Frequently Asked QuestionsSoftware QuestionsWhat Mac do I need to run MacGPS Pro? What about updates to MacGPS Pro? Is there a Demo version of MacGPS Pro? Isn't the freeware MacGPS the same thing as a Demo version of MacGPS Pro? Receiver QuestionsWill MacGPS Pro work with the eTrex receivers which only have a USB connection? How does MacGPS Pro work with the Garmin GPS receivers which have both a USB port and a Serial port? Will MacGPS Pro work with the Garmin Street Pilot and Nuvi receivers? How Do I Use a Garmin Oregon GPS Receiver with MacGPS Pro? Can I transfer raster maps, such as the MacTopos maps that James Associates Inc. sells, into my GPS receiver using MacGPS Pro? Does MacGPS Pro work with Magellan GPS receivers? Does MacGPS Pro work with screenless GPS receivers that connect directly to the Mac USB port? Does MacGPS Pro work with Bluetooth wireless interface GPS receivers? Connection QuestionMy GPS receiver's serial data interconnect cables don't plug in anywhere on my Macintosh. How do I physically connect my GPS receiver to my Macintosh? Maps QuestionsWhat are the file formats I should use for importing maps? How can I import my own scanned maps? Which maps and charts work with MacGPS Pro? I am importing USGS 7.5' DRG maps from California. Once imported, I cannot get MacGPS Pro to find latitude and longitude coordinates. What should I do? How do I see and edit my waypoints, routes and tracklogs in another program? What are the MacGPS Pro formats for showing latitude and longitude? What are the MacGPS Pro map projections? What are the MacGPS Pro datums? If I load a Garmin map into my GPS receiver, will the routes, waypoints and tracks transfer properly to and from the MacTopos maps? Can I transfer Garmin's MapSource maps into my GPS receiver using MacGPS Pro? Can I transfer raster maps, such as the MacTopos maps that James Associates Inc. sells, into my GPS receiver using MacGPS Pro? What is the difference between USGS maps and Forest Service Maps? Q: What Mac do I need to run MacGPS Pro? A: The current version of MacGPS Pro navigation software is a Universal Binary OS X application. It will run on any Mac running Mac OS X version 10.2.8 or later, Intel processor or PowerPC processor. The software works very well on both older Macs with limited processor and RAM resources, as well as the newest laptops and desktops. The one area where extra processor speed and RAM really helps is viewing a large number of stitched-together maps simultaneously.(Top of Page) Q: What about updates to MacGPS Pro? A: We are continually adding features to improve MacGPS Pro navigation software. We release multiple updates on a regular basis, which are distributed free via email to our registered users. Annually, we release a major upgrade, which is available for a small discounted fee to our current customers. (Top of Page) Q: Is there a Demo version of MacGPS Pro? A: There is no demo? That's right! A demo either limits the availability of features or the time to try the program. We don't want a crippled version that doesn't give you a full picture of the software, or a demo with a time limit for trying various features that you just can't get to because the clock quits ticking. Through the years, MacGPS Pro navigation software has been continuously developed with many features arising from customer suggestions, so it performs a wide variety of tasks today. If we provided a demo, it would be impossible to know which facet of the program that you wanted to explore. And we want you to be able to experience any or all of the many features you desire without the stress of a clock ticking. Take your time and enjoy the benefits! Because we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, you have nothing to lose. Also, compare our cost with those of other software companies that do offer demos. Truth is, demos cost money for development, and that expense is passed on to you, the consumer. James Associates would rather spend time adding new features to MacGPS Pro than develop a demo and charge you more for our program to cover those extra development costs. (Top of Page) Q: Isn't the freeware MacGPS the same thing as a Demo version of MacGPS Pro? A: No. MacGPS is free, older software that will perform simple functions between older Macintosh computers and older Garmin receivers. Its functions are very limited compared to the latest version of MacGPS Pro. It will not work at all on newer Macs or newer Garmin receivers. (Top of Page) Q: Will MacGPS Pro work with the eTrex receivers which only have a USB connection? A: MacGPS Pro will work with the etrex Vista and Legend C, Cx and HCx receivers when connected to a USB port with the Garmin-supplied cable. MacGPS Pro will NOT work with eTrex Venture C, Cx and HCx receivers or the eTrex H receiver, so purchase an eTrex Vista or an eTrex Legend model instead if you want to use MacGPS Pro. (Top of Page) Q: How does MacGPS Pro work with the Garmin GPS receivers which have both a USB port and a Serial port? A: When using the USB Port with Garmin's cable: You must be running Mac OS X 10.3.8 or later. When connected to the Garmin USB port, real-time data uses PVT mode only. The following models require a recent version of Garmin's internal firmware to work with a USB connection:
