gpsvisualizer

FYI: GPS Visualizer can also draw maps from geocaching.com's .loc files. (For more Google Maps options, use this form: http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/map?form=google)

And don't forget, GPS Visualizer can now create KML files for use in Google Earth.

Mac SimpleGPS is nice, but it has a few quirks/bugs that have not been addressed in over a year. The good news is that the author has told me that he is still planning to continue development, though. Eventually. Hopefully. The Mac OS X interface to GPSBabel (http://www.gpsbabel.org/) does work well for getting data out of your GPS receiver, although it's a little clunky. If you're comfortable with the Terminal, I think the most efficient solution is to install the normal command-line version of GPSBabel and then find a command that works for you and run it every time you need to fetch your data. For me, using a Keyspan Serial Adapter, the basic commands are: gpsbabel -w -i garmin -f /dev/cu.USA19H3b1P1.1 -o gpx -F ~/Desktop/Garmin_waypoints.gpx gpsbabel -t -i garmin -f /dev/cu.USA19H3b1P1.1 -o gpx -F ~/Desktop/Garmin_tracks.gpx (Your serial port driver may be slightly different, but it will start with "/dev/cu.") ...And there's probably a way to make a clickable AppleScript to run Terminal commands like these.

I'd like to chime in and point out that another new feature this week on gpsvisualizer.com is Google Maps output -- and if you use the aforementioned GPSBabel gateway to convert your data to a file format that the GPS Visualizer mapping program understands (like GPX), the output page will include a link to an instant Google Map of your data. (Along with links to SVG and JPEG maps too, of course.)

If you need to browse around on a map (instead of just entering an address), I recommend Maporama; it'll show you the coordinates at the center of your map.

GPS Visualizer doesn't lock you out after 3 attempts. In fact, it doesn't do any automatic locking out; I manually block access only to those who set up automated systems that make hundreds or thousands of requests without asking permission.

Watch out for MacSimpleGPS. It has a nice interface and a lot of potential, but the GPX files it outputs are not quite right. Too bad it hasn't been updated in almost a year. You might want to try MacGPSBabel -- it has a lackluster interface but produces valid GPX.

You can also use the address converter form on GPS Visualizer, and it'll just tell you the coordinates (instead of mapping them). Adam

I'm thinking of finally getting a standalone GPS receiver -- up until now I've had a Magellan GPS Companion stuck on the back of my old Handspring. I'm looking at the Garmin Geko 201 and Garmin eTrex Legend (with a USB/serial converter, of course). Have any Mac folks used either of these?

GPS Visualizer (http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/convert?form=address), cited by Baxter-MD, doesn't have built-in limits, but I do get annoyed if someone tries to convert 1000s of addresses without telling me! If you just need one, geocoder.us and maporama.com work well.

Have you checked out OziExplorer? I think it can calibrate scanned maps. Adam

FYI, if you convert your GPX files to plain text using GPS Visualizer's converter utility, you can easily add a field called "color" and set whatever colors you want for found vs. unfound. Ask me if you want more information.

Read the GPS Visualizer FAQ for more info about the beta version of SVG Viewer. (You'll probably have to manually copy some files to Firefox's Plug-ins directory.)

Did you try downloading the latest beta version of the SVG Viewer plug-in? v6 should work with Firefox on Windows. (The non-beta version, v3, works fine on Mac OS Firefox.)

Well, even with a re-generated map, you can't really tell GPS Visualizer to "Zoom In" the way he probably wants. With GPSV's settings, you can make the whole map bigger, but you can't just show a small area in greater detail. Allowing true zooming is the kind of thing that might conceivably be possible if GPS Visualizer were my full-time job and someone was paying me gobs of money to work on it. As it is, though... no.

That's because you're not telling GPS Visualizer to zoom in, you're just changing the view in the SVG Viewer plug-in. I never claimed it to be a replacement for fancy off-line software.

I'll put it on the list, but that's a pretty involved feature request! (Honestly, I'm not even 100% sure if I'd know how to do it -- that is, move smoothly from one arbitrary color to another.)

And if anyone has questions or feature requests, please let me know...

And if you use GPS Visualizer's "waypoints form", you can simply type in coordinates (without having to upload a file).

Perhaps the BEST feature about GPX files (other than their interchangeability) is their ability to contain multiple tracks, routes, and points all in a single file. In theory, you could store all the GPS data you ever collected in a single GPX file. Speaking of which, GPS Visualizer's "convert" program can now generate GPX -- from any one of the file formats supported by GPS Visualizer's mapping functions. http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/convert

In certain cities in the U.S., GPS Visualizer can even display VERY-high-res color imagery from 2002 -- down to about 1 foot per pixel in some cases. Here's the list: Albuquerque, Amarillo, Anchorage, Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Charlotte, Chicago, Colorado Springs, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, El Paso, Fort Wayne, Fresno, Houston, Jackson, Knoxville, Lexington, Lincoln, Lubbock, Mobile, Modesto, Montgomery, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Portland (OR), Providence, Raleigh-Durham, Sacramento, Saint Louis, Seattle, Shreveport, Springfield (MA), Stockton, Tampa/St. Pete, Tucson, Washington (DC) And don't forget, it's also excellent for plain old geocaching.

And try Maporama; it will give you the coordinates of the center point of whatever you're looking at: http://www.maporama.com/ Multimap can do something similar: http://www.multimap.com/

GPS Visualizer will do some of that; it's platform-independent and free. (Look for the "Draw a profile" link.) http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/

Once you've compiled a list of the caches you want to find, you can use GPS Visualizer to plot a map of just those caches: http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/

Has anyone looked here? http://www.wififreespot.com/can.html Or here? http://www.hotspot-locations.com/modules.php?name=HotSpots