I don't go to the tech site but here is my question before it gets moved.I boondock and use Natl Forest CG's 98% of the time. My TomTom which is about eight years old is time for a trip to the shelf. I like some features but it never showed me CG's and found it was difficult to find Natl Parks. In fact it doesn't even get me to my house.I need a new GPS that will get me to these CG's. One that is easy to use as I'm not very tech savy.

Hi narcodog,If you have a smart phone try using the gps mapping feature on it.

Advanced Search 'GPS' in heading in technology. For such a general question you'll be reading all day.Why not post in Technology in the first place?

pianotuna wrote:Hi narcodog,If you have a smart phone try using the gps mapping feature on it.no smart phone

2oldman wrote:Advanced Search 'GPS' in heading in technology. For such a general question you'll be reading all day.Why not post in Technology in the first place?Because most folks that post there don't boondock is the main reason.

narcodog wrote:2oldman wrote:Advanced Search 'GPS' in heading in technology. For such a general question you'll be reading all day.Why not post in Technology in the first place?Because most folks that post there don't boondock is the main reason.:B Sadly, this is true. Most there are too busy twirling their Solar tracking contraptions to eek out every possible Watt as the Sun Apogees across the sky.When, that is if, you upgrade to a new GPS device purchase one that you are able to upgrade or have lifetime map updates. Look for ones that are designed more for the off the beaten path routing. My GPS is capable of moving from the dash of my truck, to the console of my Adventure Motorcycle and then to the handlebars of my CRF450X Dirt Bike, with off road and street modes (Garmin Navigator IV).You might just go "old school" and use links like this one; Clicky and just do some checking before you leave home. Photo copy the satellite views and print out the descriptions. By your own admission you don’t have a Smart Phone or a workable GPS, so you need to work with what you have, or, in a word, what you don’t have. Have fun! The best adventures are often discovered by accident.b

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49 Replies

cewillis
Explorer
Dec 21, 2014
bb_94401 wrote:
To avoid any complaints from the person in the passenger seat about having to hold the laptop all the time, you might consider a Jotto Desk or similar holder.

That looks just like my setup. Maybe even the same laptop model.
devildog1971
Explorer
Dec 20, 2014
I got a rand Mcnally from camping world has worked for me has all the campgrounds in it will accept p.o.i. from p.o.i. factory and has lifetime updates get the one with the 7 inch screen it is the better one it was made for r.v's
SCVJeff
Explorer
Dec 19, 2014
bigfootford wrote:
brholt wrote:
nycsteve wrote:
narcodog wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
Hi narcodog,

If you have a smart phone try using the gps mapping feature on it.

no smart phone

Probably only works where there is a cell signal. A GPS will work pretty much anywhere. Im happy with the Garmin products. Costco is a good bargin source, and sell the latest models. Get one with free lifetime map updates. I find the traffic feature useless and turn it off. You can get a 6 inch screen for around 200 and a 5 inch around 125 with lifetime maps.

Many of the cell phone products (example Navigon) do not need a cell connection
NAVIGON is an excellent Smartphone GPS, but it's usefulness ends on the streets

True but if you watch the video you will see the power of the Delorme product... Adding via's, Put in your comfortable miles to travel... and there will be markers on the map/route where to get gas.... And how far you want to travel each day.... there will be markers....
So when you travel where there is no towns for a long ways you can say, well I best get gas early....

You can tell it to avoid freeways etc.... any kind of roads you want.... Avoid toll roads....

Jim
bigfootford
Nomad III
Dec 18, 2014
brholt wrote:
nycsteve wrote:
narcodog wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
Hi narcodog,

If you have a smart phone try using the gps mapping feature on it.

no smart phone

Probably only works where there is a cell signal. A GPS will work pretty much anywhere. Im happy with the Garmin products. Costco is a good bargin source, and sell the latest models. Get one with free lifetime map updates. I find the traffic feature useless and turn it off. You can get a 6 inch screen for around 200 and a 5 inch around 125 with lifetime maps.

Many of the cell phone products (example Navigon) do not need a cell connection

True but if you watch the video you will see the power of the Delorme product... Adding via's, Put in your comfortable miles to travel... and there will be markers on the map/route where to get gas.... And how far you want to travel each day.... there will be markers....
So when you travel where there is no towns for a long ways you can say, well I best get gas early....

You can tell it to avoid freeways etc.... any kind of roads you want.... Avoid toll roads....

Jim
narcodog
Explorer II
Dec 18, 2014
silversand wrote:
....I read through the Tomtom 910 manual; your Tomtom comes with a memory card (SD memory card) that slides into a slot on the top of your GPS.

To load new map data, you need to copy the new map coverages (as a Tomtom file) into that SD card from, say, your laptop. Then, plug the SD card into your Tomtom, and then turn on the map layer(s) you have just copied into that SD card via Tomtom's menu. I'm unsure which folder on the SD card you need to copy a new map layer into. Perhaps someone here with a Go 910 (or, Go 700 series) would know this. Oh, also, your Tomtom takes a proprietary file format. Easy to make, using a freeware software called GPSbabbel, here--> So, you could convert a GPX file into a Tomtom file easily, then simply copy the file onto the Tomtom's SD memory card from your computer (your computer/laptop will need an SD card reader plugged into it: you can buy these USB pluggable memory card readers at any dollar store, for $2 ~ 3$).

