Garmin introduces the GPSMap 64 series

[Boyd]

http://gpstracklog.com/2014/01/garmin-gpsmap-64-series.html

The next generation in the evolution of the 60csx. There are some interesting things, like linking your iPhone to it and a GLONASS chipset (receives additional satellites for greater accuracy). But it still has the same very low resolution screen (240x160 pixels) and awkward pushbutton interface.

But if you liked the 62s, then the 64s will be a nice upgrade.

 

[manumuskin]

My Triton is fried.I am looking at garmins now and this is the one I was looking at.I hate touchscreens like my Triton 1500 had.I keep it in my shirt pocket and everytime I pull it out not only is th map somewhere else,the settings have been changed,it's on the wrong screen and everything else.In any case it's bricked and I can get no help from Magellan whatsoever,no surprise there.Is the screen resolution all that bad? No point in buying a gps when I can't see I"m about to walk over a cliff or tell a cedar swamp from the cranberry bog next to it.
I have been looking through the software available for garmin.It looks like there are programs available I can use to make maps out of imagery downloaded from national Map.This is why I haven't gone to garmin long ago because I likt making my own maps using Gimp to assemble the image and then Triton rmp to make a map of it.Looks like there is a program for garmin that is much like Global mapper only its about 60 bucks instead of 450.I can handle that I think it's time to go Garmin which is what I originally started with anyway but I was seduced by Nat Geo Topo putting maps right onto my gps.I now have a bunch of useless nat geo states and they are not making them anymore anyway .I guess their still good to print maps from or I could make jpegs from them and it looks like there are ways to convert jpeg to img files and put them on garmin or I could just buy the maps that are Garmins version of Nat Geo.
Is there a gps with good resolution that has no touchscreen? I also want one with high accuracy for stone location and one that I can add my own maps to. I might even pop Boyd's map of the pines into itDoin my research now.One very complicated article here on how to download and combine all sorts of data from national map and make master maps for garmin using some software that some looks free and others have free and pay versions.Might even be able to make aerial topo overlays? They show one way to overlay a map on GE and have the map with the aeril but what it dowsn't say is does this capture all the pixel info down to max zoom or are you just taking a screenshot out of what ever zoom your at and your stuck with that? I want aerials that I can take to full zoom so I can find that monster cedar in Muskee swamp

 

[manumuskin]

http://freegeographytools.com/2009/...iles-from-georeferenced-imagery-with-g-raster

This looks to be just what I need.Anyone use this?

http://moagu.com/

 

[manumuskin]

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/249/
Your all over Boyd

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/271/

 

[Boyd]

Al, for your use I think it's important to get one of the newer Garmin units that accepts 500 raster map tiles. I *assume* the GPSMap 64 series can do this, but not 100% sure, so you should do a little research. Otherwise, I'd say that the GPSMap 62 series is more attractively priced, but I know it can only accept 100 map tiles. The 64 series also has GLONASS, which might provide more accuracy (have not seen any definitive proof though), but should definitely help with quick satellite acquisition and challenging signal conditions. Basically, it means that the GPS can lock onto additional satellites that older devices don't see.

Unfortunately Garmin does not make any button-based devices with high resolution screen. The GPSMap and eTrex series all have very low res screens. You really might want to spend some time at a store like REI and play with the Montana 600 however. It has the nicest screen - 4 inches at 272x480 pixels. It's a touchscreen, but I don't have the kind of problems you describe. You can lock the screen to prevent accidental button pushes. The touchscreen really makes it easier to enter text and numbers - if you rotate the screen to landscape view, you get a standard QWERTY keyboard.

I also have a Triton 1500, and the user interface is terrible on these. I would not compare them to Garmin in any way. There are plenty of things to nitpick about with Garmin, but they are way ahead of the Triton in usability. The Oregon 600 series is also worth a look if you want something smaller. I think Guy said that Bob got one of these?

G-raster should be a good program, the author is a cool guy and often helps people over at GPSFileDepot, and he actually runs the FreeGeographyTools website. I suggest that you also look at mapc2mapc: http://www.the-thorns.org.uk/mapping/
It allows you to make irregularly shaped maps. The other software only makes rectangular maps, and this often means you are wasting precious tiles with areas that don't interest you.

