New MapSource Available from Garmin

[Kevin Rooney]

I was using MapSource today to manipulate some tracks, and noticed through the Help function (Check for Software Updates) that there was a newer version of MapSource available. The version number is 6.16.1. I use Topo 2008 in conjunction with a Garmin 60CSx.

There seem to be have some neat new features, like arrows showing the direction of travel on a track.

Before downloading it, you might wait for Doug Paul to weigh-in as he monitors the GPS BB's - if it's a buggy version, my money's on Doug to alert us.

 

[DougPaul]

I was using MapSource today to manipulate some tracks, and noticed through the Help function (Check for Software Updates) that there was a newer version of MapSource available. The version number is 6.16.1. I use Topo 2008 in conjunction with a Garmin 60CSx.

There seem to be have some neat new features, like arrows showing the direction of travel on a track.

Before downloading it, you might wait for Doug Paul to weigh-in as he monitors the GPS BB's - if it's a buggy version, my money's on Doug to alert us.

I was out visiting some off-the-grid friends in NH and hiking...

I had noted the update, downloaded it, and played with it (in the Wine Window emulator) for a short bit. I don't have any comments at this time and haven't yet had a chance to check the reports of those who have attempted to use it seriously.

New unit software can be found at: http://www8.garmin.com/support/blosp.jsp

New map handling software (eg Mapsource) can be found at: http://www8.garmin.com/support/mappingsw.jsp

Index for software downloads: http://www8.garmin.com/support/download.jsp

An archive of old and new software can be found at: http://www.gawisp.com/perry/agree.html


FWIW, I run an automatic checker daily so I'm generally aware of the upgrades pretty quickly, but I don't generally announce them. (Also I generally only track units and software that is of interest to me and happily share what I have learned when asked.)

Doug

 

[Peakbagr]

Kevin and Doug,

Am I correct in thinking that the update won't have an impact on people who use Nat'l Geo maps on their computer to plan routes and then to download from GPS units to see tracks on NG?
I may have misunderstood.


Thanks

 

[DougPaul]

Am I correct in thinking that the update won't have an impact on people who use Nat'l Geo maps on their computer to plan routes and then to download from GPS units to see tracks on NG?
I may have misunderstood.

MapSource is Garmin's program for interacting with their own maps and their GPSes. It has nothing to do with National Geographic maps.

Doug

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Am I correct in thinking that the update won't have an impact on people who use Nat'l Geo maps on their computer to plan routes and then to download from GPS units to see tracks on NG?
I may have misunderstood.

I do something similar. Unless MapSource is including additional information when it creates/imports a .gpx file (and I doubt there is), this new release probably won't have an impact on NG software.

What I have found with the new release is that it breathes new life into those rather plain vanilla maps available in Topo 2008. I will probably use my NG series software less now. Time will tell. NG has some neat features in its print function which has been far superior to MapSource.

 

[DougPaul]

I do something similar. Unless MapSource is including additional information when it creates/imports a .gpx file (and I doubt there is), this new release probably won't have an impact on NG software.

In theory GPX files are based upon a public standard and should be usable between different company's products. Don't know if practice quite matches the theory.

What I have found with the new release is that it breathes new life into those rather plain vanilla maps available in Topo 2008. I will probably use my NG series software less now. Time will tell. NG has some neat features in its print function which has been far superior to MapSource.

Agreed that some of the displays looked better, but some features also broke for me. Since I was running the new version of MapSource under an emulator, I couldn't tell what the problem was. (I don't have a native MS environment right now, so I couldn't test it in its intended environment.)

NG uses DRG maps (Digital Raster Graphic, ie scans of the paper maps) and Garmin uses DLG maps (Digital Line Graphic). DRGs are prettier to look at but DLGs are far more scalable.

Doug

 

[Motabobo]

Who cares about Mapsource ? The important news are the newer GPSMAP 62 series

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Who cares about Mapsource ? The important news are the newer GPSMAP 62 series

Motabobo - what are the advantages of the 62 series over the 60 and 76? I've read a few press releases, and from what I can determine the 62 is waterproof, and seems to include the maps we've had to buy separately via Topo 2008 (100K). There are references to loading external maps, but no details.

