If you buy a Garmin eTrex GPS you know that the basemap for roads is, er, a bit questionable in the amount of data department. Of course - you're not buying the thing for the roadmaps; are you?
Well, I want it all so I had a friend (a big thanks to G, always a good guy) download the 1 gig+ IbycusUSA US maps, due to my crippling broadband problem ('crippling' as in the local cable company bites). They're free and so I didn't expect a whole lot, despite people raving about how good they are.
I was wrong and they seem to cover everything I've been trying to do (I spend many hours learning the process and making maps, heh heh; but now I can concentrate on creating topo maps - a much harder process). They even include ponds, streams, lakes, and rivers as well as parks, POI's, etc. They even have the small dirt road tracks that I am used to including in my maps.
Pretty damn good, and they seem to be from the same sources I'm using, the pretty good government-sourced Tigermaps (proof that something sanctioned by the gov't actually can work). BTW, I believe these are due to be updated this year? Every 10 years? Correct me if I'm wrong.
I HIGHLY recommend the IbycusUSA US maps, just download and install and you can access every individual county in the US via your regular Mapsource software (some people on some of the mapping groups I'm a member of say not to download the newest version, as it's 'breaking' the ability of the software to access some third-party maps. Deliberate by Garmin, or accidental?).
You can also upload these to other Garmin products, including the road navigator Nüvi - from what I have read; to update the existing US maps on it. I assume the transparency setting for the IbycusUSA US maps is set.
Also, a P.S. and BTW here - another nice mapping website; ACME Mapper 2.0 if you're a mapping nut. It has links for other sites from the coordinates you enter and you can get Google Maps, Google sat, Google hybrid, topo maps, NEXRAD, and DOQ (Terraserver) and lots of other stuff.
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I agreed to give these guys a plug in exchange for sending me a very nice (free) nameplate for my desk.
They did a beautiful job of it for my plaque so here's their website and company - Customized Engraving, check 'em out if you're in the market for these. You can get plaques, nameplates, photo plaques, signs, etc. And good prices too, you can order right through their website.
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