Garmin MapSource Topo U S 2008

Topographical mapping DVD with coverage for entire U.S., including Puerto Rico / DVD loads onto your PC, then transfers to GPS receiver via USB

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Garmin Topo U.S.
I have used this product and have some mixed feelings. I also have National Geo Topo and like it very well. Garmin works and it does transfer to my hand help GPS. That is what I bought it for. The National Geographic Topo wont do this. The product would stand to imporve by adding more of the existing “Ghost Towns” and old mines like the Chumung Mine near Masonic. I was able to navigate to the Chumung Mine and it seemed to work with my Garmin Summint GPS. For example, it seems to take extra time to calculate milage or distance to a route. Hopefully, this is not due to my lack of experience with the software. I do wish it had more of the feel of the topo’s I have worked with in the past.

4 Stars Meets expectations
Overall, I am very pleased with this product. Having never used topo maps before, I did a lot of research to determine whether this product would satisfy my desire for more detail of my surroundings. The 1:100,000 scale is great for average canoing, hiking, mountain biking, etc. It doesn’t provide detail of every valley and ridge, but neither do the USGS maps of the same scale. Most of the time (~95%) the map is right on; however, on occasion roads aren’t exactly where the map says. The only time I’ve experience this so far, a road I was looking for was off by 300 ft. This is the only reason I did not give this product 5 stars. I was pleased to find that Garmn had updated the roads and streams since my previous software, Inland lakes. The maps don’t show as many trails as I would like, but they do have more points-of-interest than I expected. I have been able to find every geographical point I’ve searched for so far. I have a 2GB microSD card, and can only fit 1/3 to 1/2 of the US on it. My only suggestion: use the GPS software to supplement, not replace, an understanding of topo maps, and I think you’ll enjoy the software more. I own a Legend HCx and live in SW Missouri. I kayak and canoe frequently, am getting into hiking, and occasionally mountain bike, and this product is exactly what I expected. I considered waiting for Garmin’s 1:24,000 scale to come out; I called and Garmin didn’t have a release date, and couldn’t tell me whether MO would be paired with Arkansas, so I decided to get the Topo US. I’ll get the other later, maybe (who knows when it will come out).

5 Stars Very accurate
I bought this to use with my Garmin GPSMAP60cx. A great partnership for mapping and trailing.

4 Stars Garmin Mapsource TOPO
Seems good but not intuitively obvious how to use and setup database of maps. Will need to read some but it looks fine for what we need.

3 Stars can get better for free
[...]

when i checked my area out i.e where i live i found the map to be missing some of the streams and other features. some roads where mislabelled and not correctly placed. this was in reference to the paper topo map i had for my area. surfing online i found a website where people had posted free topo maps of the southeast which included my area. downloaded and found they were more detailed and more accurate than the garmin i paid $80 for. they were same as the paper topos i have. i suspect this will be true for other parts of the garmin i bought. so maybe check for the free stuff b4 you buy—and hey, garmin: need to get rid of the people who made your product and replace with the people who made the free ones online.

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Garmin nuvi 260 3 5 Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Bring the ultra-cool n

Garmin Carrying Case for Rino Series 010 10117 02

Save your handheld GPS or FRS from some of the scuffs and scrapes it could pick up in the line of duty. This nylon carrying case protects your unit while in storage or in the field. Features a wide zippered opening and a belt loop for accessibility and portability.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Almost completely satisfied
The case came with my GPS and it fits perfectly and has a convenient belt loop. The one thing I would like to have had is a pocket to carry my adapter cable for the car lighter.

4 Stars Garmin Carrying Case
Perfect size for 76CSX. Good protection and keeps GPSr clean when not in use.

4 Stars Field case - Garmin handheld GPS
It is the same as the case for the Rino 110. I really would like Garmin to offer a clip on case for the belt rather one which I have to unfasten my belt to attach. Sometimes my pants drop when my belt is unfastened. Velcro would be nicer than the zipper. But, all in all, it does the job intended.

4 Stars good casing
The product I received is not the same product I bought. The color is diferent and there is no world simbol…. But the product is very good. I’m satisfied.

3 Stars Gets the job done for a carrying case
The carrying case is basic and gets the job done. I suggest that it have a separate pocket for spare batteries and the USB cable.

