Do you use your GPS?

[inside]

I got a rino 530 at the start of the year, and I use it, but don't fully use it. What is the best map for sledding? At the start I was hoping to use it and mark the areas we went to so the next time you would have that and be able to learn more and become smarter about the area. That has really not worked all that well. Also what radio channel should a person be on? I think there are lots of things a guy could do with this but I am haven trouble getting there. Any help or links would be great.

Thanks

 

[RXN]

I've got the Rhino 120 and I use it. I have Garmins Topographic map CD ROM and I load in the area I'm riding. What I would like to get is a program with all logging roads and oil lease roads, but not sure how to get that one yet.

 

[CATPRIDE]

Ya know just throwing this out there for the GPS users. There has been numberous posts on how to use a GPS's to the fullest. I for one have the Rhino 530 and do not use it to the fullest either. What I think we should try and organize a meeting where one or more people could offer some training and know how on GPS units. Like I said just throwing this out there. Not trying to steal your post or anything.

 

[inside]

No, you are not stealing it by any means, this is what I was hoping for. I am good with electronics and computers, but this thing I just look at and think that I must not use it to any potential. Some days I think I would be better with a note pad and pen.

 

[sweld]

if you want oilfield roads get oil traxs, i have it but it is a couple of yrs old but it shows every little side road and trail i am really impressed, i use it on a garmin 350, even shos cutlines and such, need to get the updated version to keep current

 

[overkill131313]

I to have the 530 and a 110 but can not work them lol. my 530 is going back to store because it has a glitch that if you turn it off it wont go back on till you pull the battery. and it got me so lost because the screen glitches all the time. this is the second one that is bumbed right out of the package. it sucks when it is a 3 hour drive to exchange it. Garm needs better QC. as for someone to show me how to use it......I would love that......or if someone could down load some maps it to it I would pay for that! my 530 has a card but the 110 does not. I feel better knowing Im not the only one that is computer dumb lol. someone please HELP us!!!!

 

[2003Summit]

Make your own maps people!!!

Make your own sled maps, at least I know how to with a Garmin:

YA, bookmark this. This is really golden info here. Someone may want to sticky this one in the GPS area. This took me a really long time to figure out.

Much different then a bunch of routes or paths on the GPS. Make your own background map and load it onto your GPS. Can be combined with other maps as well (like top maps). All the trails and POI can be labeled and searchable with the GPS find function. Can you say "holy grail"? You can also go so far as to make your trail maps rout-able (ie. "where to" autorouting feature on your trail map) but thats a little harder to do and really, lets not get crazy here, its just nice enough to see actual trail maps on the GPS and not have to use messy tracks and routes and way points for this. Stop and think about this for a sec, this is really big.

All of the GPS map software you think you are using is just handling the user data that the GPS manufactures want you to have, like way points, tracks, routes. Oh boy...what power. NOT! They don't want you to make your own maps. Major revenue stream for them. Something like OpenStreetMap is about the most scary thing in the world for them (see my foot note on this).

You need something to draw a real map, like the back ground map or the expensive topo maps or city maps you have been buying. Yes your own maps can be transparent and you can still see the other maps though them and you can turn which ever one you want on and off from the GPS whenever.

So what can you do?

Draw tracks on google earth, one thing you can do... very simple...

Convert the track to a standard GPX file, you can share this with anyone, any brand of GPS any software....use GPS Visualizer for this, it works just great.

Now, the real power:
Use one of the few free map making products like and start making maps like crazy. You can use the google tracks you drew, import your own GPS tracks (edit them as well), or draw on paper maps (after scanning them or taking a picture of them with digital cam for the big ones).
You can also use , it's not free but its cheap ($50 some) it is a bit fancier but a bit harder to learn, has some nice stuff in it though.

Here is a screen shot of my yellowstone map in mapman. Notice the Fremont county paper trail map they give you is underlayed under my map as a photo. I am drawing my GPS map ontop of it in the bold red lines. I even put the numbered sing posts in, the lakes, the park, the areas not to ride in. **ANY** gps map data can go on here. The trails (not the back ground image) and the POI and all the rest of it all end up in my GPS as a detailed background map which works just like it should.


Anyway...

