> Greeting, > > Anyone using USAPhotomaps with a Tracker2? Impressions, opinions? > > Any special setup? > > Thanks > > Best regards, > Fred >
Thanks Barry for your answer. I haven't used USAPhotoMaps with a Tracker2, but I have used USAPM for several years as a mapping tool, and more recently with a TinyTrak4 for APRS, and I like it. I use ExpertGPS for all of my mapping functions to date. I am spoiled by EGPS but it doesn't do APRS. I have play with USAPM before but only without a TNC connected. I have run it on the desktop as a APRS viewer. It is pretty but could use more features. ;) I actually downloaded all of the New England states in Topo and quite a few of the Aerial maps. I wanted basic APRS functions on my laptop, but didn't want a full-blown APRS system, such as UI-View or Xastir, and I didn't want to buy Precision Maps either. So, since I'd been using USAPM to view topos and aerial photography for years and already had it on my laptop, when Doug Cox added APRS functions to USAPM, I gave it a shot. I haven't checked into recent changes in USAPM (if any), but last time I used it, its KISS capability didn't include beaconing. That wasn't a problem for USAPM and the TT4 since the TT4 can independently be a stand-alone tracker (with Smart Beaconing, MIC-E, telemetry, etc.) while also being a KISS TNC. I haven't kept up with the capabilities of the Tracker2 to know if it can do those functions independently, but if so, I'd think it would also work with USAPM. The latest change was on Nov 10, 2009. I just acquired a free laptop (Compaq M300 Armada) and thought I would try USAPM connected to the T2. I am currently using a PDA running SmartPalm. The PDA makes for a compact system and I really like it but I have not been successful at getting the development environment running to maybe add some changes. Maybe I can get the environment up to load USAPM source code. I am not a programmer so it is interesting. The hookup with the TT4 uses the two serial ports with the primary port configured as a KISS TNC connected to the PC, and the secondary port configured for a NMEA connection to a GPS. The TT4 can also show received APRS beacons as waypoints on the GPS. The secondary port is on pins 7 & 8 of the primary serial port's DB9M, so a splitter cable is used to breakout the secondary port to a separate DB9M and the primary via a null-modem cross-over to a DB9F. IIRC, the Tracker2 uses the same dual serial port configuration. My T2 serial has been broken out to 3 serial ports, GPS, PC and NMEA. The GTRANS inside sends NMEA on pin 1 of the serial port now. Overall, there are 5 DE-9 connects on the back. Previous threads explain why I added a GTRANS. One problem with USAPM is that it uses maps and aerial photos from Microsoft Terraserver which provides maps and aerial photos covering the USA only. It also appears that Microsoft has abandoned updating the content of the Terraserver site, so much of the USA is only covered by topos and 1 meter per pixel B&W aerial photography. Color photography at 0.25 meters per pixel is provided only for urban areas of many (mostly larger) cities, although fortunately for me it's also available for my area even though we're at best only a medium sized urban area. It you want new maps you have to pay for them. But getting new maps and APRS capability is challenging. EGPS uses the same maps too. The good thing about USAPM is that when you download the map and photo tiles, it saves them on your hard drive, so you can have the maps you've already seen later when you don't have Internet access. You can also move the map and photo files to a DVD-R or DVD-RW. I would actually like to see if I can install USAPM to run from a USB dongle since the hard drive is small (Windows left me with less than 1G out of 6 - Not unlike a eeePC I guess). Although I bet this system is only USB 1.0 so that might be too slow. Best regards, Fred