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GARMIN Forerunner 405 Black GPS Enabled Sports Watch HRM

Garmin International is pleased to announce the Forerunner 405 GPS-enabled sport watch. During a run, this slim, sleek watch accurately tracks distance, pace, calories, and displays it all on the easy-to-read screen. Tap or slide a finger around the innovative touch bezel to change information without fumbling for a button. The optional foot pod can also be used to gather speed and distance information indoors. ANT+Sport wireless technology automatically transfers workout data to and from your computer when your device is within range. No cables, no hookups, the data’s just there. Users can upload data to Garmin Connect, a web-based application that lets them analyze, share and store workouts. Zone training, heart rate zone training, supports 5 heart rate zones Compatible with GSC 10 speed/cadence bike sensor - monitor pedaling cadence and wheel speed Compatible with foot pod - measures speed and distance and runners cadence when indoors Watch features - time of day (12/24h), dual time zone, (day/date), daily alarm Training and motivational features - Virtual Partner, courses, workouts, goals GPS features - mark waypoints, back to start, save location ANT+Sport wireless technology lets you automatically transfer information back and forth between the watch and the PC Unit-to-unit - transfer workouts and locations to other Forerunner 405’s Dimensions - 45.75mm x 70.5mm x 16.4mm Weight - 2.11 ounces (60 grams)

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star very frustrating
like the size but using this thing is very very frustrating. Have lost all data due to travel that accidentally drains battery when something in suitcase hits both buttons at same time, have accidentally re-started timer many times after a run trying to lock bezel only to have the run time diluted with the sit down stretch speed averaged to total, and good luck trying to figure out the interface without being the person who designed (nothing seems repeatable, more accidental), too many useless features when its just not good at a basic run timing. And lets not forget the goofiest recharger clip I’ve ever seen - if I need that to recharge, why not make it be the mechanism to download the time (what purpose does a wireless transmission serve?)

2 Stars Dissapointed so I returned it
I bought the 405 because I train with heart rate and started running more outside again. I thought the GPS would be nice.. I actually hated the touch screen thing, it would activate all the time by itself and the screen would fade in and out. The battery was horrible. I actually returned it and bought the polar ft80. Haven’t looked back since.

1 Star I “WAS” excited to get the Forerunner 405….
I spent a lot of time reading about GPS units on the market today. After considering many possibilities I chose to get the Forerunner 405. I really liked the idea of being able to monitor my own training and get some traditional GPS function like marking points of interest so I can share the coordinates with friends. So, I shelled out $340 for the package that came with the heart rate monitor and the ant-wireless stick. I charged it up and made sure it connected wirelessly. Everything seemed good to go. Then I tried to put it on my wrist. I am an average sized male. I’m in the military and keep myself in pretty good shape. However, the Forerunner 405 would not fit comfortably on my wrist. I thought I had it resolved when I moved it to the second to last notch but then the buckle would just flop around. I could not believe that I just spent $340 on a watch that wouldn’t fit me. I guess the marathon runners that Garmin had in mind for this product have a smaller average wrist size! This was an incredible disappointment. I took it back to the store instead of going running that morning. I think I will try my luck with the Suunto X10 Military GPS watch. The Suunto X10 is slightly more $$ but it seems to be a better overall device anyway.

1 Star What a bust
This product is a case study in how NOT to release a product. My girlfriend gave it to me as a present and if it didn’t break her heart I’d throw it away immediately. Here are my two biggest issues:

1. No Mac support at all until 2/9/2008. Good thing I got it for Christmas. And the box said NOTHING about compatibility issues, so guess what? I opened it and now I’m stuck.

2. Mac supports comes out, but…….data transfers from the 405 to the ANT Agent but then the ANT Agent can’t transfer data to the Garmin Connect servers. So the whole process is pretty much worthless. You still can’t see anything.

Garmin should be ashamed of themselves for such a shoddy release. Anyone who thinks this is a half-way serviceable can’t be very honest. Don’t believe me? Google “Forerunner 405 Support”. Stay away from Garmin, I learned my lesson the hard way.

5 Stars Don’t believe all of the bad reviews
I researched this watch for a few months before buying it. I am a casual runner, between 3-8 miles on a normal run at school. I am trying to get ready for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Run here in St. Louis, a 5 mile run. I thought this watch would actually get me motivated to get outside and run! Boy does it! I ordered from Niagara Cycle Works and they had it shipped to me in a week (and it was the lowest price I could find for the watch and heart rate monitor together). Here are the pro’s and con’s of the watch and also a few things that worried me about other reviews that made me hesitate at first but now I’m happy I didn’t:

Pro’s:

-Keeps elevation, distance, pace, speed, and heart rate with the heart rate monitor all stored in the watch until you download it.

