I have a garmin gps.
It works great in the car. But one day I thought what would happen if I plugged it into my computer.
So I did just that.... Basically thru usb the garmin showed up as a mass storage and I could view / edit any of the stuff on it if I wanted to. Was like a small usb external harddrive.

But what I am curious about is their any software to use the garmin gps as It is used in the car.
I.E to locate things

I am on a linux distro but I have windows xp professional 32 bit lying around as well.

Anybody know if software exists to use your garmin gps thru your computer other then mass storage?
Currently all I am able to do when it is hooked up to my computer is copy files to and from it. The properties show that it is about 2GB. (so it's like having a extra usb 2GB thumb drive.)

 

I have a garmin gps.
It works great in the car. But one day I thought what would happen if I plugged it into my computer.
So I did just that.... Basically thru usb the garmin showed up as a mass storage and I could view / edit any of the stuff on it if I wanted to. Was like a small usb external harddrive.

But what I am curious about is their any software to use the garmin gps as It is used in the car.
I.E to locate things

I am on a linux distro but I have windows xp professional 32 bit lying around as well.

Anybody know if software exists to use your garmin gps thru your computer other then mass storage?
Currently all I am able to do when it is hooked up to my computer is copy files to and from it. The properties show that it is about 2GB. (so it's like having a extra usb 2GB thumb drive.)

Garmin has a product called MapSource. Don't know if it works on linux.

It displays maps. I don't know if it works with your type of GPS or not. What I have is a CD that contains the maps. I mark the maps I need in MapSource and download them into the GPS.

But the software does have an upload feature for maps. Perhaps that would allow you to view the maps on your GPS on your PC?

 

Ok, well what I am wondering is if I could make my GPS. Able to be more versatile like beable to use it in non-road places....
Like in a boat , or hiking ,...etc Or do you need specific higher-end GPS for this.

For instance the question boils down to does these gps have hardware restrictions on how precise they can be. Or is the precision based on the maps installed on the gps?

Like does the higher end ones have more precise gps hardware or just more precise maps ,...or something else ...etc

Because if it is just the maps then find software or writting software to download more precise maps would allow you to get more precise non-road places

I guess you could always use latitude/longitude parameters on the gps to know exactly where you are... but would be nice to beable to add routes , visual stuff...


Question

It displays maps. I don't know if it works with your type of GPS or not. What I have is a CD that contains the maps. I mark the maps I need in MapSource and download them into the GPS.

When you download maps to your gps do you get more roads or routes ... can this screw up existing maps ?
When/why do you do this and is your gps used for roads , boats ,...hiking ,...what?

 

Check out Topo maps from Garmin

http://www.garmin.com/us/maps/onthetrail

If you search around you will find a lot of free stuff too.


I do not get anything more when I download from the CD. I get the same maps as on your Garmin.

But I do have marine charts of the Chesapeake Bay and maps of Europe. I have around 5 or so Garmin GPS devices.




You can find more POIs around and load them with Garmin's POI loader

http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=927

 

One thing you may not be aware of but you can import one of your trip files from your garmin into google earth and it will trace your trip on the map. You can see everywhere you have gone. I forget which file extention is involved.


hgmjr

 

One thing you may not be aware of but you can import one of your trip files from your garmin into google earth and it will trace your trip on the map. You can see everywhere you have gone. I forget which file extention is involved.


hgmjr

I tour on bicycle and do this all of the time. It is a great way to relive the trip,

 

You haven't said whether you have a hiking GPS or a car navigation one.

I use USAPhotoMaps a lot; it's a free program that gets topo maps off the Internet for you. Then I have a hiking GPS receiver (GPSMAp76CSX) that I also use in the car sometimes. That program allows me to upload and download routes and waypoints and place them on the map, so I can see where I've been after a trip, or I can set waypoints on the map, and upload them to the GPS to navigate toward.

If your GPS receiver can load maps, there are good-quality free topo maps (I like free stuff) available, though they aren't the USGS format that USAPhotoMaps downloads. I've had lots of fun with this stuff.