Cananda maps Street Pilot III vs Zumo + what to buy

Discussion in 'GPS Tracks - Alaska & Canada' started by Lenijatlarge, Jun 21, 2007.

  1. Lenijatlarge, Jun 21, 2007
    #1
    Lenijatlarge

    Lenijatlarge n00b

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2007
    Oddometer:
    5
    Location:
    N37 41.316 W122 02.508
    I'm considering whether or not to upgrade my SPIII or just buy more memory and deal with the multiple dowloads to the unit. I'm looking at the Map Source road maps for B.C and they really suck (I have the most current I could download from Garmin). Are the new maps any more detailed outside of metro areas? The ones I have for use with my Street Pilot show nothing but major routes outside of larger B.C cities, and some towns I wish to visit are not even on the map.
    Also I am also considering what I would buy if I make a switch. I like having access to altitude, don't need the blue-tooth / XM/I-pod capablities. What are my options? :robin
    #1
  2. Moto North, Jun 22, 2007
    #2
    Moto North

    Moto North Ontario ADV Rider

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2006
    Oddometer:
    181
    Location:
    Campbellville Ontario Canada
    I bought the Zumo 550 and love it! You can save a few$ with the 450 without all the blue tooth and xm crap. I've used mine off road as well on organized GPS runs and it worked fine for that too.
    #2
  3. Lenijatlarge, Jun 25, 2007
    #3
    Lenijatlarge

    Lenijatlarge n00b

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2007
    Oddometer:
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    Location:
    N37 41.316 W122 02.508
    Thanks for the unit recommend- I am assuming it doesn't give an altitude readout. Correct me if I am mistaken.
    Also I am assuming you are Canadian or have familiarity with using GPS N of the US Border. I need to know more specifically about the maps- I am not sure the North American Mapping Software is the same for my old Street Pilot as it is for the new generation units. If it isn't I may need to buy a new unit. Example: The only place I can "draw" routes ( the auto-routing function) without connecting a jillion little points along the road is around larger cities and heavy tourism areas- in these cases the software will only draw "as the crow flies" unless I mark every little bend in the road as it goes along. Even plotted mm by mm, the mileages are not correct. The town of Nakusp does not even appear in my updated software maps and there is no road to Bella Coola shown. This won"t do for my upcoming trip. Does yours have these limitations? Thanks-
    #3
  4. GB, Jul 1, 2007
    #4
    GB

    GB . Administrator Super Moderator

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2002
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    72,225
    I'm using the Zumo 550 and it has street level details with the built in City Navigator 8. I have also added Canada Guide V 4.

    I used to have the SP III and compared to the 2610 which can be had for $195, there's no point in buying Garmin memory cards will cost you more than the getting a refurbished SP 2610. The latter has way better routing and accuracy than the SP III ever did.. Of course, if you stop up to the Zumo, it's got a lightning fast processor and I really like the 3D map view.
    #4
  5. FixerDave, Jul 5, 2007
    #5
    FixerDave

    FixerDave KLR650 - XR200R

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2006
    Oddometer:
    493
    Location:
    Victoria, BC, Canada
    I was playing with the new Garmin Topo Canada mapsets - and the backroad coverage is decent, if a little hard to see with all those topo lines running around. You can get decent backroad coverage with the Canadian Enhanced Basemap set as well.

    With the new Topo mapsets, Mapsource will autoroute alone any of the backroads. The older Enhanced Basemap set I have does not do this. I have no idea if the newer sets of the Enhanced Basemap can autoroute. So, take your chances, or try it out. (note that there are bit torrents of at least the new Canadian topo mapsets available - and that's all I'm going to say).

    I wrote up a comparison here: http://www.dualsportbc.com/forums/forum27/4189.html
    and I'll eventually get that copied over to my GPS blog: http://gpsdave.blogspot.com/

    David...
    #5