One thing to consider: your Tomtom (being what, ~6+ years old?) could have succumbed to the heat your dashboard generated in summer, and its operations could be wonky now. Our Lowrance GPS suffered this fate some years ago...

Silver thanks for taking the time to look this up but my unit does not have a SD card. It's a GO 910 must be an older version..
brholt
Explorer II
Dec 18, 2014
nycsteve wrote:
narcodog wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
Hi narcodog,

If you have a smart phone try using the gps mapping feature on it.

no smart phone

Probably only works where there is a cell signal. A GPS will work pretty much anywhere. Im happy with the Garmin products. Costco is a good bargin source, and sell the latest models. Get one with free lifetime map updates. I find the traffic feature useless and turn it off. You can get a 6 inch screen for around 200 and a 5 inch around 125 with lifetime maps.

Many of the cell phone products (example Navigon) do not need a cell connection
silversand
Explorer
Dec 18, 2014
....you could EASILY turn your laptop into a GPS on steroids using simply a $50 Bluetooth (or, USB) GPS antenna (about the size of a match box):

-like this GlobalSat USB miniature GPS receiver, that plugs into your laptop, here-->

All you need is a software capable of reading the GPS signal and positioning the X on the software map showing on your laptop. I prefer a public domain free software like QGIS, or Google Earth (capture your route online in Google Earth, and pan your route into your laptop's memory cache first before you head out!). Then, you plug your GPS receiver into your laptop out in your vehicle, place the GPS receiver on your dashboard (I wrap ours in a white cloth, so it does not overheat under the sun on dashboard), fire-up your software, and in the software menu, you just select "acquire your USB GPS" in QGIS or Google Earth; then zoom into your location (to better see your route), and start driving. With QGIS or Google Earth, you can load numerous map files you can find free on the Internet (shapefiles, GPX files, GeoTIFF files, GeoJPG files, KML files, KMZ files, etc, etc) of literally millions of themes-- as public-domain data, no charge.

Even WAY more interestingly, the entire collection of 180,000 thousand+ USGS 1 : 20 000 digital topographic maps can be read in your laptop (as you need; not the whole collection at one time!) as configured above:

Find, Order, or Download FREE Topographic Maps from USGS here-->

To navigate using these digital topographic maps, all you need is Adobe PDF reader (free) and the free GoePDF software called: TerraGo Toolbar (that installs into your Adobe PDF reader software): here-->

Once Adobe PDF reader and TerraGo Toolbar are installed, just find a USGS topo map (via the link above), download it, and open it in Adobe PDF reader (with the TerraGo plug-in installed). In the TerraGo menu, select: connect GPS (make sure your GPS is plugged into your laptop!), and your position will show up dynamically within the digital PDF map (BTW: make sure you are within the geographical territory of your PDF map! Or, of course, you won't see your position :B )
silversand
Explorer
Dec 18, 2014
....I read through the Tomtom 910 manual; your Tomtom comes with a memory card (SD memory card) that slides into a slot on the top of your GPS.

To load new map data, you need to copy the new map coverages (as a Tomtom file) into that SD card from, say, your laptop. Then, plug the SD card into your Tomtom, and then turn on the map layer(s) you have just copied into that SD card via Tomtom's menu. I'm unsure which folder on the SD card you need to copy a new map layer into. Perhaps someone here with a Go 910 (or, Go 700 series) would know this. Oh, also, your Tomtom takes a proprietary file format. Easy to make, using a freeware software called GPSbabbel, here--> So, you could convert a GPX file into a Tomtom file easily, then simply copy the file onto the Tomtom's SD memory card from your computer (your computer/laptop will need an SD card reader plugged into it: you can buy these USB pluggable memory card readers at any dollar store, for $2 ~ 3$).

One thing to consider: your Tomtom (being what, ~6+ years old?) could have succumbed to the heat your dashboard generated in summer, and its operations could be wonky now. Our Lowrance GPS suffered this fate some years ago...
silversand
Explorer
Dec 18, 2014
....I've just acquired the entire campgrounds file from USFS as a geodatabase, by Forest Service Unit. I've also acquired all the USFS official boundaries for the entire Continental US inventory...

The boundary files need to be shrunk nodally (made coarser) in order to fit into a GPS. I have 113 forest administrative Units, in eight administrative "Regions"...

This is the 1st time I have ever attempted to map (for my personal GPS application needs on my laptop) the entire inventory at one go (rather than just the USFS forest of our interest). Attached, is the coverage (overlayed by historic and National trails)...

I will use this coverage in/as my own GIS / GPS super-coverage on my laptop (with Bluetooth GPS antenna). I may extract and create a few GPX exchange files of a few Forests of interest (including a dumbed-down polygon boundary layer of a few Units) over the holidays...I'll see.
narcodog
Explorer II
Dec 18, 2014
Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I'll have to sort through this info. Some is beyond my capabilities, especially the lap top info, which is the best I've read.

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