Global Positioning System (GPS) Scroll down for WxToad's Public CG POI Lists and other POI sources A few years ago I joined the ranks of those who use GPS when traveling. It has greatly simplified trip-planning for me, and it's great to always have a detailed map of where we are. But as with almost anything, there are some pitfalls that one must learn to live with. Namely, GPS guidance systems are not infallible and one should never rely solely on them for decision-making, or else one might find oneself in a bit of a pickle. That road you're being shown may be nothing more than a cowpath, or there may be a locked gate across a road. Always double-check your route before starting down the road. Now, there are two basis types of GPS systems: stand-alone units such as Garmin or Tom-Tom; and laptop-based systems, such as CoPilot, Delorme, or MS Streets and Trips. There are advantages to each. You can easily move a stand-alone unit from one vehicle to another, it's small and lightweight. A laptop system, assuming you already have a laptop, precludes having to buy the computing-power part of the system; all you need is a GPS receiver and some software. The stand-alone systems, however, are likely to be more expensive and have much-smaller screens. I've always used the laptop systems, for I like having the large screen that makes seeing the map at a glance quite easy. I made a swivel mounting for the laptop for our Class C Lazy Daze RV. My first GPS system was CoPilot (CP)7, followed by CP 9 and then CP 11. The first two I found easy to use; CP 11, to my dismay, was a major step backwards in functionality. You can read a detailed review I wrote regarding CP 11. More recently, in the fall of 2008, I learned that one could download a free, fully-functional 60-day version of MS Streets and Trips for trial. I did that, and found it a big improvement over CP11. I've been using it since on our winter's trek to and around Florida, and I find it much easier to use, for both planning and guidance while driving. I like the looks of the maps much better, and a really neat feature is a Tracking Mode, that records where you've been. I recently purchased a copy ($29.95 w/ free shipping from Amazon) so as to permanently activate my downloaded software. I've come to the conclusion that no GPS system is perfect - i.e., has all the features that I want, but at least some are easier to use than others. Now for some GPS resources: A great forum for learning more about the various laptop GPS systems is Laptop GPS World For stand-alone systems: GPS Information GPS systems come with millions of built-in POI's (Points of Interest), but invariably they do not always include POI's that are of particular interest to you. So most systems allow you to import custom POI lists that cover your interests, such as Corps of Engineer campgrounds, Wal-Mart locations, state parks, grocery stores, etc. The trick is to find or make the POI lists that you want and then import into your GPS system. The three files below are POI lists I have compiled from several sources. They each contain locations and names of federal, state, county & municipal campgrounds. I have tried to verify the list as best as I could, but I cannot assume any responsibility for errors that you might find. They are in the form of Excel spreadsheets that you can use as is or convert to a format your GPS system recognizes. . WxToad's Eastern US Public Campgrounds - 2616 CG's 28 Jan 10 WxToad's Central US Public Campgrounds - 2111 CG's 28 Jan 10 WxToad's Western US Public Campgrounds - 4910 CG's 21 Feb 10 Campground Icon for GPS - Thanks to Tessa Hill Notes on the Lists: Important: Not all locations listed are suitable for RV's. Please be sure to verify for your own sake whether a CG in which you are interested is RV-accessible. 1. Coordinates in RED have not been exactly confirmed. They should get you pretty close, though. 2. Hookups: y=yes, n=no, if no entry, then unknown. 3. Dump: y=yes, n=no, if no entry, then unknown. 4. Showers: y=yes, n=no, if no entry, then unknown. 5. Price and/or length restrictions 6. Nearest town 7. National Forest name 8. Type of CG: fs = Forest Service; coe = Corps of Engineers; tva = Tennessee Valley Authority; blm = Bureau of Land Management; bor = Bureau of Reclamation; np = national park, monument or rec area; st = state park, forest, or rec area; cp = county park, regional park; mu = municpal park; ut = utility, res = reservation
If you know of any local county or municipal campgrounds that you don't find in the lists, please email me (wxtoad at yahoo dot com) the name and location and I'll add them to the lists - thanks! You can find hundreds, if not thousands of other POI lists on the internet, free to download. Here are a few sources: The POI Factory - this is the Granddaddy of 'em all ! Jon Vermilye's Maps, GPS and POI Page - Dozens of informative links Now you've downloaded your POI lists, you may have to convert them to a format recognizable by your GPS system. Here are some places to find out how to do that: How to load POI's into Garmin Streetpilot 2720 and NUVI 650 - Thanks to Tessa Hill GPS Babel - converts waypoints, tracks, and routes between popular GPS receivers and mapping programs GPS Visualizer - converts various file formats on-line POI Converter - converts Points of Interest, routes and tracks stored in several different file formats into another file format
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