Get cGPSmapper - Your Tool For Creating Maps to compile the GPS map and send the map to send the map to the GPS. (map man does some of this for you). You can also copy the maps back and forth on your own if your GPS supports USB storage mode. I do the copy myself routine as I can manage the files better myself and backup the GPS while i'm at it. Yep, you need this.

Learn how to overlay images of maps (like trail maps) onto google earth, position correct them then import the same image into mapman and use the position info from google earth to line them up, then draw the maps out on them. Works so nice. Not very hard once you have done it.

You can also use some of the other tools like gmaptool and mapupload to combine the .img files so as not to loose the GPS map you already put in it.

FAQ: Why is making maps for the Garmin GPS so freaking hard?
Cause Garmin did not want you to make any, so its really hard to figure out.

FAQ: Why do I need cgpsmapper?
Cause this polish guy is one of the only guys that figured how how to reverse engineer garmin's map format and does not charge a couple of grand for it (its free). You will always end up compiling *.mp files (stands for something polish in polish) to *.img files with cgpsmapper one way or another. Map man calls if for you so don't get scared away on this.

FAQ: Why are my previously installed maps gone?
Most garmin can only handle one map file at a time gmapsupp.img. Multiple maps can be combined into one img file using one of the other programs. But if you make a new map then just upload it onto the GPS, the last map will be gone. Some gamins can handle multiple files (like the nuvi) but you have to know the very special names to call them. Googling it is not so easy, PM me and I can find the correct info for you (too lazy to look it up right now). Basically if you already put a map on it, copy the *.img file to your computer in a safe place, then do all your map testing, then when you are done combine your custom map with the map that you saved and put the resulting single file on to the GPS. The *.img file is like a container, it can have 100's of maps in it, but only one file on the GPS or SD card. Some of these little programs can pull just the maps you want out of a file with a bunch in there too, not too hard to work with one you understand it.

The above info took about oh, maybe 100-200 or so hours to figure out. One of the problems is when googling this stuff you get hits from 1990's, early 2000's when it was really really hard. It's not as hard now if you know the right software to use. I have given you some real gems here. It takes a really long time to sift though all the crap the google search will chuck at you to find this stuff out.

Good luck.

PS: OpenStreetMap is like the wiki of Google maps. It is a Google project. Difference is Google paid navquest and others for the data. open map is a community based effort. It is made entirely from average joes uploading their GPS tracks. The scary thing is it has every street in it that Google maps does, and even more. It is very up to date, and very accurate. Plus, like wiki stuff, you can edit, change, comment, contribute etc. And, better yet, you can download the map data, and (this is where it gets real scary), you can use some of the conversion tools I talked about above and convert the map data (not re-draw it, convert it) to make your own maps. So you don't ever need to buy a street map again if you can figure this out for yourself.

 

[CATPRIDE]

Re: Make your own maps people!!!

Looks lke were going to Calmar.,Road trip GPS 101.

 

[maierch]

I use my Rhino every time I ride. I keep it in my handlebar bag and log the tracks that I make on any given day. As I don't have an altimeter on my sled I often use it to check elevations and verify clutching. When I get back from sledding I download my tracks and waypoints from the GPS into mapsource then save them as a .gpx file. This allows you to import them into Google Earth and check out where you've been. I've attached a sample of the gps tracks in Google earth.

As far as maps are concerned if you're riding in BC the only one worth having is the Canadian Topographic Map from Garmin. A lot of the logging roads are on them. I bought an 8 Gig SD card for my Rhino, that is enough storage to hold all of the Topo maps for Western Canada so you don't have to worry about loading maps for every particular area you sled in.

Oil Trax NT is great for Alberta but it has next to no coverage in BC (Except NE BC). I find that the coverage for Oil Trax is best around Grande Prairie where every goat trail around seems to be on there. I have Oil Trax loaded on a different SD card so when I want to change maps I don't have to do any loading I just pop off the battery, switch the card and reboot the device.

As far as a radio channel it all is your preference our group runs channel 6 code 1 but I think it doesn't matter as long as everyone is on the same channel. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have everyone on one channel incase the chit really hit the fan... it would be easier to call for help but I guess that's what a spot or sat phone is for....

Well thats about all I have right now if anyone has any questions feel free to ask me.

 

[ferniesnow]

Re: Make your own maps people!!!

