UKH

Looking at buying a Garmin etrex 32x but I can get it with or without Birdseye select plus. Do I need Birdseye as I just want a map I can view that shows me where I am on it. Or do i just need to purchase OS maps?

Whats the difference?

Dont want anything on my phone as I want a stand alone GPS unit 

Thanks

hi Andy I have just bought a Garmin GPS MAP 66S with TOPO GB 1:50K OS MAPs I am not impressed with it what so ever the maps are of inferior Quality these are just so poor when zoomed in that they are almost unreadable for the cost it's very poor also there support does not seem that good 

have a good look round at other makes Magellan ,sat Nav 

Plenty of open source mapping available in Garmin format, for free or cheap, and capable of zooming without pixellation. Have a look at TalkyToaster website for examples, I've just downloaded a Euro open source map plus contours to my Fenix - needed less than 1Gb of memory and decently detailed.

Edit: Garmin.opentopomap.org was the URL - maps for the whole world available.

Edit2: Just checked the spec of your proposed device - the maps that come with it are probably all you need...

Hi Tony

That doesn’t sound good

Hi Pete,

re Edit2. Do u mean the spec with the Birdeye select plus or the box standard device.

Box standard has a basic map, scalable and routeable I think. Easy to add better and contours for free, I don't think I would get the Birdseye myself...

Thanks Pete

Thats what I am gonna go and as you said I can always add maps

There's another recommendation for the Etrex32 with TalkyToaster maps on the Spine thread - and the race competitors really need a decent map...

I'll echo this comment.  Do not get the OS maps for a device like the Etrex!

OS maps are Raster image files, which don't zoom at all well on devices with small screens.  You want a maps in Vector image formats, which behave dynamically as you zoom.  

Rather than try explain what this means here, have watch of the video on the Talky Toaster website which demonstrates it well:

https://shop.talkytoaster.me.uk/maps/map-faq/

nb.  Talky Toaster have a FREE download for maps covering the UK.  Its not their premium product... but it lets you get to grips with GPS cartography issues on your specific device before spending money.  

I looked at talkytosater and indeed he is very good, but Garmin how ever what load of crap for the money they want I would expect top Quality clear maps at any scale, their customer services are bad they send you the same info time and time again I will be doing a you tube review in the next few weeks on my GPS MAP 66s. I do to have say this will be first ever review  people need to know what they are getting for there money and who knows it may make Garmin do something about the Quality of maps 

This is Garmins reply to my ongoing complaint :

Hi Tony,

Thanks for these, given what I can see here the map detail is as expected for the 1-50k detail. For greater detailed mapping you would be looking at a 1-25k.

In regards to the removal of apps, if the

From the main menu, select MENU > Change Item Order.

Select a menu item.

Select an option:

Select Move to change the placement of the item in the list.

Select Insert to add a new item to the list.

Select Remove to delete an item from the list

Fails to work, it would indicate that these particular applications cannot be removed from the device.

Kind regards,

Craig

Garmin Europe

hi Andy on a further note you can buy os maps up 40% off from blacks  so a 1:25 k laminated map comes in at under 9 quid if you use a discount card like your bcc membership, national trust, defence discount scheme, etc. you also get code with the the map to download to your phone works both on iOS and Android diveces if don't have discount card  go to go out doors they will price match and knock off 10% more of the matched price. but how long will your phone battery last out in the hills etc 

Tony

I subscribe to the OS maps on my android phone, about £20 per year. They have swapped to vector-drawn maps in the last few months so are fully zoomable now. Not sure if all the bugs have been shaken out yet. Of course, there is no more detail available as you zoom, unlike the TalkyToaster scheme where more data gets exposed as the scale changes.

Yep I've got OS maps in my phone too (View Ranger App) and it works OK.  I'm happy to use my phone during the summer, but in winter I'd rather have a button operated dedicated GPS. (I killed my Huawei phone with moisture on Aonach Beag over new year!)

