cxl1

As this is my first post...I want to thank the hosts....great message board!

Just a little suggestion here for anyone looking to check out Garmin's Mapsource products. They do have an option on the Garmin website that lets you "try" their Mapsource products from the web.

Here is the URL to the Garmin Mapsource page:
http://www.garmin.com/cartography/

When you get there, look in the top right corner of the page for the Mapsource Map Viewer. Select the map product you're interested in.

I personally own the following Garmin Mapsource products:
US Roads & Recreation
US Topo
MetroGuide USA
North America City Select

Also, I'm a GPS nerd and converted Garmin addict. Here is a list of the GPS units I've owned and the order in which I owned them:
Eagle Explorer (Battery Gobbler!! 3 hrs on 4 AA --- OUCH!)
Lowrance GlobalNav (Battery Gobbler!! 4 hrs on 4 AA)
Lowrance GlobalNav 212 (Battery Gobbler!! 4 hrs on 4 AA)
Magellan Colormap (Slowwwwwwww - Low resolution screen)
Garmin GPS III+ (Got me hooked unit - mapping - lower res - no WAAS)
Garmin GPS V (My current unit for the last 2+ years - would be almost perfect with more memory - CF Flash card please!!!!!!)

The GPS V has been an excellent unit for me. It is small enough that I can take it anywhere, from in the car, to the boat, on the bicycle, to canoe & hiking trips.

Even though the City Select is specifically made for the GPS V unit I curenty have, because of the traveling I do to pursue my fishing interests, I have found the Roads & Rec product to be my Go-To product. The only drawback is the maps do not support auto-routing and does not contain the POI's (restaurants, gas stations, hotels, etc) like the City Select or Metroguide. But I find that the maps are much smaller for the covered areas as a result and the roads, land, and water features appear more accurate than in any of the other Garmin products. The size of the maps is importatnt as the GPS V has only 19MB of non-expandable memory, so for an 1100 mile fishing trip, I need to be thrifty and plan carefully when it comes to space.

The GPS V is a very versatile unit. I have two external antennas, and of course, all the possible power data cable combinations made! The external antennas are excellent for Car travel, as the satellite reception is awesome. The GPS V indicates the estimated accuracy and in areas where it will only report approximately 25 - 30 ft with the portable antenna, the external antenna will usually lock enough satellites to give me 6 - 7 ft accuracy.

For short car travel trips, I will use a Beanbag mount and set the GPS V on my dash. For longer trips, I use the combination power/data cable to connect my GPS to my laptop PC, which allows me to use Mapsource on my PC directly with my GPS. This is a fantastic combination....unlimited track size (ie, 62,000 points for trip from WI to Texas!), plus the advantage of full coverage Mapsource detailed maps for EVERYWHERE, plus the ability to switch to any of the different Mapsource products I own instantly. Also, my color laptop screen as a heads-up display instead of the GPS V....wow, knock your socks off! In this configuration, I use a two outlet power inverter for my PC power supply and the power cord for my GPS....no battery issues here!

I could go on much longer...as I said, I'm hooked on GPS!

Next trip begins this coming Wednesday...again WI to Lake Fork, Texas for a 10-day fishing trip!!! Ahhhh...and the extended weather forecast is excellent! Will sure be nice to leave the 20's and 30's behind for some fun & sun in the 70's and 80's.

Thanks again to the hosts!