+bill_u Posted December 26, 2005 Share Posted December 26, 2005 I own a GPS 60C and a Mac OSX. I'd like to be able to put maps onto my GPS, download waypoints and track them on my Mac and my GPS. What's the simplest solution? I'm willing to purchase the best software for the most convenience. Quote Link to comment
Mustcache Posted December 26, 2005 Share Posted December 26, 2005 I'd like to know too. Then I can throw that piece of junk PC I use in the trash. I wish Garmin and Mapsource would support Macs. Quote Link to comment
LV2SV Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 YES!! I've heard of GPSBabel and Virtual PC. I don't know a whole lot about either, just a little research. GPSBabel supposedly translates the files so that all can read. Virtual PC is a Mac program that acts like Windows. What I've heard is that is basically fools the programs into thinking your Mac is actually a PC. If anyone else knows anything about these programs PLEASE LET US KNOW!!! Quote Link to comment
Mustcache Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 I have Vitual PC and it doesn't recognize the Garmin 60C. Quote Link to comment
+SketchySmurf Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Guys, I'm in the same boat as all of you. From what I understand, GPS Connect for Mac OS X isn't able to up/downlad routes and tracks, it can only do waypoints. I've been looking at MacGPS Pro. It's the most full featured app. I've found. Anyone have any experience with it? PS I absolutely refuse to use anything that requires Virtual PC. Quote Link to comment
+naviguesser74 Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 I have MacGPS Pro and the Ohio maps on a DVD. I think it will be great if you want to use a portable Mac with a GPSr. But I don't think it will work very well to put maps on a PDA, at least as far as I have been able to figure out thus far. And even if one could get a map image into, say, a Palm, the Palm/GPSr would then have to work with the map and I don't think there is Palm software to do that. Quote Link to comment
+SketchySmurf Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 I'm confused. From what I read on the site, you could take maps (even ones that are scanned in) calibrate coordinates on them and you can plot waypoints on the software which can then be downloaded onto your GPSr... I have an eTrex Yellow, so I couldn't load maps if I wanted, but if I could download a route or track I created from within MacGPS Pro and be able to download it onto my etrex, I would be more than happy. Quote Link to comment
+allory Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 you can work with the maps on the mac. you can move tracks, waypoints, etc. back and forth between the mac and the gps. Quote Link to comment
+SketchySmurf Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 can you CREATE routes/tracks based on maps from google (for example) and it will show up as a route on your gps? Quote Link to comment
robertlipe Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 I'm not certain, but I think there are about a half dozen different questions being asked and answered in this thread... GPSBabel isn't in the map biz. It does do tracks, waypoints, and routes. You could perhaps use it under VPC, but since there's a perfectly lovely Mac version called, cleverly enough, MacGPSBabel that works directly with even the USB on the 60, it seems a distraction. (It's free, but when you click that donate button, mention that it's for Mac use to eartag that for further Mac development and support...) Getting scanned maps into a GPS (of any brand, mac or pc...) isn't a trivial task. Rich Owens has a book on it. It can be done, but you have to want the maps pretty badly to take this approach. GPSBabel will read routes created on google maps and allow you to convert those to a route to use on your GPS. Again, it's not a very pointy clicky operation. Quote Link to comment
Yellow Dog Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 (edited) I'm about to buy a 60c, and like many other mac users have little use for windows based PC's. It's my understanding that software such as GPSbabel & Mac GPSpro will work for waypoints, but not for loading maps from a map source or city select cd. The only options I've read about for map loading are using VPC, or a windows pc. My experience with VPC has been iffy at best and I wouldn't waste my money on it. I have access to a pc so as a last resort I could use it for the maps. That being said, I'm new to all of this so any additional info would be greatly appreciated. Edited December 29, 2005 by Harter4 Quote Link to comment
+SketchySmurf Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 I'm not certain, but I think there are about a half dozen different questions being asked and answered in this thread... yes, you are skimming along the surface of what its like to be in the mac community. Not only do we have to learn the ins and outs of new software and the most efficient way to use them, but we also have to make sure they play nice with our toys. Don't get me wrong, though, I've been a mac user for years and don't ever expect to switch again. (Although its times like these I wish I had a cheap PC to tool around with.) Quote Link to comment
