Using google earth as the ultimate offroad GPS solution

[troyboy162]

Since this forum has some of the greatest exploration off road trips on the planet I thought I'd share what a few people including myself are using to take the hard work out of trip and route planing. I dont think this has been covered here before, but forgive me if this is a repete. I've been using this for a long time now and I feel that it is a huge improvement over existing offroad GPS systems and cheaper by a long shot. Feel free to ask any questions and I will try to answer them. Also if you want a particular trail in Google Earth format...chances are I have it and I would more then happy to share it with you. P.S topomap overlays are avalible for Google Earth for all you map gurus, but once you go SAT image, you'll never go back

1.find a suitable laptop.
- must be able to run Google Earth with reasonable ease.
- long battery run time or use a inverter to power the lappy in the car
- alternately you can find a power supply that runs off 12 dc

2.buy a GPS reciver for your laptop
- find one with “SiRF Star III GPS chipset” or better
http://www.amazon.com/BU-353-GlobalS...0438689&sr=8-2
- install drivers for GPS receiver

3.download and install the free version of Google Earth
http://earth.google.com/

4.download and install Goops
- buying program will allow you to log longer tracks without the occasional purging you will otherwise need to do
http://goopstechnologies.com/
- become familiar with the Goops options page and the main “zoom/rotate/tilt” buttons

5.cache all the required Sat images for your trip.
- ensure Google Earth cache size is set to 2000MB http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archi...ne_google.html
- simply browse each area in Google Earth that you intent to visit with the desired level of zoom for the detail you will need.
- alternately make a Google Earth path for the area you intend to travel and use the play function to preview your path and auto download exactly what you need.
- figure in any optional areas and emergency escape routes

6.Disconnect from the internet and confirm you have all the images needed for your trip
- repeat step 5 until satisfied with step 6

7.test run your setup
- start windows and plug in GPS receiver
- start Goops program. Google Earth should automatically start and begin showing your location if there is no issues with your configuration
- drive around the block and confirm everything is working
- adjust Goops options to best serve your needs
- turning off options will generaly ease the strain on an older laptop

8.convert all your favorite GPS tracks to Google Earth tracks
http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/map_input?form=googleearth

9.never be lost or not find a trail again

[Britain]

Since this forum has some of the greatest exploration off road trips on the planet I thought I'd share what a few people including myself are using to take the hard work out of trip and route planing. I dont think this has been covered here before, but forgive me if this is a repete. I've been using this for a long time now and I feel that it is a huge improvement over existing offroad GPS systems and cheaper by a long shot. Feel free to ask any questions and I will try to answer them. Also if you want a particular trail in Google Earth format...chances are I have it and I would more then happy to share it with you. P.S topomap overlays are avalible for Google Earth for all you map gurus, but once you go SAT image, you'll never go back

1.find a suitable laptop.
- must be able to run Google Earth with reasonable ease.
- long battery run time or use a inverter to power the lappy in the car
- alternately you can find a power supply that runs off 12 dc

2.buy a GPS reciver for your laptop
- find one with “SiRF Star III GPS chipset” or better
http://www.amazon.com/BU-353-GlobalS...0438689&sr=8-2
- install drivers for GPS receiver

3.download and install the free version of Google Earth
http://earth.google.com/

4.download and install Goops
- buying program will allow you to log longer tracks without the occasional purging you will otherwise need to do
http://goopstechnologies.com/
- become familiar with the Goops options page and the main “zoom/rotate/tilt” buttons

5.cache all the required Sat images for your trip.
- ensure Google Earth cache size is set to 2000MB
- simply browse each area in Google Earth that you intent to visit with the desired level of zoom for the detail you will need.
- alternately make a Google Earth path for the area you intend to travel and use the play function to preview your path and auto download exactly what you need.
- figure in any optional areas and emergency escape routes

6.Disconnect from the internet and confirm you have all the images needed for your trip
- repeat step 5 until satisfied with step 6

7.test run your setup
- start windows and plug in GPS receiver
- start Goops program. Google Earth should automatically start and begin showing your location if there is no issues with your configuration
- drive around the block and confirm everything is working
- adjust Goops options to best serve your needs
- turning off options will generaly ease the strain on an older laptop

8.convert all your favorite GPS tracks to Google Earth tracks
http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/map_input?form=googleearth

9.never be lost or not find a trail again

Google does not give good terrain elevation..be carefull !

