Laptop mapping software

[gulfscuba]

I thought I would buy some mapping software for my laptop and connect a GPS antenna to it.

 

I saw MS Streets and Trips with a GPS locator so I bought it.

 

I am not real happy with this software. The biggest problem is the L/L formats do not match my handheld or the formats listed for the caches. The software only does decimal or D/M/S, but only 2 decimal places. Also I don't think it will import the LOC files but I haven't gotten that far yet.

 

Just for grins I tried EasyGPS but it does not see the GPS antenna connected to the laptop. I think it is looking for NMEA and the antenna must be putting out some propritary data.

 

Does anyone have any input on other software or workaround with what I bought?

[+PDOP's]

Importing waypoints to Microsoft Streets & Trips with GPSBabel. You can also use GSAK to automate this. (GSAK uses GPSBabel "Under the Hood")

[gpsu]

I thought I would buy some mapping software for my laptop and connect a GPS antenna to it.

........

The biggest problem is the L/L formats do not match my handheld or the formats listed for the caches. The software only does decimal or D/M/S, but only 2 decimal places. Also I don't think it will import the LOC files but I haven't gotten that far yet.

............

I think it is looking for NMEA and the antenna must be putting out some propritary data.

.............

Does anyone have any input on other software or workaround with what I bought?

 

You could try "GPS Utility" - see www.gpsu.co.uk. This will display your data in a large variety of different formats incluing DMS and many grid formats. You can use it with a background map of your choice by calibrating the map to the data (you supply the maps). It handles LOC, GPX and KML files and you can transfer your data/from to your GPS.

 

You did not mention which sort of GPS antenna you have and so it is not possible to tell you if this is supported by GPSU. If standard NMEA or a Garmin device, then it is probably supported.

[+IV_Warrior]

The GPS that comes with MS S&T (or the one that comes with Delorme Street Atlas, a better program in my opinion) is a "mouse" reciever, you can't send anything to it, so EasyGPS probably doesn't look to it for anything.

 

I haven't used S&T in years, but I recall having to use GPSBabel to convert the files to .csv (or S&T pushpin) then import that file into S&T.

[+Alan2]

You mentioned you have a handheld (gpsr or PDA). Which one? Doesn't the mfr of the handheld, if GPSr, have a navigation program you cn also use on your laptop?

[+SussexMedic]

I have been using MS S&T for geocache trip planning and in vehicle Nav for a few months and it has worked well for me. I had to develop a couple of quick GSAK macros to automatically export the cache waypoints as Pushpin Files (.csv) but that wasn't a big deal. I also had to write a short hotkey macro to recreate the Pushpins in MS S&T because the S&T file doesn't seem to automatically update them if you overwrite the .csv files. Overall to a single macro button push in GSAK but it was a pain to get it all working.

 

If you'd like to use the Pharos GPSr included in S&T, I have used it with Franson GPSGate which exports NMEA to virtual COM Ports that would think could be read by the other programs.

 

Hope some a that helped.

[freeweel]

I had Streets and Trips, and I didn't like it much either. I use a Haicom CF GPS with my Windows CE based PDA, and I have purchased DeLorme's Street Atlas USA software that works with a PDA or PC. It works quite well for Geo Caching and it is low cost (<$40). The user interface took me a bit to get used to, but once I figured it out it is quite powerful. I am much more impressed with this than Streets and Trips.

[+ILBandit]

Importing waypoints to Microsoft Streets & Trips with GPSBabel. You can also use GSAK to automate this. (GSAK uses GPSBabel "Under the Hood")

 

Thank you very much for this information!! I never realized the this could be done. I just did it with a 500 cache querry I ran, and it works great.

 

I definately will be putting this to use in the future. Thanks again!