Making Scaled TopoZone Printouts...

[+BletchleyPark]

Lately, I have been taking short (<8km) hikes in areas where I really wanted to have a topo map from which I could navigate to interesting destinations. I usually carry a USGS topo map, a good compass [with roamer scales), and my GPSr.

 

Last week I planned a trip to an area for which I did not have a topo map. Trips to the local map dealers were fruitless as they were all missing the appropriate quad (conspiracy?). Since I did not have time to order the map before I left, I created a mini-topo, correctly scaled (1:24,000 so I could use it with the roamer scales and the GPSr for navigation) from the free TopoZone web site printouts. Here's how:

 

Note: I am using a PC with the screen resolution set to 1024x768. I also have a program (Photoshop LE) that will let me resize an image based on pixel width and height. You can probably do this with any computer and image application, but the instructions below cover my particular environment.

 

** The goal here is to resize a cropped "screenshot" of the TopoZone print page so that the resulting map grid is correctly scaled for 1:24000 when printed out.

 

1. Input yur coordinates into the TopoZone web site (or use the link from the cache page if you want to print a scaled map of the cache area). Remember that geocaching.com uses WGS84 and TopoZone uses NAD27. For the most accurate map, make sure you do the conversion before inputting the coordinates from geocaching.com or the little red cross will be located incorrectly.

 

2. When your map is displayed, make sure you select the 1:25000 scale option (the map actually prints out at something like 1:18000 so it is useless for roamer scales). Also, make sure that you ave selected the "small" mapsize.

 

3. Click the "Print this Map" button on the lower right of the screen. The map will reformat for printing and will be redisplayed. Make sure your browser window is set to full screen.

 

4. Capture this screen to the clipboard (Alt+PrtScr on the PC).

 

5. Fire-up your image editing program and create a new image from the clipboard by pasting the TopoZone screenshot into the program. Crop the screenshot so that just the map and the distance scales are included.

 

6. Save this "raw" image. You may need to make repeated adjustments to the final image size. Each time you make an adjustment, you should start with this raw image

 

** What follows are the instructions for Photoshop LE. Your program may have different ways of performing the actions.

 

7. Resize the "raw" image (Image|Image Size) to a width of about 480 pixels. Change the print resolution to 300 pixels per inch. Check the Constrain the Proportions and Resample Image checkboxes. Choose "Bicubic" as the resample method.

 

8. Use landscape page orientation and print out the image.

 

9. Check the map's grid with your 1:24000 roamer scale. It should be pretty close.

 

10. Adjust to match the roamer scale by starting again with the raw file and repeating Step 7, varying the pixel width until the map grid is the proper size.

 

11. When you have made your final adjustment, save the image with a new name.

 

12. On your final map printout, add your easting and northing grid line numbers. Also, make a note on the map identifying the scale, contour interval, and the variation from true north for both Magnetic North and Grid North.

 

Note that the geographic area covered by a 1;24000 topo generated by this method is about 3km high by about 4km wide.

 

Let me know if this works for you!

 

Cheers,

 

BP

[+Markwell]

I like Lostoutdoors.com. Scalable, WGS-84, takes various formats of coordinates and precise (puts a dot on the spot). Never steered me wrong. You can also get Satellite photos of the same spot with one click.

 

Markwell

Chicago Geocaching

[+BletchleyPark]

I was not able to print a map from lostoutdoors.com and have it be properly scaled for use with UTM roamer scales (rulers). Am I missing something? Doesn't post-processing need to be done to ensure that the printout is of the proper scale to be referenced by navigation rulers?

 

Are you able to take the paper directly from your printer and have the grids be correct for any common scale on a topographic ruler? That is to say, do the print out's grids exactly match the *dimensions* of the easting/northing grids of a store-bought topo map?

 

If you are able to do that with the lostoutdoors site, would you please let me know what options you are selecting?

 

Thanks!

 

BP

[+Alan2]

Hi BP> I know it costs money but National Geographic Topo ($99.00 for 8 northeast states on 10 CD's) has all the 24,000 7.5 quads maps as well as 100,000 amd state overview as well. You can print with UTM 1000 meter lines or any scale you want.(ie. lines every mile, 100 meters, 500 meters etc. or no lines at all). I never thought about your problem because I don't use roamer scales in the field. I normal print full scale and while I have 1000 meter lines on the printout, they're not the same scale as NGS maps.(they're smaller)

 

However, I just played with Topo scaling factor until the UTM lines and scale matched what they should be on my printer (happens to be 64% for my HP Laser printer). ZIf you're interested I could email sample "snapshots" although the scaling of course won't work with your printer without the actual program. Give me a centerpoint coordinate in Mass so you ca compare to a paper quad you have at home.

 

Alan

[+lostinjersey]

I just picked up topo usa 4.0 & I love it. I cant say if it does the thingsd you're asking about because I just got it and for some annoying reason delorme products dont come with a manual pre-printed. 147 sheets of paper & a trip to the store for a new catridge later I printed out the manual. havent had a chance to crack it open all the way, just read up enough to get started. and was very impressed. I especially liked the 3d maps. That was way impressive.

 

 

www.gpswnj.com

[+Web-ling]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markwell:

I like http://www.lostoutdoors.com. Scalable, WGS-84, takes various formats of coordinates and precise (puts a dot on the spot). Never steered me wrong. You can also get Satellite photos of the same spot with one click.

---

I usually hunt GPSr-less, using topo maps and aerials from www.lostoutdoors.com. Usually, the dot is as accurate as when I do use the GPSr. I've often had the dot on the correct tree in the middle of a forest. Once for an urban microcache, the dot was on the correct corner of a very small building. Very precise.

 

[geoSeeker5]

First the disclaimer: I'm new to all of this.

 

However, it seems to me that if your croped image includes the distance scales you could make your own UTC rule as described on this page.

 

http://www.maptools.com/UsingUTM/UTMcorner.html

 

Constructive criticism welcomed.

[geoSeeker5]

deleted

[+Alan2]

quote:

---

Originally posted by geoSeeker5:

First the disclaimer: I'm new to all of this.

 

However, it seems to me that if your croped image includes the distance scales you could make your own UTC rule as described on this page.

 

http://www.maptools.com/UsingUTM/UTMcorner.html

 

Constructive criticism welcomed.

---

 

I was looking for this page. Great way of doing it. Thanks for stearing us into it and welcome to geocaching.

 

Alan

[+BletchleyPark]

Yeah, the "UTM corner ruler" is what I know as a "UTM roamer scale". Thanks for grabbing that link.

 

Alan2 has enticed me with NG Topo so I will be going that route when I have a spare $100. Until then, it's handmade roamer scale city!

 

Thanks,

 

BP