USGS Maps?

[Guest Atilla the Pun]

Are the USGS maps available in a software format for download into a GPS?

 

Also, what scale USGS maps would you recommend for GeoCaching?

Thanks,

 

AtP

[Guest rdwatson78]

There are no USGS maps that can be downloaded to the GPS. Both Garmin and Magellan have their own proprietary formats. Garmins use only Mapsource software and Magellans can only use Mapsend.

 

However you can make routes with any software you like and then download those to the GPS.

 

rdw

[Guest JAMCC47]

I use the TOPO program for making maps for hiking or caching. Also use UTM'S quite extensively. Here are some links for your information:

http://mac.usgs.gov/mac/isb/pubs/factsheets/fs07701.html#point

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

http://www.cnde.iastate.edu/staff/swormley/maps/utm.html

http://www.astro.uio.no/~kjetikj/compass/

http://www.equipped.org/devices26.htm

http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/topo/

http://www.education.qld.gov.au/tal/kla/compass/index.html

http://www.brunton.com/

http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/manual/mapcompass.shtml

 

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JoseCanUSea

[Guest Atilla the Pun]

Thanks for the feedback. So what scale paper USGS maps would you recommend for GeoCaching and where can I get them?

 

Jam, Thanks for all the links, I'll be working on digesting all that for a while.

 

AtP

[Guest Atilla the Pun]

Thanks for the feedback. So what scale paper USGS maps would you recommend for GeoCaching and where can I get them?

 

Jam, Thanks for all the links, I'll be working on digesting all that for a while.

 

AtP

[Guest peter]

The 1:24000 scale 7.5' quads are the most commonly used USGS maps for hiking and are most suitable for geocaching. Note the datum since these are generally NAD27 rather than the WGS84 used on the geocaching site.

www.topozone.com is a good source.

[Guest jfitzpat]

tp://www.mytopo.com" TARGET=_blank>http://www.mytopo.com

 

You custom center the map and it comes printed on a water proof backing. Custom centering can be nice when you are visiting something that straddles a regular quad boundary, and the backing is undeniably more durable than the USGS paper standard.

 

I think that National Geographic was doing machines that basically do the same thing, but the one at the mall near me is now gone. You can buy water resistant printer paper for printing with mapping programs as well.

 

-jjf

[Guest Rich in NEPA]

quote:

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Originally posted by jfitzpat:

You can buy water resistant printer paper for printing with mapping programs as well.

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I see that Nat'l Geo has a synthetic, wateproof, inkjet paper that they sell for personal mapmaking.

 

 

Has anyone tried this stuff? If so, what's it like, and how well does it hold up? TIA

 

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~Rich in NEPA~

 

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? A man with a GPS receiver knows where he is; a man with two GPS receivers is never sure. ?

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[Guest Hawk-eye]

quote:

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Originally posted by Rich in NEPA:

I see that Nat'l Geo ...Has anyone tried this stuff? If so, what's it like, and how well does it hold up?

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ME too ... I've tried some of the "water resistent" bumper sticker materials ... yeah it's water proof but the ink jet ink isn't. I wonder if the maps have the same issue ... paper holds together and ink becomes a soup!

 

 

[This message has been edited by Hawk-eye (edited 05 March 2002).]

[Guest Rich in NEPA]

quote:

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Originally posted by Hawk-eye:

... yeah it's water proof but the ink jet ink isn't.

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Hawk-Eye and others, if you are looking for a superb product for your digital photos, you might want to check out Pictorico Pro Photo Gallery High-Gloss White Film. Although I haven't tried it in an extended outdoor environment, this stuff is amazingly water-resistant, and produces the most stunningly sharp and vivid photos I've ever seen come out of an inkjet printer!

 

http://www.pictorico.com/ceramicParticle.asp

 

It has ceramic coating on a synthetic (plastic?) base and the glossy surface is as smooth as glass. I've soaked prints from my HP970Cse in water and they dry flat and without smearing or running of the inks. Of course, it is more expensive than stardard glossy photo paper, so I only use it for displaying my most worthy photographs. It resists fingerprints very well, so, if you don't mind the cost, it's really a great media for smaller prints that you can pass around, or for use as photo business cards. (FWIW, I've gotten good pricing at Amazon.com and Adoramacamera.com.)

 

~Rich in NEPA~

 

[This message has been edited by Rich in NEPA (edited 05 March 2002).]

[Guest Hawk-eye]

Thanks Rich ... I'll give it a try

 

[Guest Alan2]

Epsom makes a water resistant ink. Here's some info I copied off the web. I think this printer was mention in another post recently. I don't have it so I can't comment personally about its value:

 

"Epsom makes the Stylus C80 excelled in our Labs' text print-speed tests, averaging a blazing 6.1ppm (pages per minute), which is faster than nearly all the inkjets our Labs has tested so far (even the more expensive ones). At 1.4ppm, its graphics print speeds are also reasonably fast compared to those of most home inkjets. However, it took the Stylus C80 5.6 minutes to print our 8x10-inch test photograph--that's fairly slow compared to other inkjets.

 

A slippery slope

This printer marks the introduction of Epson's new DuraBrite pigment-based inks, which are designed to be brighter and clearer, as well as moisture- and fade-resistant"

[+KD7MXI]

I DOWNLOAD TO EASYGPS THEN TO MY GPS THEN TO MY "DELORM HUNT'N'MAP" THEN PRINT IT

 

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73s from kd7mxi

TERRA UTAH USA

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146.520 simplex

frs-1 no pl

cb-19 am

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