Options for Lowrance gps map software for Southwest US (not baja):
$85 http://www.offroadwarehouse.com/product ... ctID/58194
vs
$100 http://www.pciraceradios.com/ProductDet ... 9231700735
What are you using?
From what I understand, Murdocknav.com has great baja peninsula maps but I don't see anything for the Southwest US region.
http://www.murdocknav.com/buynowpage.htm
What Lowrance gps map softwareare you using for CA, NV, AZ ?
Re: What Lowrance gps map softwareare you using for CA, NV, AZ ?
I have all three you mentioned and have used them all for my various Lowrance units. Murdock Baja is absolutely great with nor bad remarks to report.
Up north get a Garmin like me. Lowrance now blocks and forbids any 3rd party maps without an expensive license and the demand is so small none of the providers will offer maps.
The two northland BGM's you mention are just Mapcreate 7 derived and are at least 5+ years old. This means the highway and back roads are obsolete. The topo data on Mapcreate has ok contour lines at 1:100k level, but the trails and roads are way bad. Worthless for hiking and driving and totally unacceptable.
The exception to the above is the XOG which comes with the best map effort that Lowrance has offered for the oem/default map. XOG is NG for hiking. Same issue as Mapcreate BGMs meaning once you leave county, state and US roads the roads are crap.
Sorry I have not tried the Elite so no comment about the oem map.
On the other hand My Garmin has open 3rd party background maps using Garmin free SW and one can download what you want from the web . It has an SD card and allows sharing trails. You can also buy 1:25k BGM's for a decent price from Garmin for guys that want to use the portable for hiking. Do not buy a turn by turn navigator G GPS or a nice size G marine unit from G because of locked 3rd party BGMs. So for the biggest screen unit (small compared to what we all use in Baja) that has open 3rd party BGMs is the Montana 600 -650 units. By the time you buy the mounts and cables the 650 will cost more than an HDS5M. My northland dedicated Jeep uses and XOG and G-M650 and a Lowrance IFinder ExpeditionC as a backup while I get more proficient with the Garmin. BTW you can get the good Baja BGMs for the Garmin
For my Northland dedicated Bronco and if the wife uses the Jeep I guess I will have to buy another G M 650?
I hate the small screen G M650 but ---
Such it is.
PaulW
Up north get a Garmin like me. Lowrance now blocks and forbids any 3rd party maps without an expensive license and the demand is so small none of the providers will offer maps.
The two northland BGM's you mention are just Mapcreate 7 derived and are at least 5+ years old. This means the highway and back roads are obsolete. The topo data on Mapcreate has ok contour lines at 1:100k level, but the trails and roads are way bad. Worthless for hiking and driving and totally unacceptable.
The exception to the above is the XOG which comes with the best map effort that Lowrance has offered for the oem/default map. XOG is NG for hiking. Same issue as Mapcreate BGMs meaning once you leave county, state and US roads the roads are crap.
Sorry I have not tried the Elite so no comment about the oem map.
On the other hand My Garmin has open 3rd party background maps using Garmin free SW and one can download what you want from the web . It has an SD card and allows sharing trails. You can also buy 1:25k BGM's for a decent price from Garmin for guys that want to use the portable for hiking. Do not buy a turn by turn navigator G GPS or a nice size G marine unit from G because of locked 3rd party BGMs. So for the biggest screen unit (small compared to what we all use in Baja) that has open 3rd party BGMs is the Montana 600 -650 units. By the time you buy the mounts and cables the 650 will cost more than an HDS5M. My northland dedicated Jeep uses and XOG and G-M650 and a Lowrance IFinder ExpeditionC as a backup while I get more proficient with the Garmin. BTW you can get the good Baja BGMs for the Garmin
For my Northland dedicated Bronco and if the wife uses the Jeep I guess I will have to buy another G M 650?
I hate the small screen G M650 but ---
Such it is.
PaulW