No comments about RAM Mounting Systems No-Drill Vehicle Laptop Computer Mount for All Ford F Series Trucks Up To F-750 (1999-Newer) and Ford Excursion (2000-Newer).

No comments about National Geographic TOPO Map (Alaska - Mac).

No comments about Communications Caddy for VHF/FRS Handheld Radios.

No comments about Whistler Group WGPS 545 TrueVue Anti-Glare GPS Screen Protector.

4 comments about National Geographic TOPO! Weekend Explorer 3D (San Diego Area, Anza-Borrego, Santa Rosa Mountains).

1. To get full use out of TOPO! you really need to install it on a laptop and have a GPS connected. I have neither.
   
   What it is good for, however, is amateur radio and other 2-way radio operators, who want to get elevation profiles from wherever they are to the mountaintop repeaters or other portable or mobile stations they are talking to. In other words, to see how blocked their line-of-sight is or will be.



2. This software is great! I've used it for 5 trips now throughout the Las Vegas area. Mostly out at Red Rocks, Lake Mead and Valley of Fire. As soon as Mt. Charleston thaws out, that will be the next destination.
   
   Features I like:
   1.Multiple views from broad general overviews of southern Nevada to highly detailed 7.5 USGS spec maps that I can really plan a trip with.
   2. Transferring waypoints to and from my GPS.
   3. Route making ability allows me to project and plot routes.
   4. Routes are measured by distance and profile grade. I can see if a route I planned is too steep or not down to a percentage of a grade.
   5. Photo/Note tool allows me to chronicle my travels on the software and save the maps for later reference.
   6. Print/Export capabilities allow me to print out the part of the maps I want for my trips and allows me to save them as JPEGS to send to fellow hikers. Also can send projected hiking itineraries to friends in case of an emergency.
   7. You can download the CD map content to your hard drive so you don't need the disk every time you use the software.
   
   Features I don't like:
   1. Some of the maps used by the USGS for this area haven't been updated since 1982, so the water level around Lake Mead is not accurate. It makes trip planning out there more difficult because you always end up in the drink on the map.
   2. The route making tool is a little tricky to get the hang of. They should have made this tool easier to use.
   3. Anytime you change options on the 3D portion of the map, you have to reload that feature; it just doesn't update on the fly.



3. I purchased this product to use with my GPS for trailriding. The five levels of zoom help tremendously when deciding where to take my horse. An added bonus is this application seems to allow me to open a fifth level of zoom with my State series which supports only four levels. I'm very happy with my purchase and have passed along this bonus information to my friends that have the State series.



4. I like this software overall and some of NatGeo's maps. I would have given it 5 stars if NatGeo had not been so tight with the map data. You get all of Maryland beyond Baltimore 3.5 hours West of Baltimore (almost 200 miles!)but once over the Bay Bridge (about 40 miles) there is little of the Eastern Shore beyond the actual shoreline. There are a lot of fantastic Parks and great Rivers just a bit further East and still in Maryland but NatGeo didn't want to give up the extra quads to include these areas since they also include Delaware. Shame on you NatGeo! Cheap and greedy of you. I would have gladly paid a few extra bucks to have the MD's Eastern Shore and the Delaware Shore included with the DC/Balto region. Also, the maps are pretty old--1970's. I'd like to see NatGeo put a little more effort into this one.

5 comments about National Geographic TOPO Map (Utah - Windows).

1. This piece of software is what I have been hoping for for since I bought my machine. It is the most elegant and detailed mapping system that I have used. With the Garmin Vista Cx it works flawlessly. You can download any or all of the map data from the disks into the "Topo" file and it runs very well on my powerbook G4. It will upload all waypoints, and routes. It will download all waypoints, routes and tracks! The maps are gorgeous! The interactive web feature is cool but young. It has a geocaching feature. The 3d maps are sweet! It downloads updates and new map layers almost perfectly (had to manually download the software update). I only wish that waypoints symbols would transfer to and from my unit but I can easily live without them. Load the Mapsource maps to your device (Garmin "x" series saves to swappable memory microSD cards) and use Topo! from your laptop.



2. I've used TOPO! for eight years and it's the best there is for mapping software. I own software for 10 of the western states and use the program almost daily. I use the program in my laptop and when hooked up to my GPS, I have what amounts to a super detailed car navigation system with a 17" screen. As new maps become available, you can download them free into your computer as needed and it's a very easy procedure. Also, free upgrades are available on-line and that's an easy procedure too.
   
   To make the state series most useable, you need to add Back Roads Explorer, which gives much more detailed up-to-date street and street name information.
   
