I did a search and couldn't find anything about adding forest service maps to our GPS units. I know we can access them via USB port and I was told that they run the same software as Garmin which can accept forest service map upgrades. Is the same true for our GPS? I am not crazy about buying a seporate unit just to have these maps and the stock GPS doesn't know where I am at all when on the trail.

Thanks for any help you all may have!

On a JK with the in dash NAV, I don't believe there's any way to get more detailed maps in to it.

There are several software programs that run on PDA's or Laptops that accept the USGS Topographic databases. That is the only way I ever was able to display/track anything usefull offroad, using such software and attaching to a GPS receiver. The USGS data is often in the form of finely detailed topo elevation lines with mines and other landmarks visible, and dotted lines called "Jeep Trails". My preference is for a laptop or at least a dashboard video monitor with an XGA or better display, otherwise details may be lost. Currently I am using the Delorme TopoUSA 8.0, and I like the mode where you display imagery of the terrain which you can match to what you see ahead of you:


The yellow track above shows what you would see if you are retracing the way you came and had the software in "breadcrumb mode" where you recorded the route you took in. There is also the classic 2D view of the original USGS data which looks like a printed USGS map:


The USGS topo database comes with maps of the entire USA on a DVD, and you can copy it to a hard disk to improve performance. If you subscribe to the DeLorme download service, you can download updated satellite imagery over WiFi if you encounter an area burned by forest fire, etc.

The Delorme Topo products also include the complete street data and lots of information on points of interest and campgrounds, etc.

Realisticly you will need a laptop and a laptop desk, either one of the tiny USB or Bluetooth Delorme GPS receivers, or any external handheld GPS that uses a serial or USB port and has a cable available. Some people build "Car PCs" into the dash, which is really neat, but a lot more effort.

Hey Kaiser do you know if that software provides service for us up in Canada more so in Ontario?

It doesn't look like they make any map sets for Canada.

http://www.delorme.com/byProduct/default.aspx

So it sounds like I'm stuck getting a Garmin and adding the maps to it for the trails afterall. Was hoping to avoid doing that. Oh well. Thanks for the info!

check out this site:

http://www.nationalatlas.gov

That's amazing! I've been trying to avoid wanting to build a Carputer for the Jeep and be happy with my MyGIG but this is making it aweful difficult.

You could just pick up a ram mount and mount a laptop in there. Then you don't have as much cost into something that can only be used in the vehicle since the laptop can go in or out fairly quickly.

I'd much rather have an intergrated solution. I have a netbook but it's not really intended for that kind of application and as awesome as toughbooks are they're WICKED expensive.

Nope. USGS = United States Geological Survey, a US Government agency that has been surveying and making paper maps for over a century, and now has all the data online. But mapping other countries is not part of their purpose.

That's really the problem, having a database of offroad terrain. If you want just street/road/highway navigation, there are dozens of solutions under $100, and many include street information for all of North America including Canada and Mexico. But an offroad database is several GB of data, and you need a higher resolution screen to see anything usefull like elevation lines - I like 10" or larger. As a matter of fact my "old" laptop that I use in the Jeep is a 14", 1440X1280 resolution screen.

Delorme is a US company that put the USGS data to use, and added their own street navigation data from their "Street Atlas" product which I have been using since the late 1990's. IMHO there are several competitive products for vanilla on-road navigation, and some are even better than Delorme. But a Jeep needs to navigate offroad and sometimes you just can't afford to get lost, or need to find a return route that you have never used. The TopoUSA stuff is really usefull in this regard. I also typically carry the Delorme "Gazeteer" hardcopy off-road atlas as a backup to the laptop/software - it is kinda small scale maps, but usable. I also often buy the fullscale USGS maps or Forest Service maps for the area I'm in.

Folks in Canada should look for a Canadian-made off-road software/database solution is my only suggestion.

Thanks for the follow up Kaiser. I have a lap top that's not being used and was thinking of putting it in the Jeep and running Microsoft Streets & Trips , just not sure how it would be tracking trails.

So, short of installing some large screen (VERY undesirable for my application) or a integrated computer or laptop, there is no nice and easy solution? I know my uncle has some software installed on his Garmin hand held GPS that works great off road and has had most of the trails we have done in CO and in NM. I really didn't want to have to buy an additional unit for trails but I also REALLY dont want to have a 10" or larger screen anywhere in my JK. Oh well, the mygig is nice for what it does so a smaller hand held GPS that I could also use for hiking isn't the end of the world.

Once you start doing the trail with the MyGig you can use the bread crumb feature to store it in there for the next time you run the trail. Not as detailed as what most people want, but it is better than nothing too.

For Canadian topo maps I believe your best bet is the National Resources government site, it is pretty much the same thing that USGS is for the States. There are other sources too, some free, some not, some good and others not so good. GPS Central, Canada Topo Maps are just two of them. Some of these are in georeferenced format, others in vector format. Some can be downloaded and used by various GPS units.

Searching the internet for map info and doing your homework when it comes to GPS units (either stand alone or software on a laptops) is your best bet here.

Good luck,
Calin

I see the last posting in this topic was February, and I was wondering if there have been any new developments in togo maps that we can download into the MyGig?