[gcg]

Does anyone know of a GPS that does a good job at routing on city streets and also works with topo maps?

Currently I use a small GPS receiver connected to a Sony Vaio laptop that I run both Microsoft Streets and Trips and the National Geographic TOPO! maps on. I can do trip planning with Streets and Trips, which has pretty good routing functionality and does real time tracking with the GPS. For off road use, I run the TOPO! maps and, again, do real time tracking with the GPS.

I use both functions fairly frequently and would like to find a dedicated GPS that incorporates both. So far, everything I've looked at seems to either do city street naviation or works with the manufacturer's topo maps, but not both. I'm wondering if anyone has found a GPS that does both well.

The Lowrance GlobalMap Baja 540C, for example, seems to do a good job with topo maps and does display city maps, but it doesn't appear to do routing on city streets. The iWay 600C, on the other hand, appears to do routing on city streets but doesn't appear to do anything with topo maps.

Any inputs?

 

[drbeddow]

I'm also very interested in something that does both. I think I saw something about a Garmin that did both but I can't for the life of me remember what it was.

 

[gcg]

I think that Garmin does have a model that does both, but it has a fairly small screen. I was hoping to find something with a screen large enough that you can navigate from it when using topo maps. I think this means something around 5" diagonal or there abouts.

 

[Gib]

The Garmin 7200 is the one I have been looking at. A member on another forum did a install and it was pretty slick looking. Again you are limited to the Garmin topo maps, but it does both with a very large screen. He even used the output on the indash 6 disc dvd player to display on the aux input of his GPS.

 

[igofshn]

I have the garmin 2610. It can switch from city to topo and it has a 1 gig chip that I can load just about anything on.

 

[MichaelW]

I have the 276c its bigger and colorful for my old eyes. I have memory cards for topo and one for streets.

 

[xxxxBert338]

Magellan Crossover

I have the Magellan Crossover which has a 3.5 color screen and it has street and topo map. Not overly impressed with the topo but they say that they are coming out with a more detailed topo in the future.

 

[gcg]

Thanks to everyone for your inputs. I've decided to try something a little different. I've ordered a Samsung Q1U "ultra mobile PC". It has a 7" screen and is only about 9" X 5" X 1". It runs Windows XP so will allow me to use the National Geographic TOPO! series of topo maps and Microsoft streets and trips for city maps and routing. I can do real time tracking with both of those and the simple GPS receiver that I currently have.

RAM makes a car mount for this device so I should be able to mount it and have a relatively nice "GPS device" that does both topo and city maps as well as several other things.

Hope this all works out!

 

[Gib]

You'll have to do a writeup and review of it when you get it finished.

 

[Gear]

gcg wrote

Thanks to everyone for your inputs. I've decided to try something a little different. I've ordered a Samsung Q1U "ultra mobile PC". It has a 7" screen and is only about 9" X 5" X 1". It runs Windows XP so will allow me to use the National Geographic TOPO! series of topo maps and Microsoft streets and trips for city maps and routing. I can do real time tracking with both of those and the simple GPS receiver that I currently have.

RAM makes a car mount for this device so I should be able to mount it and have a relatively nice "GPS device" that does both topo and city maps as well as several other things.

Pictures Please of the install.

 

[gcg]

gcg wrote


Pictures Please of the install.

The Samsung is supposed to arrive on Monday or Tuesday. It'll take me a little time to get everything set up. I'll probably try it out without the mount for a little while just to make sure it does what I want before drilling holes! I'll post a few pictures once I get it working and then after I mount it.

 

[93country]

I like the Garmin 60Cx hand held that I have. it is very versitile, but the screen may be a little small for some users. It is fine for me. It does have the ability to lay multiple maps over each other in layers so you can have the topo up top and the streets in the background, or vice versa. Good little unit.

 

[NYJK]

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=14904

 

[Alec W]

I like the Garmin 60Cx hand held that I have. it is very versitile, but the screen may be a little small for some users. It is fine for me. It does have the ability to lay multiple maps over each other in layers so you can have the topo up top and the streets in the background, or vice versa. Good little unit.

That’s what I use. The display is small but that’s a benefit since I take it hiking and geocaching too.