Mostly it looks like the same device, and for all intents, is seems the 62 is simply the 60 + Topo 2008.

What am I missing?

Agreed that some of the displays looked better, but some features also broke for me.

Doug - when I made that comment I'd had been loading some tracks of White Mtn (NH) hikes, and was most impressed with the resolution and shading the new version provided. However, when I looked at areas of the Sierra where I now do most of my hiking ... same old, same old. So, I have to tone down my enthusiasm a bit. The new software version is still an improvement.

Am not sure why it breaks for you - methinks it might be the emulator. In all the years I've used MapSource, I've never had it freeze/break. I continue to use XP.

 

[DougPaul]

Motabobo - what are the advantages of the 62 series over the 60 and 76? I've read a few press releases, and from what I can determine the 62 is waterproof, and seems to include the maps we've had to buy separately via Topo 2008 (100K). There are references to loading external maps, but no details.

Mostly it looks like the same device, and for all intents, is seems the 62 is simply the 60 + Topo 2008.

What am I missing?

Well, my June 2 announcement in the "Recommended GPS" thread that it was released, for one... http://www.vftt.org/forums/showpost.php?p=319879&postcount=16

Use the comparison feature on the Garmin website (60CSx vs 62s): https://buy.garmin.com/shop/compare.do?cID=145&compareProduct=63801&compareProduct=310

The obvious new features are:
* new display (same pixel counts)
* 1.7GB internal memory (in addition to the microSD card slot)
* 1000 -> 2000 waypoints
* 50 -> 200 routes
* 20 -> 200 saved tracks
* 2D -> 3D magnetic compass (allows GPS tilt compensation)
* Navigation to registered photos
* custom maps (Garmin's version of make-it-yourself maps)
* Unit-to-unit data transfer with bluetooth
* Garmin Connect compatible (Garmin's online community)
* OK with new lithium batts
* Contexts (I think)

Lost features:
* games

The 62 series is also rumored to use the SiRFStarIV GPS chipset rather than the SiRFStarIII chipset in the 60 series. (IV is slightly more sensitive than III and has some interference rejection features according to the spec sheets at http://www.sirf.com.)

I hope that the 62 series also lifts the limit of 2025 map segments, but I have seen no reports on this.

The 62/78 series are clearly designed as full featured GPSes for the serious user. Real successors to the 60/76 series.

While the manual for the 62s isn't online yet, the manual for the presumably very similar 78s is available: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/store/manual.jsp?product=010-00864-01&cID=145&pID=63602

Doug - when I made that comment I'd had been loading some tracks of White Mtn (NH) hikes, and was most impressed with the resolution and shading the new version provided. However, when I looked at areas of the Sierra where I now do most of my hiking ... same old, same old. So, I have to tone down my enthusiasm a bit. The new software version is still an improvement.

It is quite common that some parts of a map may look better than others or that one map product improves while another stays the same or gets worse. Makes it hard to say whether some changes are improvements or not.

There was also a past MapSource upgrade which greatly slowed its execution. Many reverted to the previous version to regain the speed. (I'm not sure if later versions regained the speed.)

Am not sure why it breaks for you - methinks it might be the emulator. In all the years I've used MapSource, I've never had it freeze/break. I continue to use XP.

I'm running MapSource on a Linux machine using the Wine Microsoft emulator. I have no way of knowing if any problems that I encounter are due to MapSource or Wine. So I can comment meaningfully on features that work, but cannot menaingfully comment on anything that breaks. (I don't currently have access to a Microsoft machine--and used it infrequently as possible when I did. (I had a dual-boot Linux/MS laptop but I haven't been able to reinstall XP following a disk replacement.))

In the past, MapSource has worked better on some versions of Wine than others and I am not interested in trying all the combinations of MapSource versions and Wine versions to see what does and what doesn't work. (I just want to play with my maps and GPSes...)

Doug

 

[Kevin Rooney]

If I was in the market for a new GPS, I'd probably opt for a new 62 vs. a discounted 60CSx.

Having said that - I don't see that any of these new features add such improved functionality that I'd be willing to part with $3 or $400 to replace my existing 60CSx.