To use the serial port, you must purchase a Keyspan USB to serial adapter and a PC serial cable for the GPS. These receivers will run on an earlier version of Mac OS X, an earlier version of Garmin's firmware, and provide you the option of using either NMEA or PVT mode for real-time data. PVT mode supplies less information than the NMEA mode.(Top of Page) Q: Will MacGPS Pro work with the Garmin Street Pilot and Nuvi receivers? A: MacGPS Pro is designed for off-road use, not for highway navigation. Nevertheless it will transfer waypoints, routes and tracklogs, and collect real-time data for some Street Pilot Receivers such as the Street Pilot III. It will also work for waypoint, route and tracklog transer (no real-time data) with some Nuvi receivers which have a USB interface identical to the Garmin Oregon series of receivers. We cannot provide a list of which Nuvi receivers work and which do not. In any case, MacGPS Pro will not load maps into a Street Pilot or a Nuvi receiver. Garmin keeps their map loading protocol secret. We suggest that Mac owners purchase one of the Nuvi receivers which has maps for the entire country pre-installed. (Top of Page) Q: How Do I Use a Garmin Oregon GPS Receiver with MacGPS Pro? A: Garmin Oregon GPS receivers have two different modes in which they operate when connected to a Mac. * One mode is Real-Time "Garmin Serial mode", which operates in a similar manner to other Garmin receivers when the receiver is actively receiving signals from the GPS satellite. However on the Oregon receiver, this mode is used only for items under the MacGPS Pro Real-Time menu. To use the Real-Time functions you must use a Keyspan USB to Serial Adapter with a Garmin 010-10572-00 Mini-B to DB-9 cable. The Garmin "Spanner" mode does not work with MacGPS Pro. Note: If you have not already installed the Keyspan adapter driver, please do so now. * The other mode is "USB Mass Storage mode", where the Garmin receiver looks to the Mac like an external mass storage drive. In this mode the receiver is not actively tracking the GPS satellites. To confirm this mode, you will see a picture on the GPS receiver screen, which shows the receiver connected to a computer using the USB cable that comes with the receiver. This mode is used for items under the MacGPS Pro Transfer menu, which includes Waypoints, Routes, and Tracks. To set-up MacGPS Pro with the Garmin Oregon under both modes initially:
Q: Can I transfer raster maps, such as the MacTopos maps that James Associates Inc. sells, into my GPS receiver using MacGPS Pro? A: Unfortunately, GPS receivers use vector-based maps for display on their screens. They have no support for raster maps. USGS DRG (Digital Raster Graphics) maps have too much detailed information for the memory and display capabilities of a hand-held GPS receiver. The best use of DRG maps, and the use which MacGPS Pro navigation software provides, is to use the map on your Macintosh screen. You can plan a trip by generating waypoints and routes to transfer to your receiver. You can use the map on your Mac screen in real time as you travel with the GPS receiver connected. After your trip, you can transfer tracklogs from the GPS to view where you went on the DRG map. (Top of Page) Q: Does MacGPS Pro work with Magellan GPS receivers? A: Users of Magellan receivers that have a serial port can transfer waypoints, routes and tracklogs as well as show the current position and velocity on the map on the Mac screen. MacGPS Pro navigation software will not transfer maps into a Magellan mapping GPS receiver. To transfer maps, you must use Magellan's MapSend program, which is Windows-only. MacGPS Pro also supports Magellan eXplorist receivers, which have a USB port. MacGPS Pro does not support the Magellan Triton receivers.(Top of Page) Q: Does MacGPS Pro work with screenless GPS receivers that connect directly to the Mac USB port? A: MacGPS Pro navigation software will work with most Garmin and USGlobalSat receivers that connect directly to a USB port. MacGPS Pro may work with receivers from other manufacturers if they supply Mac OS USB driver software for their receivers. Or you can try this USB to Serial Driver from Apple's support web site. (Top of Page) Q: Does MacGPS Pro work with Bluetooth wireless interface GPS receivers? A: Yes! To use a Bluetooth receiver with MacGPS Pro, you must first set up the Bluetooth receiver to be recognized by the Mac OS X operating system. Follow these steps:
