24k vs 100k topo and GPS

[LoveToFish]

I recently purchased an Oregon 550T that is preloaded with a 100k topo map. I have been thinking about purchasing the 24k topo map for hunting. Has anyone done this? Is it worth the money (around $100)?

[LoveToFish]

Or has anyone tried garmins BirdsEye Satellite Imagery program? Maybe that is the way to go?

[MN Mike]

I subscribed to the Birdseye program about a year ago and have used it a few different times. I like it and I will renew it again shortly.

Mike

[delcecchi]

If you want to try it out, it is possible to find 24k maps on the internet for free that you can load on your garmin. At least you get to see the difference.

[LoveToFish]

MN Mike, what is it that you like about the Birdseye. What do you use it for? Also delcecchi where do you recomend I look for these 24k maps?

[MN Mike]

I used Birdseye over the last year for Elk Hunting in Colorado, being able to zoom in or out to see meadows, clear cuts and roads is a big help when the sun is gone and a winter storm is rolling in. Knowing where you are on the mountain and what lies ahead and where you want to be can be a good thing, topo maps don't give you that visual information.

Also used it for snowmobiling out west and mowing a meadow full of brush this summer around the farm, it clearly showed the fence lines I needed to stay within.

Situational Awareness is what most people will call it, in my neck of the woods it's a more useful tool than topo maps, we don't have a lot of elevation change around here.

That being said, when I was out west Elk hunting last year, I switched back and forth between my topo data and Birdseye quite a bit, both were equally useful.

Some of those free files can be found on the web, gpsfiledepot is a good one, that's what I used for my Colorado, Wyoming and Montana topo maps. Some states offer free downloads too.

Hope this helps.

Mike

[delcecchi]

yes gpsfiledepot is one. Or there is some stuff on torrent sites depending on how you feel about that.

The basic 24k topo maps are free from the usgs in pdf format.

[LoveToFish]

Thanks guys for the help. I will give it a shot.

[MN Mike]

Just an FYI ( and maybe something has changed ) but I had trouble installing the free map from gpsfiledepot inside of Windows 7.

Windows XP works just fine.

I use either Mapsource or Basecamp to install the map I want in my Garmin.

Mike