timandsuzie wrote:
... Garmin Etrex ... Never did try the data connector ... I like the suggestion of viewing on the home PC first.
I had conflicting information on data converters. Several manufacturers, and eventually Garmin themselves had serial to USB converters - complete with software and sometimes some sort of electronic "black box" built into the cable - to translate between the two cables. I was told by a computer software engineer I know that USB and serial don't speak the "same language." However, I was also told by others that a simple, cheap serial/USB connector worked just fine with their Garmins and computers. The price for the conversion cables ran above $100, more than I paid for my eTrex. So I waited. Until last spring, when I got a converter through Amazon for less than $40.
Viewing on topo maps at home vs. online or on a GPS device is very rewarding, both in trip planning and enhancing preparation for your trip(s). It's quite addicting, in a good way. 3D views and fly-overs give you a good sense of the lay of the land as well. I don't know if Terrain Navigator has it, but TOPO! does. You don't see actual images of the earth like Google Earth, only what's on a standard USGS topo map. But it's very accurate and gives you a sense of topography better than simply looking at the flat USGS quads.