Comparison of mapping programs

[Fred W]

I downloaded the 60 day free trial. It appears that S&T doesn't have the ability to save as a .gpx file. At least not that I've found yet.

[edit] never mind. I found it. It's under "data / export", not "file / save as"

Good news. The routing points in Streets and Trips 2010 come across as viapoints when they are saved to a gpx file.

I can't figure out how to send the routes directly from S&T to my Zumo. It doesn't see it since it is looking for a serial port device.

 

[GreyGoose]

I downloaded the 60 day free trial. It appears that S&T doesn't have the ability to save as a .gpx file. At least not that I've found yet.
[edit] never mind. I found it. It's under "data / export", not "file / save as"

Good news. The routing points in Streets and Trips 2010 come across as viapoints when they are saved to a gpx file.

I can't figure out how to send the routes directly from S&T to my Zumo. It doesn't see it since it is looking for a serial port device.

Wow,,,,that is huge. Does That means you can design your route with as many waypoints as you want in street and trips, then export to .gps, then load that into mapsource (which should show only 2 waypoints (your start and end), do a recalculate, and transfer it into the garmin without using PONI? I would think you would want to do that anyway to review your rate in mapsource before sending it. Even if you couldnt, the idea of being able to make the route in street and trips and transfer it into mapsource as via points is a huge help. that way you can create your route in MSST, then transfer it to mapsource, and use its viapoint tool to add additional viapoints that you may have missed or that may have changed during the conversion. then run it through the PONI and be done.

GreyGoose

 

[wfooshee]

<!--quoteo(post=731288:date=Apr 27 2010, 11:34 AM:name=Fred W)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Fred W @ Apr 27 2010, 11:34 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=731288"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I can't figure out how to send the routes directly from S&T to my Zumo. It doesn't see it since it is looking for a serial port device.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

You can't.

But if the Zumo appears on the system as an external drive, there's no reason you can't save your GPX file there.

 

[Aasland]

S&T 2010 has a "Send to GPS" on the "tools" menu which uses MSN Connect with the Garmin communicator. It will send stuff to your Zumo. However .. they are not routes. It will only send the routing points as 'favorites'.

The alternative is to do the 'data/export to gpx' as the previous poster mentioned .. then load that into mapsource and then load it the Zumo ... just like iwth google maps, i.e. still need Mapsource as an intermediate.

 

[GreyGoose]

S&T 2010 has a "Send to GPS" on the "tools" menu which uses MSN Connect with the Garmin communicator. It will send stuff to your Zumo. However .. they are not routes. It will only send the routing points as 'favorites'.
The alternative is to do the 'data/export to gpx' as the previous poster mentioned .. then load that into mapsource and then load it the Zumo ... just like iwth google maps, i.e. still need Mapsource as an intermediate.

I've got no issues using mapsource as an intermediary if i'm only dealing with viapoints, i just dont want to design my routes on it. Panning is just painful. Street and trips shows no lags or delay. So the ticket is:

1. Design in MSST

2. export to .gpx

3. run it through the PONI (if you dont want to listen to gps jill yappen away)

4. open in mapsource to verify

5. recalculate (unless you've run the PONI)

6. transfer to device.

MSST 2010 is startin to look real attractive. Fred, you going to be playing with this for 60 days?...How about a write up (even though i think we may have beat this to death :assassin: on this post)

GreyGoose

 

[Fred W]

I could do a write up, but to be honest with you up front, I probably won't be fair.

I can tell that I already do not like the user interface of S&T any better than Mapsucks. I guess that I have just become familiar with Mapsucks and it's cantankerous ways through constant use. Plus, my PC is a pretty fast workstation, so I don't experience any of the delays you mention panning, etc.

I'll probably continue to play with the S&T for the 60 days and see if it grows on me, but any one else can do the same thing for free, so why not just try it and decide for yourselves?

 

[wfooshee]

The user inteface on Streets & Trips still needed a good bit of tool switching on the version I have, 2008. That was reduced greatly in 2009, and in 2010 they added GPX export. Changing tools to zoom and changing back to pan is just stupid, and they finally saw that. It's still not very good with screen space, it keeps moving stuff out of the way to display stuff I didn't ask for, like the Directions window.

That's why I use Street Atlas. You can do EVERYTHING without ever going to the tool bar. Zoom in, zoom out, pan, drop start and finish points. move them, add or insert vias. It never shrinks the map out of the way for other information unless you ask it to, the other thing I HATE about Street & Trips. And Street Atlas has in the box a version that runs on my phone, as long as I feed it maps and routes from the PC. DeLorme's maps just somehow aren't quite right sometimes, is the only problem I have with it. And no trial version, either.

