Lets talk GPS 's

[trailhunter]

I have a garmin rhino 520 and i just starting to get the hang of it......kinda. The thing is like a computer with 700 different opions. Is there a how video for these things?

I also just found out you can buy the upgraded version of google earth and over lay all your data in 3D. Does anyone know if you can bring a lap top with you in the truck and have the GPS hooked to it and see your slug trail in real time on google earth? Man that would be cool :mrgreen:

[dime]

You do not need to buy the upgraded version of google earth, just download the free version, and on the topo map select "view in google earth" Cool to see all your waypoints and tracks overlayed on the sat images, and yes we have a laptop in the truck that you can overlay in the field. I am still waiting to see a sat image that you can download onto your garmin rino so you can see your tracks in real time.
That would really be cool.

[Squirrelnuts]

This'll do an overlay, too. (free): http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/map_input?form=googleearth

Just browse to your track or waypoint file, pick a colour for your tracks (if you wish) and hit "create kml file". A file shows up in a new page, click it and it'll open up in Google Earth.

[reach]

I also just found out you can buy the upgraded version of google earth and over lay all your data in 3D.
As dime says, you don't need to upgrade Google Earth to show your stuff in it - just use MapSource. After loading your tracks & waypoints from the GPS, either use the "show in Google Earth" menu item, or choose "save as" and save in .kml format then drag the .kml file onto the Google Earth window.

If you have a non-Garmin GPS chances are you can do the same thing with GPSBabel - use it to transfer the waypoints, tracks & routes and save them in a .kml file.


Does anyone know if you can bring a lap top with you in the truck and have the GPS hooked to it and see your slug trail in real time on google earth? Man that would be cool :mrgreen:
Not in Google Earth, unless you have a stabilized satellite dish on your roof to get Internet in the bush while you're driving. Yes to showing your track on topo maps though - I think OziExplorer is the most common software people use for this. I don't know if there's a free equivalent - I'm happy enough with the maps on my GPS so I haven't looked into it.

[reach]

I am still waiting to see a sat image that you can download onto your garmin rino so you can see your tracks in real time.
That would really be cool.
Not sure about the Rino, but I know the Colorado can show satellite images, as can some other newer units from Bushnell and Delorme. Others won't be far behind.

[Schmaus]

My buddy just bought a new laptop and he gets his high speed internet off of this thing that looks just like a cell phone. It plugs in the side of the computer and anywhere there is cell service he has high speed internet. I am really interested in the new Colorado GPS, I used to want the Garmin 60csx but now I want the Colorado.

[dime]

Not in Google Earth, unless you have a stabilized satellite dish on your roof to get Internet in the bush while you're driving. Yes to showing your track on topo maps though - I think OziExplorer is the most common software people use for this. I don't know if there's a free equivalent - I'm happy enough with the maps on my GPS so I haven't looked into it.

I am positive that you can use offline google earth, you do not need to be hooked up to the internet to use, although it will prompt you to get online and you will only be able to view maps that you have stored in your cache. We just zoomed in to all the areas that we were heading to before we left, so all the maps were updated and stored on our laptop. Then with mapsource you can upload all the waypoints + tracks and then view in google earth. Works like a charm.
Google earth also has better sat images than you see on other sat image programs like flashearth, microsoft virtual earth, openlayers, yahoo maps, ask.com maps, and even NASA's viewer. I am very impressed with google earth, and the sweet thing is it is free, free, free!

[reach]

I am positive that you can use offline google earth, you do not need to be hooked up to the internet to use, although it will prompt you to get online and you will only be able to view maps that you have stored in your cache. We just zoomed in to all the areas that we were heading to before we left, so all the maps were updated and stored on our laptop. Then with mapsource you can upload all the waypoints + tracks and then view in google earth. Works like a charm.
Google earth also has better sat images than you see on other sat image programs like flashearth, microsoft virtual earth, openlayers, yahoo maps, ask.com maps, and even NASA's viewer. I am very impressed with google earth, and the sweet thing is it is free, free, free!
Very cool. I stand corrected.

I guess if you're going to do that you would want to go into the GE preferences and set the disk cache size to maximum. (2 GB?)

So now all we need is a way to show your position in real time. I wonder if you could rig up some sort of script that periodically runs GPSBabel or something to get new stuff (track points, waypoints) from the GPS, creates a .kml file, and sends it to GE to open...

[trailhunter]

cool guys thanks for the info.

So can a guy hook up the GPS to the laptop and watch the slug trail while you drive?

[Steeleco]

This'll do an overlay, too. (free): http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/map_input?form=googleearth

Just browse to your track or waypoint file, pick a colour for your tracks (if you wish) and hit "create kml file". A file shows up in a new page, click it and it'll open up in Google Earth.

Thanks SN, that's one cool program. And a whole lot faster than me doing it manually.

[trailhunter]

I just looked at a comparison between the free google earth and the $20 version and it has the real time option built in. Im assuming the lap top could be at home and a loved one could see where you were. Or have it hooked up the the laptop in the truck and see it in real time as well. I think im going to e-mail google to see what the scope is.

[reach]

So now all we need is a way to show your position in real time. I wonder if you could rig up some sort of script that periodically runs GPSBabel or something to get new stuff (track points, waypoints) from the GPS, creates a .kml file, and sends it to GE to open...
Looks like GPSBabel knows how to do this "out of the box". You can run it with the -T switch and it will auto-refresh a .kml file. Then you can use "add network link" in Google Earth to update the view. I guess I know what I'll be messing around with next time I go out in the truck... :)

[hillman]

Check out a program called RoboGeo. If you syncronize the time in your digital camera same as your GPS, you can transfer photos into google earth and they are posted at the coordinates they were taken (based on the time stamps). It is very cool.

If someone on the forum had the time & energy, forum members could take a fix and photo of all the gates blocking access here on VI. They could be transferred to google earth and other maps and be available to forum members. It would be interesting to see how many gates are out there, but it would take a bit of effort and team work from the members here.

[Franko Manini]

Check out a program called RoboGeo. If you syncronize the time in your digital camera same as your GPS, you can transfer photos into google earth and they are posted at the coordinates they were taken (based on the time stamps). It is very cool.

If someone on the forum had the time & energy, forum members could take a fix and photo of all the gates blocking access here on VI. They could be transferred to google earth and other maps and be available to forum members. It would be interesting to see how many gates are out there, but it would take a bit of effort and team work from the members here.

now THAT would be cool. I'd be down with that.

[islandstalker]

that would be cool.
i have a crapload of tracklogs saved on my comp from cruising all around the cr area here. could make my on map . id call it the samurai/quad... used to be a backroad mapbook...lol