GPS Basics

[GWR]

I've found this quite a simple GPS Utility to use. As Freeware, it has a few limitations. Superficially, it looks quite techie, but I've found that it isn't that difficult to overlay readings on scanned maps and impose a cordinated grid over the top. It downloads and uploads data from/to the receiver: -

http://www.gpsu.co.uk/

Here's a BMP overlay with a few waypoints laid out on it to give you some idea. However, it's far better to save data in the utility's own file format of .gsp, so that you don't have to spend hours on end keying in the coordinates on the .bmp or .jpg image. I've used this overlay quite successfully with screenshots from Thinkmap and 1:50,000 RTSD: -

http://i3.tinypic.com/xbzl2s.jpg

[GWR]

Still finding a lot of useful things that can be done with GPS Utility. I'm still using the Garmin Receiver's Base Map of Thailand, which is somewhat less accurate than one of those pencil sharpener globes everyone has when they are about 8 years old. I don't have a credit card and Map Source uploads for Garmin are rather expensive. So this comes in handy for downloading [binary IMG files] that can then be uploaded to your Garmin GPS receiver to provide mapping of the same format as Map Source. The mapping is not yet wonderful, but it's better than the basemap where some southern waypoints end up in the sea:-

http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/maplist.php?cnt=210&rgn=

Then you need a utility to upload to your Garmin, which is SENDMAP here:-

http://cgpsmapper.com/en/main.htm

There is also a program there called CGPSMapper that alllows you to make your own [IMG]maps or modify downloaded other people's [IMG] maps. SENDMAP seems to work fine, but CGPS Mapper seems more of a fiddle than I can be bothered with at the moment. Especially as the free download version doesn't seem to suit my computer screen resolutions. I can take only so much of that Command-Line stuff, despite having used Thailand's Internet in the steam-driven days of 'Terminal Emulators' and Text-based Pine Mailreaders; with graphic content that you guessed at from it's description and then downloaded in two stages in the desperate hope it might be a tasty image.

The technically-challenged probably don't want to be annoyed by this page on CGPS Mapper:-

http://thaimaps.meandi.com/