Garmin Mapsource United States Topo 100k series has the entire country in detail similar to USGS 1:100,000 metric maps. It is a few extra minutes of work that isn't really worth the trouble because TOPO will not save the track in a format that I can transfer back to a GPS at a later date like Mapsource can. If I really want to view a track generated by Zumo in TOPO I transfer it from Zumo > Mapsource > my GPSMAP 60Cx > TOPO. gpx format when hooked to a computer, unfortunately NG TOPO does not support Zumo's. Kind of handy when an internet connection is available because Zumo does not communicate with National Geographic TOPO. This version of Mapsource also allows you to look at your travels in Google Earth by clicking the proper bar in the program's view menu. Now you have a way to save, store & edit waypoints and tracks when you get home from a trip. Garmin Mapsource City Navigator NT on a DVD is packed in the box with the unit so you can install the program on your computer. Many (but not all) dirt roads and forest roads are in there so City Navigator does have some usefulness for 'wheeling. This includes a database of points of interest and roads for the entire U.S. The Zumo comes preloaded with Garmin Mapsource City Navigator NT. The supplied speaker has been plenty loud by itself. On the motorcycle I listen to the unit with earbud speakers inside my helmet, the stereo in my Cherokee has an Ipod adapter that plugs into the vehicle mount headphone jack if the built in speaker is not loud enough. Both mounts have seperate headphone and microphone jacks. Zumo 550 comes with 2 quick release mounts- a cigarette lighter adapter powered windshield suction mount that contains a speaker to give you voice guidance and a waterproof version without the speaker that uses the RAM mounting system to clamp to a handlebar with a u-bolt. This is handy as any GPS unit worth space on my dashboard must do point-to-point autorouting whether I am in town or in the boonies.
Despite the name, City Navigator has quite a few dirt and gravel forest roads as well as points of interest for the entire United States. City Navigator NT comes pre-installed on the unit, a DVD is also supplied to plan trips at home and upload and save routes, tracks and waypoints. The Zumo series is a close cousin to the Streetpilot series, but unlike the purely automotive GPS's it will allow you to operate Garmin Mapsource Topo products.
Trying it out in my Cherokee I soon learned that it would make a great replacement for the cumbersome Garmin GPS V/laptop/National Geographic TOPO setup that I had used while exploring in the Jeep for the past couple of years and had grown to dislike.Īfter 8 months of experience and several free firmware updates that added some key features I am relying entirely on Zumo for off-road navigation. The 550 version includes an automotive windshield mount in addition to the motorcycle one. I originally bought it to use on my R1100RS in place of the GPS V that rode along bungied precariously to the handlebar. Garmin markets the Zumo series of navigators to motorcyclists.