Maps and Mapping Software. GPS Mapping Software.

[M_Kemp]

I have had a Magellan meridian platinum gps since they came out. Always been great but after 9 years or so it fails to read the data card anymore. I use it for work now and she owes me nothing.

Now I am looking for a new one and in my research I have ran into a few questions about the mapping software. My old Magellan came with MapSend Topo and I can say it was and is awesome. The software is from 2001 and has every two-track in northern Michigan on it. It also has every old mine and spring in Arizona on it.

I am looking at the Delorme PN-60 and the $99.00 software that they put out for their units. I have read several reviews that said they have pulled most of the old mining sites etc. from the maps. If this is true then I would have to load them from another program as waypoints and not part of the topo maps on the new unit. I want ALL mines etc. on my gps when out in the back country of AZ. To remove these landmarks is dangerous to the serious hiker/explorer in my opinion.

What have others done in this situation?

Peace,
Marc

[Jim_b]

Here is site that will have topo maps that you can download free.

http://nationalmap.gov/ustopo/index.html

If you have a iPhone or iPad with GPS and an application call Topo Maps (cost $7.50) you can download any topo map free and use the build in GPS system to track your location. You don't need phone service to use the maps in the field if you download them in advance.

http://topomapsapp.com/

I have three GPS receivers and now I just use my iPad with the bigger screen, the maps seem to have all the mines listed. If you thinking of buying a iPad wait until the new one comes out in the next 45 days. The iPhone is good also but it has a smaller screen.

[Desertroad]

Hey! I too have a Magellan Meridian Platinum! Love it, but she's showing her age (like I ain't!) I actually like the monochromatic display as I feel it reads better in harsh sunlight.

At work, we use Trimble Geo XT's and XM's with Trimble's GPS Pathfinder Office software to extract the GPS data. All of our GIS is done in ESRI ArcGIS software, pretty much the professional standard. However, the majority of our Fire and LE personnel have Garmin GPS receivers. The 62 series is the most popular:

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID ... 01&ra=true

The best part about using the Garmin receivers that they have a free software application available to them developed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources called Garmin DNR:

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mis/gis/tool ... armin.html

This hardware/software combination is what many Fire and LE agencies use for their GPS field data gathering. The use of these are taught in Incident Command System classes for the Wildland Fire GISS Position.

Using the Garmin DNR software in conjuction with another free application, GPS Babel, gives one the flexibility to move GPS data in and out of many different mapping software programs:

http://www.gpsbabel.org/

DeLorme products are a good choice at the consumer price level. Their Earthmate series of products comes highly recommended, although I personally do not use them at this time.

I haven't had occasion to work with any Nuvi products at all, so I don't know anything about them. Tom Tom products are for city-folk in pavement-only vehicles, in my opinion.

I'm saving up my pennies to try and acquire a Garmin 62s as my next personal GPS receiver, but I'll hang on to my Platinum until the buttons fall off. There are many sites on the Net that have Magellan Meridian tricks and hacks, so I should be able to keep her running for awhile. The Magellan GPS data format, however, is just not the one that caught on, so either the Garmin or the DeLorme products are perhaps the best choices for now.

Hope this information is helpful.

Desertroad

[CowboySlim]

I've had the DeLorme Earthmates and now use the PN-60w SE.
With the DeLorme units one can take advantage of the MapPack subscription. It is an all you can eat download for an annual subscription for $30. Included are all the USGS 3DTQs, 24K. After downloading to your PC, they may be transferred to your handheld GPSr. I use a 16GB SDHC card for that and it will support a 32GB card.
Some examples:
https://data.delorme.com/secure/Login.aspx

For more info and answers to your questions, check here:
http://forum.delorme.com/viewforum.php? ... d82eab55bf

[CowboySlim]

OK, here is an example of something that I did with the Topo North America 9.0 mapping software that comes with the PN-60 and some of the color aerial photo imagery that I downloaded. There was a question about the roads east of US395 and north of SR58, northwest of Kramer Jcn.

