GeoPup&ShelpieGirl

WTB: Aviation GPS, prefer Garmin prefer handheld. I need a unit that has vertical obstructions in memory. Color screen would be excellent! Might consider IPAQ-base unit or larger ... if the price is right. Otherwise, Im looking for something the size of 76. Thanks for looking. If there is a way to load vertical obstructions into my GPSmap 76s, please let me know ...thats really all I need. I do aerial photography and learned about this safety feature recently - it can warn you if there is a mountain or antenna tower ahead of you while flying . Amazing!

WTB: RAM Suction Mount for Garmin 72/76. I have 76S. Thanks for looking. I like the aluminum RAM-B-166-GA6 and GPS city is out of stock. Used or new - where can I find one? Thanks for looking. Added: other suction models that fit would be ok. The model listed is aluminum, which I prefer.

Consider the Garmin 76s? The price has come down, and there are used ones out there. 24mb for loading maps to the GPS. Waterproof and rugged. Monochrome screen.

Im sure that there are many ways to skin this virtual cat, but if anyone already has MapSource MetroGuide, the free update makes it simple to see Waypoints and Tracks in Google Earth. Saving your info as a .gpx filetype takes 2 secs. Piece of cake. Then all you do is Open and select the file. G Force fly-overs are also very cool in GE - just select G Force as your control type by typing <cntrl> + G. Remember to take your Dramamine if you get motion sickness ;-) ...still looking to see if Free GE allows you to create a route and fly it? I can create waypoints (In GE just go to top menu Add>Placemark). But I cant figure out how to select waypoints then make the selected ones into a track, then F10 to fly the tour.

Timpat, WOW! I think I lost my virtual hat on that ride! I experimented and like 80º , 600 meters, and faster speed ;-) ymmv... Again, Im amazed! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Next: I want to make a track manually to "fly" up a river valley, then over the land. How do I create a track? I would prefer to do this in a way that I could actually fly the track in real life (although a bit higher ;-) What are my options: create in MapSource, so I can load to my GPS vs. create in GE just for the viewing? I think I would settle for GE for now - my MapSource is the street version and does not show terrain. Im investigating the documentation, but if you want to spoonfeed me, it sounds good to me. I want to set manual waypoints, then connect then into a track, then "fly" it. Thanks again!!!

Timpat, Many thanks - my evenings are now Google Earth exploring time. Its amazing! I will try this tonight. I have a track that goes over jeep trails and then down the lake on a jet boat. F10 - I can hardly wait. I will hold onto my virtual hat! ;-)

Take layers of cardboard and 'build' your favorite mountain based on a topo map - you need to get your hands-on experience. Go to a nature center where they have a diorama shoing the hills and other terrain in the area - compare with your topo paper map, and go take a walk on a trail along side some hills and a stream. Experience it & it will come to you!

You can get GPS coordinates from Streets & Maps, but you cant upload maps to your GPS. As you know, uploading maps give you greater detail than the base map in your GPS, but many times, the base map is adequate, and all you need is to locate something. That being said, I like MapSource and got an older version that works great, with free updates from Garmin. If you really want to save $$, just explore maps at the many on-line map services like Google Local, TerraServer, and USGS topo map sites? Street and Maps can run on a laptop with GPS unit attached, and you can get S&M with a little GPS unit for about $100. Could work in a vehicle, too bulky for the trail. Please tell us more about that you are trying to do?

I didnt know that!!! How do I access my Waypoints *list* in GE?

I find that even my older version of MapSource metroguide has little dirt roads on ranches in Texas! Amazing.

Doug, You are correct. That is what I just used, and it worked. MapSource is all that you need. I used the new Beta. Excellent! The tracks are blue as EScout said. and all the waypoints are there appearing as balls with their name or numbered as entered. Very cool. Highly recommended. PS: Remember: Mapsource "Save As" .gpx filetype, then Google Earth (free version) "Open" the file. I was zoomed into the area already in Google earth and my GPS tracks and wppoint magically appeared!!!

Free MapSource Update (Beta) Free Google Earth Im on the learning curve, but the MapSource update (beta) has the feature of allowing me to save as .gpx. That was not possible with my old version. At least one Free-Version Google Earth user has said that "GE free" can read .gpx, even using the free version. If this is true, a user could import GPSr tracks into Google Earth for free. if you havent used Google Earth - try it, it will blow your GeoCaching mind! Im updating now, and adding my name and phone number in my GPS intro screen while updating my firmware for my Garmin GPSmap 76s, also free: GPSwarn: put your name on your GPS intro warning screen (free, works with certain models only): Free GPSwarn - Add your name to GPS screen Garmin Firmware Updates (free) Run GPSwarn when you are ready to update your firmware. Worked the first time for me. Warning: make sure you save all your waypoints, tracks, routes, etc. to MapSource as everything is erased during the process. ...more to come

