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Palm T5 + GPS Globalsat + what program for hiking

 
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fendleroc





Joined: 13 Feb 2005
Posts: 13

PostPosted: 3/1/2006, 12:51 am    Post subject: Palm T5 + GPS Globalsat + what program for hiking Reply to topic Reply with quote

Hi,

Several month ago, I bought a gps system (palm T5 + globalsat bluetooth) with a street navigation system and I'm very please with it.

Now, I'd like to use it for hiking. Does anyone know a good program to download a topo map and way points. I've tried pathaway but found it quite difficult for me. One of my purpose is to hike the wave in june.

Thanks a lot
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IGO





Joined: 08 Feb 2005
Posts: 4144
Location: Las Vegas

PostPosted: 3/1/2006, 4:03 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

http://thirdrockfrom.org/topos.htm
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir
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thesuperstitions
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PostPosted: 3/1/2006, 5:38 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I use an iPAQ (PocketPC) with a bluetooth receiver on occaision for hiking and geocaching (like last Saturday on the First Water to Charlebois Spring) and have 3 different topo packages for the handheld that I can use, including Delorme's Topo USA, National Geographic's TOPO! and Garmin's US Topo. Each of these packages comes with software for your desktop/laptop that lets you create maps, tracks and waypoints and uploads/downloads from handheld.

They all have their strengths and weaknesses. For usability in the field, Garmin's software is pretty good on the handheld. Delorme's... not great, but usable. Topo! is OK. Since you already have a non-Garmin product, going with NG TOPO! would probably be your best bet, although you have to buy software for states individually and the maps aren't as good on the desktop as Delorme's. There just isn't one package that does everything well. Either they're clunky on the desktop or the useability on the handheld is lacking. I've been using different packages for different application, and converting the data between them.

Once you have a track from a hike, you'll want to upload it to your laptop/desktop machine and display it on a map. In my opinion, the best topo map display software is Delorme's. The maps are more readable and understandable than any of the others I've seen. IGO's pictures show the differences very nicely. Too bad their handheld software isn't as good! You can convert one product's format to another product's format using a free program called GPS Babel. This is a simple and very handy tool.

Normally to use Garmin software on a handheld you'd need a Garmin receiver. But I recently found a way around that. You'll still need a legal copy of their software and setup disk for the GPS-10 (maybe others will work too. Not sure) and a valid Garmin device ID, but you can use any Bluetooth receiver with it. Here's a link about how to do this: http://www.aximsite.com/articles/print.php?id=318

As for street navigation, I use iGuidance from iNavCorp. It's outstanding! I've used a few different packages and find it to be the best, although I've not used TomTom, which I hear is very good also. You definately don't want to use Delorme's Street Atlas USA for handhelds for street navigation. I'm sure that the beta testers are all dead due to horrible mishaps while trying to use this crappy software! Garmin's MapSource City Select is quite usable, but not as polished as iGuidance. One thing you can do with it though that's nice is to set a waypoint (like a geocache location out in the sticks) and navigate to it via roads. When you get to the end of the road, just switch to the topo of the area and navigate to the waypoint.
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gpsjoe





Joined: 01 Feb 2004
Posts: 535
Location: Mesa AZ

PostPosted: 3/1/2006, 8:38 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Funny you should mention "The Wave". GB and I just did this one on Monday just 2 days ago.

We followed the directions which include a topo map and accurate GPS waypoints one of which is for the entrance to the wave. (Note: He mentions a sign at the turnoff from the Wire Pass wash at 0.55 miles which is not there at this time). Also we navigated to the black crack which can be seen more than a mile away making getting there easy.

Since we both carry GPSs, we had the freedom to wander off and do a free style loop on the way back having total confidence we could navigate back to the track we did on the way in. So we logged about 7.6 miles instead of the usual 6.

You are doing this one in June so expect it to be hot and totally unprotected from the sun. Even though the elevation gain is trivial there are some ups and downs and you will accumulate more than 1,000 feet of gain (we did 1,800 because we went higher after the wave). Also some of the hiking is across soft sand including sand dunes that adds weight to you footsteps. So take plenty of water for your June venture.

