Customer Reviews

Garmin TOPO U.S. 100K

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

The information is great if you can load it. It took three times of loading it (two times of uninstalling) before we were able to sync to the garmin. Read the Mapsource manual it will save you lots of frustration. Two thumbs up.

I liked the program after I figured out how to download the section of the map into my Garmin. There is no instruction manual with the program!!! I guess they think everyone is a geek. I had to call Garmin to get help. After going through about 10 levels of Voice Mail, I got a LIVE VOICE. I have gone hiking twice. It is difficult to show the area that we are walking and to make the trails with breadcrumbs so we can get back home. The main reason I purchased the program was to able to walk trails and NOT get lost and to justify my Garmin 60CSx which is about $350!! I can use an automobile GPS with about as much accuracy. Anyone help? E-Mail is gene_cline@sbcglobal.net

I bought this for my aunt and uncle and they love it. The are big out doors people, they hike, hunt camp etc. and this has helped them every step of the way!

Could not load Garmin TOPO on Vista. Garmin customer support was of no help. Older version worked fine. Will live with it.

I bought Garmin MapSource Topo U.S. 100K on the Garmin web site, which specifically lists the auto Nuvi 350 GPS as a supported device. Because of the size, it has to download to a 4GB SD card in the Nuvi 350 (which you don't find out until after the purchase when you try to download and it fails).

- I purchased a $20 4 GB SD card for this map.
- I attached the Garmin to my PC via USB. The 4GB SD card then shows as a removable disk in Windows Explorer.
- The Garmin web site download user interface was very confusing with vague error messages, so it took me several tries to get the download to work. When you select the SD card as the download target, you have to click CONTINUE and not TRY AGAIN. If you click TRY AGAIN it ignores the SD card selection and fails due to insufficient storage.
- The download takes over an hour.
- When the download completed, the Garmin folder and files were visible in Windows explorer as a mounted device.
- In Windows Explorer I right-clicked "safely remove" to close out any files on the SD card and then disconnected the Nuvi 350 from my PC.
- I powered the Nuvi 350 off and back on again, in case it only recognizes new maps during initialization.
- I followed the Garmin support instructions to go to SETTINGS > MAP > MAP INFO and uncheck the street maps. No other maps were listed.
- When I tried to view the topo maps, all that was visible were large bodies of water and an interstate.
- I called Garmin support, which puts you on hold for 30 minutes before answering. They had no idea why it wasn't working, and said to just download it again.
- I reformatted the card and then it took another hour to download again. The Garmin still fails to see the Topo map.
- Now I'll have to wait another 30 minutes on the phone on hold before I can get another Garmin support person. Now all I want is a refund.

Garmin Mapsource Topo U.S. 2008 is a really great product. It is a great way to download/upload and save your GPS data. The detail of the maps are great and the 3-D topographic shading is a great feature. This is also a must if you enjoy planning your trips before you hit the road.

Great basemap for offroad use. Works perfectly with my Garmin and shows all trails and washes.

As I write this review my Garmin MapSource Topo U.S. 100K DVD is already over 25 minutes into the installation process and is just 46% complete. That is, the installation onto my computer; installation onto my Garmin device is yet to come. I recommend you start the process just before you go out to have a fine meal. When you return home the installation process may just be complete. And if not, the relaxing time you've just had may serve to quell your desire to yank this software travesty out of your drive and sail it into some immovable object nearby.