wchancey

I have just purchased a new Etrex Vista HCX from Amazon , should get it this week.

The reason I bought was I just bought some land . and it would cost me $800 to have it surveyed I thought a gps would be the better investment.

Will I be able to use it to help find property markers , and do I need a Topo map for this ? What is the best Topo with the highest resolution for Mi that would show state forest.

Is it better to buy maps on SD cards or on CD's ?

Thanks for any help.

HumVee

wchancey, congratulations on the purchase of your Garmin eTrex Vista HCx. Here are my thoughts (not to be taken as gospel - just one person's opinion):

• A consumer GPS unit does not have the accuracy to compete with professional systems, but if you want to just get close, and then use your eyeballs to look for already placed property markers, it should be fine.
• Keep in mind that the best accuracy of these handheld units is 10' - 15' diameter (with WAAS available and enabled) and overhead/horizon obstructions by trees, being in a valley, etc. will reduce accuracy from there.
• Topographical maps are not needed for you to follow a bearing to a known location (so long as you have the coordinates), but may aid in figuring out local landmarks and plotting your path.
• The highest resolution topographic maps are 24K maps (about 4 times greater detail than 100K maps).
• You would want the Topo U.S. 24K - Northeast map, to get coverage of Michigan. It can be purchased from Amazon.com, as well as Garmin's online store.
• You want DVD/CD discs.
  • SD cards can get lost/corrupted/damaged - in which case you've lost your investment.
  • If you have the disc version, you need to purchase your own memory card - but if that card gets lost or damaged, you can easily buy a new card and install the map onto it again.
  • Also, you can use your disc map version with MapSource or BaseCamp on your computer to see your map, and manage your Tracks, Waypoints and Routes - and transfer them between your computer and your GPS unit! BaseCamp comes with the map disc. If you search this forum, you can find instructions for downloading and installing MapSource (which is more capable than BaseCamp).
  • I don't believe you can load maps from your pre-loaded SD or microSD card onto your computer.
  • Also, certain of the pre-loaded map products actually contain less map information or regions than similar DVD's, due to the fact that Garmin only uses 2 GB cards for their pre-loaded map products - and not all maps can fit inside of that 2 GB constraint.
  • When it comes to the City Navigator NT road maps, if you purchase the DVD versions, you can purchase "one time" or "lifetime subscription" updates for the map you purchased. If you buy the preloaded cards, they can not be updated...you use them until you're fed up with the lack of updates, then go out and buy another (newer) version of the same preloaded card...more expensive in the long run!