+team travel pig Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 heard the NPR segment, met up with a local cacher, and now I'm hooked and in the throes of wanting a GPS. I see the Magellan Meridien is going for a steal... But will it talk to my iMac? Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 Check out this web page. PDOP's GPS Pages Quote Link to comment
+team travel pig Posted May 3, 2003 Author Share Posted May 3, 2003 just as i thought... almost anything is mac compatible if you're prepared to buy 500 switches and plugs and gizmos to make it so... *sigh* Quote Link to comment
+Cache Hunter D Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 www.macgpspro.com Software: ~50.00usd Cable: ~50.00usd Not too bad, $100 and one extra cable. -W Quote Link to comment
+Team Giblert Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 Hi there. I too am a Mac person and I recently purchased an eTrex Vista. It comes with a cable but unfortunately it doesn't talk to my Mac. However, I just bought a USB ---> Serial Converter (9-pin RS-232) and that did the trick. They seem to be going for $10-20 US on Ebay and I bought my new for $30 CDN. Good luck! Quote Link to comment
+team travel pig Posted May 5, 2003 Author Share Posted May 5, 2003 thanks - i'll go and look on the bay... ___________________________________ there is no knowledge, only things, which is really old knowledge. Quote Link to comment
Captain Chaoss Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 Once you get the cables, what mapping software does anyone recommend for the mac? Two roads diverged in the woods and I, I took the one less traveled, and that is how I found the cache. Quote Link to comment
+George1 Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 Team Gilbert I am getting a Venture and I hope it will talk to my Mac. Am I getting this correct, that the cable with the Garmin is not a usb but some other type of connection and I will need to buy that cable to make it work? George1 Quote Link to comment
+Matt1344 Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 I use an etrex Vista with my Macs. I use the MacGPS Pro software to convert the loc files to waypoints and transfer them to the Mac. That's all I do with the software though I understand it is capable of a whole lot more. Seems like I read there used to be a shareware version of MacGPS. That might be a better approach if all you want to do is move waypoints. And yes, you do need a serial to USB adapter. How come these GPS receivers are not firewire (or at least USB) ready? BTW, I used a PC to load my Garmin maps on the Vista. You can do it with VirtualPC but it was easier to just use a PC at work. Quote Link to comment
+team travel pig Posted May 10, 2003 Author Share Posted May 10, 2003 good advice here - thanks all... must say that for now i'm considering using the pc at work too... at least for a while. taking my husband on his first, me second hunt this evening (it's too hot in tx to be out all day...) ___________________________________ there is no knowledge, only things, which is really old knowledge. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted May 10, 2003 Share Posted May 10, 2003 Mac users can also hit the local library to download waypoints/maps, etc... I know of one mac user who does that. They were even smart enough to convince the library to purchase the Mapsource Roads & Rec software. "It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues" -Abraham Lincoln Quote Link to comment
+aka Monkey Posted May 10, 2003 Share Posted May 10, 2003 I urge everyone here to contact their respective manufacturers (Garmin, Magellan, etc) andd urge them to release a version for the Mac. If they don't think there's interest, they won't pursue it. Below is a copy of the email I sent to Garmin's cartography department: Now that the Mac is running Unix ala OS X, this would be a great time to offer a Macintosh version of the MapSource software. It would be easy to come out with versions which support both Mac and all the Unix/Linux geeks using X Windows (http://www.apple.com/macosx/x11/). I realize that Macs make up a small percentage of computer users (around 5%) but I'd be surprised if a large percentage of GPS owners don't use Macs or some variation of Unix/Linux. I note that MacGPS for OS X has been downloaded from VersionTracker over 3,000 times (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/11610). Add to that the fact that Mac users tend to be better educated and have more money (http://news.com.com/2100-1040-943519.html?tag=fd_top) and you get people who require less technical support and are more likely to buy your software. I'm sure you know all this, but it never hurts to nag, nag, nag. I, for one, would gladly pre-order copies of both MetroGuide and Topo. I suppose if I wait long enough someone might reverse engineer your map data and release an open source interface for OS X, which I could just download, but I'd much rather pay for the software. Either way, thanks for a great product. - J. Charles Holt Quote Link to comment
+bigeddy Posted May 10, 2003 Share Posted May 10, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Captain Chaoss:Once you get the cables, what mapping software does anyone recommend for the mac? The main Mac players are the commercial products MacGPS and GPSy. Both work well; I use MacGPS. If all you want to do is manipulate waypoints, the beta of Mac SimpleGPS might be enough. If you want to upload the proprietary map databases used in GPS receivers, such as Garmin MapSource, you will need (ugh) VirtualPC. For Mac users who already have VirtualPC because of other needs, they can use whatever PC apps float their boat. quote:Originally posted by Matt1344:How come these GPS receivers are not firewire (or at least USB) ready? It's a mystery. Even new PCs come with USB rather than the older serial connectors. Maybe they need some new blood in the engineering departments. [This message was edited by bigeddy on May 10, 2003 at 07:32 AM.] Quote Link to comment
GeoGerard Posted May 10, 2003 Share Posted May 10, 2003 Yep, it is possible. I know it is far away, but this dealer in NL can give you an idea wat is possible. Just mail him, his website is: http://www.macsupport.nl/ and look for the link to the left, called Mac en GPS. He understands quite good English and if not his personel will ! email : schermer@macsupport.nl iBook and GPS connected: USB Cable: Serial Cable: http://geogerard.geocacher.nl/ Quote Link to comment
GeoGerard Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 The same question is now asked on the Dutch Forum http://geogerard.geocacher.nl/ Quote Link to comment
+team travel pig Posted June 14, 2003 Author Share Posted June 14, 2003 thanks. ___________________________________ who's got the pig? Quote Link to comment
+jollybgood Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 I would highly recommend VPC6 if you're running OSX. IT works flawlessly on G4s and the speed is sufficient enough that I've actually fooled several friends into thinking I have a PC. No, you won't be playing 3D Games using VPC but it runs programs like Mapsource, EasyGPS and other PC utilities perfectly. (I routinely upload 19 megs of maps to my GPSV for example.) In fact I'm posting via VPC (windows 2000) and Explorer right now. Many of the low opinions of VPC people have are based on earlier, less perfect versions from years past. Check ebay. You'll find some good deals. If you already have Windows simply buy the VPC itself. You should be able to find it for 100 bucks or so. You can install Windows into VPC just like you would a PC. The installer configures everything and there's very little tinkering or settings for you to adjust. I pretty much installed it out of the box and was able to play DVD's, print, surf the net etc. Jolly R. Blackburn http://kenzerco.com "Never declare war on a man who buys his ink by the gallon." Quote Link to comment
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