Microsoft Streets And Trips W/gps

[+Mystery Ink]

Has anyone purchased this package or heard how well it works?

[+spearfox]

I got it and I think it works very well.

There is a setup on the program to configure a GPSr to work with the map. I haven't tried any of our handheld units to see how well it works, just use the GPSr that came with it.

We have used it on several geocaching road trips, trip planning, address searches and general research. I even loaned it too a friend for his trip from Oklahoma to Arkansas, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. He didn't have the GPSr but said it worked great.

If you have any specific questions just post it here, plenty of people here can answer.

[+Mystery Ink]

Thanks. I already have a Garmin Vista, but was thinking about taking laptop with me on trips and it is at Costco for $99.

[+RheS]

I use the non-GPS-included version, and have been quite happy with it. I believe that the only difference between the two is whether the sensor is included. I found the non-GPS-included version at Costco for something like $14.99 after rebate, if I remember right.

 

It talks just fine to my GPS's serial output (you need the right cable, obviously). Of course, you might want to have another GPS sensor anyway, so as not to have to disconnect and reconnect your existing GPSr as you hunt caches.

 

One comment: The autotracking was quite jerky on my old, beat-up (and therefore, I thought, suitable for leaving in the car) 133 MHz laptop. A more modern laptop will have no problems keeping up.

 

Hope this helps.

[peter]

I already have a Garmin Vista, but was thinking about taking laptop with me on trips and it is at Costco for $99.

So why not just get the S&T program and use it on your laptop together with your Vista? It may require a USB-RS232 adapter cable but that would still be cheaper than getting the S&T GPS.

[+Sputnik 57]

As Peter noted, AFAIK, S&T still will not communicate with a GPSr using a USB connection. It requires a serial connection. This seems like a serious limitation to me.

[+Mudinyeri]

As Peter noted, AFAIK, S&T still will not communicate with a GPSr using a USB connection. It requires a serial connection. This seems like a serious limitation to me.

This is correct. It only scans serial ports. So, if you have a laptop without a serial connection, you either need to go wireless with Bluetooth (if your laptop is so equipped) or use it in stand-alone mode.

 

I used S&T with my old laptop (with a serial connection) and it worked fine - in fact, I was fairly impressed at some of the "road" detail we were able to obtain out in Moab, UT on some of the old mining roads. You definitely wouldn't want to drive your family sedan, or even most SUV's, on some of these "roads" but there they were right on the S&T software!

 

I'm working on the USB issue. If I find a solution that doesn't require Bluetooth, I'll post it in this forum.

[+kgag]

I have been using streets and trips with my 60cs, rather than getting a hardware serial to usb adapter, I got a program called Franson GPSGate that spoofs a serial port off of the usb connection. Works fine no problems.

 

If you are looking into streets and trips also take a look at garmins product nRoute that works with your different mapsets it will do a lot of the same things and works a bit better with autorouting, etc.

 

Also if you are going to get into streets and trips I would suggest you getting streets2gps as well, (can't seem to find the link) it will take saved pushpins (waypoints in streets and trips) and convert them to lat, long.

 

This makes for a very easy way to convert street address to lat, long.

 

Hope this helps,

kgag

Edited July 12, 2005 by kgag

[+Mudinyeri]

I have been unable to get S&T to work with a USB cable (didn't try kgag's suggestion on GPSGate), but have had good success with a Bluetooth adapter for my Garmin eTrex. The best price I've seen is from Semsons for $54.99. My only complaint is that the adapter has to be plugged into a 12 volt power outlet to work so you can't use it while Geocaching, hiking, biking or any other activity outside of your vehicle. It works well for both on and off road driving, however.

[+Old Sailor]

I use S&T with GPS; and a Holux GPSwith USB and have no problems on my laptop.

[+EScout]

The eXplorist 400-600 will work with this program using their USB cable. It looks like a modem to the PC. Just look at the com port assigned to the "modem" , start S&T and set it to that port. Older versions such as my 2003 S&T have a slow position refresh rate. There is a patch file that will reduce the refresh time from 15 seconds down to 5,4,3,2 or 1 seconds.

