mapping programs

B

brichter

501 Club
Since we have such renowned world travelers in our group, I hope someone can help me with this. I am looking for a mapping program that will provide a route to a destination using a designated Highway. For instance to go up the East Coast, you could say from florida to delaware using highway 17 where possible. Anybody know of such a thing?
 
I like using Bing Maps. put in start and stop destinations, then you candrag and drop the route you prefer
 
I don't know of a program that you can simply say "using route xxx". Many allow you to avoid a route. Quite a few accept specific points along the route. You can use google maps. Give it start and end points and see what it gives you. You can then use the mouse to grab the route and pull it to a point that you want to go through. I tried it from Jacksonville to Delaware. Sticking in 2 intermediate points seems to pretty well put the route onto 17.
 
I would second Jim's suggestion. I use Google Maps a lot. It is easy to manipulate your route and street level views are available if you want to look for landmarks.
 
There are a few of them around. MapQuest, Google Maps, Bing and Yahoo also have mapping services. I personally like both MapQuest and Google Maps and I use them both a lot! Gotta agree with Jim and BD on this one.
 
I have for years used Delorme Street Atlas, and really liked it, but when I recently upgraded my computer I had to buy a new addition, and it was so complicated I hesitate to recommend it to anyone that is not a computer efficenado (sp?)
 
The only problem with Mapquest, Google, etc. is you have to have internet access for them. If you are like I have done, and used a laptop while at a rest area, or been in a motel with no internet, that don't work to good.
 
I agree with you EJP, Street Atlas has gotten a bit too complex and it has some quirks that I don't care for. But it had a ton of features (Deluxe has phone numbers for the whole US) and will work with a laptop and bluetooth GPS (good luck reading a computer in a car). It does have options to avoid interstates, tolls etc. Not quite as easy for the online stuff.

AAA has routing on their web site too.

For some reason Google doesn't show river names under most circumstances.... Bing has a great feature called 'birds eye view' in some places. Views at an angle (cardinal points) instead of straight down. Pretty cool.
 
The Garmin GPS for my car came with one free update via download. As part of the download, I also got a copy of their "Mapsource" program. That program uses the same map and algorithms as the GPS. It is a pretty good mapping program and runs stand-alone with no internet access. Unfortunately, they have replaced Mapsource with a new program called "Basecamp". I am finding Basecamp much harder to use. Maybe I just need to get used to it.

All this is to say that if you have a Garmin this is an option. I suppose some of the other GPS companies may have something similar.
 
We have a couple of Garmins. One is our older GPSMap76 which we use for our backwoods/prospecting trips but we never ever go just with the GPS. We also take along this one:

NBNB_Cover_2007.jpg

New Brunswick Back Roads

We also have a Garmin Nuvi which is pretty cool, It is meant for highway, point to point directions etc... and I really like it. Like Jim I am able to get 1 free upgrade ... I guess we will be learning about the newer program if the older one is no longer available.

Even though we have the Garmin Nuvi, we take along a laptop with us when traveling and check status whenever we get a wifi area or stop at night. Still the most important tool we take with us is our laminated paper maps. We have a favourite but will have to check it in the car tomorrow.
 
Jim Becker":gbiktaoh said:
The Garmin GPS for my car came with one free update via download. .......
Click to expand...
I have a Garmin Nuvi 855 that came with one free update, and I later signed up for the lifetime up date, which apparently covers any Garmin you own, because when you plug one in it logs it automatically and does the update. It is limited to 4 updates a year, so doing your friends and neighbors is not really a good idea. Our county roads were renamed and renumbered about 6 years ago, and so far Garmin appears to be the only one with the current addresses. Another thing I got is the traffic monitor which came with a lifetime subscription, which is real handy that it will show you real time delays due to traffic and let you easily pick alternate routes, right on the Garmin screen.
 
Im using a new Rand Mcnalley TND510. Stands for truck navigation device , its a truck routing specific GPS unit that does it all has free upgrades, you can enter specific routes or set your truck dimensions and it will safe route you depending on your info. Has a " four wheeler" mode built in also. So far it has give me spot on info on hazards on my route including construction, sharp curves, steep grades. I can even take a state issued over size permit enter the routes listed n it goes that way only. That is a real nice option when you have a Tx. permit with 27 legs over FM roads that aint been traveled since Davey Crockett passed by.
Its made by Rand Mcnalley the atlas publisher and every screen is keyed page and # to their atlas for backup if needed. Mine is 5 inch screen and they make a TND 710 which is same unit with 7 inch screen. Paid under 300.00 for it and its way better than my older cobra gps i retired after 3 yrs using.
 
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