We reviewed Freshmap in our March issue and were impressed by it, as a product. The team at Freshmap have now come up with an optional, additional product that gives you a set of 1:50,000 topo maps that can be downloaded to compatible Garmin GPS units giving you high scale detailed maps in your GPS.
Amongst other units, these suit our Garmin map 60CS and would be even better with the newer X versions, which have removable data cards for additional memory capacity.
This is designed as an add-on package, for those with Freshmap; it integrates with it but can be used as a stand alone package. You just dont get the PC versions of the detailed maps that come with the full Freshmap package, just the GPS versions and the overview; 1:2,000,000 and 1:1,000,000 scales.
Downloading maps to the GPS is simple; it is easiest to select the 1:2,000,000 overview, then select the Export to GPS function and a list of available maps comes up. This is a cryptic numerical reference, but the easiest method is to simply click the area on the map, or use the mouse to highlight the whole area.
All the appropriate maps are then selected to download. The free memory space required, to download the maps, is then shown. For instance, selecting the area from Orewa to Port Waikato is about 20MB in total and the whole North Island around 250MB.
Our 60CS has 64MB of memory, so you can download around a quarter of an Island, at one time. This would easily cover a days four-wheeling; if you have an extra 128 or 256MB datacard, for units with removeable cards, then you could download more or even have a whole islands map on one card.
Given that the full detail (1:50,000) maps, used in the Freshmap program, take up around 1.8GB, there is obviously some reduction in the level of detail, to get them to fit into the smaller file size, suitable for downloading. However all the key features are there such as roads, waterways, contour lines and so forth.
You dont get some of the colours, relief shading and finer detail but it gives substantially more detail than the standard base map and will be a boon when out on a trip, removing a lot of the need to carry paper maps.
It certainly makes your GPS much more versatile and useful, as you have a much better idea where you are, than with the standard base maps alone, which generally only show major roads and rivers.
The accompanying photos illustrate the difference in detail between the two. Freshmap suggest that it works better with colour screen units, as some of the detail is in colour but will work on monochromatic units.
You still must have a Garmin GPS unit that can accept downloadable maps; they usually have the map designation as part of their name.
Pricing for the Freshmap GPS map is $245 for all of New Zealand or $145 for either North or South Island..:
