GPS Navigation with USGS topo quads?

[Dylan Kolstad]

Has anyone had the good fortune in finding a GPS navigation system (one of those portable units that one would put in your truck, or even a hand-held) that has USGS topo maps loaded?

Most of the navigation systems have "topo maps" but I have yet to find one that shows your position with the USGS maps as a background. This would be of great value to me...currently I need to pick lat/long off of terrain navigator and enter it by hand or export into a handheld device for scouting out section corners, or finding clients' properties for that matter!

Thanks,

Dylan

[Coy Glasscock]

Yep, use them all the time in my truck. Garmin is a sponsor of my off-road truck. I use a Garmin system with US Topo software. I also test Garmin software for them and use a bata version that allows me to use google earth on my dash screen with satellite. Another feature is that I can create a spread sheet of all USGS Benchmarks and upload them, I can also upload a spread sheet of County control monuments and navigate to them while driving.

[Coy Glasscock]

Dylan, where are you located? I would be happy to give you a demo, or even help you set-up one. I have also worked out details that will allow you to run TDS and AutoCad with email and internet from your dash.

There are a couple of photos of my dash here:

http://s683.photobucket.com/albums/vv191/coyglasscock/The%20Rover/

[Dylan Kolstad]

Thanks Coy; I might be missing something on Garmin's website, but I don't think they have what I'm after - the 7.5 minute 1:24000 scale mapping available through Terrain navigator (toposcout). You can find contour mapping with any unit, but as far as I know, none of them have land section lines and the particular notes & features found on the 1:24000 USGS series.

[Ckleine]

I use the Delorme earthmate PN-40 and upload usgs quads and aerial imagery for anywhere. You can subscribe for $30 per year and download unlimited data. It also comes with 1:100,000 scale topo included with the Topo USA software. This GPS unit loads screen instantly and can handle up to a 32mb SD card. It has many other uses too, but I'll spare you the detials.

[Coy Glasscock]

To be honest, I haven't been to their website in a long time. I work with their design and marketing team. When I am trip planning, I download 7.5 quads by name then put on a SD card and load in the car. Everything that appears on a Quad sheet shows up on the screen. I'll have to check to see if the same software I use is in production.

On another note with the option of a "carputer", if you can do it at your office you can do it in your car. Like I said you run AutoCAD from your dash screen. I know you can run ArcInfo and MicroStation as well.

Question for you:

Do you want a screen mounted in your dash? If so what type of vehicle is it going in? I can give you a complete list of what you will need to do it.

Do you want a full working computer running Windows XP?

Or do you just want a hand-held GPS unit only?

[Dylan Kolstad]

Probably would be best if it were a handheld unit, 2nd one of those smallish rectangular screens that are more or less portable and 3rd a do-it-all installed in-dash display, due to cost and inflexibility.

I'll keep looking around. Maybe something new has come out that suits my needs. I'm okay with using sd cards but I don't to have to reply on a laptop or something of similar size to get what I want. I already have a laptop with Terrain Navigator and it's of course not easy to use whilst driving