Mustcache Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 I have MacGPS Pro I ordered MacGPS Pro this morning. I'm still waiting for the download link that they are supposed to email to me. How long did it take you to receive that link? Quote Link to comment
+SketchySmurf Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Let's know first impressions, etc...I'm looking to commit to something too. (or is it I'm waiting to be committed?) Quote Link to comment
+allory Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 in addition to MacGPSPro (which i own and use), GPSy is now back with a beta version for OS X. http://www.gpsy.com/blog/ can't hurt to download and give it a try. Quote Link to comment
+jeffk42 Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 I haven't done anything with maps, but I love GPSBabel for the simple task of taking a PQ or .loc file and transferring all of the geocache coordinates to the GPSr. (I'm in Linux, btw, so I feel the Mac User Pain, sometimes magnified. Linux GPSBabel is command-line only ). One line does it all: sudo gpsbabel -i geo -f Desktop/geocaching.loc -o garmin -F /dev/ttyUSB0 All of the new points immediately pop up on the map. Quote Link to comment
austinmark Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Howdy ........ I'm a noobie to the site & to geocaching, and am glad to run across THIS thread. I too have been plagued by Fevers, hives & "patchy" hair loss trying to figure out how to Add maps to my GPSMAP 60 and upload/download waypoints & tracks to my iMac. So far, it sounds like it's between MacGPS Babel and MacGPS pro ...... I really hope we get some more feedback soon! ... I'm running out of hair ... Quote Link to comment
+SketchySmurf Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Bought MacGPS Pro today...I think I'm going to start a support group. Transferring waypoints and tracks seems easy enough. Calibrating maps from say Google (which I have been using exclusively) will make you impotent. First it asks you to standardize the map, ok, fine I use the center point. Then it asks you for coords on the map to calibrate it. In Google Maps, I can't think of a way of clicking to a point and having it spit out coords. I would love to get my hands on some maps (the TOPO! series is looking good right now), be able to click vector paths and have them download to my etrex. Please don't tell me I have to spend more money... Quote Link to comment
Yellow Dog Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Check this link for another thread on this board concerning mac software http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=115511 Quote Link to comment
+jollybgood Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 I had great luck using my 60Cs with VPC. THe trick is you have to use a pda adapter (usb to serial). Not the fastest set up but it works well enough. Quote Link to comment
MagicTogether Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 I've had major frustration using VPC and a serial adapter with my Garmin Rino 130. Tried a firmware update one time... it stalled and left the unit disabled requiring a return to the factory. Cannot recommend VPC for this! The serial adapter (Keyspan) works great without VPC however, connected directly to the Mac or to a windows PC. I now "borrow" a windows unit for all firmware updates. I've sent an email to Dr. Larry James, author of Mac GPS Pro suggesting he join this discussion to answer question which have come up. Hopefully we'll hear from him in a day or two. By the way.... Happy New Year to everyone! MagicTogether - Alaska Quote Link to comment
MagicTogether Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 OH .... forgot to mention in the previous post.... MacGPS Pro has scanned US Topos (USGS) which are pre calibrated to work with their software. Supposed to be auto launch, no hassle, etc.... Quote Link to comment
+Team_Eagle Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 I had great luck using my 60Cs with VPC. THe trick is you have to use a pda adapter (usb to serial). Not the fastest set up but it works well enough. What software are you using in VPC to talk to the 60cs? GSAK? MapSource? Something else? I have MapSource City Select (came with my GPS V). I borrowed a friend's 60cs today, but it won't work with maps from my City Select... what's up with that? Anyway, I really want to upgrade, but I want to know what'll work with my Mac so I can buy wisely. Specifically, I'm looking for a way to download points of interest and routable maps into my new GPSR. Currently I use MapSource on a PC at work for that, but I do have VPC and would prefer to do this all at home. Thanks. Quote Link to comment