You could also look at mobile atlas creator: http://mobac.sourceforge.net

I have not used this or g-raster because Globalmapper does pretty much everything I need. But I have played around with mapc2mapc and thought it was cool.

 

[manumuskin]

Thanks Boyd. I will deal with a touchscreen if it means taking poor resolution to get rid of it.I also have a lock on my 1500 bu never used it.Another thing i hated with the 1500 is the flashlight.I never used it but it would turn on when I used the screen light.if you hit the up light button too fast it turned the flashlight button on and in the daylight I would not notice the flashlight on in my pocket.It would suck the batteries dry in no time to power a light I did not want use or even know was on.
I"ll check these programs out.I remember Bob did not care for his Oregon.I went out with him once and I remember him complaining and saying he was sending it back but I forget what for.I think Guy has a Colorado but I don't see them on the Garmin site.Do they even make them anymore?I do like the odd map shape feature ,as you say why waste space on an area you don't care about.This would be great for making trail or creek maps.I"ll check all this out,Thanks again.

 

[manumuskin]

when you say 500 raster map tiles are you speaking of "Chunks"? I know from National maps it takes 80 chunks to make a 7.5 minute Topo when your actually downloading aerials that cover the same area a topo does.Is this what you mean? In that case I could put six 7.5 minute quads worth of imagery on at a time.I see garmin sells topo dvd's with several states to a DVD.Can you put quite large areas of these on at a time? Like say the whole UP in Michigan at one time? I"m headed to Florida in ov ndwould like to have the whole state on if possible because I"m going to be all over the whole state.

 

[Boyd]

Garmin's raster format is called "custom maps" and consists of one or more .kmz files. These files are really just .zip archives containing a bunch of .jpg files and an index. Garmin limits the size of each .jpg to 1024x1024 pixels however. Each of these .jpg files inside the .kmz file are called "tiles". The new units can access 500 tiles, older ones 100 tiles, and "classic" devices like the 60csx are completely incompatible with this kind of map.

So you can do some mental arithmetic to understand coverage limit. My own experience shows that 10 feet per pixel is required for readable scans of USGS 24k topo maps. So if the maximum file size is 1024x1024 pixels, that would be the equivalent of 10,240 feet x 10,240 feet - about 2 miles x 2 miles. So, for example, 100 tiles would be the equivalent of 20 miles x 20 miles and 500 tiles would be 40 miles x 50 miles. Bottom line is that this type of map is limited to relatively small areas.

If you were using aerial imagery like the NJ2007 data, the resolution is 1 foot per pixel. So each tile would only cover 1024 feet x 1024 feet and 100 tiles would only cover about 2 miles x 2 miles…. etc.

If you want USGS topo maps though, forget about all this. For $30 you can get Birdseye topo which covers the whole US and Canada with scanned 24k USGS topo maps. At $30 for unlimited downloads, it makes much more sense than making your own. And there is no tile limit on the Birdseye imagery, so you can definitely add whole states. I have not used this myself (eventually will), but it looks like a bargain. You get a code when you register a new GPS for a 10% discount too, lowering the cost to $27.

http://gpstracklog.com/2011/06/garmin-birdseye-topo-us-screenshots.html

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/prod98816.html

The "24k Topo" series like this are not the same as USGS 24k maps. They are vector imagery in Garmin's own format. They are missing many details of the USGS maps, but they are "routable" and can give you turn-by-turn directions. They also contain 3d DEM data that can provide hill shading on the screen and elevation plots for routes.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/prod68271.html

 

[Boyd]

Guy, and a number of others here, have the Oregon 450 which is one of the most popular units Garmin has offered in recent years. It is discontinued but still available factory-rebuilt from Garmin with the same warranty as new. It is usually here on Garmin's eBay site for $200, although the selection there can vary from day to day: http://stores.ebay.com/Garmin

This is arguably the most bang for your GPS buck, however it only supports 100 raster tiles.

