Garmin maps

itboffin
itboffin Posts: 20,052
edited May 2016 in Commuting chat
Most of us use some form of GPS and or mapping device these days and for the majority this will be a garmin device, for better or for worse.

Anyway I've been using various units since about 2009 but never tried the topo style maps either from garmin or talkytoaster.

Anyone care to offer an opinion ?
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Comments

  • apreading
    apreading Posts: 4,535
    Talytoaster are ace - I think he charges for them now though? They used to be free.

    From Garmin you have OS ones that are hideously expensive and fixed magnification so dont work well zoomed in or maps taken from the same source as talkytoaster i.e. OpenCycleMaps.

    Talkytoaster gives you more options though - you have with or without contours and all sorts of other variables. Personally, I prefer them without contours as on a small screen they just clutter it too much.
  • mudcovered
    mudcovered Posts: 725
    I've been using the openstreetmap map data on my Garmin pretty successfully. I've forgotten the web link but there is a site you can go do that downloads them in the right format for the Garmin Edge and all you need to do is copy them onto a sufficiently large micro SD card any you are good to go. I've used them for turn by turn navigation a few times and the results are perfectly reasonable although the data I've got is a bit light on cycle paths so tends to want to take you off them and onto roads a bit too eagerly.

    For road riding though I've found the navigation stuff useful :)

    Mike
  • philbar72
    philbar72 Posts: 2,229
    try this link. http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/05/down ... 00810.html points to openstreetmaps and offers instructions.
  • mudcovered
    mudcovered Posts: 725
    philbar72 wrote:
    try this link. http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/05/down ... 00810.html points to openstreetmaps and offers instructions.
    That's the link I followed for my 810 when I got it a few years and its been working nicely since then. :)

    Mike
  • imatfaal
    imatfaal Posts: 2,716
    Not exactly sure what form of maps you mean by topographical - but when I looked I realised that I get contour lines overlying the normal street map. Never really noticed it before but I checked when I was riding a newish route on Monday - was quite handy as I was able to assure the newbies I was riding with that the hill flattened off after the next corner etc. They were pretty subtle and didn't interfere with the navigation but were obvious enough when you looked for them

    I got my open source maps from a link at Scarletfire.co.uk which also had idiot's guide for installation