueNav map. It can be
> turned off.
>
> With the Basemap and a DirectRoute map active, changing from Land to
> Marine use in the Map Setup menu changes the color of bodies of water from
> dark blue to light blue, making waypoints and marks on water easier to
> see.
>
> Changing from Land to Marine with a topo map active does not appear to
> change anything, bodies of water are dark blue and waypoints and marks
> located on bodies of water are a little harder to see. This is
> unfortunate, it would ideally change the water color for all DetailMaps.
>
> As it happens, the data in Topo 3D is newer than the data in DirectRoute.
> I can tell that because my street (a recent extension added to an older
> street) is shown and correctly named on Topo 3D but is missing on
> DirectRoute.
>
>
> I think a Meridian with Topo 3D is a real asset for outdoor/off road use.
> Street and eBay prices on Topo 3D can get down around $70, I consider that
> a good buy (the MSRP is $149).
>
> Jack
>
> --
> Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
> (also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

David Rickon

2007-10-28, 10:33 pm

Jack,

Many thanks for your informative comments. I have a much better
understanding of the features of both Mapsend products

Thanks, Dave
"Jack Erbes" <jackerbes@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:aKqdnVCmPJHpsdj
eRVn-iQ@adelphia.com...
> David Rickon wrote:
>
>
> You cannot autoroute from point to point on the data (streets/POI) with
> Topo 3D DetailMap, autorouting only works when your DetailMap is a
> DirectRoute map.
>
>
> That is correct, no unimproved roads, no terrain contours, no creeks, etc.
> Pretty much a world empty of details other than streets, roads, towns, and
> major geographical details.
>
>
> It has a "Beeper" (in the Setup menu) that can be turned on and off for
> keystrokes and/or alarms. I tested it with keystrokes and found it to be
> of no use for me because I'm pretty hard of hearing. If I was using it
> anywhere with much background noise, I doubt that I would ever hear it.
>
>
> Topo 3D has better detail on secondary roads, unimproved roads, creeks,
> small rivers, and other things typically found on topo maps and not street
> maps. How much data? It is hard to quantify. It is less data than would
> be found on a 1:24,000 USGS topo map but more than on a 1:100,000 map. It
> looks to me like the topo mapping detail is best described as somewhere in
> between the two.
>
> All things considered, I like the amount of detail as seen on the Topo 3D
> maps. It seems to satisfy most of my needs most of the time. Using a
> Meridian with a Topo 3D DetailMap and having all the attendant features
> that come with the GPS is a great thing off road/in the woods. In some
> areas, I would also want to have a paper USGS 1:24K topo map with me for
> reference, additional details, and backup.
>
> If you have not figured it out yet, you have two map choices. The primary
> (Basemap) is always active, it cannot be turned off. The secondary map
> (DetailMap) can be a DirectRoute, Topo 3D, or BlueNav map. It can be
> turned off.
>
> With the Basemap and a DirectRoute map active, changing from Land to
> Marine use in the Map Setup menu changes the color of bodies of water from
> dark blue to light blue, making waypoints and marks on water easier to
> see.
>
> Changing from Land to Marine with a topo map active does not appear to
> change anything, bodies of water are dark blue and waypoints and marks
> located on bodies of water are a little harder to see. This is
> unfortunate, it would ideally change the water color for all DetailMaps.
>
> As it happens, the data in Topo 3D is newer than the data in DirectRoute.
> I can tell that because my street (a recent extension added to an older
> street) is shown and correctly named on Topo 3D but is missing on
> DirectRoute.
>
>
> I think a Meridian with Topo 3D is a real asset for outdoor/off road use.
> Street and eBay prices on Topo 3D can get down around $70, I consider that
> a good buy (the MSRP is $149).
>
> Jack
>
> --
> Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
> (also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

Jack Erbes

2007-10-29, 10:33 am

David Rickon wrote:
> Jack,
>
> Many thanks for your informative comments. I have a much better
> understanding of the features of both Mapsend products
>
> Thanks, Dave

You're more than welcome. I still look back on my time with the
Meridians and those softwares fondly.

I've since moved on to a Garmin 76Cx simply because Magellan did not
stay competitive on hardware and software features. But I would like to
see Magellan get back into the market and threaten Garmin's market
share, it would be good for consumers and that is also the thing the
keeps bringing us better GPS receivers.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

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