 

[manumuskin]

The reason I wanted to make my own maps is I have found imagery I like better then Bing.The 2012 ortho imagery on national map for south jersey is much clearer at high resolutions then Bings.I use it looking for Big trees in swamps.Your right,500 tile limit does not seem to be a very big map.With the Triton I was limited only by the size of my SD card and the Memory capability of my computer.The SD card was not an issue since you can get them so large today but my Computer cannot quite hand a quarter of a 7.5 quad with full resolution imagery.Would have been nice to get a quarter then four would make a whole and I could just divine them into NE,NW,SE and SW.I am getting a new computer next spring with hopefully more RAm (I have three gigs now) and faster processors and what now.I"ve had this computer four years so the new ones will probably leave this one in the dust.
On another note i bought the Nat geo topo subscription last year and downloaded every conceivable area of the USA I might ever want to go,(Crap! I forgot NYC) These are all rmp files which of course Garmin will not take.Would there be anyway to convert an rmp. file into a img or kmz file that would allow these maps to work in a Garmin? I made this computer hum for about three months downloading all that coverage,would be ashame to waste it.

 

[Boyd]

Not sure Al. Since National Geographic is a commercial product, it may have some kind of copy protection. Even if they could be converted, it might be a lot easier to just buy the Birdseye Topo subscription because it would be a "no brainer" to download as opposed to manually converting lots of files.

There is a hack to save files in the .jnx format that Birdseye uses. This gets around the tile limit, but it's a hack. I have never done this myself, but gather that you must either have an active birdseye subscription OR hack the firmware of the GPS. Personally, I'll pass….

 

[Teegate]

Guy, and a number of others here, have the Oregon 450 which is one of the most popular units Garmin has offered in recent years. It is discontinued but still available factory-rebuilt from Garmin with the same warranty as new. It is usually here on Garmin's eBay site for $200, although the selection there can vary from day to day: http://stores.ebay.com/Garmin

This is arguably the most bang for your GPS buck, however it only supports 100 raster tiles.

And only 1000 waypoints. Mine fills up all the time.

 

[Boyd]

The GPSMap 62 series can hold 2000 waypoints. The Montana and Oregon 6xx hold 4000 waypoints. The GPSMap 64 series holds 5000 waypoints.

 

[bobpbx]

I lost my Oregon in the Parker Preserve Thursday. I think I know where the area is, and will be looking for it.

I am not really too keen on it, but it is better than a GPS without aerial views. The birds eye images are too dark for my taste, the interface with Base Camp is clunky, and Base Camp itself has issues. Many times the Oregon interface with Base Camp will have an issue. Like Guy always says, they are not software designers, and that seems about right.

Still, if I can't find my Oregon, I'm getting a Montana. I seriously need the aerial views for what I do. I just hope someday the images lighten up.

 

[Boyd]

I haven't used Birdseye for a long time. But IIRC, there is a setting to make it lighter on the GPS, in the menu where you enable/disable maps.

Also, I hear that the new Birdseye imagery is not as good as the older stuff, which is the same as the NJ 2007 aerials here. I know that Guy and others have downloaded the old imagery in the past. If they give you the files (the .jnx files on the memory card), you should be able to drag them into Basecamp to re-import. Then you should be able to send them to your GPS and authorize them for your own account. That's what I did when I replaced my Oregon 400t with the Montana 600.

Hope you find your Oregon.

 

[manumuskin]

the 2007 imagery is the best.Thats what I have on my Triton.The 2012 is actually as good in detail but the color is grayer and not a purty but beings it's newer I was going make new maps with it.

 

[Boyd]

BTW, this just crossed my mind… REI usually has a big Labor Day sale and there are often some very good GPS prices. If you're in the market, it might be worth waiting a few weeks to see what is on sale.

 

[manumuskin]

REI? I"ll have to look that up. 1500 still fried here.Magellan won't help,Jungle Ghost isn't even helping anymore.Gotta have one by november,what if I get lost in Fahkahatchee Strand?

 

[Boyd]

REI usually has a big Labor Day sale and there are often some very good GPS prices.

Just got the REI sale catalog today. The only GPS on sale is the Rino 655T for $400. This is a specialized model that includes a two way radio.

 

[46er]

Cabelas has a sale going on as well. Link is to the Garmin stuff. Have no idea if the prices are good or not.

http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/brow...4373180?WTz_l=SBC;MMcat104795280;cat104729580