MapSource on the Web

If you use a Garmin GPS receiver and are interested in seeing what maps from the different map products look like — or to check out the amount of detail and coverage for certain areas — visit www.garmin.com/cartography and check out the MapSource Map Viewer.
Choose any of Garmin’s map products from a drop-down list, and the selected map is shown in your Web browser. After the map is displayed, you can move around the map and zoom in and out. What you see on your PC monitor is what you can generally expect to see on your GPS receiver if you upload that particular map product. Remember that your GPS receiver screen is smaller; and, if it doesn’t support color, the map will be displayed in monochrome. Even if you don’t use a Garmin GPS receiver, this Web site is useful for getting a better idea of the types of maps that are available for GPS receivers, their general appearance, and what information they show.

Understanding Garmin MapSource

Like the other GPS receiver manufacturers, Garmin offers a number of different types of maps for its products. Unlike Magellan and Lowrance, however, Garmin doesn’t use memory cards in its current line of handheld GPS receivers. Any maps that you upload must be able to fit into whatever fixed memory the GPS receiver has available for storage. (The amount of fixed memory depends on the model, with high-end, handheld GPS receivers sporting between 56–115MB of memory.)
Although Garmin doesn’t use commonly available SD or MMC memory cards in its GPS models, the company is using newer technology to make uploading maps quicker. Recent Garmin products feature USB connectivity, which is considerably faster than uploading a map to a GPS receiver through a PC serial port.
If you own a Garmin GPS receiver or are considering purchasing one, here are some of the mapping software packages that you can use. Detailed information about all is available from the Garmin Web site.

• MapSource City Select: City Select contains street maps and points of interest and is designed to work with Garmin GPS receivers that support autorouting (turn-by-turn street directions), such as the GPSMAP 196 and GPSMAP 60C/60CS. (If you own a GPS V or iQue 3600, this software came bundled with your GPS receiver.) The three versions of the product are available for North America, Europe, and South Africa.
• MapSource MetroGuide: MetroGuide is similar to City Select but is designed for Garmin GPS receivers that don’t support autorouting (such as the eTrex Legend and Vista). Four versions of this product are available, providing street maps for the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe.
• MapSource WorldMap: This software provides basic international maps that expand the default basemap coverage that comes with your GPS receiver.
• GPS receivers sold in different parts of the world typically have different basemaps.
• MapSource BlueChart: BlueChart products are Garmin’s nautical charts and are available in regional versions that cover the Americas as well as the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
• Fishing Hot Spots: Fishing Hot Spots are maps of popular fishing areas in North America with depth contours, shoreline details, boat ramp information, and fishing tips. The maps are sold for multistate regions.
• Minnesota LakeMaster ProMap: Designed specifically for GPS receiver owners who fish in the Minnesota area, this map product has maps of popular lakes and includes three-foot contours with underwater structure detail, islands, reefs, points, bays, access points, and marinas.
• MapSource U.S. TOPO: The TOPO product contains 1:100,000 scale maps of the United States and shows terrain contours, elevation, trails, roads, and summits. It’s designed for outdoor recreational use
• MapSource U.S. TOPO 24K: 24K doesn’t refer to gold but rather to 1:24,000 scale maps, which have significantly more detail than the maps found in MapSource TOPO. The maps provide detailed coverage of U.S. national parks and surrounding national forest lands. Points of interest and park amenities are also included. Two versions of the product are available: National Parks, East and National Parks, West.

Check for current information about Garmin map products at www.garmin.com.

Lowrance MapCreate Review

Lowrance was the first manufacturer to offer a GPS receiver with uploadable maps. (For you trivia buffs, it was the GlobalMap100, which first came out in April, 1998.) The company continues the electronic map tradition with its current line of iFINDER handheld GPS receivers; which use memory cards to store maps.
If you own a Lowrance GPS receiver or are considering purchasing one, here are the map products you can use:

• MapCreate: MapCreate is Lowrance’s primary map program for creating GPS receiver maps of the United States. In addition to street maps and points of interest, MapCreate also has an extensive database of navigation aids, wrecks, and obstructions for marine use. One nice feature of MapCreate is that you can select polygon map regions to upload, which maximizes map storage space. Although MapCreate currently doesn’t offer autorouting and turnby-turn directions, Lowrance does plan to offer this feature in the future. Several versions of MapCreate are available. If you’re using an iFINDER GPS receiver, be sure you get Version 6 or later.
• FreedomMaps: In addition to maps on CD-ROM, Lowrance also offers the FreedomMaps product line, comprising memory cards preloaded with maps of the United States, Europe, and Canada. Regional maps come on 128MB and 256MB memory cards that you just plug into your GPS receiver; no software or CD-ROMs are required.
  
