Showing posts with label gpsmap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gpsmap. Show all posts

Garmin BlueChart Americas Saltwater Map CD-ROM (Windows) Review

Garmin BlueChart Americas Saltwater Map CD-ROM (Windows)
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Although the packaging offers coverage of the U.S., Canada, Caribbean, and South America on this expensive CD, you can only unlock a very limited "region" with your original purchase. Says Garmin tech support, "When you purchase BlueChart, you're entitled to one free region, and then additional regions can be purchased for $116.65." The word "free" here reflects Garmin's generally abysmal use of language found on their Web site, a labyrinth of obfuscation tangled in their arcane and ultra-paranoid "unlocking" technology and hidden prices. Unlike their Topo and City Navigator CDs where you get a lot of maps for your money, BlueChart gave me a limited sliver of southwest Florida for my purchase price. When I went to load Cape Cod, I discovered I would need to pony up another $116 for this small region. To unlock everything on this CD would costs many, many thousands of dollars, and nowhere is this clear to the unwary consumer.
What is especially grating in all this is that Garmin relies on U.S. government maps and GPS satellites that we taxpapers have already paid for. I find the marketing of Blue Chart really deceptive, especially given the important public safety implications of nautical mapping.
I would add that boat-towing travelers and nautical siteseers will need shoreside mapping and road info, for which these charts are useless, so you'll need additional map products and memory cards to show roads, parks, dining, and local amenities. Buyer beware.

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Garmin's exclusive line of BlueChart marine cartography products is designed to provide interactive viewing of detailed nautical chart data. These detailed electronic nautical charts look just like paper charts when displayed on your Garmin chart plotter. Descriptive details for features typically found on nautical charts can easily be viewed with a simple key press. Cursor movements over the chart provide descriptions for contour depths, chart number, navaid name, and much more.
BlueChart data includes shaded depth contours, intertidal zones, spot soundings, wrecks, navaids, port plans, restricted areas, cable areas, anchorages, and more. Additionally, BlueCharts include information from the paper chart used in the digitization process, such as chart number, name, scale, revision date, and Notice-to-Mariners date.
Three MapSource BlueChart CD-ROMs are available: Americas, Atlantic, and Pacific. The Atlantic CD-ROM covers Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. One CD-ROM contains BlueChart data for an entire region. MapSource BlueChart is a Microsoft Windows-based program that uses Garmin Unlock technology, allowing you to use one coverage area from the CD-ROM when initially purchased and to purchase additional coverage areas. Internet access is recommended for the unlock process.
Compatible products include these Garmin marine chart plotters: GPSMAP 176, GPSMAP 176C, GPSMAP 182, GPSMAP 188 Sounder, GPSMAP 232, GPSMAP 238 Sounder, GPSMAP 2006, and the GPSMAP 2010. BlueChart CD-ROMs are also compatible with Garmin GPS receivers that accept map data, including the GPSMAP 76, eTrex Vista, and eTrex Legend.

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Garmin BlueChart, Lake Erie-Lake St. Clair, Jul 08 Garmin Data Card Review

Garmin BlueChart, Lake Erie-Lake St. Clair, Jul 08 Garmin Data Card
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I think the Amazon sellers are confusing g2 Blue chart cards with the new g2 Blue chart Vision cards for the 400/500 Garmin gps chartplotters (with or without fishfinder). These new models must have Vision cards with a "V" in the model number. The new vision cards are close to $300.

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Garmin LakeMaster CD-ROM for Garmin GPS Units, Minnesota Review

Garmin LakeMaster CD-ROM for Garmin GPS Units, Minnesota
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Pros:
The maps provide good contours, even in the boundary waters and small lakes that you wouldn't expect. Excellent 1 foot contours are available on popular lakes.
Cons:
I really didn't realize that I'd only be able to use this with just one unit. So, don't install this on your old GPS, because you're not able to transfer the maps to another unit. I think the sd card version solves this problem since you can just migrate it to other units.

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Native Minnesotans and other devotees of the land of 10,000 lakes will delight in this Minnesota LakeMaster CD-ROM from Garmin. Specifically designed for Garmin GPS navigators, the LakeMaster maps are a must for fisherman, but also provide valuable data for recreational boaters and other Minnesota water enthusiasts. The maps include high-definition 3-foot contours and underwater structure details of 51 of Minnesota's most popular fishing destinations, including Pelican, Vermilion, Winnibigoshish, Leech, Whitefish Chain, White Bear, Clearwater, and North Long Lakes. Map specifics also include islands, reefs, points, bays, access points, marinas, and more--all gathered from meticulous on-the-water surveys. Your Garmin GPS will use LakeMaster to accurately locate your boat on the map, as well as show detailed tracklines and waypoints. So quit cruising blindly when looking for the perfect Minnesota fishing spot and let Garmin do the work for you.

