City Select vs. Metroguide

City Select North America v7
$149.99

MetroGuide North America
$74.95

These prices are just a quick comparison from Amazon.com, but I'm looking for input about what I'm getting with one over the other, and what I might be missing.

I'll be using this to plan rides (that y'all are welcome to join me on) without having to plot out waypoints in the unit itself. I'll be doing 95% street, and the occasional unpaved road wandering. I'm using a Garmin Quest. It's important that the files be easily exchanged with other GPS users with various units and software.

Ok, let me hear it...

Between these two I would go City Select.

I have the old Metro Guide USA and it and City Select are pretty much the same except MetroGuide USA does not require unlock codes. It comes completely unlocked.

When MetroGuide North America came out I bought it assuming it was just an updated MetroGuide USA.

Wrong. It does not have near the detail MetroGuide USA or City Select has for rural roads. I did not compare city streets but then I don't generally care about city streets.

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Go here and all will be revealed:

http://www.garmin.com/cartography/#

Click "Show me" under MapSource compatibility.

Squeaky said:

City Select North America v7
$149.99

MetroGuide North America
$74.95

Ok, let me hear it...

Click to expand...

- Since you really only have the choice of City Select for the Quest (you didn’t get the software with the Quest?), let me obstifucate the issue for you ->

- I really hate the Garmin MapSource interface for ride planning. The tools on the PC based mappers are so much more robust and user friendly. I use DeLorme Street Atlas for my planning http://tinyurl.com/h7mdo and simply GPSVisualizer http://tinyurl.com/lfsor the file and load it as a route or waypoints into my iQue or 2720.

- Some prefer MS Streets & Trips over DeLorme - http://tinyurl.com/gmekb

- But either will give you more flexible route planning, route revision/editing and multiple layer maps (can plan several days riding on a single map and then load as daily ride routes) which you wont get with any Garmin software. Did I mention I hate the Garmin MapSource interface and tools? <G>

- Oh yeah, and you can plug in a 30$ USB antenna to your laptop pc with the DeLorme software and have a mondo in-car nav device but that’s another story.

- ebill

I disagree. I have MSS&T, Delorme and MapSource. I always plan my rides on Map Source. It is so much easier to add way points. I feel like I have more control over the roads included in the routes.

I have my trip to Colorado planned and I make a new route for each day. I put a waypoint at each turn with a Waypoint name of the direction of the turn, the road I am turning on, and the distance to the next turn, ie L-190-37 Miles.

I do agree it is more difficult to modify. Basically a route has to be redrawn completely.

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I recommend city nav v8, its the newest routable software available.

$106.95 from Planetgps

The newer metroguide software will not autoroute.

I find it easier to plan routes with Garmin software.

bushwhacker said:

I disagree. I have MSS&T, Delorme and MapSource. I always plan my rides on Map Source. It is so much easier to add way points. I feel like I have more control over the roads included in the routes.

I have my trip to Colorado planned and I make a new route for each day. I put a waypoint at each turn with a Waypoint name of the direction of the turn, the road I am turning on, and the distance to the next turn, ie L-190-37 Miles.

I do agree it is more difficult to modify. Basically a route has to be redrawn completely.

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Click to expand...

+1 I've always found Mapsource to be easier to use then Delorme or MS S&T.

Also, I've found ways to do simple modification on routes without redrawing them.

Squeaky, just buy City Select already!

Re: ease of routing on different software -

I've used Delorme, M$ S&T, and Mapsource (City Select NT) for routing. I am very familiar with using each to modify routes and add via points.

I prefer using Streets & Trips to plan macro (multiday) trips. It allows me to quickly and easily keep it loose enough for preliminary planning. I prefer the map display which shows national forests/parks so I have some clue that a route may possibly be scenic. It gives me suggestions on the general area of potential nightly stopping points which I can then use to plan hotel or camping in the area.

Once a macro route is planned, I take it to Mapsource to create specific daily routes. (Yes, I've converted S&T routes to GPX files in the past, but just redoing the route in mapsource is much cleaner when it comes to vias) I create hard waypoints for places I want to visit or stay and use soft vias to reroute on preferred roads. Mapsource gdb files can hold multiple routes, so I create one for each day of a trip and organize them together. I don't like the display, which doesn't show scenic areas and tends to get cluttered if you don't watch your detail levels. The "find" function is also annoying - it can take many tries to get an address entered correctly.

The above is MY strategy. It won't work for all.