• Navionics charts: Navionics (www.navionics.com) is one of the largest producers of electronic nautical charts. Navionics Gold and Classic charts and fishing HotMaps are all available on MMC memory cards and are also compatible with the iFINDER Pro GPS receiver.

Magellan MapSend Review

Magellan manufactures the popular Meridian and SporTrak GPS receiver lines. The Meridian receivers use memory cards for map storage, and the SporTrak models have a fixed amount of internal memory to store maps. (You can upload maps to all SporTraks with the exception of the basic model.) Software products that you can use with Magellan mapping GPS receivers include the following. Information about all these products is available at the Magellan Web site.

• MapSend DirectRoute: This software package provides street maps, POIs, automated street routing, and turn-by-turn directions for most Meridian and SporTrak receivers. With automated street routing (also called autorouting), you can enter a starting and destination street address, and the GPS receiver will provide you with a route, including street directions. Most GPS receivers give you a straight-line route between two points, but Magellan upgraded the firmware on a number of their receivers to support both straight-line and street routes when MapSend DirectRoute maps are uploaded. Versions of the software are available for the United States, major cities in Canada, and Europe.
• MapSend BlueNav charts: These are nautical charts with detailed coverage areas and enhanced marine navigation information, such as currents, tides, and port services. Charts, available for a number of coastal areas in North America and Europe, can be purchased on CD-ROM or preloaded SD memory cards.
• MapSend Topo: The Topo product is designed for outdoor recreation use and features 1:100,000 scale topographic maps of the United States, including trails, roads, rivers, lakes, coastlines, and POIs. After you upload the maps, you can display elevation profiles on your GPS receiver for roads, trails, and user-created routes.
• MapSend Streets & Destinations: Magellan’s original road map software package has versions available for the United States and Canada. If you’re looking for street navigation software for your Magellan, I recommend MapSend DirectRoute because of its autorouting features and more current NAVTECH maps. Choose Streets & Destinations if you have an older GPS receiver that isn’t compatible with DirectRoute or if you’re on a tight budget. (Streets & Destinations is a bit cheaper than DirectRoute.)
• MapSend Streets Europe: Magellan also offers street-level maps of Europe for its GPS receivers. Like with Streets & Destinations (see the preceding bullet), if your GPS receiver is compatible with DirectRoute, I suggest going with the European version.
• MapSend WorldWide Basemap: This map software package expands your GPS receiver’s built-in basemap coverage to other international regions. Each basemap region has basic map features such as cities, highways, waterways, railroads, national boundaries, and shorelines. Don’t expect street-level detail, but there’s enough information to help you get around.

Check periodically for current information about Magellan map products; go to www.magellangps.com.

GPS Manufacturer Software Reviews

GPS receiver manufacturers have a number of software products available for their models that support maps. So you have a better understanding of what types of maps are available, here are the different map software packages that the major GPS receiver manufacturers offer. Read on to discover what types of maps you can upload to the three main brands of GPS receivers. For more information and in-depth reviews of GPS receiver manufacturer map products, including screenshots, visit http://gpsinformation.net. GPS receivers sold in different parts of the world typically have different basemaps. For example, a GPS receiver sold in Germany will have a more detailed basemap of Europe, compared with the same model of receiver sold in the United States.
I want to clarify a point that sometimes confuses current or prospective GPS receiver owners: Each of the major GPS receiver manufacturers has their own line of map products that all sound pretty similar. Here they are:

Magellan (www.magellangps.com) MapSend
Lowrance (www.lowrance.com) MapCreate
Garmin (www.garmin.com) MapSource

MapSend, MapCreate, and MapSource all refer to the respective PC programs that allow you to view maps on your PC, upload maps to your GPS receiver, and manage GPS waypoints, routes, and tracks. Magellan, Lowrance, and Garmin ship these programs with their respective map products. Just remember that MapSend, MapCreate, and MapSource are not maps nor map data but simply the programs that interface the map data. In addition to map products, several GPS manufacturers sell waypoint and route management software. If you don’t care about uploading maps but want to transfer and save waypoints, routes, and tracks, I recommend using the free G7ToWin program (which works with most all GPS receivers) that you can download at www.gpsinformation.org/ronh.
Some manufacturers offer GPS receivers bundled with map software and other accessories. These bundled products are usually cheaper than separately purchasing the GPS hardware and map software, so shop around. Just like any other software line, GPS receiver manufacturers roll out new products, drop outdated ones, and add new features to existing products. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s Web site to get the latest information on what map software is available for a particular model of GPS receiver.