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GPS freaks unite

Submitted: Saturday, Jun 02, 2007 at 17:11

Member - Edward G (QLD)

Hi All.
What ya reckon? or has it already been done somewhere?

We start to pool our GPS tracks that we have developed over the years. We have a central storage area where you can download/upload your model GPS tracks and we start to develop a library of tracks?

The problem I have is not knowing how fast tracks are and how long a trip may take. I understand conditions change from hour to hour but its a indicator of where a track leads, speed, altitude, etc...

I have a collection (its my hobby) and I would love to find some fellow Magellan Meridian gold GPS track hoarders.

Your thoughts? Any freaks out there?
ThreadID: 46180 Replies: 8
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AnswerID: 244191   Submitted: Saturday, Jun 02, 2007 at 17:28

John R (SA) replied:

Sounds like it already exists, here.
Have you had a look at the 'Treks' department, or do you have something a bit different in mind?

Reply 1 of 8
AnswerID: 244195   Submitted: Saturday, Jun 02, 2007 at 17:47

Member - Edward G (QLD) replied:

Yeh the treks are a good summary of a journey. Most GPSs connect to PC and have the ability to save your tracks to files on the PC. These files can be loaded later onto your mapping software as a record of travels, etc. Its these track files I would love to have 100,000 of them in a database all over Oz or the world for that matter.

I am planning a Simpson, Canning return in August and would be great to be able go the Treks pages and download track files for my GPS that I can load intoOziexplorer or DiscoverAus and check out how long legs take to travers.

Of course taking into account that conditions, routes, speeds, etc change hourly. It would be like I had been there before and was just reviewing where I went. Food for thought I guess.
Reply 2 of 8
FollowupID: 505182   Submitted: Saturday, Jun 02, 2007 at 18:03

Willem posted:

Edward

Any number of ExplorOz Members and Visitors have GPS to puter mapping etc.

Maybe you could establish a private website and ask others to join with you in saving all these tracks. Alternatively you may need to drive them all....lol

I only use Moving Map when I am in remote off road or off track situations and don't bother keeping records. You may find most tracks on various printed or electronic maps these days. It is really only when you are lost that you need the GPS. In offtrack situations would plan a route on a map with manually applied Waypoints and once at the start point I would take a bearing on the route. Then I turn the puter off and follow the bearing on the GPS. Having the puter or PDA bounce around when one is trying to concetrate on where you are going is a nuisance. Everry 20km I would fire the puter up to see where I am in relation to the Waypoints.

Cheers
Karoo Jackal
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Willem

There is more than one way to bag a bunny

FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 244204   Submitted: Saturday, Jun 02, 2007 at 18:16

Member - Edward G (QLD) replied:

Yeh a web site would be the go...rather add to existing rather than start from scratch or reinvent the wheel so to speek.

Was more in the planning stage I was thinking of... when you're going some place and would like to know how long it might take, speed, altitude.. you can turn a track into as many waypoints as you like or in DiscoverAus Streets & Tracks turn the track into a route with as many waypoints as you like. All automatic no manual lon/lat entry.

I use the tracks I save a little like a photo album, as reminders of where I've been. Like loading all my saved tracks onto map of Aus and look at all the adventures we've had. Better get off here... tea's on the table. All this typings made me hungry and thirsty. Cheers!
Reply 3 of 8
AnswerID: 244206   Submitted: Saturday, Jun 02, 2007 at 18:20

Member - Kingsley N (SA) replied:

Remeber Mt Erebus. Garbage in = Garbage out. I am not entirely happy using someone else's data without a good plot on my maps.

I agree with Willem. Heads up for navigation. Read from the ground to the map not vice versa. The GPS will indicate which way to the next fix until the battery goes flat!

Having said that it is a great comfort having a moving map too. The Trek notes on this site are useful in covering the most popular routes.

Kingo
The Downside of Big Red
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The Downside of Big Red
Reply 4 of 8
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AnswerID: 244215   Submitted: Saturday, Jun 02, 2007 at 18:49

Footloose replied:

I also use my GPS and moving map the same way as Willem. As I'm usually the only person in the vehicle, taking my eyes of the track when travelling isn't rewarding unless I stop and do a check.
And just in case, I always carry paper maps as a backup.
Reply 5 of 8
AnswerID: 244219   Submitted: Saturday, Jun 02, 2007 at 18:56

John R (SA) replied:

Edward, I still can't see what you want that can't be obtained from the Trek department?

Provided of course that someone has uploaded their track file, you are able to download it. There's a fair array there though.

For memory it's the 'plotswap' which equates to a track .plt file for ozi.

Maybe I'm still missing the jist of your idea though.

Reply 6 of 8
FollowupID: 505272   Submitted: Sunday, Jun 03, 2007 at 10:17

Member - Edward G (QLD) posted:

Do you know if all plt files have no speed and time info as the one I downloaded doesn't?

Cheers
Ed
FollowUp 1 of 3
FollowupID: 505392   Submitted: Sunday, Jun 03, 2007 at 18:38

John R (SA) posted:

I don't know Ed.

I would have assumed they all could, to enable the 'replay track' function, and so that the program knows which order the track points go in, but I don't know what format it'd be in.
FollowUp 2 of 3
FollowupID: 505416   Submitted: Sunday, Jun 03, 2007 at 19:25

Member - Edward G (QLD) posted:

The time stamp is applied but they are all the same time, so the program can't work out speed. Looks like they cleared all the time settings to the same value.
FollowUp 3 of 3
AnswerID: 244223   Submitted: Saturday, Jun 02, 2007 at 19:15

Member - Doug T (W.A) replied:

Edward
As a Member you can share and obtain tracks from the Members tab at the top of the this page then go to Members FileSwap

Doug

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Doug & Dusty
In the Shade
Mt Bundy Stn
Reply 7 of 8
AnswerID: 244269   Submitted: Sunday, Jun 03, 2007 at 00:01

The Explorer replied:

Apart from exploroz
the following spring to mind

www.gpsaustralia.net/

" target="EOF" class="lbg">www.bushtrax.com/

www.loceight.com/

Cheers
Greg
Carnabys Black Cockatoo
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“I was horror–struck to find my poor overseer lying on the ground, weltering in his blood and in the last agonies of death” E Eyre 29 April 1841

Reply 8 of 8
FollowupID: 505271   Submitted: Sunday, Jun 03, 2007 at 10:07

Member - Edward G (QLD) posted:

great links thanks alot.
FollowUp 1 of 1

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