 

[Woods]

Does anyone know of a GPS that does a good job at routing on city streets and also works with topo maps?

Currently I use a small GPS receiver connected to a Sony Vaio laptop that I run both Microsoft Streets and Trips and the National Geographic TOPO! maps on. I can do trip planning with Streets and Trips, which has pretty good routing functionality and does real time tracking with the GPS. For off road use, I run the TOPO! maps and, again, do real time tracking with the GPS.

I use both functions fairly frequently and would like to find a dedicated GPS that incorporates both. So far, everything I've looked at seems to either do city street naviation or works with the manufacturer's topo maps, but not both. I'm wondering if anyone has found a GPS that does both well.

The Lowrance GlobalMap Baja 540C, for example, seems to do a good job with topo maps and does display city maps, but it doesn't appear to do routing on city streets. The iWay 600C, on the other hand, appears to do routing on city streets but doesn't appear to do anything with topo maps.

Any inputs?

I've look into this quite a bit, and here's what I've found.

The premier offroad GPS are by Lowrance. These are more geared toward offroad racing though, and they are large an bulky. I can't imagine how one would do a clean install in the JK.

Lowrance also makes a crossover GPS, called the XOG. It's similar to the Magellan crossover, but has better topo maps. search for magellan crossover lowrance xog and you'll come up with some good side by side reviews.

As NYJK posted, the best topo GPS available is the Garmin Oregon 400t. It uses topo maps to cast shadows on hill sides. This produces topo maps that are by far the easiest to see. At $600 I'm waiting till the competition puts something out. I figure in about 6 months, the price will be half of what it is. I'm hoping that Magellan integrates this technology into the Crossover.

 

[Lensman]

I've look into this quite a bit, and here's what I've found.

The premier offroad GPS are by Lowrance. These are more geared toward offroad racing though, and they are large an bulky. I can't imagine how one would do a clean install in the JK.

Lowrance also makes a crossover GPS, called the XOG. It's similar to the Magellan crossover, but has better topo maps. search for magellan crossover lowrance xog and you'll come up with some good side by side reviews.

As NYJK posted, the best topo GPS available is the Garmin Oregon 400t. It uses topo maps to cast shadows on hill sides. This produces topo maps that are by far the easiest to see. At $600 I'm waiting till the competition puts something out. I figure in about 6 months, the price will be half of what it is. I'm hoping that Magellan integrates this technology into the Crossover.

Hi Woods

Lowrance rep was at the ORW opening. I spent about an hour with him they do have a smaller version now. They have built in data and do street and waterways as well as take chips. I thought these were the bomb. Good luck with your decision. Here is the link. BTW around $299 or less......... This is on my short list.
http://www.lowrance.com/en/Products/Outdoors/XOG/

 

[1guy]

Nuvi 500

I have only had 3 different GPS's but this one is amazin. It is pricey but I am loving it. It comes preloaded w/city and pretty good topo's. I wish it had voice recognition but other than that it has been great. I turned off the voice directions. My jeep isn't power so I mounted on the dash between the vents. It has a 8 hour battery so switching cars is pretty easy.

 

[Dr.Dirty]

im sure the garmin oregon is nice but i bought the garmin colorado whn it came out and it was real buggy it would freeze and you had to reload the maps i will stick to my 60csx for now and give the newer ones a few years to get perfected

 

[PhilD]

It's similar to the Magellan crossover, but has better topo maps.

I have a Crossover and the topo maps are worthless. They are only 90m and pretty much of no value on the trail. They originally said that 30m maps would be available on SD card (one of the reasons I bought it), but it never happened. The new AccuTerra maps will not work with the Crossover either. It does a good job at tracking and the waypoints work well, so it is useful on the trail, and of course it is a pretty decent street GPS too, and you can also use it for marine nav.

 

[PhilD]

I'm hoping that Magellan integrates this technology into the Crossover.

Magellan seem to have abandoned development of of anything for the topo side of the Crossover, even the new v2 update does nothing for the topo stuff. They never released the 30m maps they boasted about when the Crossover was released. I'm guessing sales have been low on the unit and they just have no inclination to develop the topo features of it. Which is a pity as it was good idea.