[HeavyLint]

I use Pocket Streets 2005 on a smartphone w/ a bluetooth GPS unit and it works very well. I wrote a small utility to edit GPS coordinates in PS pushpins and even create lat/lon based pushpins for off-road locations.

 

For smartphone users check out:

 

http://www.modaco.com/GPSPins_for_Pocket_S...05-t228976.html

 

Currently working on importing and creating PS pushpins from LOC and KML files.

[+JohnnyVegas]

I have been using Street and Trips and I am very pleaesd with it. Once I run a PQ I use GSAK to send the file to Streets and Trips, Then I copy the map with the caches for Pocket streets and load it to my Pocket PC. This gives me a map of all the caches in the area I am going to be in. Then when I fid a cache I change to pushpin icon to the happy face icon.

This also gives me the Streets and trips POI file that tends to be more current than the Direct route version. But my Direct route is 2+ years old and were live now they are buliding thouhsands of houses and dozens of shoppoing centers. Other than that Direct route is fine.

But I may need to by more current version of Streets and trips. I also bought mine at Costco, $14.95 after rebate, I already own more than on GPS so I hade no need for another one. For the price of $14.95 it is one of the best deals around for mapping sofrtware.

[+IV_Warrior]

I haven't used it, but I have used Delorme's Street Atlas with their USB-GPS. (Note, unless you've found a sale, Street Atlas is cheaper than S&T when buying the GPS/software combo and is, in my opinion, better) The Delorme one works very well, generally locking on quickly and holding signal very well. I especially like that it's "no batteries needed" and that I didn't have to play the "trial and error" game to find a serial to USB converter that actually works dependably for hours on end. That game could have gotten very expensive very quickly.

[gilmar]

What is the interface like using Streets & Trips with a Magellan (eXplorist)? Do you download detail maps and get driving directions on the fly like with MapSend, or do you have to plot your route before you download the map? Is there a difference between MS Streets & Trips and MS Autoroute? One feature that S&T seems to have that MapSend does not is the ability to choose an alternate route to the same destination. If I'm on the road and want to plug in a new route or destination on the map, can I do that from the gps menu or do I have to pull off, plot a new route on the computer, download it into the gps, then get on the road again?

[+Team Redpenny01]

In July I ordered the GARMIN Vista, we were going on vacation to keywest with a stopover in anderson SC and wanted to use it to help us get where we were going. It had not arrived as of the night before our departure. So my hubby ran out and bought S&T w/gps. IT WORKED WONDERFULLY! The only trouble was going thru mountain tunnels (go figure, maybe tons and tons of rock above had something to do with it). You can set it to track your location and leave a trail. When we zoomed into the closest it would go and stopped at a stoplight, the gps was exactly where we were. I would say it was accurate to within at max 6-10 feet, much closer than I have been able to get with the vista.

[vagabond]

You might want to look at 2006 with the gps

 

streets and trips 2006

[+Muddler]

What is the interface like using Streets & Trips with a Magellan (eXplorist)?  Do you download detail maps and get driving directions on the fly like with MapSend, or do you have to plot your route before you download the map?  Is there a difference between MS Streets & Trips and MS Autoroute?  One feature that S&T seems to have that MapSend does not is the ability to choose an alternate route to the same destination.  If I'm on the road and want to plug in a new route or destination on the map, can I do that from the gps menu or do I have to pull off, plot a new route on the computer, download it into the gps, then get on the road again?

 

The MS S&T software is used on a PC and will not xfer maps to the Explorist. Using MS S&T on a laptop will allow you to connect a GPS into the computer and the software will use the output of the GPS to show you where you are on a moving map.

[+Crystal Sound]

I've used S&T 2005 with a USB-serial adapter just fine, with my Garmin Foretrex 101.

 

I had an old IBM Thinkpad, that for some reason, the built-in serial port was dead. I added a Belkin usb-serial converter, set S&T to use the COM port that the belkin emulated.

 

Naturally, whichever GPS unit you use, you will need to set it to NMEA protocol output, and I think 4800 baud.

 

I've NOT tried a GPS with built=in USB directly to S&T.

Edited October 17, 2005 by Crystal Sound