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Garmin LakeMaster Michigan (microSD?/SD? card ) Review

Garmin LakeMaster Michigan (microSD/SD card )
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This item arrived as a micro SD card in an SD adapter, mounted in a plastic case. No instuctions were included. I loaded it into a Garmin GPS (Model nuvi 250) and saw the map chip listed as a source of maps, but no lake contour lines on the GPS screen. Once I de-selected the other Garmin street maps, the LakeMaster map data was displayed. Nowhere in the nuvi 250 manual does it say I can only display one map set at a time- that was up to me to figure out. I wonder what other secrets I will learn about this product?

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Garmin MapSource Inland Lakes Continental United States Freshwater Map DVD (Windows) Review

Garmin MapSource Inland Lakes Continental United States Freshwater Map DVD (Windows)
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I bought this software for my Garmin Etrex Vista HCx GPS mainly for use while kayaking in Minnesota and Wisconsin. After checking the maps of lakes that are among the more fully detailed, however, I find them not up to par for my mapping needs, and I don't have the option of using another company's map program with my Garmin GPS since the format is proprietary.
I knew ahead of time that only about 8% of Minnesota's 15,000 lakes were represented, and not all 1200 lakes included in the software were shown in great detail. I wasn't happy about that, but at least I knew about it up front.
The most glaring omissions in Inland Lakes is where the map fails to show connections between some lakes in a chain, such as where Lake Calhoun connects with Lake of the Isles via canal in Minneapolis, rivers that connect to lakes but not on the map, such as where the Sauk River connects to Kraus Lake near Cold Spring MN, and rivers that are missing sections on the map where in reality they are contiguous, like the Sauk River again, between Cold Spring and the Mississippi River. If you are exploring inland lakes and rivers with these maps in your GPS, you would likely also need other maps that fill in the gaps in the electronic map. To me, if Garmin is going to charge as much as they do for a map, the lakes and rivers they include should at least be accurate. If I get in trouble in the wilderness while kayaking, an accurate map is a must. At the very least it is expected. Paper maps have less errors.
Because of these issues I am thinking of buying a Delorme PN-40 GPS which comes STANDARD with Topo USA including topographic, lake and street maps, and comes with a $100 credit toward their USGS Quad maps, aerial and satellite maps for about the same cost as my Garmin Vista HCx and one set of flawed optional maps. That way if one map isn't 100% accurate, I can check another one to fill in the blanks, and I'm quite sure that between Delorme's standard topographic and lake maps, I'll be able to find more than 1200 lakes in Minnesota. I'll have an even better chance of finding those hidden lakes with USGS Quad, aerial and satellite maps at my fingertips.
So in summation, I've found Garmin's Inland Lakes maps to be useful, but it's not as precise as I need it to be. That's too bad, because I like my Garmin Vista HCx GPS. Yet if I'd known about the flaws I found ahead of time, I never would have bought the maps or the GPS from Garmin. I'm still using the two for now, but I'll be checking Google Maps or Google Earth first, before I leave on a trip.

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Spend the day fishing, boating or just enjoying the water on thousands of lakes and waterways. U.S. Inland Lakes contains comprehensive coverage of freshwater lakes throughout the region. Most maps include contour lines, high-definition shoreline and bathymetric detail. They also contain navigation aids, wrecks and obstructions, river and creek channels, boat ramps, rivers and streams, and major roads and highways.

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Garmin TOPO 2009 Northern Plains/North Dakota/South Dakota/Minnesota/Nebraska/Iowa Map microSD Card Review

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BlueChart g2 Southwest Caribbean ? microSD/SD card Review

BlueChart g2 Southwest Caribbean  microSD/SD card
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After managing to send the maps to a boat in the caribbean I discover that adventurer's bag sent the wrong set of maps, instead of sending the caribbean ones, they sent US maps, It was a hassle to return back to the US. They did not offer me the option of downloading the rigth maps. It costed me an extra USD$35.

