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Preferred Route Planning / Tracking Software?


Guest Rubbertoe

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Guest Rubbertoe

Pardon me if this is the thousandth time this has been asked, but I'm looking for opinions on the best route planning, and route tracking software for GPS use.

 

Basically, I'm wanting something with maps, that I can just click around on to make routes - and also, I'd like to be able to dump the data from my GPS plotter recording (or whatever it's called) and have the software generate a map based on the path that I took during my travels.

 

There seem to be at least a dozen different apps out there - either shareware, freeware, or commercial... but it's nearly impossible to tell how their features really stack up without hands-on use.

 

ExpertGPS looks nice - but I don't like relying on internet maps... I mean, I would worry that somehow they could become unavailable to me for some reason, after the product was purchased.

 

Anyway - any info is appreciated, and again, I don't intend to annoy anyone if this has already been covered time and time again - just looking for some fresh data here. icon_smile.gif

 

Toe.

 

(I'm currently using an Eagle Explorer, but that could change if the better tracking/planning software doesn't support it)

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Guest gstrong1

I also use Garmins Roads & Recreation software, as well as their Topo.I also bought DeLormes Street Atlas USA-8 software plus their Topo, but I prefer the Garmin.Very easy to use.Expensive,but the amount I use it,it is worth it.

 

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Gary "Gimpy" Strong

Rochester,NY

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Guest Exocet

Not to diverge from the topic too much, but I don't use any software really. I like to plot caches I plan to visit on my DeLorme topo map of Oregon. I've never got driving directions to a cache and so far I've done pretty well. I usually use the topo map in conjunction with maps on my GPS unit for the last 5-15km of my journey.

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Guest ClayJar

quote:
Originally posted by Exocet:

I've never got driving directions to a cache and so far I've done pretty well.


 

There's absolutely no way I could have hit the caches I hit last weekend without having done the meticulous driving route planning and waypoint marking I did. Of course, there were a lot of rural roads in there, and at a few went to gravel and beyond. My waypoints were on the spot (I love you, MapBlast!), and it was interesting to see that during one particular leg, I had to drive two and a quarter times as far as a crow flies (and that's only counting horizontally).

 

Of course, if the roads had been less like siamese spaghetti, it may not have been as important.

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Guest joshgray

Personally i think the for-mentioned "download multiple" option would be the coolest and handiest for us. Maybe like when you do a search for a zipcode put it at the top and would grab all on that page.. Wouldn't think this would take much time to implement, eh? The files just look like simple xml output from the database..

 

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JoshGray

http://joshgray.myip.org

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Guest lhocking

I have been using ExpertGPS and it works as advertised. Take a track/route and pull down a topo or photo to it or start with the map and plot your route. No it does not seem to support your Eagle (not on the GPS choices anyway). Also has downloadable waypoint sets for each state. Wish that the map folks had access to Canada, but that is the only shortcoming that I have run across.

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Guest Hawk-eye

I agree with Clayjar ... I just did a 7 cache day Saturday ... picked the area ... plotted the cache locations on Garmin's Topo ... Looking at the locations ... I took Delorme's Street Atlas and printed specific road maps ... usually an overview and a close up near cache (never really use the route planning feature) ... then if the hike is longer or the landscape is complicated enough I print Topos from Ter.Navigator of cache site. I then staple together a packet for each site ... number them and put them my cache bag ... just pull them ... 1,2,3... works like a Swiss watch. Other than downloading the caches to the Vista ... I'm set to go ... no getting lost ... no lost miles .... just plan old geocaching fun.

icon_biggrin.gif

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Daniel Boone when asked if he'd ever been lost before ... he answered "no, but I was a mite confused for three days once."

 

[This message has been edited by Hawk-eye (edited 01 July 2001).]

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