   The only caveates with this program is that you need a relatively fast computer and lots of memory so you can copy the whole program to your hard drive so you don't have to constantly change cd's. Also, expect to take some time to fully get to know this program.



3. I bought this software because I am a grad student and I had to survey alpine sites around the state of Colorado. I thought it would be great. It was not. The biggest problem is that the maps are out of date. For example several hiking trails are missing. I drove up at least ten roads that had locked gates that were not on the map. Many roads are not labeled or not labeled correctly. It was good for putting waypoints in my GPS, but that is all it was good for.



4. The PC version works ok but if you own a Mac, you are out of luck. Major glitches of very basic uses (such as unable to upload waypoints from a spreadsheet to your GPS!! Both upload and download buttons and pulldowns send you to a download only option). It is one of the few Mac apps that will lock down your computer and not respond to force quit.
   
   The interface is bizarre. Want to find a place? - go to "Edit". Want to find a coordinate? - go to "View". Want to find customer support? - go to the back of the room.
   iMac 2.4 ghz OS 10.5.4, Topo 4.5.0



5. GPS Compatibility...
   
   As advertised, TOPO! works well with GPS units. I use it with a Garmin Vista Cx GPS frequently. Other people's negative reviews concerning GPS compatibility probably stem from their assumption that they should be able to download the maps themselves to a GPS device. No, you can't do that with just TOPO.
   
   As advertised, you CAN download waypoints or routes before a trip, which becomes extremely helpful when you feel lost. And you CAN upload waypoints and tracks after a trip, which is very interesting to map where you've been.
   
   General Comments on the Software...
   
   This is an excellent product which I always use before going exploring or mountain climbing. I discover new features in the software all the time. I don't think the program has ever crashed on me, and it is not hard to learn. 5 stars!!

5 comments about Garmin City Navigator NT SD Data Card for Garmin GPS Units, Germany (010-10695-00).

1. The maps work well in my Garmin Nuvi 350. This was a nice transaction.



2. The brazilian map requires atualization, there are shopping centers, streets and other places that are more than 3 years old and they don't appear in the gps guide. Besides that it works perfectly.



3. Works perrfect in Brazil. In Recife, where I live, its poor regarding restaurants/POI. Delivered quickly.



4. The Brazilian map is of no use. I live here and used it on approx. 1'000 miles.
   a) In the city, streets are lacking, have outdated intersections, returns etc. And the map is constantly off some 100 ft.
   b) On the countryside the situation is even worse: the location of the streets, cities, intersections is off by several miles. Existing streets are missing, streets on the map are inexistent.
   Result in both cases: The routes created by the GPS device are simply wrong. The wrong position causes the device to constantly recalculate the route (as it sees itself never at the actual location) in another wrong way. As for the wrong maps: I "cruised" miles over the sea (in my car), on the other side, the ferry boat Salvador-Itaparica "drove" on land. Cities are on the wrong side of a river (imagine in a country where a bridge may be an issue of 100 miles and up!). If I had followed the routes calculated by Garmin, I would have had to dissemble the car: the only way to follow Garmin's route would have been by a canoe ferry.
   Even as a compass it is unusable: E.G. In case you are driving west (miles south of the road shown on the map) and you are approaching a road coming from the south, getting closer to this "southern road" than your actual "western road", the device thinks that you are driving north on the "southern road". Confusing? Yes that's what it is all about. You are constantly busy thinking "what does it show, what could that mean?".
   Don't waste your time!



5. Was very useful Germany. It guided us around roundabouts, and even had tiny one lane farm roads in it. Was not entirely up to date but that didn't cause any problems. Can set the Garmin to "pedestrian" to use in the city.

1 comments about Garmin Ni-MH Rechargeable AA Battery Kit (010-10323-00).

1. Go to k-mart and buy a rechargeable AA battery kit for $12
   
   I ws just too lazy to go buy it. It'll save you a few bucks.

No comments about Strap, Velcro Wrist and Expander.

5 comments about TOPO! National Geographic USGS Topographic Maps, Hawaii.

1. This product is very hard to use, especially if you are trying to download it to a Magellan Triton 500. Not user friendly or intuitive at all.



2. All information is in USGS 1:100,000 scale for road and very good hiking mapping and navigation. Its all very, very easy to learn and includes cool features to customize your maps like adding notes, showing your trails and routes, elevation profiles for hiking mountains and a 3D feature. This allows you to actually view your route as your travel in simulation at varying angles. The `Search' feature is very handy in locating just about anything you are looking for in that section/region of the map. You can zoom into five different levels of detail and print out any portion of that map. If your GPS allows you to import information, you can upload your personalized map to it. You can also import most GPS information into your computer onto the topographic maps, such as .gpx files and geocache information. TOPO! National Geographic is the best in mapping information for GPS or everyday route or hiking planning.
   