Make your own sled maps, at least I know how to with a Garmin:

YA, bookmark this. This is really golden info here. Someone may want to sticky this one in the GPS area. This took me a really long time to figure out.

Much different then a bunch of routes or paths on the GPS. Make your own background map and load it onto your GPS. Can be combined with other maps as well (like top maps). All the trails and POI can be labeled and searchable with the GPS find function. Can you say "holy grail"? You can also go so far as to make your trail maps rout-able (ie. "where to" autorouting feature on your trail map) but thats a little harder to do and really, lets not get crazy here, its just nice enough to see actual trail maps on the GPS and not have to use messy tracks and routes and way points for this. Stop and think about this for a sec, this is really big.

All of the GPS map software you think you are using is just handling the user data that the GPS manufactures want you to have, like way points, tracks, routes. Oh boy...what power. NOT! They don't want you to make your own maps. Major revenue stream for them. Something like OpenStreetMap is about the most scary thing in the world for them (see my foot note on this).

You need something to draw a real map, like the back ground map or the expensive topo maps or city maps you have been buying. Yes your own maps can be transparent and you can still see the other maps though them and you can turn which ever one you want on and off from the GPS whenever.

So what can you do?

Draw tracks on google earth, one thing you can do... very simple...

Convert the track to a standard GPX file, you can share this with anyone, any brand of GPS any software....use GPS Visualizer for this, it works just great.

Now, the real power:
Use one of the few free map making products like and start making maps like crazy. You can use the google tracks you drew, import your own GPS tracks (edit them as well), or draw on paper maps (after scanning them or taking a picture of them with digital cam for the big ones).
You can also use , it's not free but its cheap ($50 some) it is a bit fancier but a bit harder to learn, has some nice stuff in it though.

Here is a screen shot of my yellowstone map in mapman. Notice the Fremont county paper trail map they give you is underlayed under my map as a photo. I am drawing my GPS map ontop of it in the bold red lines. I even put the numbered sing posts in, the lakes, the park, the areas not to ride in. **ANY** gps map data can go on here. The trails (not the back ground image) and the POI and all the rest of it all end up in my GPS as a detailed background map which works just like it should.
View attachment 47463

Anyway...

Get cGPSmapper - Your Tool For Creating Maps to compile the GPS map and send the map to send the map to the GPS. (map man does some of this for you). You can also copy the maps back and forth on your own if your GPS supports USB storage mode. I do the copy myself routine as I can manage the files better myself and backup the GPS while i'm at it. Yep, you need this.

Learn how to overlay images of maps (like trail maps) onto google earth, position correct them then import the same image into mapman and use the position info from google earth to line them up, then draw the maps out on them. Works so nice. Not very hard once you have done it.

You can also use some of the other tools like gmaptool and mapupload to combine the .img files so as not to loose the GPS map you already put in it.

FAQ: Why is making maps for the Garmin GPS so freaking hard?
Cause Garmin did not want you to make any, so its really hard to figure out.

FAQ: Why do I need cgpsmapper?
Cause this polish guy is one of the only guys that figured how how to reverse engineer garmin's map format and does not charge a couple of grand for it (its free). You will always end up compiling *.mp files (stands for something polish in polish) to *.img files with cgpsmapper one way or another. Map man calls if for you so don't get scared away on this.

FAQ: Why are my previously installed maps gone?
Most garmin can only handle one map file at a time gmapsupp.img. Multiple maps can be combined into one img file using one of the other programs. But if you make a new map then just upload it onto the GPS, the last map will be gone. Some gamins can handle multiple files (like the nuvi) but you have to know the very special names to call them. Googling it is not so easy, PM me and I can find the correct info for you (too lazy to look it up right now). Basically if you already put a map on it, copy the *.img file to your computer in a safe place, then do all your map testing, then when you are done combine your custom map with the map that you saved and put the resulting single file on to the GPS. The *.img file is like a container, it can have 100's of maps in it, but only one file on the GPS or SD card. Some of these little programs can pull just the maps you want out of a file with a bunch in there too, not too hard to work with one you understand it.

The above info took about oh, maybe 100-200 or so hours to figure out. One of the problems is when googling this stuff you get hits from 1990's, early 2000's when it was really really hard. It's not as hard now if you know the right software to use. I have given you some real gems here. It takes a really long time to sift though all the crap the google search will chuck at you to find this stuff out.