Givens: Garmin GPSmap 76S MapSource v6.3 Google Earth (GE) free version. Windows XP desktop frugal Geocacher ;-) no I dont want to pay for GE+ Has anyone opened a Garmin track in the free version of Google Earth? How did you do it? Please walk me through the process. I have a track saved on my GPSr, and I have downloaded it to my computer. It appears as a .gbd file in the target folder. I tried opening the .gbd file in free GE, but no go. Also I tried saving as a .mps file, but free GE wouldnt open it Someone suggested that I save the Garmin track as a .gpx filetype so that I can open it in Google Earth. I dont see this format as an option in my version 6.3 MapSource. How do I save in this format? Is it selected when I download from the GPSr to my desktop computer? Is there a free program that can convert my .gbd or .mps files as .gpx. How does .gpx format enable opening in free GE? aside: Im wondering, what data is really in the file that I want to save? Am I saving the track, made up of waypoint? Or am I actually saving the 'map' per se also.

Thrak, As I was driving home today, I was thinking about the best location & wouldnt you know it, I ended up with the same location that you mention ... to the left of the dash hump. Can you tell me the details of your RAM mount - what model for each component and where you got it (did you order direct?). Great idea!

WANTED TO BUY: Car Mount for Garmin 76 Car bracket for Garmin 76. I have a Honda CRV gen 2. I use an external antenna and 12V adapter in the CRV. I need something that really works - perhaps that sticky bean-bag design? Also looking for Garmin Topo maps. I have the Garmin GPS map 76S. I think that a bracket for the 72 may work? Thanks for looking. -Paul UPDATE: What i really want is a RAM Suction Mount for Garmin 76

Example: I select maps for a city in PA using MapSource. There is room left in memory of GPSmap76s Garmin. I go to FL, select maps. I seem to lose my PA selections. Am I missing something? Can you load maps from more than one state? Thanks, Paul

Tracks>Menu>SetUp Got - thanks! If I am flying in a chopper and I only need a memory-economical track, I thought I would select "Least Often." , bu what about "Record Method" : Auto, Time, or Distance. I was thinking of selecting "Distance" - that way perhaps I wont get so many track points if we slow to circle? Or would time be better? Im concerned as sometimes we cruise 120mph., othertimes slow way down. Is this even an issue for a 3-4 hour flight? Perhaps Lest Often/Auto will work fine?

I believe that my Garmin Map76s has an option to save a less detail track. Does anyone know how to access that feature. -Paul

How do you work around this? Keep the track active by *not* saving it? Sheesh. What if you have to keep going? Q: If you upload the track to PC, the timestamps are preserved? Sounds like I need to do this asap. Perhaps turn off the GPS when I land so to avoid possible overwriting. get out my notebook and upload the track. I can bring a pillow and catch some ZZZ's ;-) I do damage assessment from the air. On a Garmin Map76S, how long does it take for a track to start overwriting itself? is this only a matter of time, or is it speed also. For example, does walking use less track storage than flying over in an aircraft at 100mph? -Paul

Webscouter, Do you use the free versionof Quakemap? Do the names of towns appear on the Terra Server aerial shots? Or do you use the maps - that wont work for me, Im outside the coverage area - I need TX and FL. Thanks, Paul

Can this plugin be used with other filetypes e.g. RAW filestypes such as Canon .CRW? Thanks, Paul

Thanks. That is it!. I must have missed my Ginkoloba dose ;-) My searches didnt locate the thread. -Paul

I have a friend in electronics - his hombrew experiments are waterproofed with RTV and silicone adhesive. Can the thing be glued back togther? For the screen - cant someone just just a piece of plexiglass or lexan for you. Find a local shop that sells plastics - they have the special saws to do this. Use the clear plastic from retail packaging - look in Wal-Mart for something that will work? Put it into a new homemade case?/ Scavange from an old cell phone? PDA screen cover from Staples permanently installed? Think outside the yellow box, grasshopper ;-)

I while back, I posted a question question about how I could merge GPS data and photographs by using the IPTC data fields in a digital photograph. I cant find the post, but I remember that there was a member who did open source programming and the "Forge" for people of that group. Perhaps from Scandavia or Iceland? Anyways: here is the problem. My camera is not GPS compatible. However, I can shoot to a notebook computer that can also have my Garmin map76 connected to it. Is there a way to insert the GPS coordinates into the IPTC data, or even the filename as i am shooting and saving to my hardrive? Canon 1Ds camera. Dell Inspiron runnings WinXP. Camera to notebook connection via Firewire. Some cameras allow you to plug the GPS into the camera and do this elegantly, the Canon does not. Many Thanks, Paul

Kai, Shelpie says hi to Kai 'triever Thanks for the info re: saving waypoints & tracks. I will try it today after I get some coffee. Nightpilot, can you tell me more about USA Photomaps? Do I have to buy something? I love aerial photos & all things maps. Im reading about GSAK - do I use this with EasyGPS, or in place of it? I do not have EasyGPS even - just visited the site. Should I get it - I see its free. Thanks !!! edited for proper pup info.