Q: My GPS receiver's serial data interconnect cables don't plug in anywhere on my Macintosh. How do I physically connect my GPS receiver to my Macintosh? A: For those with USB-capable Macs, transfers to and from the GPS receiver data port work well through a Keyspan USB to serial adapter. The Keyspan adapter requires a Mac OS X driver. We recommend downloading the latest driver from the Keyspan website rather than using a potentially obsolete driver which came on the CD-ROM with the device. If you have another brand of USB-to-serial adapter you would like to use if possible, try using this Apple Driver which may work, depending on the specific adapter device. James Associates Inc. sells interconnect cables for connecting a Macintosh to some Garmin GPS receivers. (Top of Page) Q: What are the file formats I should use for importing maps? A: For optimum resolution and seamless map stitching, we recommend our MacTopos Maps series. However, MacGPS Pro navigation software is also an excellent viewer for USGS Digital Raster Graphic topo maps, NOS/GEO and BSB versions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 charts, FAA flight sectionals, and many other digital maps. Maps in vector format will not work. Maps in raster-image formats such as TIF, JPG, GIF, ECW and PNG are automatically georeferenced in MacGPS Pro if they are in GeoTIFF format, in ECW format, or if they are accompanied by a "world" file, a MAP file (an OziExplorer calibration format), an IMP file (a CompeGPS calibration format), or a JPR file (a Fugawi calibration format). (OziExplorer OZF2 image files are not supported). Maps may be purchased, obtained by downloading them from the Internet, or by scanning them yourself. Maps can be calibrated and used on your Macintosh screen with or without a GPS receiver connected. USGS, TVA and Teale (California) DRG maps, and many other maps from diverse sources are automatically calibrated. Maps that do not contain calibration information can manually calibrated with ease by clicking on a few known points. Please note that MacGPS Pro does not upload maps to any GPS receiver; the maps are used on the Macintosh screen. (Top of Page) Q: How can I import my own scanned maps? A: Follow these instructions for importing your own scanned maps:
Q: Which maps and charts work with MacGPS Pro? A: For high-quality resolution, seamless map stitching and guaranteed georeference accuracy, we recommend our MacTopos and MacBSB Marine Charts. However MacGPS also works with an extensive list of map resources found in our Digital Map Library. (Top of Page) Q: I am importing USGS 7.5' DRG maps from California. Once imported, I cannot get MacGPS Pro to find latitude and longitude coordinates. What should I do? A: When the window comes up which lets you pick the Map Projection, it comes up with Transverse Mercator selected as the default when there is no automatic calibration information available, because that is correct for USGS topo maps for most of the USA. However for California maps, you need to select the Albers Conic projection before clicking "OK." (Top of Page) Q: How do I see and edit my waypoints, routes and tracklogs in another program? A: MacGPS Pro saves waypoint, route and tracklog files in a tab-delimited text format, which you can open in any spreadsheet such as Excel or Appleworks. It can also save files in GPX format which can be opened by almost all other GPS programs, including Windows programs. You may then edit the list and save it again as a text file or a GPX file which you can then read back into MacGPS Pro. If you wish to completely replace the waypoints on your Garmin GPS receiver with your edited list, you must erase all of the waypoints on the receiver using the controls on the GPS receiver itself, then transfer back in the ones you had edited on the Mac. Garmin does not offer any way for an external software program to erase waypoints stored inside the unit. Transferred waypoints are either added to the receiver, or replace those waypoints of the same name. (Top of Page) Q: What are the MacGPS Pro formats for showing latitude and longitude? A: MacGPS Pro can show latitude and longitude in the following user-selectable formats: degrees/minutes/seconds(Top of Page) Q: What are the MacGPS Pro map projections? A: MacGPS Pro can calibrate maps in the following user-selectable map projections: Albers Equal-Area Conic(Top of Page) Q: What are the MacGPS Pro datums? A: MacGPS Pro allows coordinate conversions to-and-from the following 123 different user-selectable datums: Adindan, Afgooye, AIN EL ABD '70, Anna 1 Ast '65, ARC 1950, ARC 1960, Ascnsn Isld '58, Astro B4 Sorol, Astro Bcn "E," Astr Dos 7-1/4, Astro Stn '52, Astrln Geod '66, Astrln Geod '84, Austria, Bellevue (IGN), Bermuda 1957, Bogota Observ, Campo Inchspe, Canton Ast '66, Cape, Cape Canavrl, Carthage, CH-1903, Chatham 1971, Chua Astro, Corrego Alegr, Croatia, Djakarta, Dos 1968, Dutch, Easter Isld 67, European 1950, European 1950 France, European 1950 Spain & Portugal, European 1979, Finland Hayfrd, Gandajika Base, GDA, Geod Datm '49, GGRS87, Guam 1963, Gux 1 Astro, HD-72, Hjorsey 1955, Hong Kong '63, Hu-Tzu-Shan, Indian Bngldsh, Indian Thailand, Indonesia 74, Ireland 1965, Israeli, ISTS 073 Astro, Johnston Island, Kandawala, Kergueln Islnd, Kertau 1948, L.C. 5 Astro, Liberia 1964, LUREF, Luzon Mindanao, Luzon Philippine, Mahe 1971, Marco Astro, Massawa, Merchich, Midway Ast '61, Minna, NAD27 Alaska, NAD27 Bahamas, NAD27 Canada, NAD27 Canal Zn, NAD27 Caribbn, NAD27 Central, NAD27 CONUS, NAD27 Cuba, NAD27 Grnland, NAD27 Mexico, NAD27 San Sal, NAD83, Nhrwn Masirah, Nhrwn Saudi A, Nhrwn United A, Naparima BWI, None GRS80, North Sahara 1959, NTF France, NZGD2000, Obsrvtorio '66, Old Egyptian, Old Hawaiian, Oman, Ord Srvy GB, Pico De Las Nv, Potsdam, Ptcairn Ast'67, Prov S Am '56, Prov S Chin '63, Puerto Rico, Pulkovo 1942 Russia, Pulkovo 1942, Qatar National, Qornoq. Reunion. Rijksdriehoeksmeting, Rome 1940, RT 90, Santo (Dos), Sao Braz, Sapper Hill '43, Schwarzeck, Sth Amrcn '69, South Asia, SE Base, SW Base, SWREF 99, Taiwan, Timbalai 1948, Tokyo, Tristan Ast '68, Viti Levu 1916, Wake-Eniwetok, WGS 72, WGS 84, and Zanderij(Top of Page) Q: If I load a Garmin map into my GPS receiver, will the routes, waypoints and tracks transfer properly to and from the MacTopos maps? A: Yes they will. The waypoints, routes and tracks are accurate specifications of specific sets of points on the earths surface. These points can be shown on any map of the area regardless of who made the map or what device it is on. There is no conflict or incompatibility between Garmin's maps and our MacTopos maps. In fact using Garmin's maps on your GPS receiver, and the much more detailed MacTopos maps on your Mac is a great way to have the best of both worlds. (Top of Page) Q: Can I transfer Garmin's MapSource maps into my GPS receiver using MacGPS Pro? A: Garmin's map transfer protocol is secret and proprietary to them. No third-party Macintosh software can use it. Thus, MacGPS Pro navigation software cannot transfer Garmin's MapSource maps into Garmin receivers - only Garmin's software has this ability. On the other hand, MacGPS Pro allows two-way transfer of waypoints, routes, and tracklogs with a Mac OS X native application. It is complimentary to Garmin's software. While Garmin's software limits the consumer to Garmin's maps only, MacGPS Pro allows you to use most other maps on your Macintosh screen, including Digital Raster Graphics topo maps.(Top of Page) Q: Can I transfer raster maps, such as the MacTopos maps that James Associates Inc. sells, into my GPS receiver using MacGPS Pro? A: Unfortunately, GPS receivers use vector-based maps for display on their screens. They have no support for raster maps. USGS DRG (Digital Raster Graphics) maps have too much detailed information for the memory and display capabilities of a hand-held GPS receiver. The best use of DRG maps, and the use which MacGPS Pro navigation software provides, is to use the map on your Macintosh screen. You can plan a trip by generating waypoints and routes to transfer to your receiver. You can use the map on your Mac screen in real time as you travel with the GPS receiver connected. After your trip, you can transfer tracklogs from the GPS to view where you went on the DRG map.(Top of Page) Q: What is the difference between USGS maps and Forest Service Maps? A: United States Geological Survey (USGS) topo maps cover the entire country at two or three different scales. United States Forest Service (USFS) topo maps are only available in the 1:24K scale, and only for those quadrangles which contain Forest Service land. Some USGS topo maps have not been updated since the 1970's. While the topography normally does not change much, man's contribution to the landscape in terms of additional trails and roads has changed considerably for areas covered by some of these maps. The USFS had an internal need for more up-to-date maps, so they started a joint program with the USGS to update maps for the national forest areas. The USFS and the USGS signed an interagency agreement in August, 1993, that calls for the cooperative updated mapping of all Forest Service lands. These updated maps have proved so useful that they have been released to the public. MacTopos 3.0 makes them available to you for use with MacGPS Pro.(Top of Page) |
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