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Garmin TOPO US 24K Northeast Map (DVD) Review

Garmin TOPO US 24K Northeast Map (DVD)
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I've been using this 24K map to hike in Upstate NY. It does very well in indicating where the trail crosses roads, streams, etc. It's handy and useful. On the other hand, I am accustomed to hiking with those elegant maps produced by the Swiss and Austrians for the European Alps. The Garmin Topo map really doesn't compare to those in beauty and detail. On my alpine maps I can actually locate the big boulders and rock outcroppings that I like to sit on at lunch or when I take my break. I treasure my Ordnance Survey maps of Dartmoor that I use for letter-boxing. The Garmin simply doesn't give that kind of information. It seems sketch-like by comparison. Nevertheless, it is great to have a huge chunk of the northeast stored in my gps. It lives in the side pocket of my backpack, and it's ready to go whenever I have a few hours to spare. I did try using this map to find a geo-cache listed along one of the trails I use. It put me right on top of it. No complaints there.
The instructions for loading the map into my gps unit from my computer were not very clear, so I gave the folks at Garmin a call. They were terrific. They walked me through the process and had me up and running before they left the line. That's a major plus.

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Garmin MapSource WorldMap (CD-ROM) Review

Garmin MapSource WorldMap (CD-ROM)
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I bought this to use with my Garmin eMap. For the USA the detail level is the same as came preinstalled on the unit--major highways. I've used it in London, Cambridge, Paris, Tokyo and Munich. There isn't really enough detail to find your way around any of these cities but it is useful for e.g. finding your way from suburb to suburb. The River Cam wasn't very close to where the map had it so it helps to use one's eyes. The maps are dated. We are developing a site in the high Andes near San Pedro de Atacama for the ALMA telescope--the map of that region did not show the Jama Road from Calama to Salta Argentina, a major international route (admittedly less than a decade old--but paved!).

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Garmin's WorldMap MapSource CD-ROM provides worldwide coverage with basemap-level detail, including political boundaries, cities, towns, major motorwaysand/or interstates, and principal highways; lakes, major streams, and rivers;and urban areas and railroads. WorldMap displays excellent coastline detail thatincludes many offshore islands, as well as worldwide nautical navigation aidssuch as day beacons, radio beacons, RACONs, fog signals, lights, and buoys. Alsoshown are U.S. interstate exit information, such as service stations, gasstations, restaurants, hotels, campsites, hospitals, banks, and more. WorldMapincludes management functions that allow you to transfer waypoints, routes, andtracks between your PC and nearly all Garmin GPS units (excluding the GPS100family and panel mount aviation units) while viewing base map-level maps on yourPC screen.
It is recommended for use with the GPS III Plus, NavTalk, GPS 12MAP, and GPSMAP162/168. It is compatible with StreetPilot GPS, StreetPilot ColorMap, GPSMAP295, and eMap, which require a blank 8 or 16 MB cartridge for loading map data.

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Garmin MapSource TOPO US 24k Southwest Topographic Coverage of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico (DVD) Review

Garmin MapSource TOPO US 24k Southwest Topographic Coverage of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico (DVD)
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Pros:
Route-able Roads and Trails
24K Topo Detail
Cons:
Dark Colors and Poor Contrast
Missing Trails
Trails aren't named
No BLM or State Lands
My comments are limited to Colorado and I'm comparing the Garmin maps to another 24K topo set by Above the Timber. On a recent 3-day backpack I used the Above the Timber maps 95% of the time, Garmin 5%, readability was the key. The good news, both map sets reside inside my Garmin GPS and switching is a breeze.
In my opinion a 24K Topo is a back country map used for foot, horse or other slow travel. This map set combines the excellent route-able Navteq highways and also route-able trails, that's slick. However due to an overly dark set of color choices, it's very difficult to see the trails to make an intelligent trip and/or route selection. Having the routing engine choose your route based on time or distance misses the human dynamic of most scenic. Not seen a routing engine that knows my scenic values . . . it'll happen someday.
The Garmin maps do not show BLM or state lands, a very big deal in Colorado. Also the trails lack either names and/or numbers, kind of like having a highway map w/o names or numbers, huh? Names and/or numbers give you valuable clues as to where you're going, which you verify with occasional sign posts.
To understand my colors and contrast comment, you'll have to view the attached Nuvi screenshots. They're fuzzy, the Amazon import did that and I'm not sure why.

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Garmin MapSource TOPO US 24k West Topographic Coverage for Washington, Oregon, California, and Nevada (DVD) Review