 

[wfooshee]

Played with the trial of Streets & Trips 2010 for a while this afternoon, and added notes at the end of post #2.

 

[FJRMGM]

Just bought and installed a copy of MS Streets and Trips 2010 and it is very easy to use.

Quickly created a 300 mile scenic loop in Arkansas with "stop points" and then used the Export function to put it on my Garmin 770 where I imported it and opened as my route and it looks good.

Very pleased with the ease of use and interface so far.

For $39 its hard to go wrong with it.

 

[Aasland]

Just bought and installed a copy of MS Streets and Trips 2010 and it is very easy to use.
Quickly created a 300 mile scenic loop in Arkansas with "stop points" and then used the Export function to put it on my Garmin 770 where I imported it and opened as my route and it looks good.

Very pleased with the ease of use and interface so far.

For $39 its hard to go wrong with it.

It seems strange that your 770 gets routes, and my 550 gets 'Favorites' and no route. If I make a 10-stop MSST route I would have to build a new route on the 550 from the 'Favorites' downloaded by MSST.

My dad ha a Nuvi 255W and he can't even download multi-point routes with mapsource, and my buddy's Zumo 660 gets Mapsource routes like my 550 but they have different names - based on destinations, not the route name.

Methinks someone at Garmin needs help with consistency in the product designs.

 

[FJRMGM]

yeah, that is strange. I made up three routes last night and exported to the Nuvi and they all work perfectly.

 

[GreyGoose]

yeah, that is strange. I made up three routes last night and exported to the Nuvi and they all work perfectly.

I think the difference may be in your procedure. how are you transferring the .gpx to your device? MSST will create the .gpx file, but what you do with it from there i think will have an impact on whether it goes into "custom routes" or "favorites". The only way i know to get anything into custom routes is to use the my data folder and the option to import files or folders. If you just drop a .gpx file into the nuvi folder, I think your 1. going to get "favorites" and 2. Have the option to then do an import from file or folder import it into custom routes. I think when i do it using the memory card, i dont get all the waypoints into "favorites" and just get the route in the custom route folder.

GreyGoose

 

[wfooshee]

Major revision of post #2 using Streets and Trips 2010. New features discussed unclude GPX export (and import,) renaming of route points, customizing startup settings, and using pushpins and sets of pushpins as database tools and links. I also addressed the Optimize Stops function which I had previously ignored.

 

[GreyGoose]

Major revision of post #2 using Streets and Trips 2010. New features discussed unclude GPX export (and import,) renaming of route points, customizing startup settings, and using pushpins and sets of pushpins as database tools and links. I also addressed the Optimize Stops function which I had previously ignored.

Thanx for the update. I think i'm best buy bound since it on sale for 29 bucks.

GreyGoose

 

[wfooshee]

More updating: Added text to the Street Atlas section related to draw layers and waypoint layers. Added text is blue so you can find it easily. (The Streets & Trips section is almost completely new.)

 

[Zorlac]

Thanx for the update. I think i'm best buy bound since it on sale for 29 bucks. GreyGoose

Sale link.One of the reviews of the newest version is puzzling?

"I have encountered several instances where the program does not recognize a town and/or street(s). I immediately go to Google Maps and find exactly what I'm looking for."

 

[wfooshee]

One of the reviews of the newest version is puzzling?
"I have encountered several instances where the program does not recognize a town and/or street(s). I immediately go to Google Maps and find exactly what I'm looking for."

I would imagine that Google has a few more resources to draw on when doing a search, what with being Internet based, access to places like, um, Google.

 

[Zorlac]

I don't know if anyone's seen this site, it uses Google maps and supposedly will generate a usable GPX file.

I don't like the way it changes Google maps functionality vs using GM directly, but I didn't spend much time with it, I'd rather wait for your cognoscenti opinion.

 

[Fred W]

I don't know if anyone's seen this site, it uses Google maps and supposedly will generate a usable GPX file.I don't like the way it changes Google maps functionality vs using GM directly, but I didn't spend much time with it, I'd rather wait for your cognoscenti opinion.

Seems like a good find. I agree, I'm not real fond of how they manipulated the front end of the user interface, but it seems to still have all the capabilities of GoogleMaps behind it somewhere.

It seems like it will be a great way to share routes / trips. Here's a link to the recently completed Maine Clam Chowdah ride

Let me know if you are able to see it OK.

 

[Zorlac]

It's viewable for me Fred, but I don't have a clue as to whether the actual route would be usable if I had a real GPS as opposed to a C330.

Looks like some fine riding!