I think there's a couple of things going on with OS maps on phones.  First the screen on a smartphone will be a lot better than an a device  like the Etrex (I also have an Etrex 30). This reduces pixelation issues.

I also think OS have been a bit smart with their products release of  maps for smartphones. I think they're still raster images  but when you zoom in it "switches" from 1:50k down to 1:25k, images, which floods more data into the map .  This is ok, but you still get break up and the annoying thing of text names being too small to read, or too big to fit on the screen.  True vector images don't  do this. 

Thanks guys

so much to input, so not sure what to do for the best lol

No pixellation on this tablet at full zoom, just checked. Did you download the update a while back? I suppose so because the auto-switching of map scale was not there before. Not sure why you still get pixels...

Hey Andy.

I've got the same thing.

ANS: Don't buy the Garmin maps.  Business model is going the same direction, IMO, as the Nespresso machines.  They sell off quality hardware basically at cost, then make the money selling you the maps to install on them (or coffee pods).  BUT ... you don't need to do that.  You can get your hands on fantastic open source maps these days that come with the massive benefit of you being able to correct them if you find an issue. (More on that later)

Re:  eTrex

It's okay.  Feels like a cell phone from 1996 a bit.  Get used to it though.  Maybe 25hrs battery life and takes AA to easy to carry spares.

So ... 

If you buy the eTrex without a map .. it will work just fine.  It will start up, it will connect to the satellites and it will plot your position.  The problem is that it will plot your position on a blank canvas or on the free/basic map that Garmin give you with it.   If you plan to use this for the hills - it is of zero use.

Here is a list of many of the main open source maps you can get your hands on that will work on Garmin:  https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_Map_On_Garmin/Download

For me I use 2x of these 99% of the time:

1. OpenMTB map - https://openmtbmap.org/
2. Open Topo map - http://garmin.opentopomap.org/

Open MTB is good, because it marks trails.  Open topo is good because .. well it topographic   I often use them at the same time.

Process is simple but a bit clunky and slow.  (I am trying to remember this off the top of my head)

1. Install Garmin Base Camp software.  Instructions:  https://openmtbmap.org/tutorials/install-mapsource/
2. Plug in your Garmin.
3. Go to OpenMTB -> OpenMTBMap tab here - https://openmtbmap.org/download/odbl/ ... download appropriate version for your OS.  Instructions here:  https://openmtbmap.org/tutorials/install   GB map here - https://openmtbmap.org/donate/odbl/download_great-britain_en.html
4. Build and install the map on your GPS.  Instructions:  https://openmtbmap.org/tutorials/send_maps/
5. Unplug your garmin, turn it in, activate the map (only 1 map at a time) ... off you go.

Couple of points:

1. This isn't a slick process.  Your first time round might be a bit bumpy.  Come back to me here and we can work through it.
2. It isn't fast.  The maps are big.  They take time to download, they take time to build and they take time to flash onto your GPS.
3. OpenMTB updates, I think, monthly (might be a little faster) .. so you can get the latest and greatest any time you like.  6 monthly more than ample IMO.
4. It is critical that you install a map that is "routable".  

Q:  Why are opensource maps so good and where do they come from?

OpenMTB is just a filter on https://www.openstreetmap.org/  The great thing about openstreetmap is that if you walk a munroe, capture the trace on your GPS and upload it when you get home ... if you spot something that isn't right - you just go onto OpenStreetmap and correct it.  OpenMTB will run off a new version of the maps 0 days later, you grab your new copy of the map, delete your old copy off your garmin and flash on your new copy.

Great kit.  (Put a map and compass in your pocket too)

Thanks Stu such great help.

I haven’t bought a device yet but I had narrowed it down to the etrex 32 on price more than anything 

hi all after lots of emails to Garmin they don't want to move on the Quality of their  OS maps 

so lets spread the word on this 

Tony