Garmin MapSource TOPO US 24k West Topographic Coverage for Washington, Oregon, California, and Nevada (DVD)
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I'll cut to the bottom line: As far as I can see, this is the best topographic mapping product available.
It's better than computer maps from DeLorme, National Geographic or other vendors, and much better than Garmin's earlier "MapSource" product. Maps displayed on one's PC or Mac (I've tried it on a Mac) are visually compelling, with very high resolution and near-perfect accuracy. There is also an excellent user interface -- you can browse, zoom, rotate or tilt to your heart's content. Even better, these high-resolution maps (unlike anything from other vendors) can be downloaded directly into your Garmin handheld. Most recent Garmin models are supported.
Today while out hiking I was astonished at the detail and resolution on my handheld -- 40 ft topo lines make a enormous difference when deciding whether the hill in front of you is a mountain or a molehill.
The only downside I have noticed is that there aren't very many hiking trails indicated on the maps. But it's always a good idea to obtain a local trail map if one is available. Drivable roads near where I live are all there, and as far as I can see there are no errors of labeling or placement. This is a big relief, because some other products I have seen are loaded with errors.
P.S. (7 Aug 2010). With some recent software fixes (both to my Garmin 60 Csx firmware, and also updates to the "BaseCamp" and "MapInstall" software, I have been able to download almost the entire mapset (California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington), except for a few panes in eastern Nevada, onto a single 4 Gbyte microSD HD card in my Garmin 60 Csx handheld. It works wonderfully. How did I ever live without it?

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Garmin MapSource TOPO US 24k West Topographic Coverage for California and Nevada (microSD/SD Card) Review

Garmin MapSource TOPO US 24k West Topographic Coverage for California and Nevada (microSD/SD Card)
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I received these topo-maps about two weeks ago and used them for road navigation (car) and trail navigation (MTB) so far on an etrex Vista HCx. My overall impression is mixed I have to admit.
From the start:
Installation is nice and easy, just pop in the micro-SD, power up the Garmin and the gadget will do the rest. In less than 5 minutes the map-set is completely configured and ready to go. I like this much better than the hassle with the DVD and transfer via USB cable which takes aeons. I made a backup of the SD card, yet I don't know if this will work the reverse way if I have to restore the SD. I recently read that this might cause problems but I don't have any experience with this.
Using it on the road it works well, fast calculation, precise directions. But this is definitely not what I bought it for.
So I took it to Lake Chabot (Anthony Chabot Regional Park) and... I was lost. Not a single one of the trails going round the lake was indicated. I rode into the golf course trying to get through somewhere, had to go back. Next through a nearby village, again, no trail indicated. Asked a resident and she told me where to get back on the trail. Fine. At least I was able to use the compass with the map to get back to my starting point. All in all: disappointing.
One week later up to Mission Peak. This time I was smarter and took a map of the Regional Preserve with me. And again, none of the trails indicated on the Garmin. Without the map I would have probably again been lost. Garmin and the map together worked well, but honestly saying the map alone would have been sufficient.
There are however some trails correctly indicated in parks and preserves which I can tell because I rode them earlier. But you'll better make sure that trails are displayed on the Garmin BEFORE you go there. Otherwise take a paper map with you. Well, I know you should always do this when hiking in the mountains where no official trails exist. But for park trails??
A downside of the SD card: you cannot use it on your PC for route planning, track or waypoint readout or whatever unless you have another map set on CD with the MapSource-SW. Think you can download MapSource from the Garmin homepage and activate it with the code of the SD-based maps? No way! Aaaaargh!!!
Summary: If you need a supplement of topo-maps when you already own MapSource it is probably alright because you can easily check on your PC and plan your trip before hitting the trail. Or you can check if there is any trail indicated at all. For the actual price it is still alright, but always make sure you have a paper-made backup with you if you are not 100 % sure that you can rely on the etrex.

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Garmin Inland Lakes Ontario Canada Freshwater Map microSD Card Review

Garmin Inland Lakes Ontario Canada Freshwater Map microSD Card
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Map was from 2009, missing most of the lakes listed on the Garmin website. Garmin released a new version May 2011.

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Garmin US TOPO 24K Topographical Maps of Washington and Oregon (microSD/SD Card) Review

Garmin US TOPO 24K Topographical Maps of Washington and Oregon (microSD/SD Card)
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This software was purchased to be used with the Garmin Rino 530HCX units, but this review may apply to other units as well, so beware.
First to note: You can only use this on one unit, and you are not able to backup the software for safekeeping or for use on more than one unit if you happen to own more than one. One card per unit. If you overwrite it, you loose it. You cannot use this card for viewing on your computer, or back it up for safekeeping. It has a lock code that prevents you from using it in any manner but inserting it into the gps unit. Technical support will not help you with this issue.It does not state any of this on the box. It is a micro SD card with an adapter, so it is small.
Second: On the Rino 530HCX, this product only gives the elevation contour of the area, with roads and some trails. No DEM shading, no 3-D modeling, etc. These limitations are not noted on or in the box, or anywhere on the Garmin website. Technical support said the flat contour map may be more detailed than the US topo map on CD, but they were not specific as to the differences, if any.
I visited the Garmin website, and it did say it had limited capability, and gave a few examples:
From the Garmin website:
" "Limited capability" may mean that a unit may be able to draw all the map features from the MapSource software, such as roads, lakes, nav-aids, depth contours, wrecks, etc., but the interactive capability of the maps may be limited. For example, you may not be able to "find nearest marinas" or look up additional text about a specific mapping feature. "
So before you purchase this product, or any other software product of this nature from Garmin, realize that they may not be fully disclosing all of the pertinent information.