The bargain here in the short-term may be the Garmin Vista HCx. Runs about $235 with a 2GB SD card.

 

[DougPaul]

If I was in the market for a new GPS, I'd probably opt for a new 62 vs. a discounted 60CSx.

Having said that - I don't see that any of these new features add such improved functionality that I'd be willing to part with $3 or $400 to replace my existing 60CSx.

If I were in the market for my first modern high sensitivity GPS, the 62 series (probably the 62s for me) would be high on my shortlist too, but particularly being very new, it is a bit pricey.

IMO, the 60CSx has no glaring faults for the way in which I use a GPS. Sure, there are some nice improvements in the 62s, but like you, I don't feel that they are worth the US$499.99 SRP.

FWIW, I bought my 60CS shortly before the 60CSx came out. I held off on the 60CSx using the same logic as above. However, when I saw the results from the GPS-bakeoffs (http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=14406 http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15025) it was clear that the 60CSx was a very dramatic improvement over the earlier models and was worth the cost of the upgrade. So unless someone else buys one, we run another bakeoff, and the difference is dramatic...


BTW, while the manual for the 60s is not online yet, the manual for the presumably very similar 78s is available: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/store/manual.jsp?product=010-00864-01&cID=145&pID=63602

Doug

 

[Hikes4fun]

Downloaded the update this morning...bluescreened me...After a reboot all was right until I attempted to load some maps and my 60Csx wasn't found..had to reload drivers etc...Alls well now

 

[Billy]

...I don't see that any of these new features add such improved functionality that I'd be willing to part with $3 or $400 to replace my existing 60CSx...

Please keep saying things like this . I just got a 60CSx at REI a few weeks ago, on sale for $200 (marked down from $350). With my $42 dividend applied, the after-tax price was about $170. Still haven't figured out yet how to make phone calls with it.

 

[Motabobo]

My 60CSx will be up for sale pretty soon I don't have time to georeference aerial imagery and make custom maps all the time, so these new models are a go for me.

 

[DougPaul]

My 60CSx will be up for sale pretty soon I don't have time to georeference aerial imagery and make custom maps all the time, so these new models are a go for me.

I presume you are aware that any aerial imagery has to be georeferenced before it is useful on a GPS. (If you have a source of imagery that is already georeferenced and compatible with the new Garmin GPSes, then great.) As noted in previous posts, the 62 series can display georeference images, the 60 series cannot.

People in the open-mapping community have been making their own maps, putting them in Garmin compatible-formats, and making them available for a while now (http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/). These are DLG maps (same as the Garmin topo and road map products) and thus are viewable over a wide range of scales.

I just took a look at the Garmin custom map pages: http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/us/onthetrail/custommaps It just looks like you take a JPEG of any form of a map, georeference it using Google, and load it into your GPS. This means that at best the custom maps will be viewable over a rather narrow range of scales. And labels etc are part of the image and not searchable items nor will they disappear at certain scales. So their custom maps are just georeferenced DRG images. Not as versatile as as DLG maps, but easier to make.

Doug

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Please keep saying things like this . I just got a 60CSx at REI a few weeks ago, on sale for $200 (marked down from $350). With my $42 dividend applied, the after-tax price was about $170. Still haven't figured out yet how to make phone calls with it.

I hear you. New technology is sometimes introduced so fast you make the best decision you can and don't look back.

Unless you have some specialized interests (like it appears Motabobo does) I expect you'll find the 60CSx a great tool for many years.

If you haven't already, considered getting some good rechargeable NiMH batteries, like the Sanyo Eneloops. There's a recent thread on that topic, and I found it most informative. I upgraded to an intelligent charger, re-vitalized a considerable collection of older NiMH batteries, and bought a few AA Eneloops for my GPS and camera, along with a few AAA's for my headlamps.

 

[Motabobo]

I presume you are aware that any aerial imagery has to be georeferenced before it is useful on a GPS. (If you have a source of imagery that is already georeferenced and compatible with the new Garmin GPSes, then great.) As noted in previous posts, the 62 series can display georeference images, the 60 series cannot.

I forgot to mention the BirdsEye subscription I guess

 

[psmart]

MapSource 6.16.1 is working fine for me so far.