GPS Manufacturer Software Reviews

GPS receiver manufacturers have a number of software products available for their models that support maps. So you have a better understanding of what types of maps are available, here are the different map software packages that the major GPS receiver manufacturers offer. Read on to discover what types of maps you can upload to the three main brands of GPS receivers. For more information and in-depth reviews of GPS receiver manufacturer map products, including screenshots, visit http://gpsinformation.net. GPS receivers sold in different parts of the world typically have different basemaps. For example, a GPS receiver sold in Germany will have a more detailed basemap of Europe, compared with the same model of receiver sold in the United States.
I want to clarify a point that sometimes confuses current or prospective GPS receiver owners: Each of the major GPS receiver manufacturers has their own line of map products that all sound pretty similar. Here they are:

Magellan (www.magellangps.com) MapSend
Lowrance (www.lowrance.com) MapCreate
Garmin (www.garmin.com) MapSource

MapSend, MapCreate, and MapSource all refer to the respective PC programs that allow you to view maps on your PC, upload maps to your GPS receiver, and manage GPS waypoints, routes, and tracks. Magellan, Lowrance, and Garmin ship these programs with their respective map products. Just remember that MapSend, MapCreate, and MapSource are not maps nor map data but simply the programs that interface the map data. In addition to map products, several GPS manufacturers sell waypoint and route management software. If you don’t care about uploading maps but want to transfer and save waypoints, routes, and tracks, I recommend using the free G7ToWin program (which works with most all GPS receivers) that you can download at www.gpsinformation.org/ronh.
Some manufacturers offer GPS receivers bundled with map software and other accessories. These bundled products are usually cheaper than separately purchasing the GPS hardware and map software, so shop around. Just like any other software line, GPS receiver manufacturers roll out new products, drop outdated ones, and add new features to existing products. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s Web site to get the latest information on what map software is available for a particular model of GPS receiver.

Getting maps to GPS receivers

All GPS manufacturer map programs upload maps to your GPS receiver in similar ways. Although the user interfaces are different and the commands vary, you load a map onto a GPS receiver by using the same basic process.

1. Run the map program and zoom in on the area that you want to upload to your GPS receiver.
2. Choose which parts of the map you want to upload to the GPS receiver. This usually means selecting one or more rectangular areas on the map. Depending on the program, you either draw a rectangle that defines the areas that you want to upload, or you select grid squares that appear on the map that correspond to the areas you want to upload.
3. Connect your GPS receiver to your PC. You use a special cable for this data transfer connection. To read more on connecting your GPS receiver to a PC, go to Chapter 9. If the GPS receiver uses a memory card to store maps, you can skip this step.
4. Set the communications parameters in the map program. This comprises the COM port, baud rate, and other settings that are needed so that the GPS receiver can successfully communicate with your PC. This is usually a one-time setup, so you don’t need to repeat this each time you want to upload a map. Again, you can skip this step if your GPS receiver uses a memory card.
5. Upload the map to your GPS receiver. The program extracts the information that it needs from the map data CD-ROM and builds a custom map of the area that you select. When this process finishes, the program either starts uploading the map to the GPS receiver or saves the map to your hard drive where you can copy it to a memory card (if applicable).

How long building a map takes depends on the size of the area that you select, how much map detail you want to include, and how fast your PC is. This can range from a minute or less for small areas (such as a metropolitan area) to five or ten minutes for a large map (such as one that includes many different states). For example, when using Lowrance’s MapCreate, it takes a little under five minutes to create a 26MB map of the state of Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle on a typical PC that’s been manufactured within the past several years.
How much time it takes to upload a map into a GPS receiver also depends on the size of the area you select and how the receiver stores maps. If you’re uploading a large map from a PC via a serial cable, it can take hours to transfer the map between a PC and your GPS receiver. GPS receivers that support Universal Serial Bus (USB) communications are much faster. For GPS receivers that use SD or MMC memory for storage, after the map has been created and saved to the memory card, it’s just a matter of inserting the card into the receiver.
After you purchase GPS receiver map software, be sure to check the manufacturer’s Web site every now and then to see whether updated releases of the PC software are available. You may be able to download upgraded versions of the program with bug fixes and enhanced features. Keep in mind that when you download the program, updated map data doesn’t come with it. Some GPS receiver manufacturers use different methods for stemming software and map piracy. Both Garmin and Magellan use unlock codes on some of their map products that require you to visit a Web page and get a code to activate the program. Some map products (notably nautical charts) have multiple regions stored on CD-ROM, and you need to purchase an unlock code for each region you want to access. In addition, programs commonly link the serial number of a GPS receiver to a map, meaning that the map will work only with the GPS receiver that the map was originally uploaded to.

Common GPS map software features

Here are some of the features that all GPS receiver map software have in common.

• Upload maps to GPS receivers: The main job of a mapping program on your computer is to upload maps to your GPS receiver. The maps appear the same on your computer and your GPS receiver screen although the GPS receiver displays smaller portions of the map than you can view on your computer screen. (And the map won’t appear in color if your receiver has a monochrome display.) You use the mapping software to select the portions of the maps that you want to upload to your GPS receiver.
  
• Print from and use maps on your PC: In addition to uploading maps to a GPS receiver, you can also use the map software on your PC to view and print maps, measure distances, and plan trips.
• Download waypoints, routes, and tracks from GPS receivers: With GPS mapping software, you can download information that you’ve recorded with your GPS receiver, such as waypoints, routes, and tracks. You can store this data on your PC’s hard drive or display it as an overlay on the maps displayed on your PC.
  
• Upload waypoints, routes, and tracks to GPS receivers: In addition to downloading GPS data, you can also upload waypoints, routes, and tracks from your PC to a GPS receiver. For example, you can plot several waypoint locations on the PC map and then transfer them to your GPS receiver.
• View POIs: Many software packages have Points of Interest (POIs), such as restaurants, gas stations, and geographic features shown on the maps that you view with your PC or GPS receiver.