I used the drawing tool in Topo 9 to trace the blue line over the faint, light traces of the 4WD tracks:
http://mapshare.delorme.com/Consumer/V.aspx?p=0dp0mfrt

Without the traces:
http://mapshare.delorme.com/Consumer/V.aspx?p=dn8mb1pd

Now, had I driven those roads and recorded the tracks on my PN-60 and then downloaded to my PC with the Topo 9, it would look just like that.

[M_Kemp]

CowboySlim,

So with the aerial map was the only one with that 4wd trail on it? The topo maps did not have it? Making sure I have this right. It looks like I can do almost anything with the software and make it work as well and probably better than my Magellan. Would you say so? Do you like the pn60 so far? Any bugs in the firmware on the unit like I read alot about the new Magellans?

Peace,
Marc

[CowboySlim]

Yes, that is how the subject came up on the DeLorme forum. A new user could not find all those 4WD trails on the DeLorme Topo North America 9.0 maps that are in the box with the PN-60s and he posted his disappointment there. It was coincidental as I have 4W'd in that area decades ago, before the advent of the GPSrs, and always made it through and was familiar with it.

Therefore, my activity was to show how the aerial photograpy can be used to supplement by drawing in those trails and then loading them onto the PNs to follow as bread crumbs. Additionally, I just checked my collection of USGS 3DTQs, also available as part of the subscription, and they do show all of those roads. I did another excercise for a trip through the Grand Staircase of the Escalante that I made before I had a GPSr and recreated it with the aerial photos, the USGS 3DTQs and the DeLorme topos.

The DeLorme PN-20 was my first GPSr then -40 and now -60. I have never felt that they leave me with unfulfilled usages. But, that is probably true of the other brands. When they first came out there were some real my Chevy is better than your Ford rows over on the geocaching.com forums between DeLorme and Garmin users.

The PN-60 firmware is real clean. I could make no suggestions regarding bug cleanup whatsoever.

Hey, send me and email to cowboyslim@att.net so that I can capture yours and I will send you a message via me SPOT Communicator as it ties into my PN-60w SE. Here is a transmission from down near my daughter's house:

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... HKXmIjTrbq

[Desertroad]

I have a question for you Cowboy Slim, have you used anything at all from the National Map website that jim_b spoke about?

Allegedly they have some road line data that can be downloaded.

Desertroad

[CowboySlim]

No, Desertroad, I have not used those. However, I have looked at the link previously as other helpful folks have also provided them in another forum answering similar subjects. AFAIK, some other models of GPSrs do not come with topo maps for the entire country and the remainder must be purchased separately or free ones obtained through 3rd party sources. I guess that is a reason that those other sources do get mentioned to help folks. They do come highly recommended and are very useful to some. With the DeLorme handheld GPSrs, their topo maps for the US, Canada and Mexico are also included in the box. Additionally, I have downloaded dozens of GBs of the satellite photo, aerial photo and USGS 3DTQs so I have not yet felt the need for those. However, there are some DeLorme users who really favor those and have downloaded them.

Now, all the topo maps and imagery obtained from DeLorme and other GPSr makers are proprietary and cannot be installed directly on GPSrs of other brands. OTOH, all maps and imagery obtained from DeLorme may be loaded straightaway on a DeLorme GPSr. To use those maps, or imagery, from 3rd party sources such as the one noted above, some preliminary work must be done, primarily they need to be registered. Actually, to do this for a DeLorme handheld GPSr another piece of DeLorme mapping software must be purchased to accomplish the registration, XMap7:
http://www.delorme.com/xmap/trial/default.htm
The user invokes a split screen view and opens the DeLorme map for the subject area into the right pane and does the same with the 3rd party imagery in the left pane and then zooms in and out to get as close as possible in scale. Then a point on one, perhaps a street intersection, is clicked in the right pane and then the same spot is clicked in the left pane. This is repeated for another point, such as a mountain peak, and now with two pairs of corresponding points, a command button is clicked to perform the registration calculations whereby the 3rd party imagery is now in the same scale as the DeLorme map and all the points have the same coordinates. Then the registered imagery is consistent with the other DeLorme maps and may be transferred to a PN-60.

[paulyne]

How do i subscribe to gprs for internet on my cell phone? i have a nokia 6111 and whenever i open the browser, it doesn't work and says i have to subscribe to gprs or packet data? how do i do this and does it cost money?
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