Gps tips and tricks

[Deadbuck]

What tricks/tips have you learned with your gps since you have own it. I have a Garmin12 and love it. I use a topo program called “topo” by nat’l geographic with my gps to do a lot of different things. Here are a few tricks that I have learned.

1. Store unlimited number of waypoints. I can delete all the waypoints in my gps and download new ones/old ones whenever I want. If I am rabbit hunting. I load my rabbit hunting waypoints that I stored on my PC from previous outings. OR deer hunting or fishing. Whatever. This way I don’t have to scroll through a bunch of waypoints that don’t pertain to what I am doing. It is a very easy procedure.
2. View your track that you walked on a map. Say you want to figure out how the deer are moving through the area you are hunting. Walk the deer trails in the summer and fall. When you get back home download your track that you walked into the program. Now you can see where you walked on a topographical map, see how the deer are moving through the area, and where the trails intersect. Maybe find a spot to post a deer cam to see what deer are in that area?You can then make a waypoint on the map where you want to hunt based on what you see on the map. Download that into you gps and hunt a spot that you never even been to before. Another good use is. Say you are drift fishing. All of the sudden you start catching fish. Mark that spot right away. When the fish stop biting. Start up the boat. Look on your gps and go the same spot that you started drifting at before and do the exact same drift. Because you can see your track on the gps itself. Also great for ice fishing.
3. Find the easiest route to walk. Before you ever set foot in the woods you can (using the program) draw a line on the topo map. The path that you want to walk. Then with 2 clicks of the mouse. Build an elevation profile of that line that you drew. This way you can find the saddles to walk or all high points, whatever you are looking for. This line that you have drawn can be converted into a route that can be uploaded into your gps.
4. Find property boundary lines. There is a bit of a trick to this one. Using a plot map you can draw property boundary lines on the topo map. (Which can be uploaded in to your gps) Now you know exactly where state and private land starts and ends. With the use of a laptop/gps/and this program. You can hook up your gps and track your movement a crossed the map. Live, while you move. How many people want to know where state land meets up to some farmer’s crop field? It takes some time to checkout all these boundaries, but you got all summer for that doing it this way. With some time you can do something similar with a lake map. Find that channel or ledge on a lake and go fish a high percentage spot without ever being on that lake before.

Take the time to figure out how to use every feature on your gps and this program and you will be figuring out new ways to use your gps too.

[Melon]

That is some great info, thanks!

[NEMichsportsman]

Deadbuck-

I have upgraded to Lowrance Ifinder Plus as it has a lot of those capabilities within the unit itself and their Mapcreate Software.

I still have my GPS 12 for backup and using on the boat. How does the 12 interface with your computer as there is no USB...I would like to be able to use some of those tricks. I am guessing their must be some specialized cable availible, if you could pass on what the part number is /where you found it I would be grateful.

[Ranger Ray]

Deadbuck:

Is your nat'l geo the michigan topo? How is it on showing details of rivers and water? Looking at getting something and din't like garmins topo. Thanks!

P.S. Just read yor response to riverboy in different thread, gave me my answer. Thanks for info!

[Deadbuck]

I got my cable for my Garmin Gps 12 at Cabelas about 2 years ago for around $35.00. I have also seen them at Gander Mountain. Sorry, I don’t know the part number. The cable hooks up to my PC at the serial port. When you have the TOPO program open you can choose which GPS model and manufacture you are using to connect with to the PC. Your choice of the Eagle/lowarnce models is. Accu Nav Sport, Gobal map sport, Gobal Nav 200, Eagle explorer, Eagle expedition 2, Eagle map guide, Eagle Accumap 12, Eagle Accu map gps, Eagle Ultramap, Gobal Map, or none of the above. Other Manufactures that can connect using TOPO are Megellan, and NEMA. Hope this helps?

[Deadbuck]

Yes, I have the Michigan version of TOPO. No it don't show any detail of river as far as depths go,but does show very good detail as far as viewing the rivers/creeks and how they move arcossed on the maps themselves. Bend,branching off in directions, etc.... However it does have some depths of lake huron in the Saginaw bay area and also on the west side of the state by ludington.

[Ranger Ray]

Thanks for the info Deadbuck!