Apple Mac's and Garmin
 

Hi,

Does anybody else have a Apple powerbook or ibook that they use with a GPS?

I have a Garmin GPSIII and would like to connect to it using my powerbook. I think I will need a serial/usb adapter as the newer powerbooks don't have this etc.

So does anybody have any experiences using some of the Apple GPS software avalable on the net?

Cheers in advance...

Also have a Macintosh. Have been thinking a ling time about software. Don't really know much about but 'kickstarted myself' today.

Just bought a version of GPSy. It is GPS software specific for Macintosh. I've seen the demo and for what I read about it it looks very usable and stable.
They also sell the cable you need to connect the unit to your computer (macintosh USB).
Check the website for more info:

www.GPSY.com

Now I am franticly searching around the web for usable maps. I hope to make the route for my next trip on my Ibook, then upload it to my Garming III+
Afterwards I wonna download any waypoints and tracklogs from my GPS onto my Ibook.

I am wondering. If I get the software and connect the III+ with my Ibook. Will I then be able to use the base map of my III+ on my Ibook? That would be a start.

To be able to use the software (indicate waypoints, make a route,...) I first need to find some decent digital maps.

If I have to buy them where should I look? I am hoping to use the maps to plan my trip around the Baltic sea. I am not aiming for paved road, so I will need quite some detail so that I can find gravel roads and tracks.

Any advice more then welcome.

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http://users.pandora.be/pieter.maes2/

You will find tons on maps online, but not many that are good enough for use with navigation software. You can buy digital (scanned from paper) maps from:

Touratech: www.ttqv.com
They sell the old Russian military maps. These are good topographical maps but very old. For Africa they are one of the very few options out there, but I imagine you might find better maps for Europe.

Fugawi: www.fugawi.com
They sell the American aviation maps. These maps look great but have some annoying characteristics like the fact that both highways and desert tracks are represented with a single black line.

Nasa: zulu.ssc.nasa.gov/mrsid/mrsid.pl (Free download)
Amazing satellite maps of the whole world. The resolution is an amazing 28.5 meters for every pixel. I calibrated those in Quo Vadis and I use them in conjunction with other maps as it’s impossible to use them on their own.

All of the above maps are topographical maps, which means they focus on the land features, which is great when you plan to go off road. Paved roads are not very well represented.

For street use I would get street maps. These feature little topographical data and focus on the paved roads. Get them on paper from your local map shop and scan them at any mapping or GIS shop.

The base map cannot be uploaded or used with any navigation software. Only Garmin’s Map Source can display these maps and upload them to the GPS.

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A.B.

OasisPhoto.com – Images from the Magical Sahara.
ShortWheelbase.com – Jeep preparations.