magellan software: topo vs. Direct route

[Bowfin]

I bought a Sportrack color and am tryingto decide between direct route and topo software. I want to use it for both fishing, driving, geocaching, and findin my way arond cities on vacations.<br />What are you guys using? I can't find any reviews for Direct route and have no idea how well it maps rivers and lakes.<br /><br />Bowfin

 

[roscoe]

Re: magellan software: topo vs. Direct route

I have a sportrak map, which I'm not happy with.<br /><br />I have the Magellan MapSend Destinations for Canada. Very poor, even for sightseers. It show gas stations, food, and hotels, well some of them. It doesn't even show all the highways????<br /><br />I also have the MapSend Topo, which is pretty good, but not so great for on the water.<br />It looks like they scanned a copy of a Gazetteer map book into the software. Now try to decipher all that info on that little tiny gps screen. <br /><br />Is DirectRoute a new product?<br />Good luck finding any samples of the software or maps. If I had seen samples of MapSend, I never would have bought it or the gps unit.

 

[Bowfin]

Re: magellan software: topo vs. Direct route

Direct route came out in october of 2003. It gives turn by turn directions and prompts for driving. It is also supposed to use a newer map database from 2003. I wish I had seen some samples as well. I checked Garmin and Lowerance and both were pretty week for my neck of the woods as far as river and lake detail. Road detail was about the same. The Fishing hotpsots only shows 4 lakes from my entire state of South Carolina. I read on a reviews of MAgellan software that the topo had the same street information as streets and destinations but without all the points of interest. From my understanding, most of the points of interest for gps's are about 5 years old anyway, so not to accurate. i almost bought the Sportrack pro, but found a great deal on the sportrack color for just a little more. I was seriously looking at the Garmin 60c, but it is a little to steep for me, even at the iboats price. I may go ahead and get the topo software if I can find it at the right price. Direct Route is still selling well over a hundred dollars.<br />Did the topo software show lake bottom contour and depths or was it just land contour with shoreline detail?<br /><br />Bowfin

 

[Bowfin]

Re: magellan software: topo vs. Direct route

bumpty bump, to the top.

 

[CTD]

Re: magellan software: topo vs. Direct route

The topo shows land topo only. You need to get the bluewater maps for the water, they show everything a chart does as far as I know. I have the topo map for my meridian gold and really don't use it. I thought it would have more water info. The new software is land based but much better in that you can just set a destination and it will plan the route for you. On the better gps products it will give you voice turn by turn and is capable of updating route if you get lost or the road is closed etc.

 

[Bowfin]

Re: magellan software: topo vs. Direct route

Are you interested in unloading your Mapsend Topo?<br />Do the bluewater charts show any freshwater or is it all marine?<br /><br />Bowfin<br />bdcgallien at yahoo.com

 

[seamegr]

Re: magellan software: topo vs. Direct route

Bowfin, I have a Meridian Platinum (shoulda gone for the colour), I have been using Mapsend Destinations Canada for over a year. I have just bought Direct Route.<br /><br />I agree with Roscoe about the Destinations, it could be better (Garmin?)<br /><br />The Direct Route software does both US and Canada. It is different data than the Destinations disk.<br /><br />I have not yet tried it out in the real world, the pc version seems to do the routes ok. I will have to travel to Toronto from North Bay (200 miles) in order to try it out since it only has Canadian maps for the larger cities.<br /><br />I will get to test it when I go to FLA at the end of April. I can let you know then how it worked if you are interested.<br /><br />Greg

 

[Bowfin]

Re: magellan software: topo vs. Direct route

Keep me posted. I bought a used copy of Mapsend Topo and it is serving me pretty well as fas as shorline detail. It adds a lot more detail than the basemap does. It also shows some of the old mills that are on the now flooded creek channels of the resevoirs close to my house. I'll have to hit it with the fishfinder to see what's really down there. Might make a few good fishing spots. <br />The street detail is a big bonus as well. I am still looking to get the Direct Route later when they work out some of the bugs. It will be nice to have more up to date maps and autorouting. I'm just not sure how much map i can put on my ST Color compared to the Topo vs. Direct Route. So far I have my entire state of SC, Eastern NC, and all the border detail around SC for about 100 miles.

 

[seamegr]

Re: magellan software: topo vs. Direct route

I will do that, it'll be 2nd week in May. I will get a second SD card for my Meridian and load the autoroute maps on that. Sure wish I'd gone for the colour.<br /><br />I'm seriously thinking of switching to a Garmin 276C when they come out. This looks like just the ticket for using in the truck and boat.<br /><br />We are having some issues here in Canada with the licensing of the CHS raster map data to manufacturers. In their infinite wisdom our federal gummint decided to give a monopoly to a private company for licensing the electronic data. Garmin's license is still in effect.<br /><br />Greg