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Garmin TOPO South Central U.S. Map DVD (Windows or Mac) Review

Garmin TOPO South Central U.S. Map DVD (Windows or Mac)
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My sd card just arrived and I put it in my Nuvi 1450 and nothing happened and no instructions came with it to tell me how to activate the card and properly use it. So since the Garmin people had their heads up their butts when they forgot to put any instructions with this product, I will share with yall what I found out after being on the phone with Garmin for 45 minutes.
I have a Nuvi 1450 and this is how I have to activate it and unactivate everytime I desire to take this on the water with me. Go to "tools", then "settings", then "map", then "info" (on the very bottom of the skin next to the back arrow). Once you have pushed "info" uncheck the base map and just check your "US Inland Lakes" (or whatever lake sd you buy). The idea is to just let your GPS focus on the Lakes SD card and not the base map or other road maps on the GPS system. Garmin recommended also going under "Map View" and changing it to "Track Up".
I have looked for but have not found how to activate all the cool features such as "mariner's eye" or "fish eye". It does put a symbol to indicate where all the boat ramps are located and nearby marinas, and mile marker from dam.
I have not used this product yet but did get to see the contour map of some of my local lakes. I must say I'm a little dissappointed with the quality of the contour lines. It does show you the contour but it looks like a kid drew the bulky lines and depth number if your not zoomed close. I wish Garmin would have taken a little more pride and time in this product and made the contour details more accurate and specific and not so sloppy looking (you will under stand once you see it). Overall I'm still glad to have it because I do a lot of bowfishing and juglining at night time and this should help me know where I am on the water in the middle of the night and where some catfish holes and shallow flats should be.
Overall, I'm super happy with my GPS and I believe it will be great on the water as well as roads. I tried the LOWERENCE Safari and an Etrex and must say, that I'm so much happier now having a nice GPS in my truck that I can use on the road very very easily and accurately and on the water when needed! Great product and great setup and after using the two previously mentioned geocaching gps systems, a car GPS that can also navigate on water in one GPS system is by far the best way to go!

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Garmin TOPO U.S. 100K Review

Garmin TOPO U.S. 100K
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We do a lot of off-road travel in the USA southwest desert regions and use a Garmin 60C GPS with Topo USA 2008 software for planning where we're going, tracking where we are, and viewing where we've been. Most of our destinations are not covered with the Garmin street maps so I bought Garmin's Topo USA 2008 to provide detailed maps of the off-road areas we frequent. I also use the map set for in-city travel, but for this there are better products available. The key point is that Topo USA 2008 provides downloadable maps for the GPS that are fairly highly detailed and relatively accurate so that you have something to display in the off-road areas of the country and something to use on your computer screen when planning an off-road 4x4 or hiking trip. The map set also does a pretty good job for streets and roads...except for the latest new developments.
Probably my favorite use of the maps is its built-in tie to Google Earth. Once you locate your places of interest using Topo USA 2008 on your computer, you can click on the "View in Google Earth" and instantly view your waypoints and routes in Google Earth with infinite detail and 3-dimensional views. Vise versa, I often use Google Earth to locate or refine detailed GPS waypoint coordinates and copy them into my Topo USA 2008 software for download to the GPS; this provides a workaround for areas where the maps aren't quite up to date or accurate enough. When you get home you can also upload your tracks and waypoints that you acquired on your trip and view them in Google Earth to know exactly where you were and where to post pictures, if you do that. This interactivity with Google Earth provides a great addition to a relatively up to date and solid performing set of detailed topo maps.
My one complaint is with the level of symbols loaded onto the maps by Garmin for Nav Aids, mountian peaks, and parks. In general I like to leave the detail level high to display other needed info, but the cloud of these symbols tends to obscure the big picture at certain map magnifications.

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Garmin TOPO Topographical Maps (Canada) Review

Garmin TOPO Topographical Maps (Canada)
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The topo maps are fine on this product, but for hiking I wouldn't bother - there are no trails. I searched around Jasper National Park and Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, and couldn't find *any* trails in this map set at any level of zoom or detail. If you're used to the US Topo maps by Garmin, you'll be disappointed. The disks I received from Amazon said "Version 2.0", which were ordered in August, 2007.

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