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Cutting Map Packages

Cutting a map package is the third of four major steps required to use imagery from the Map Library Subscription on the PN-40. In summary, these are the four steps.

1. Select the types of imagery you want to use for the area you want to cover.
2. Download the imagery from the DeLorme servers to your PC.
3. Cut the imagery to put it into the format used by the PN-40.
4. Download the cut map package from your PC to the PN-40.

Brief Summary of Steps

In the previous step, you downloaded the imagery from the NetLink server to your PC. This makes the imagery visible in Topo 7, and makes it available for "cutting." Cutting is the process of creating a map package in a format which the PN-40 can use. To cut a map package, you must first select the types of imagery to be included in the package. For each type, you must also specify the zoom levels to be included. Next, you must select the area to be covered by the map package. Finally, you will save the package on your PC.

Suggestion: It will take some experimentation to decide which zoom levels you find useful for each type of imagery. To help make that decision, cut a very small area. Include all the imagery types in which you are interested. Cut each for a wide range of zoom levels. After you've viewed the results on the PN-40, come back and cut the full area with just the zoom levels you prefer.

Detailed Step-by-Step Instructions

1. If necessary, start Topo 7 and display the area to be included in the map package.
2. Select the Handheld Export tab.
3. Click the Options button toward the right side of the screen.
4. In the resulting Options window, select the Handheld tab.

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    • • NOTE:** It's very easy to overlook the complete list by missing the vertical scrollbar to the right. So, be sure to scroll through the complete list or expand the dialog box to show the complete list:
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1. Make sure that DeLorme Earthmate is selected under Export Map Format.
2. In the Include column, check the boxes for the imagery types you want to include in the package. Uncheck the boxes for types you do not want to include. If you haven't expanded the dialog box to show the complete list, be sure to use the scrollbar to check all Map Data types.
3. For each type you chose, select the Zoom Range to be included. To change zoom levels, drag the small grey sliders along the line. Green bars indicate levels at which that type of imagery works well. Red bars indicate levels which do not work well for most people. Grey bars indicate levels which are not available. To see how the difference types of data looks at various zoom levels, See the Map Screenshots page.
4. When you are satisfied with your selections, click OK. This closes the Options window.
5. Choose a grid size which is convenient for selecting the areas to be included in the package. Use the grid size drop-down list on the left.

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1. If necessary, change the map zoom level to display the selection grid. You will see the range of acceptable zoom levels just below the drop-down list.
2. Make sure the Select/Edit button just above drop-down list appears to be depressed. If not, click it.
3. Click the grid squares to be included in the package. You may also left-click and drag to select a rectangular area. If necessary, reposition the map (by dragging at the edges) so you can complete your selection.
4. When your selection is complete, type a name for your map package in the box just to left of the Save button. The name should reflect the location covered by the package and will be the name used on the Data Management page of the PN-40.

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1. Click the Save button to begin the process of cutting the map package.
2. The Handheld Map Export (progress) window appears. You cannot do anything else in Topo 7 until cutting is complete. The time required depends on the size of the area, the types and zoom levels of the imagery included in the package, and the speed of your PC. Wait patiently.

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1. When the map package is complete, you will see a Handheld Export window warning you about potential performance issues with multiple large maps. Click OK.
2. You will see another Handheld Export window. Read the instructions and click OK.

See Transferring Map Packages to complete the process.

Additional Options when cutting Topo USA Series maps

When Topo USA Series maps are being cut, there are some additional selections that can/should be made. These options are found on two other tabs of the Options dialog. They are the Map Features and Display tabs.

Map Features tab

Not only does this tab effect what is displayed by TP7, it also effects what data is cut into the Topo USA Series map file. So, by selecting, or deselecting, the various map feature options, you can control what data will be included in the map file. Because these options control what data is or is not included in the map file, they also control the size of the resulting map file. More options equals a bigger map file. In the table below I cut a nine grid area (grid size was set to 30 minutes), the table shows how each option effected the size of the file:

With No Options selected, the file was 1,273KB. The table below show how much each option increased the size:

Option	Size (KB)		Description
Shaded	0	No effect on cut map	Simulates the effect of the sun on terrain features to provide the perception of depth.
Contour, Low	14,318	Examples	Displays contour lines at low resolution
Contour, Normal	28,536	Examples	Displays contour lines at normal resolution
Contour, High	57,167	Examples	Displays contour lines at high resolution
Land Cover	2,448	Examples
Grids, UTM	2,755	Examples
Grids, Degrees	2,355	Examples
Grids, Degrees/Minutes	2,372	Examples
Grids, Degrees/Minutes/Seconds	2,442	Examples
Grids, MGRS	2,892	Examples
Grids, USNG	2,892	Examples
Grids, SPCS	12,006	Examples
Park or Reserves	88	Examples
Publicly Managed Lands	10	Examples
Game Management Districts	0	No effect on cut map
USGS Quadrangle Coverage	0	No effect on cut map
3DTQ Region Coverage	0	No effect on cut map
Map Center Crosshair	0	No effect on cut map
Exits	39	Examples
One Ways	304	No effect on cut map
Places (Minor)	74	Examples
Roads (Minor)	1,693	Examples
Points of Interest (Major)	1	Examples
Points of Interest (Minor)	0	Examples
Business Points of Interest (Major)	43	Examples
Business Points of Interest (Minor)	174	Examples
Town Borders	0	No effect on cut map
County Borders	17	Examples
International Labels	0	No effect on cut map
Urban Area Color	8	Examples
ZIP-Postal Codes	0	No effect on cut map	Displays ZIP/Postal Code boundaries.

NOTES:

• Once a map is cut with a feature enabled, the feature can not be disabled on the PN-40. Example: If you cut the map with Grids enabled, then the Topo USA map will always be displayed with grids showing. Exception: Contour lines can be enabled/disabled using the Map Type setting of Topo style or Street style.
• For the Find/Search button to get results, the POI features need to be turned on.
• As you can see from the above table, contour lines have the biggest impact on file size.
• While the "One Ways" data seems to be included in the cut map (if selected), the data isn't currently being used. However, this may change in a future version of the firmware.