Re: GPS With lat/long&utm
From: Roy (roybassist_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 11/24/04
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Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2004 11:59:15 -0700
"John H Ross" <ross730@nothnbut.net> wrote in message
news:41A36DEA.1000808@nothnbut.net...
> I am getting into treasure hunting ghost towns using topographical maps
> what is the best gps unit needed to use with topographical maps
>
Just about any of the commonly available consumer GPS receivers will support
both lat/long and UTM (and usually dozens of other formats as well). I
believe that any unit you are likely to buy will also allow you to input
waypoints by entering coordinates that you have scaled from a paper map. If
there are any that don't, hopefully someone will respond to this and say so.
A more convenient way to get points into your reciever is to purchase topo
map software that will communicate with your receiver via a data cable.
Products like Maptech Terrain Navigator or National Geographic Topo! do this
(although I've had some problems with the latest version of Topo!, and
others have complained about it, too). These products typically provide you
with USGS topo maps for an entire state. You won't be able to upload the
maps themselves to your GPS receiver; only the maps made by the GPS
manufacturer can do that, regardless of what brand you buy (see parenthetic
comment below). But what you can do with these software packages is set
waypoints quickly and easily on your computer and then transfer them to your
GPS for use. It beats the heck out of scaling them.
(Actually, it is now possible to make your own maps that can be uploaded to
Garmin, but it isn't easy or simple. I believe there are some third party
vendors who are producing maps for parts of the world that Garmin doesn't
cover. But for your purposes, you should consider that the only maps you
will be able to upload will be those produced by the GPS manufacturer.)
Once you have the waypoints in the GPS, you can print a copy of the map
showing the waypoints to take with you to the field. This makes it easy to
locate your position on the map by getting the bearing and distance from any
waypoint and then plotting that on the map using a compass. Easier than
scaling in, even if using UTM coordinates. Personally, I would never go to
the boonies without a paper map if I have any choice, not just for safety,
but because of the additional information it makes available.
These topo map software packages will also do a number of other useful
functions, but just having convenient access to the maps is a great benefit.
For your use, you may not need a mapping GPS receiver. If you use waypoints
and a paper map as described above, you could probably get along fine
without a mapping GPS. But do be sure to get one that can transfer data to
and from a PC. There are many uses for this capability, not the least of
which is the ability to update the firmware in the GPS receiver when the
manufacture makes it available.
Be sure to check out this site: http://www.gpsinformation.net/. You'll find
a lot of useful information to help you decide what to buy and where to buy.
-- Regards, Roy
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