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Garmin backcountry notes

The folks at Garmin have been quite busy lately, hitting us with software and firmware releases, and even new Oregon models. Let’s start with software…

Garmin BaseCamp

This new mapping software, which we first mentioned when it was announced back in January, is now available for download (there is also a Beta version for Macs). Note this disclaimer from the download notes:

“BaseCamp will only recognize MapSource products that contain digital elevation model (DEM) data. Some examples of products that contain elevation data are Topo U.S. 24K, Topo U.S. 24K National Parks (version 3), Topo U.S. 100K (version 4 and later), Topo U.S. 2008, Topo Australia, Topo Canada (version 4), Topo Deutschland, Topo Great Britain, and Topo products produced by many Garmin distributors.”

DeLorme TOPO USA 8.0 imminent?

UPDATE: DeLorme is saying that this "time frame is not correct." No indication from them of a ship date though.

I thought this might interest you DeLorme PN-40 users out there. While it hasn’t been announced yet, Cabela’s is showing DeLorme Topo USA 8.0 as backordered but shipping within one week. Perhaps we’ll hear an official DeLorme announcement by early next week, giving us some idea of the forthcoming improvements.

Thanks Chris!

Garmin ecoRoute

UPDATE: TWICE is reporting that ecoRoute works with 2xx and 7xx series nuvis.

Another Garmin announcement today is ecoRoute, a software update for some nuvi units that adds a "less fuel" route option. Additionally, ecoRoute includes a Fuel Report that tracks fuel usage over time, and a Mileage Report that monitors mileage and fuel usage on a per-trip basis.

You can see if your nüvi is compatible with ecoRoute through a free, downloadable software update at www.garmin.com/ecoroute.

More free topo maps for Garmin receivers

The list of states for which there are free high-resolution, Garmin-compatible topo maps continues to expand. The following are currently available:

• Arizona
• Colorado (sample image above left)
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Mississippi
• Montana
• New Mexico
• Utah
• Wyoming (sample image above right)

Magellan Triton custom maps

There's been a lot of progress recently on making custom maps for the Magellan Triton series. For any of you with these handhelds, here are some resources to check out...

National Geographic TOPO! adds support for new Garmin units

National Geographic has released TOPO! version 4.5, adding support for Garmin Oregon, Colorado, Edge and nuvi models.  A Mac OS X version is also available. This is a welcome improvement, as too few mapping software programs support these models.

Ten reasons TopoFusion rocks

TopoFusion is my go-to program for planning and tracking backcountry adventures. It’s typically the program I turn to first and there is rarely a day that goes by without me using it. Here are ten reasons that TopoFusion rocks:

1. The ability to toggle between USGS topo maps, aerial photos and hybrid imagery

All you have to do is tap “a” on the keyboard to toggle between these views. The TerraServer aerial imagery includes B/W U.S. coverage to 1 meter/pixel and color urban coverage to 0.25 meters/pixel. TopoFusion also accesses Canadian topos, TIGER street maps and worldwide LandSat imagery. The color urban imagery below is of salt ponds at the south end of the San Francisco Bay (16 meters/pixel).

Garmin TOPO U.S. 24K goes nationwide

UPDATE: The Mountain Central card (Colorado and Utah) has now been released.

I knew something was up when Garmin named their last topo product with the soon to be dated moniker TOPO U.S. 2008.  Now it's official, Garmin will be releasing 1:24,000 scale topo maps of at least the 48 contiguous United States, complete with routable roads and trails. Previously available only for some National Park areas, this software will be known as TOPO U.S. 24K.

These will be available by region -- the Pacific Northwest (WA & OR) is already out, with California / Nevada scheduled to be available in July. The remainder of the U.S. is "coming soon." The maps will come pre-loaded on micro-SD cards with an SD card adapter at $99.99 a pop.

Moagu brings USGS maps to your Garmin handheld

Last month, Leszek Pawlowicz of Free Geography Tools hinted at a new project code-named MOAGU. He may ascribe a different meaning to the acronym for legal reasons, but let’s call it what it is — MOAGU is the mother of all Garmin utilities. What Leszek has created is a utility that will place a USGS topo map on your Garmin GPS. Actually, it will put any scanned, georeferenced map on your Garmin. It won’t work on just any Garmin mapping handheld yet; I haven’t been able to get the maps on my Colorado 300, though I’m hoping some of our more technically inclined readers can figure that one out.

I have used it on my Garmin 60CSx and I have to say that Moagu rocks! This really is revolutionary. Handheld users have been asking for 1:24,000 scale USGS maps for their GPS units for years. The DeLorme PN-20 and Magellan Triton series have implemented this, more or less successfully (respectively), but we haven’t had an easy solution for Garmin devices until now.