   I had a Magellan Triton that claims you could download the maps to your Triton handheld, but that software is flawed and I had to return the Triton four times. Now that I have a Garmin, I can download info to my PC and use the National Geographic TOPO! information, but I still cannot import maps into my Garmin (just geocache information).



3. I have been using Topo! since it was a Wildflower product back in the early 1990's. The interface does take some getting used to as mentioned before, but like all powerful software programs (vi/emacs) eventually, it becomes second nature.
   
   I mostly use TOPO! to annotate my previous trips, plan future trips, share travel guides with family, and create georeferenced raster maps for handheld GPS devices.
   
   My trips primarily used to be hiking and backpacking trips, which I would dutifully record using an old Garmin Etrex GPS receiver. The tracks and waypoints would be uploaded to the desktop and saved as separate .tpo files. Back in the day, I was plenty happy just to see waypoint times and elevation gains as documentation of my backcountry trips. I would also use TOPO to create waypoint routes (up to 30) to be uploaded to the GPS receiver so that I could plan/program my future hikes into the Etrex.
   
   Since those early primitive days, both TOPO! and I have changed a lot! TOPO! has improved significantly in its featurea. Now that I have two kids and more money, my outdoor travels consist mostly of Jeeping, dry car camping, and ancient rock art hunting.
   
   Now, with the newer versions of TOPO, it is possible to add pictures and notes. In turn, these more detailed maps can be useful as travelogues not only for nostalgia, but also as travel guides for family members and friends who are using TOPO! as well.
   
   While similar functionality could be obtained by using Google Earth or Maps, this map sharing is dependent on "cloud computing". This may be feasible when sitting in a coffee shop in a metropolis or even at home, but out in the desert without cellphone access this is not a viable option. Further, Google Map data is only protected by obscurity. Any person who knows the URL to your map data can view it.
   
   Since I don't have to carry gear on my back anymore, I primarily use TOPO in the field on a laptop with an external GPS receiver. Though bulky, it is a much more useful combination than simply a tiny handheld receiver alone due to the larger size of the laptop screen and the ability to search for waypoints using the standard keyboard. My family uses a similar setup and they too find it reassuring to know that they have a clearly mapped GPS route available to them in the wild.
   
   Finally, the most useful aspect of TOPO! is unfortunately no longer available, unless you can beg, borrow, or steal a boxed Xport Pro package. NatGeoMaps recently and quite quietly killed off its entire TopoPro line (including for ArcGIS). Xport Pro (formerly $199) allows the user to export high quality USGS maps in the georeferenced GeoTiff format. These GeoTiffs could then be used in shareware GPS programs like OziExplorer for Windows computers or OziWince or NoniGPSplot for WinCE GPS devices (many personal navigation devices can be cracked to run these apps in addition to the installed street mapping software). It used to be that you could call in a credit card number to NatGeoMaps customer service and for $99 get the functionality activated through a PIN, but no longer :( .
   
   Admittedly, GeoTiff, mrsid, and many other georeferenced maps can be downloaded from state governments (usually from depts of ag or wildlife management), but having it all in one software package on CD's is pretty sweet.



4. I now have their latest TOPO! 4.5, but cannot use it with my California State series maps. I've been exchanging e-mails with their customer support and they basically just recycle cut and paste's from their web site. At first I took their instructions (often contradictory) seriously and did everything they said, but none of it works. To make sure I tried it on a different computer. No go. The software often hangs up for long time, so anything you try kills a lot of time. I think it is just a very badly written code with no backward compatibility. I'm going to start looking for another product.



5. With TOPO, it makes a big difference if you copy the maps from the CDs to your hard drive. That results in a much faster and better experience. Directions for copying the maps to your hard drive are on the Topo web site. Some reviewers do not realize that.
   
   The digital maps are an extremely good value compared to paper maps!! Live Map Updates is a feature of version 4. You can download the current maps and street overlays for the quads you are interested in! And that is free.
   
   I have used versions 2, 3, and 4 of this product. Version 2 was excellent. Versions 3 and 4 are incremental improvements. On Amazon, it isn't always clear which version you are buying. Go by the dates -- version 4 was released in 2006.
   
   The software is excellent. My only complaint is that it is a bit complicated to install. I don't think it has ever crashed on me. I use it a lot, and discover new features all the time. It is not hard to learn. GPS support is great, in my experience.