See GB's excellent pictures and/or mine.
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IGO





Joined: 08 Feb 2005
Posts: 4144
Location: Las Vegas

PostPosted: 3/1/2006, 6:58 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Good stuff Ken.
I probably should say I am biased to the Delorme soley for it's PC usability as none of the topos work well for me for navigating on the 2 inch screen of my Garmin GPSmap60CS. There's just not enough detail on the monitor to pend critical desisions on.
I use my GPS to keep records of travel and for that, uploading to the MapSource Maps on my PC is just fine. I'm with Ken when I want to poor over maps on my PC for trip planning, Delorme is the best topo software. I like MS Streets and Trips for highway planning but I've had great results using Garmins Maps for acual road trip navigation right off the GPS.
One thing you might want to look into Ken. The Mapsource US Topo is what, 100,000 scale or worse? There National Parks maps are 24,000 or 7.5 minute which makes them MUCH more useful in the field. Try one out if you can.
_________________
"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir
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IGO





Joined: 08 Feb 2005
Posts: 4144
Location: Las Vegas

PostPosted: 3/1/2006, 7:04 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

gpsjoe wrote:

Since we both carry GPSs, we had the freedom to wander off and do a free style loop on the way back having total confidence we could navigate back to the track we did on the way in. So we logged about 7.6 miles instead of the usual 6.


This is probably the greatest thing, to me, about GPS usage in the field.
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir
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thesuperstitions
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PostPosted: 3/1/2006, 7:38 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

IGO, you're right about the small screen on the GPS. I find myself zooming out and then back in all the time to gain perspective. It's not so bad on the PocketPC since the screen is larger. Both have advantages and disadvantages. The Pocket PC, while giving a better display, is quite a power hog relative to a Garmin or Magellan handheld GPS. I do like it for its versatility though. Like I mentioned, I can use the PocketPC and the Bluetooth receiver for outstanding automatic street routing (using iGuidance software) and then go right into a hike with topos (using the Garmin, TOPO! or Delorme software). For day hikes this works fine but for multi-day treks you'd have to carry too many batteries. The other advantage of the PocketPC is that when a newer and better chipset (like the SirfStar III) comes on the market, I can just replace the old BT receiver with the new one for about $100.00. Not so with the Garmins and Magellans.

They're all just tools (or is that "toys"?) and each has their place. As do those maps and compasses!
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IGO





Joined: 08 Feb 2005
Posts: 4144
Location: Las Vegas

PostPosted: 3/1/2006, 7:44 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Yeah Ken, somebody here once said all ya really need is a knife and in the long run, that is true. LOL
Still, I'd also like a pair of shorts too! Razz
_________________
"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir
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fendleroc





Joined: 13 Feb 2005
Posts: 13

PostPosted: 3/3/2006, 3:37 am    Post subject: gps topomap Reply to topic Reply with quote

thank you all for your very interesting answers. I hope I'll have a great time. So I plan to go to the paria station the day before and start early in the morning. At what time, do you think, I should start?
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RedRoxx44
Queen of the Walkabout




Joined: 15 Jan 2004
Posts: 1167

PostPosted: 3/3/2006, 4:47 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

For photography at the Wave, I have found the best times around 10:00 in the am or mid afternoon, but not too late as it will be in shadows, but that makes for some interesting shots. I've been there about 4 times, first time 12+ years ago. The permit system now is frustrating. I think I got a permit once. I've cross countried all over the Buttes, at first without a map, so can find my way there pretty well.
Just go to "Top Rock" and you will find the Wave.
The whole area is gorgeous. If rain, from the Wave head slightly northwest, behind a ridgeline, ascend slightly then find a huge Tinaja, complete with "lunch or nap rock", swimming hole and water reeds, in a surreal candy striped bowl.

You can continue to ascend and drop down a steep rock face with good traction to a sand wash and continue out that way.

Will be very hot June-- plan accordingly.
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