Customer Reviews

Magellan 980611 MapSend Topo in the US

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

There are two limitations I've encountered in the very short time of use. Item #1 - The implamentation of the GPS to the software is very poor. Apperently MapSend, Streets and Topo, were written for the 330 GPS unit. Magellan has chosen to use the same software for the Meridian series. As a result, it's not a very clean solution. There are many work-arounds and bandaids just to get it to work. Most inconvenient! Item #2 - For the most part, hiking trails are omitted. Even the most popular trails here in the NW are not to be found in Topo. Question - Why else would one by a topo software package if not to see and locate trails?

I've only had this software for one week and to find these two problems so quickly, leads me to believe I've yet to find additional limitations.

Phil

I've had MapSend Topo for about a week now and I'm not impressed with it for the following reasons: 1. Doesn't contain trails. Why would anyone purchase a topo software package and not want trails? Big oversight by Magellan. 2. Doesn't recognize new zip codes or towns. I've had my zip code for almost 4 years...Topo says it's invalid. Can't find my friend's zip in VA either. One would think that Magellan would have up-grades on their web site that would up-date things like cities and zip codes. By the way, it's the same for MapSend Streets. 3. Too many bandaids and work-arounds to get a map into the GPS. Lots of rules here. No maps larger that 8Meg and only 4 of those or the GPS unit will lock-up. Haven't tried that yet but I'll take Magellan's word on it...

By the way, it does work with WindowsXP. No problems there for me.

I am pretty computer savy and I had no real trouble installing and using the program. I did find the programs buttons and workings a bit arcane, but usable nonetheless. Where I ran into extreme dissatisfaction after spending [hard earned cash], was that the topo maps are way off. I use my gps extensively in the woods for navigating. I could watch my GPS and follow my position readings and see that that I had changed elevation by 500 feet. The maps from this topo cd would say that I only changed elevation by 10 or 20 feet. These maps are way off...the idea is good: Have your position displayed on a screen on top of a topo with countour lines etc. The problem is the maps are not usgs and in many cases are very inaccurate. GPS's are great. If you don't have one buy one. But don't waste your money on these maps. Wait and buy U.S. Geological Survey maps when they become available in GPS software form.

I do like the Merdian GPS Units themselves, but Magellan is seroiusly behind others when it comes to software. On that note, I would have to say until Magellan can get their act together - go elsewhere! The Mapsend Topo software, is what most other reveiws say- Inaccurate, no updates, no trails, no water topography data, etc... Also, if you have a Marine use- currently no software is available to show you the real stuff you want- the charts. Magellan soposedly has one coming out in 2003 Q1, but I don't know if I can trust it with how poor their other software applications have been. They really need to improve before they can compete and I think it is all on the software end. As I said earlier, the Maridian hardware is very nice, but they need much better software to make the package complete.

it fixes its accuracy problems. After loading my Meridian Platinum with a map of the Hawaiian island chain, I eagerly looked forward to using my GPS on vacation. Unfortunately I found it to be consistently off by a few hundred yards. After emailing Magellan to find out what I could do they replied:

"Mr. ******,

The Topo software does have the error of sometimes will place you off your course. Unfortunately, we do not have a date on when an update will be available." (sic)

I had to remove the memory card and rely on just the basemap as it was annoying to be constantly off course. Don' think I will be loading up maps to climb mountains!

To Magellan: this is a BUG, and a major one, please fix it before selling anymore units

I just purchased this mapsend (topo) software. The maps are very good so far. When you open the box DO NOT follow their directions if you have a Meridian unit !!! Do NOT load the base map as it will turn your unit into a Map 330 unit and it will crash and need to be replaced per Magellan. While looking at the maps on my computer I found the detail quite satisfactory. They show all the info I was looking for and then some. If you know how to read a topo map you should find these to your liking. One other drawback that they are working on is the file size that can be downloaded to the unit. It is only 32MB. They are working on a patch for this problem though. For ease of use you may want to get an SD card reader to speed up the download process. You don't need to connect your gps unit to the computer this way.

I am a "serious navigator" so that's why I bought the meridian platinum to use with the mapsend topo program. The topo maps are totally worthless! When I was climbing this past weekend in the Adirondacks, the unit showed up over three quarters of a mile away from where I actually was! Why did I pay [$$$] dollars for this software when I could do a better job of locating myself by looking on my trail map. Garbage!

Be sure you understand that the Topo maps on this CD do not contain trails like USGS 7.5 minute topo maps before you spend the money to buy it!! Granted, some trails are on the maps, but generally only if they are the size of 4WD jeep roads. Most trails less than that didn't make it. Very frustrating for me because I wanted Topo for hiking and mountain biking. I've since found out this problem is not just Magellan - it's all Topo software maps out there, Garmin and others too.

If, however, you only want the software to plot trails you've already walked and recorded with the handheld, and then look at elevation change etc., it's probably a good product. But for navigation and planning it's worthless for trails.

well since most of us will use this product with XP...considering it is also not compatible with Macintosh either.. I should warn you that after 6-7 hours of screwing around with it, I called customer support and they tried 15-20 different fixes and then came up with... "oh,you have Windows Xp, we have heard from Microsoft and they are aware of the problem but it won't be fixed until the next version comes out and they haven't started writing it yet."

I guess it is only if you try to use it with the USB conector but I don't have any serial ports on my laptop so it kinds of leaves me out. I didn't know anyone was using serial ports anymore, even my printer has USB....

I purchased the Magellan SporTrak Topo GPS with MapSend Topo software. The topo maps are almost useless. The first thing I did was load the software on my PC and went to maps of areas where I am very familiar with the terrain. One creek near my home in California is at the bottom of a canyon with at least a 200 foot drop in elevation from the road above, but appears on the "topo" map to be on level land. Another map in my favorite hunting area in Wyoming shows a "road" and 4WD trails where only horse trails exist. My house appears on the wrong side of the freeway. These maps could get someone in real trouble.