+fifedog Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 (edited) Hey guys, Being a newbie to Geochaching, but not to '.... this is a PC only thing ...' I wanted to add my current findings. I'm using Tiger 10.4.3 on my G4. I just got a Garmin - Foretrex 201 unit for Christmas. Of course it came with the Serial adaptor to which I thought I was hosed from the begining however the mac community comes through again. First lets review the issues to which a newbie has to over come: 1) Physical connection of GPS unit to the Mac. 2) Software that allows the management of data on the device. From what I've been reading there are levels to which this is taken to. Basic, being able to upload waypoints into your device so you don't have to input by hand. To advance, being able to overlay maps into your device while managing Tacks, and Routes and having a real time display on your computer. 3) [optional] Paperless set up. (that's my next hurdle for my treo 650) My findings For: Area 1) - A lot of resources out there have mentioned Keyspan adaptor. Haven't gotten it, but maybe should of seeked it out at Fry's. However I did buy a $20 USB 2.0 to Serial Adapter from Cables Unlimited to which I recommond NOT TO BUY EVER or at least for your GPS unit. Since there are two possible failure points, the hardware or software, to which I where both new I didn't know which may of been failing. I downloaded the Mac SimpleGPS and GPS connect. When I tried to import or open a .loc file from geocaching.com to GPS connect it did NOT recognize the file as a valid file. However using Mac SimpleGPS it did and opened the file fine, more about this in Area 2. However last night a friend had a IOGear USB to Serial Adapter. I know the brand and have trusted it before. So I barrowed it and installed the drivers and used its cable.... BING-GO! When I ran Mac SimpleGPS it was able to connect to the device and download the waypoints from it. Conclusion for an adaptor - Spend the extra $$ for a named brand. Area 2) Software package. Like I said since I just got this up and running I haven't had time to really look and play with the other software packages out there. However I assume I'll adapt to one that suits my needs at the moment which is a very simple way to download and track the waypoints. My wife loves hiking and camping in the national forest areas so I'm sure I'll be using the tracks and routes soon enough. Map overlays not sure about. Area 3) Paperless.... can someone mark a waypoint for me Edited January 1, 2006 by fifedog Quote Link to comment
+SketchySmurf Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Fife, Nice summary. Maybe the rest of us can build on the experience and this thread can be a running catalog. My setup: HARDWARE Ti Powerbook G4 1Ghz Garmin Etrex Yellow Keyspan 19-HS (the newest one) also standard serial to usb that came with an old Palm SOFTWARE Mac OS X 10.3.9 MacGPS Pro PDA apps: Cachemate MacCMConvert COMING IN THE MAIL TOPO! Nat'l. Geographic Regional Maps CONSIDERING Garmin GPS 60cs or 60cx Route 66 OK, as I mentioned before on this thread and others, I just want to be able to plan my trips, make waypoints and especially tracks from maps obtained online (preferably free ones, i.e. Google Maps) and download them onto my etrex. Of secondary concern is being able to back up saved tracks and waypts. MacGPS Pro gets me about halfway there. It up/downloads tracks and waypoints flawlessly. But if you want to make tracks easily on your desktop, you're going to have to open up your wallet some more. Although the app claims it can take maps from any source, calibrate it and use it for your own purposes, it is a very finicky proposition. Often the information it asks of you the help the app calibrate maps are not easily obtained. I'm hoping the TOPO! maps will help remedy the situation. I use the Keyspan USB Serial adapter to connect my etrex to my mac. The palm adapter is not recognized (at least with MacGPS Pro). To go paperless fife, I would download Cachemate. Then download MacCMConvert which takes .gpx files and enables it to be read in Cachemate... Quote Link to comment
+naviguesser74 Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 I hope I can learn from this discussion. I have a Mac G4 with latest OS, a Palm Treo 650, MacGPSPro, the TOPO maps and GeoNiche on the Palm. The Palm also has TomTom Navigator 5.12, which worked great and got us to the Cincy area for a family gettogether. I would like to get TOPO maps on the Palm and be able to overlay caches, current location, etc. but I haven't figured out how to do that yet. Today was a fun day, however. We found our first cache using GeoNiche on the Palm and the TomTom GPSr. Great fun! What I'd like to figure out now (at least until I figure out the TOPO on Palm problem) is how to get to the general location of the cache using a map picture with roads, towns, etc, on the Palm and then switch to GeoNiche, which shows the direction, distance, lat/long, etc. This would be possible using TomTom Navigator if that software would allow one to input, even manually, the lat/long of the cache. It will allow input of a street address but not a lat/long, at least as far as I have been able to figure out thus far. How do you guys do that? Quote Link to comment
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