Can this be done

[Wild Bill]

I geocache with a Garmin 60CX and have a noticable change in the performance when I have the topo maps activated, therefore I select the appropriate tile only when I feel the need to use one. My biggest complaint is that the tile names are not very initutive and I have to use a trial and error selection process and go thru the list of available tiles on my SD card until I come across the correct tile. I would like to create a NY state map based on the counties to reduce the number of possible choices, presently my local counties have two to three tiles each. Is this possible? Or, could the present tiles be renamed to something that is more meaningfull to me without starting the whole process from scratch?

[Boyd]

I think you would need to build your own mapset to do this. Most mapmakers use rectangular tiles because it's easier. This site does not encourage users to modify another author's maps. As I recall, the Ibycus US maps have tiles that correspond to counties. But these are not topo maps, and I don't know if they are still available.

This all sounds like a lot of trouble when a better solution would be just updating to a new model GPS with faster chipset.  

[maps4gps]

You could use my US Planimetric - North East and my New York contors20ft overlay.  Thus you could turn off the entire contour mapset when you felt the need to.

Obviously the more data the GPSr has to handle, the slightly longer it take.  This may be noticable when the GPSr is first turned on or at very fast highway speeds.  Have you tried only loading the tiles/quads for the local area?  If you have a noticable performance issue at walking speeds there is probably some other issue than the mapset being topo.

I use the long and lat as part of the file name, actually number.  The software only recognizes files with an 8 digit number.  Do you know the numeric FIPS codes of the counties you are interested in, and for those next to the local area for when you venture further?

[maps4gps]

Ibycus's first version used county files.  There were some display issues, so he rebuilt it using 100k sized quadrangles.  It used 2007 Census data.

[Wild Bill]

These are the counties I frequent the most;
36003
36009
36013
36029
36037
36051
36055
36063
36069
36073
36121
Normally I only have two or three tiles activated and I have no problem walking to the target. However once I get close, within 40 feet, it takes a long time for the GPSr to settle down. I usually end up walking in circles until I turn off the maps.
It sounds like the NE planimetric with contours might be my best solution.

[maps4gps]

Hope you did not have to look up those FIPS codes.  I was trying to make the point that few if any would know even a standard numeric code for the counties.  

When you explain it as once close and a long time to settle down; that is usually dependent on the current satellite configuration, line of site obstructions to the satellites (buildings and trees), and signal bounce from cliff, hillsides, buildings.  As Boyd mentioned, a newer receiver would handle these situations better.  I have noticed signal strengh will change (sometimes drastically) by simply placing my hand between the GPSr and a satellite.

The usually procedure in geocaching unsettled situations is to stop 50-100' away, let the direction and distance settle, make a mental note of the approx location; then do the same at about right angles to the first direction.  This usually works, but not always.  

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When you do not 'have the topo maps activated' do you have some other map displaying, i.e. Garmin's built-in general map?  Are you on the map display or the compass display; I believe it is usualy to use the compass display page when very close to cache?

[-Oz-]

I never noticed an issue with maps activated and on my 60csx I leave pretty much all of them on all the time.

Also, on all the maps I make I use rectangular because it is the easiest to compile and much to everyone's dismay (including mine but I don't have an easy fix so I leave it) my names are AZTopo_A1, AZTopo_A2, AZTopo_B1, etc so they really don't allow you to know logically what segment you are looking at.