Good luck.

PS: OpenStreetMap is like the wiki of Google maps. It is a Google project. Difference is Google paid navquest and others for the data. open map is a community based effort. It is made entirely from average joes uploading their GPS tracks. The scary thing is it has every street in it that Google maps does, and even more. It is very up to date, and very accurate. Plus, like wiki stuff, you can edit, change, comment, contribute etc. And, better yet, you can download the map data, and (this is where it gets real scary), you can use some of the conversion tools I talked about above and convert the map data (not re-draw it, convert it) to make your own maps. So you don't ever need to buy a street map again if you can figure this out for yourself.

Wow, is all I can say!! I have been using my GPS for 9 years now with the maps from MapSource and have been very happy. Ignorance is bliss!! I can tell that GPS 101 is shaping up and 2003Summit is the man!!

2003Summit is correct about the tracks, routes, and waypoints. It doesn't really serve a total purpose. I have a pretty good "bush memory" and usually, once I've been on a trail I'm pretty much okay. Some places with a mulitude of intersecting trails can be testing. I use waypoints frequently and some of the difficult places I save as tracks. I refer to the difficult places because those are the ones that have weather problems, ie visibility iissues. I have been turned around in the Rolling Hills, Boulder, Greystokes, and have had issues getting out of Lang all because of zero visibility. The GPS has been a God send in those cases. I use it like fire starter and it goes in the pack every trip; it is there if and when I need it!

I like the Rhino's because of the radio capabilities. I will admit that my 530 has gone back to the factory for repair and it needs to go back again. I have lots of maps loaded; SE BC 8 or 10, Golden 4, Revy 4, Kelowna 4, and I think I put in 2 of Forester/Catamount. I'll admit I don't use it to the fullest (GPS 101 would be nice but I can see it might be held a long ways away), but it serves my purpose.

 

[overkill131313]

Re: Make your own maps people!!!

Looks lke were going to Calmar.,Road trip GPS 101.

road trip! how do we get there? anyone know where Calmar is lol?

 

[imdoo'n]

Re: Make your own maps people!!!

road trip! how do we get there? anyone know where Calmar is lol?

may have to turn on the gps to find it, west of leduc i'm thinking.

 

[overkill131313]

oh that is why I get lost with my GPS! it doesnt turn on LOL

 

[pano-dude]

wow, i've been searching for this stuff! You are right it's a pain the backside!

Thanks
D

 

[inside]

Well, I would like to say thanks to 2003Summit and maierch. They have given some info that makes me think that more can be done with one. I need to find a friend that knows his $hit like that and hang out for an evening, maybe with any luck I can get a little knowledge. Thanks guys.
The other thing about radio channel, we rode with a guy one day and he was on channel 7. So that is what we use. I know that we hear skiers on the ski hill when we are on boulder, but don't know anything better. I think that the sign in boulder cabin says that search and rescue is 4. Somebody feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Barton]

Awesome post. I'm still learning as well so the more info the better.

 

[giddyup]

thanks, i agree, i have the 530 just dont use it, it more of a back up if the weather sock in and i need some guidence, this information is great, i also am dumb when it comes to this, almost need someone to walk me through this, i will learn alot from this, that is as soon as i get back from riding in fernie right now,
thanks everyone

giddyup

 

[giddyup]

if anyone has any knowledge of how to do some of this on a Mac let me know, i always run in to problems, the garmin progams for the mac are not as good as on the PC.

giddyup

 

[hipfanshak2]

SkyBase Intro

These guys are great. they can help you with just about any GPS questions

 

[2003Summit]

I'd rather send the stuff that I've download from my handheld to my PC along with a cheque to Summit2003 and have one real nice map come back that I could download into my Etrex Legend HCX.

I just exchanged the Etrex Summit for the last time. 3 factory defective units was enough. This is my 1st one with external memory. I did not by the $ 130.00 topo map. Just went to Best Buy and got the $ 19.00 8G mini SD card. dropped it in and transfered the best of my maps onto it. This has pushed my technical abilities to there limit, so the rest of what I want on there will be hired out.

Hey Summit2003 -= Let me know if this is something you would be interested in doing.

Koby

Ya, I pm'ed ya.