More GPS Questions - Please Help - I'm dumb

[umpqua]

Thanks for stopping in.

I'm not new to the forum but very much new to the GPS thing. So, I've got a trip planned over the 4th to the Steens Mtn area of SE Oregon and thought a GPS would be a good thing to have. Went to Best Buy this week and bought a Garmin Nuvi 200W for $200. Not much help from BB; here's the box and give us your money. Anyway, I got this set up in the 62 and it's GREAT for finding the Benson Hotel in downtown Portland but what I want this for is finding gravel and 4x4 roads in the Alvord Desert/Steens Mtn area. From another link in the Electronic Toys section is read a link to Expert GPS. Is that what I need to find these roads? Do I need to buy a Topo map from Garmin or another source? I tried to enter GPS coordinates on the 200W but it came back with "not found". What kind of maps do you need to even get GPS coordinates. Should I load the Topo maps onto some kind of camera card? Assuming I'll know how to do that in the first place. If the 200W isn't what I need I can take it back and exchange until the 8th. I don't need an mp3 player and all the other voice stuff. Just basic getting around help.

Hey, I'm old and not tech savy. I sure would appreciate any (positive) comments on GPS.....how to get it going.....what it can do for you....etc. I'll bet that I'm not the only one that doesn't have one clue about what they are doing so please school me on this.

Thanks.

Rodney.

 

[inthewall]

Some units you can download topo from a disc. Some you cant. Im not sure on your unit. They all come with a base map and are useless off road. I have a garmin 520 and had to buy the software for topography.

 

[rusty_tlc]

You will need to buy the topo map CD from Garmin. Map are propritary and you cannot use maps from another vendor. I see from the Garmin Nuvi 200W specs you can add maps so I guess it will work, but I would contact Garmin Customer service to make sure.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

ExpertGPS is for laptop computers, and therefore wouldn't work on your Nuvi. Although, if you can tether your Nuvi, then I highly recommend ExpertGPS on a laptop! That's what I use.

 

[BC_FJC]

You will need to buy the topo map CD from Garmin. Map are propritary and you cannot use maps from another vendor. I see from the Garmin Nuvi 200W specs you can add maps so I guess it will work, but I would contact Garmin Customer service to make sure.

I just picked up the Nuvi 250W and was able to load it with my map source topo's no problem. You have to select the map that you wont to use from the map menu but everything should work no problem.

I know with my unit it do's not allow you to set a route and it dosn't keep a track log but I have been vary happy with it.

 

[umpqua]

Thanks for everyone's input.

I called Garmin today and after a pretty long wait was able to speak with Curtis in the "outdoor section". I was told that the map that came installed with the 200w might show the best road detail. I explained to Curtis that I was looking for 4x4 roads, etc. He said that the out of the box software would likely provide more road detail than the topo version but if the road was not on the out of the box software that the topo at minimum would give me an idea of the terrain ahead. So....I will head over to REI and pick up the topo map and load it. IF the road is not listed on the out of the box I will switch to the topo version and look for contour lines.

This is all very new to me but I'm liking what I see so far. Pretty cool piece of equipment but I'll keep my Oregon Gazetteer handy as well. Curtis did mention that Oregon and Washington will receive the newest topo map update in September of this year. He said that it should be a significant improvement. Don't know when it will be available for the rest of the country.

Muds always a great resource and I do appreciate the help.

Rodney.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Thanks for everyone's input.

I called Garmin today and after a pretty long wait was able to speak with Curtis in the "outdoor section". I was told that the map that came installed with the 200w might show the best road detail. I explained to Curtis that I was looking for 4x4 roads, etc. He said that the out of the box software would likely provide more road detail than the topo version but if the road was not on the out of the box software that the topo at minimum would give me an idea of the terrain ahead. So....I will head over to REI and pick up the topo map and load it. IF the road is not listed on the out of the box I will switch to the topo version and look for contour lines.

This is all very new to me but I'm liking what I see so far. Pretty cool piece of equipment but I'll keep my Oregon Gazetteer handy as well. Curtis did mention that Oregon and Washington will receive the newest topo map update in September of this year. He said that it should be a significant improvement. Don't know when it will be available for the rest of the country.

Muds always a great resource and I do appreciate the help.

Rodney.

If you are using Delorme you might want to look int getting a Bench Mark map atlas, I find i prefer it to the DeLorme but I still reference both, and the GPS.

I'm map geek.

 

[umpqua]

I'm gonna head over to the Alvord Desert (SE Oregon) this week and see what I can get with the pre-loaded maps. I'll have my paper maps handy and if I don't get the level of detail that I think I need from the pre-loads then I'll get the topo maps from Garmin. REI said they had the maps but when I was there today I saw National Geograhic and Delorme (sp). If anyone has thoughts on what brand of topo maps to buy that would be of interest. Is one better than another or are they all the same?