I have the old yellow Garmin Etrex. I also have NG TOPO for the states I am interested in. I have all of the information for an upcoming trip on NG Michign. The problem is that the old GPS will only take one route and I have eight plotted on the map so I purchased an Etrex Vista H which takes 20 routes. The problem is that the new unit has a USB connector and the NG software only recognizes serial ports. On the old unit I just used a serial/USB adapter and transferred the data. NG software is 3.4.3. An upgrade to 4.0 is available for $19.95 which I "think" will then support the USB connector but I am not sure. The other option is to purchase the Garmin Map Source map for $129 with may or may not be able to import the data I already have on TOPO. I can export the NG data as a txt file but I cannot find a way to import that into the Garmin Vista H.

Anyone with more expertise with GPS and maps have any input for someone without a computer degree?

Thanks

I have the old Garmin MapSource US TOPO (1:100,000 scale) CD-Rom set that I will never use again. If they will help you out let me know and I'll send them to you.

I should have mentioned...

You might want to try and get Garmin's "Basecamp" software, and/or, Garmin's "Mapsource" software. Both are free from Garmin. One of them may be able to import your routes from NG TOPO and then transfer it to your Garmin.

Get one of those and plug-in your GPS and see if the software accesses it (it will show your GPS is connected with an icon).

You can make a route with Basecamp, and you can get free TOPO maps for it too. If it works for you then you're good to go. The free maps don't have the fancy shading and 3-D effects that the NG maps have, but they do have some with finer detail (10ft increments on elevation).

I have the newer version of NG TOPO too, and I like it a lot. It's worth the money, but now that I have the free Basecamp software with the free maps, I don't use it as much.

Ugh, I remember going through this when I got a Legend HCx after having the plain etrex. IIRC I bought some cheap Topo! product like Backroads Explorer or somesuch to get USB capability for my State series. Then, when Vista came out nothing worked and NG released a fix that was a straight install rather than an upgrade. It's been too long for me to recall the details, but you might try this:

Topo! two-step upgrade

If you can get 4.2.8 to install you can then install 4.5.0.

I don't think much of Map Source, but I guess I'd consider it if I were starting from scratch. All these products drive me a bit nuts because they kinda, sorta work together but not really, and everybody wants to sell you their periodic base map upgrades while at the same time they're selling you repackaged USGS maps (public domain).

My NG TOPO is version 3.4.3 and an update to 4.0 is available for $19.95. If this will fix my NG for USB connect it would be worth it. I have the state set for several states along with saved data so getting the NG set to work would be the best solution.

I thought that the Map Source base map came on the GPS. It brings up a large scale map on the GPS screen but I have not been able to transfer that to the PC. I downloaded the Basecamp and Mapsorce software from Garmin but they will not find a map on the GPS.

I am not concerned with the high resolution maps, fly by etc. I just want to get existing data from NG to GPS.

Will the $19.95 update enable the USB connect? I tried the two step upgrade but it could not find the 4.0 version so I assume that I will have to purchase that.

If your experience parallels mine yes, you'll be able to up and download routes and waypoints between Topo! state editions and your Garmin without fiddling with second-party software. I create routes in Topo! and upload to the GPS that I then navigate. Back home I download saved tracks and any recorded waypoints back to Topo! (Great for "truthing" your base maps.)

Note: any traced paths won't upload to the Garmin--just waypoints and routes organized from strings of waypoints.

I know, it sounds easy.

Cheers,

I upgraded to National Geo Topo 4.0 ( it really is 4.2.7, with a date of 2006) It was called "TOPO! Streets and 3-D Views expansion pack"

It works fine with USB 2.0. I don't remember if it also does earlier versions of USB- I upgraded a long time ago.

The back of the package says "TOPO! Streets and 3-d Views has the latest connectivity built-in to enable you to use your TOPO! software with the newest GPS receivers"

Keep in mind- this was a 2006 upgrade, copyright 2004- so who knows if the current version is different.

Thanks all. I bit the bullet and bought the 4.0 upgrade. I was a little hesitant because the WEB site said 10 day delivery and I was not sure if it would solve the problem but you have assured me that it would a least solve the connection problem. NG shipped it UPS the next day so the rime frame was not a problem. I should have it by Tuesday or Wednesday.

I did download the Basecamp program and got it to recognize the base map on the GPS. Not too useful by itself since it does not allow me to transfer existing data to the GPS. I will try playing around with it later when I get time.

While this may be redundant, you should be able to export your Routes in a GPX format from NG TOPO! and import them into Basecamp, then transfer them into your GPS.

I have been playing around with it some more but I mostly have compatibility problems. NG TOPO only exports to the unit connected to the PC or to .TXT file. NG TOPO only recognizes the serial ports. Hopefully this will sort itself out when I get the TOPO 4 update to recognize the USB ports.

I did download the map from GPS File Depot and that will transfer the Michigan map to Basecamp and to the GPS.

I am almost ready to just go back to a map and compass. The problem is that I want to go to an area for which I have a 1925 map and the area has been unmaintained since then. I have downloaded waypoints and trails from the old map into TOPO and I want to go see how much of the old stuff I can find. I have been there before and trying to navigate through brush and trees where you cannot see more than 100 ft makes navigation difficult. It is possible to be within 50 ft of what you are looking for and not find it. Others have done it but obviously they are better navigators than I am.