0ur opinion:

:
We?ve mapped every hill and valley. Download data from the MapSource T0P0 U.S. 2008 DVD directly to your compatible Garmin GPS. Now you can enjoy topographic mapping detail no matter where your adventures take you.

T0P0 U.S. 2008 features digital topographic maps for the U.S., including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. lt is available in two different formats making it easy and convenient to load data to your compatible Garmin device: MapSource DVD and preprogrammed micro SD data cards.

Product Description:
Garmin's United States T0P0 MapSource CD-R0M is similar to U.S. Geological Survey 1:100,000-scale topographic paper maps. lt includes trip and waypoint management functions that allow you to transfer waypoints, routes, and tracks between your PC and nearly all Garmin GPS units (excluding the GPS 100 family and panel-mount aviation units). With MapSource, you can view highways, roads, hiking trails, snowmobile trails, backwoods trails, elevation contours, point and summit elevations, some bathymetric contours, geographic names, churches, and schools. Shoreline detail is included for lakes, reservoirs, small bodies of water, waterways, rivers, and streams. lcons represent boat ramps, dams, marinas, campgrounds, public facilities, mile markers, first aid stations, picnic sites, swimming areas, ski areas, wrecks, fuel locations, and dangerous and restricted areas.

ln addition, nautical navigational aids for the 50 states are provided, including radio beacons, RAC0Ns, and fog signals; river, harbor, and other lights; and day beacons and lighted and unlighted buoys. Shipwrecks, submerged rocks, obstructions, and other hazards to nautical navigation are also displayed.

Note on compatibility: The trip and waypoint management functions of this product work with nearly all Garmin GPS units, excluding the GPS 100 family and panel-mount aviation units. Specifically, the map-download features of this product work with the eTrex Legend, eTrex Vista, eMap, GPS V, StreetPilot, StreetPilot ColorMap, StreetPilot lll, and GPSMAP 76, 162, 168, 176, and 295. Some units may require a Garmin data card to upload map data.

---

---

Buyer's feedback: - * If you can only afford one, buy national geographic's topos ...
I live in Idaho, and actually, really, go into the wilderness. The level of detail provided by garmin's u.s. topo offering is honestly not sufficient for accurately setting waypoints. National Geographic's state series is indeed sufficient (in fact it's the best for Idaho). Not to be cruel, but being able to download inadequately detailed map source is not nearly as important as being able to download truly accurate waypoints. Buying both packages would obviously be the best solution, but really you can set up all the detail you need (for getting in & out) using just national geographic (whereas you can't with garmin's u.s. topo stuff).

Critical note: I strongly recommend not carrying *just* electronic maps if you really, truly, go into wilderness. Electronic toys aren't foolproof - they break through no fault of your own, they get dropped, can get destroyed if you fall, etc. Paper maps should *also* be carried - ideally ones printed out just for your current trip.

The garmin hardware itself is truly impressive. Their mapsource topo offerings, on the other hand, need a lot of work. It's as if the people who did them never visited the U.S., and/or never really went into many of the U.S.'s real wilderness areas.

---

Buyer's feedback: - Works adequately
This works adequately on my new GPS V...

The only problem is the TOPO maps don't allow auto-routing by the V, to calculate routes around trails, etc. So it's back to standard GPS map navigation.

But one use I've found is this...some points of interest are not in the GPS V base map, nor are they in the V's City Select software. So I simultaneously load the TOPO software, and presto, I can pick out the TOPO's points of interest...set a waypoint up...then route to it via the City Select map.

It works fine, that is unless you're finding a place which doens't have a road, but for driving to trail heads, and other TOPO type features, it's helped me.

But it loses a star since I can't route directly on the TOPO maps on my V.

---

Buyer's feedback: - * Retract my last coments ...
I had said not to buy this item because it was an old version. That was not true.

There are 2 versions on the product. The application is version 4.09 (the newest shipping version). The maps are version 3.02. They are rarely updated.

Amazon is a great place to purchase this item.

---

Buyer's feedback: - Not quite what I was expecting
This software does what it says: it gives you topo maps of the US, and lets you download the actual maps (not just waypoints) into your Garmin.

The first thing I noticed when opening the map of the area surrounding my house was that my 23-year-old neighborhood wasn't on the map. It shows a dirt road cutting across what has been houses for more than two decades. Many nearby roads are labeled with names that were changed decades ago. Large swathes of freeway are missing. In other words, you can't use this software for any sort of road navigation in an area you're not familiar with.

Another problem with this software is the way it interfaces with your GPS. Whenever you transfer information from your GPS into Mapsource, Mapsource wipes anything you've done. For example, if you set some waypoints in Mapsource, then upload your waypoints from your GPS, you're left only with your GPS waypoints. Anything you do in Mapsource has to be downloaded to your GPS first if you want to "merge" it with what's in your GPS.

As for the topo information, that is present. However, features you would expect to find such as 3D viewing or route altitude profiles aren't here. The software is extremely basic in what it can do with the map data.

I can't say I regret my purchase, but I can't say I'm thrilled about it either. Try to look at a friend's copy before you decide to buy.

---

Buyer's feedback: - * Acceptable if you acknowledge it's limitations ...
I was going to provide a very negative rating for this product but I decided to give it a somewhat undeserved 4. Why?

1) Installation is CONFUSING! The manual says that you can install all the maps to your hard-disk so you don't need to keep inserting one of the three CDs that come with this product. (#1 USA - West, #2 USA - East, #3 - AK & HI) You can't. PERIOD. Thus you have to keep the CD in the drive to be able to use it. Grrr. That is barbarous. Garmin, this is the 21th century - hard-drives now will hold more than 20MB of data!
2) There is talk about UNLOCK CODES and an UNLOCK CERTIFICATE. Where is it? Grrr. After an hour or so of trying to figure out what I did with the certificate (I couldn't find it. Why? There wasn't one included with the product.), I finally discovered that it wasn't required; everything was unlocked.
3) If you expect this product to be useful for urban navigation, with street names, etc. you are going to be very, very unpleasantly surprised. It is primarily topographic rather than odographic. (Try to find that word in the dictionary!)
4) If you expect this product to have detail equivalent to a USGS topographic map, again, a very unpleasant surprise. It is not there. Contour intervals are 50M and resolution is not particularly good.
5) There seem to be quite a few errors on the maps. Lakes where there aren't any in Nevada? (Maybe DRY lakes?). Roads with missing segments? Sites misplaced? (I saw one in the ocean off the coast of Alaska. Maybe an underwater city? I'm being sarcastic!)

All in all, however, it is useful despite it's limitations and it is fun to play with. Based on the current state of technology (ie the memory limitations of, say, a Garmin GPS 76S, which I have) it is acceptable. (Ten years from now technology will allow 1M resolution but not now)

Garmin is continuously updating the software, fixing bugs, etc.

All in all, based on the price, this is an acceptable product and it is worth the price. Therefore, if you acknowledge it's limitations, buy it.

Also, GO BUG GARMIN ABOUT ALLOWING A FULL INSTALLATION SO YOU DON'T NEED THE CDs!!!!! (The manual says that you can but the installation procedure is incorrect - typical is just the program without the map data and there is no complete installation.)