-You never have to plug it into a wire to download the information to your computer.

-Automatically uploads to your garmin account online

-You can share all of that data with friends and family online and even pick up a course from a fellow runner

-Displays everything clearly on the watch for you as your running, automatically scrolls through the screens

-Fairly long battery life (I’ve charged it twice since I’ve had it, but recently ran 5 miles on two separate occasions, used the back light for an extended period of time and used the watch for 4 other days and am just now charging it again)

Cons

-The alarm on the watch is stupid (I used it one morning just to see what it was like, never again. It is a very loud, high frequency screeching that you do not want to wake up to)

-Cannot lock the current screen while in scrolling mode

I went and ate breakfast trying to think of anything else that was bad about the watch and couldn’t come up with anything. Here are a few of the reviews that scared me before buying the watch:

-The watch takes a long time to find it’s position

*If you start the training mode while your stretching (which you should do every time your run) it finds it’s position within a minute up to three. The average warm-up/stretching routine lasts about 5 minutes or so.

-The bezel does not work when it gets wet

* I do not know how bad those people sweat while running, but I have never had sweat on my fingertips. I usually use my shirt to dry off my hands or fingers before hand and have never had a problem with changing the screen while running.

-Hard to navigate through the screens while running

* I’m usually trying not to pass out when I’m on a long distance run and not fooling around with adjusting my pace speed or what I want to show up in each screen. ***What I did not see in any of the good reviews and noticed people complaining about was that you were stuck in the same screen while your run. I don’t know if they did not take the time to figure out how to get the screens to scroll while you run, or just wanted to complain. I have my scroll set at a medium scroll rate which changes the screen every 5 seconds or so. I have my current run time, distance and heart rate on one, lap time previous lap and calories burned on the next, the virtual partner on the following, and the chart shown in the picture with my heart rate on it on the following. If I am running on a course that I previously ran it also shows me running against my previous pace and how far ahead or behind I am. Like I said before, it scrolls for you and if you need to advance to the next screen you just tap the bezel and it advances.

-The elevation is off

*I found this cool website through facebook called RunSaturday that will take your 405 data and put it on their website. When I was review the data on there it puts it in a more clean, color coordinated fashion that shows you how high or low you are in a course. When you look at the height data on that site it matches up extremely closely. I will admit that the garmin software does not do this information justice.

-The virtual partner is way off

* I haven’t had this problem yet. As I stated before, I did not know that I could run against myself from a previous day and it would keep pace with me. I thought that was pretty flippin sweet. It flashes at you if your behind and if your lap pace is behind your previous runs it will flash when it gives your lap time.

I will try to come back and add a few more things in the near future if I find anything wrong or cool about the watch. I have told everyone I know that the watch was well worth it and am trying to get several of my friends to buy the watch so we can all compete against each other. I would recommend this watch for probably the younger generation because it is a tech device that has a lot of bells and whistles that the younger kids tend to enjoy, myself being 23. I think the people that have given bad reviews for this watch are older and not as familiar with tech gadgets like the I-pod or I-touch. If you love those two items you will love this watch!!! Now go run!!

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4 3 GPS Premium Leather Case for Garmin Nuvi 205W 250W 255W 260W 265WT 610 650 660 670 680 750 760 770 780 755T 765T 775T 785T 850 860 880 TomTom XL330 Magellan Roadmate 1400 1412 1430 with Business Card and SD Pockets

GILSSON GL43 PREMIUM GPS LEATHER CASES (4.3″)

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars A better, yet less expensive, option over standard carriers!
If you are going to invest hundreds of $$$ in a GPS unit, why settle for just an open-ended sleeve for its protection when not in use?

This carry case is of superior quality construction, has the added benefit of a carry slot on the outside (see picture)AND has a magnetic / post style strap that securely holds your GPS in place.

I was about to settle on the “standard” sleeves offered locally for $25 when I ran across this one. Even with Shipping and Handling, it came in around $17.00. As a supplier, they had my case in my hand a good day ahead of my earliest expectation.

5 Stars Great product!
This horizontal version avoids turning the GPS on while putting it away in the pocket. Fit snuggly with the Garmin 4.3″ 700 series. Highly recommended a buy!

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