0ur opinion:

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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.

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Buyer's feedback: - * just ok ...
Although mapsource is a little more user friendly then its Magellan counterpart, I've found that the quality and accuracy of the detail maps is not nearly as good. I have used both brands side by side and regularly see that the garmin product does not show as many of the small one-lane country roads I often need to navigate when they all seem to be on the Magellan maps. This can be problematic for some applications.

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Buyer's feedback: - Nice for elevations
It's definitely got topo maps.. I can see elevations etc.. Dont expect to find trails etc on there, cause there isnt many.. So far they do a decent job of pointing out trailheads, but not that many actual trails. I know trails constantly change, but a rough figure of said trails would be nice.

As for showing you elevation profiles of trips, you can see that in advance on your computer, and after your trip on your computer, but you only get to see elevation profiles on your trip if you have National Forests 24k topo(or so I assume, I dont have 24k topos)... Hope that makes sense, elevation profiles show you what you have traveled or will travel while recording a track/route. With this software you can see what your current elevation is, just not the profile of your track/route until you get to a PC.

PS - dont expect to get the ability to navigate via this.. If you put in a waypoint and say "get me there", the navigation is as the crow flies.. You need to buy City Navigator to get any sort of navigation. That being said, this software does show roads, just doesnt allow navigation.

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Buyer's feedback: - * Their software is very bad. Difficult to use, expensive, full of errors and gives a lot of problems (a package costs over $100 a ...
Their software is very bad. Difficult to use, expensive, full of errors and gives a lot of problems (a package costs over $100 and it doesn't even work).

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Buyer's feedback: - Poor software installation
I installed the TOPO software and I cannot figure out how to install the data maps also. This means that the CD MUST BE IN THE DRIVE for the program to work. If you don't have the CD to insert, the program will stops responding. I deinstalled and tried to reinstall but all I was given was "Typical" installation. I bought and installed the City Navigator program also and there I had a choice as to the type (full or custom) of install. I used Custom and fortunately I don't need that CD in the drive.
Note you cannot overlay one map program over the over. You have to switch between the map programs. At least MapSource keeps the same area you were looking at.
Also note if you download more than one program's set of maps to your GPS, you will only see one programs maps; City Navigator wipes out Topo maps. Supposedly you can switch map types but I'm still looking for this option in my GPS (I have the 60csx). I have to delete the City Navigator maps to see the Topo map info. Problem here is that the Topo maps are poor on the street naming.
One more thing is I could not figure out the difference between the $70 and $80 Topo products. I bought the $80 version.

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Buyer's feedback: - * Do Not Buy This ...
Mapsource TOPO US has out dated maps by at least 6-10 yr (in Pa.) and half the time the map dose not line up with the GPS with roads and elevation. When I emailed them about update, I was told that the government sends them update and they haven't gotten any in a while. To me it sounds like there depending on other people to do there work. For the price they charge, they should be checking on the updates or doing them.