Boomer
Expert
I recently picked up a used Garmin GPSMaps 76CS unit and got the mounting set up on the sled and loaded the maps in the other day. Well I had to drive up to NY today and brought the unit along to see if it would find the trails as I drove alongside or when they crossed the road. Well all I can say is WOW!!!!!!! This is going to be one of the nicest accessories and definitely give me some peace of mind. One of the things I have always found frustrating is trying to make sense of trail maps when riding in places I'm not used to or never seen before. Unless I could find an intersection, I seldom could say exactly where I was or where I wanted to go. This thing almost always pinpointed the trail road crossings exactly and I could see the trail when it ran alongside the road I was on. I'm going to make sure I make tracks all season (if we ever get more snow) and make sure I upload any corrections I find. I did find a couple instances where I was looking at spots where the trails actually run and the mapping software was close but not exactly accurate.
Sledzeppelin - Thanks for a great job!!!
Sledzeppelin - Thanks for a great job!!!
sledzeppelin
Veteran
Thanks for the note, and glad to hear it was at least mostly accurate. I can't believe how much the MN map has helped me out. I feel confident riding in areas I've never been before. I know what you mean about paper maps. They're only good if you know where you are, and that's not always easy to tell. All the paper maps for my neck of the woods cover a huge area and the trails are only approximate, so they're not really useful for actual navigation.
Last night some buddies and I were riding back home in the dark and all of a sudden the snow started coming down hard. It was pitch black and very low visibility, our face masks and windshields were icing up, etc. I've ridden that trail a dozen times but in those conditions I could barely tell where I was. I led the way with the GPS and we made it home easily. If not for that, it probably would have taken us hours. We'd have made it eventually, but who knows how many wrong turns and and how much backtracking there would have been. It was great to know we were on the right track rather than crawling along, looking for intersections and landmarks.
I wrote to the NY DNR a few days ago to ask about updated data and haven't heard back. Hopefully they'll release the new data soon and then the map should be more accurate. They're aware of the problems with last year's data.
Last night some buddies and I were riding back home in the dark and all of a sudden the snow started coming down hard. It was pitch black and very low visibility, our face masks and windshields were icing up, etc. I've ridden that trail a dozen times but in those conditions I could barely tell where I was. I led the way with the GPS and we made it home easily. If not for that, it probably would have taken us hours. We'd have made it eventually, but who knows how many wrong turns and and how much backtracking there would have been. It was great to know we were on the right track rather than crawling along, looking for intersections and landmarks.
I wrote to the NY DNR a few days ago to ask about updated data and haven't heard back. Hopefully they'll release the new data soon and then the map should be more accurate. They're aware of the problems with last year's data.
06RSRAGE
Expert
SZ
The NY maps are great!! One of the best things I have gotten for the sled. It is very reassuring knowing exactly where you are.. The only thing I have noticed is I think the newer GPS's have a quicker "refresh" rate. (Example- a strait trail on the software may have several curves that only show on the newer GPS.) But as you can see on the picture that doesn't happen very often.. GREAT SOFTWARE !! Thanks.
Heres a picture, the bold red line is the path of my GPS the bold blue lines are the trails in the area.
PS. try to contact http://www.nyssnowassoc.org/gps/docs/ I understand they are gathering GPS data for NY..
The NY maps are great!! One of the best things I have gotten for the sled. It is very reassuring knowing exactly where you are.. The only thing I have noticed is I think the newer GPS's have a quicker "refresh" rate. (Example- a strait trail on the software may have several curves that only show on the newer GPS.) But as you can see on the picture that doesn't happen very often.. GREAT SOFTWARE !! Thanks.
Heres a picture, the bold red line is the path of my GPS the bold blue lines are the trails in the area.
PS. try to contact http://www.nyssnowassoc.org/gps/docs/ I understand they are gathering GPS data for NY..