[troyboy162]

as in the way it represents elevation in 3d? you can fine tune it to look like you think it should. other then that you can get elevation from your GPS reciever as good as any hand held, but what do you use elevation for if you already know where your going?

[Materdaddy]

Thanks for the info, not trying to bash or poke fun, but have you been in a Jeep? We don't have room for a laptop unless we forget about a front seat passenger!

[Roger]

Mat - I use my laptop in my Jeep for GPS. Except the rare time LeAnne joins me!

Troy,
I looked at the website and I was wondering if the free version is all that is needed. I was schoked at how cheap the upgraded verisons are, $15 & $20 bucks! I was expecting $79 & $500!! But I didn't see where the upgrades would be benificial to me.

Maybe sometime when you have time you wouldn't mind giving me a hand getting it set up so it'll be done right.

Thanks for sharing the information, it's great. I use Delorme Topo but it has half the information left off of it compared to USGS Topo maps and it pi$$e$ me off to no end. It takes me forever to map out a route. I go between three different programs...

Roger

[troyboy162]

Roger the free version of goops 2.5 works great.i bought an older version a while back becuase i wanted to record longer tracks without having to periodicaly save them. the free one really does have everything an offroader would need. ill gladly give you a hand with it. it used to be a bit tricky but version 2.5 seems to have all the bugs worked out. biggest thing is setting Google Earths Cache to 2000mb
http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archi...ne_google.html

Matter it is a pain to have a laptop out on the trail but it has some big advantages. And if you dont know where you're going its going to be a big old map that your passanger will have to pay lots of attention to. with the laptop both of you can pay very little attention to Google Earth and spend all your time looking out the windows.

[RAT]

I can see this working, but like Mat says, try finding a place for it my Jeep. If I had a Dell notebook maybe. Honestly, I've never not been able to find a trail I'm looking for, and I think that half of the fun is to find it without all the technology. I use my military training and a lot of dumb luck

[OU812]

I have a OSX program called GPSBable that transfers tracks back and forth from my GPS to Google earth. You can plot your tracks and send them to the GPS in Garmin’s proprietary format. I like how this will let you take all the Topo info also. Sooner or later I need to buy one of those $200 dell notebooks to run stuff like this and telescope aiming software. I hate to take a nice laptop out in the desert.

[Materdaddy]

Well, I'm not opposed to it, I'm a software engineer. I'd love to have a laptop out there with me. I was just saying it's not very easy!

I've seen laptop mounts like cops have and they seem to take up a lot of room. A fun project might be some sort of crazy drop-down mount for a laptop for when you're stopped. It would obviously have to be secured very well so it doesn't come loose in a roll. Kurt, you game?

[troyboy162]

agreed, a full size laptop is harder to make work then a netbook. this is where my eee-pc is mounted

[headhunter]

I keep thinking that a tablet PC would be good for something like this.

Christian

[troyboy162]

here is an example of tracks using this these programs. this is wandering around calico without ploting a path before hand and just using sat images to navaigate. dont mind the multi colored lines. its a feature that attempts to make the path show average speed by color. it dosnt work well when you are going .5-15 mph all day haha.

[Deepwater]

Awesome write up.

Many times I have wanted to be able to access Earth to figure out if it is worth going over the next waterfall to see whats there. Time to delete my passenger to make room.

Mike

[troyboy162]

hey just a quick question but most of you that are using gps are using deg, decimal minutes? ive had touble sharing points with others. what does everyone think is the easiest to use? GE can use them all but id rather default it to what makes things easiest for sharing
the pumps at valero gas station in lucerne valley are at:

1. 34° 26.617'N, 116° 57.056'W
2. 34.443617°, -116.950933°
3. N34 26.617, W116 57.056
4. 34°26'37.02"N, 116°57'3.36"W

what format is everyones favorite?

[FishPOET]

1. 34° 26.617'N, 116° 57.056'W
2. 34.443617°, -116.950933°
3. N34 26.617, W116 57.056
4. 34°26'37.02"N, 116°57'3.36"W

what format is everyones favorite?

#1 and #3 are the same format
degrees, minutes, decimal minutes

degrees, minutes, decimal minutes is the format I always use.