Boat Forum / Boats / July 2008

After several of Garmin's direct email solicitations, I tried to
upgrade my highway navigator with their "new, updated" maps.

It turned out that their maps were waaaay to big for my unit, even
though they solicited me, knowing what unit I had. I tried to get my
$75 back, and they flat refused and continue to refuse. My credit card
company refused to refund my money as they tell me that they "never
refund for software purchases". So I was screwed out of $75 by Garmin.
May their stock run down to zero!

Dale
www.fishwisher.com

http://www.wayfinder.com/

Nokia bought the company because they didn't like the way Wayfinder
treated their sellphone customers trying to maximize mapload profits.

Works great, even in the boondocks of SC on a Nokia N800 Linux internet
tablet, connected or not over the BT sellphone link to the net.

Connected to the net, the software even upgrades its own maps on the
tablets and laptops....(c;

N800 tablets are $230, Wayfinder is $70.....not $800 for a better
Garmin.

N800 is a full pocket Linux computer with hundreds of neat programs.

Most software is freeware, open source from http://www.maemo.org/

The Linux hackers didn't like the price and limited map graphix of
Wayfinder, so created Maemo Mapper:

which connects to:

Google Maps (street)
http://mt.google.com/mt?x=%d&y=%d&zoom=%d

Google Maps (street) (alternative)
http://mt.google.com/mt?v=ap.999&x=%d&y=%d&zoom=%d

Google Maps (satellite)
http://kh.google.com/kh?v=999&t=%s

Google Maps (terrain)
http://mt.google.com/mt?v=w2p.999&x=%d&y=%d&zoom=%d

Virtual Earth (street)
http://r0.ortho.tiles.virtualearth.n.../r%0s.png?g=45

Virtual Earth (satellite)
http://a0.ortho.tiles.virtualearth.n...a%0s.jpeg?g=50

Virtual Earth (hybrid)
http://h0.ortho.tiles.virtualearth.n...h%0s.jpeg?g=50

Yahoo Maps (street)
http://us.maps1.yimg.com/us.tile.map...=%d&y=%-d&z=%d

Yahoo Maps (satellite)
http://us.maps3.yimg.com/aerial.maps...=%d&y=%-d&z=%d

OpenStreetMap - Traditional "Mapnik"
http://tile.openstreetmap.org/%0d/%d/%d.png

OpenStreetMap - Developmental "Osmarender"
http://tah.openstreetmap.org/Tiles/tile/%0d/%d/%d.png

Terraserver USA (WMS)
http://www.terraserver-usa.com/ogcma...PTIONS=INIMAGE
(Note: WMS URL formats requires the installation of proj.)

RunwayFinder.com
http://www.runwayfinder.com/charts/x%dy%dz%d.jpg
(Note: WMS URL formats requires the installation of proj.)
(Thanks, gregrenda.)

U.S. Weather Overlay (WMS)
http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/cgi...COLOR=0x000000
(Note: WMS URL formats requires the installation of proj.)

viajoasi.com.ar (WMS)
http://viajoasi.com.ar/c.php?VERSION...PTIONS=INIMAGE
(Note: WMS URL formats requires the installation of proj.)

all providing map tiles to various net-based softwares.  The boys are
working on connecting to open map tile databases for the nautical charts
for your boat, which are usually encrypted to keep us from using them.

I think Maemo Mapper with Virtual Earth Hybrid satellite/streetmap on
its display is FAR more useful on inland waterways, including the ICW,
than out-of-date NOAA charts from 30 years ago.  YOU CAN SEE THE BOTTOM
in the satellite photos taken only a few months ago!  You can look
around that next bend to see what's up ahead and the ditch is easily
visible in most places because you can see the boats traveling in it
from the day the satellite photo was taken.  The little Nokia Bluetooth,
20 channel, WAAS compensated, GPS receiver, a tiny little plastic box
that runs on a sellphone battery or just plug it into 12V with its
regulated power cord charger, will place your car in the exact parking
space it's in at the mall...very accurate fixes, equally as good as any
$1000 marine GPS fix.  The GPS is $100 or $200 packaged with a big
suction cup mount for the tablet + Wayfinder commercial software in the
"Navigation Kit".

IT'S NOT WATERPROOF so must be kept dry....never intended for marine
use.  A zip lock bag works great.

BTW, if you fly, Runwayfinder is the latest aeronautical charts and
Maemo mapper will put you dead accurate on that chart flying along.  
Just load the charts onto the memory card before you leave.  Maemo has
another little app that loads all the maps/charts to the card for free.  
My N800 has two 16GB SDHC memory cards in it....massive storage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX8zmRk2Bdc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMPpmngTcYI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu3HEJcC-Mc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO3eJGiPZHA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1AU5ozfJZc

Maemo Mapper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=698iql3B824
and for our Canadian friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC3uV8cSMhI

Besides, it runs Fring and Gizmo and Skype for telephone/VoIP service.

http://maemo.org/downloads/OS2008/travel/
As you can see, we have several nice GPS systems to choose from......
....NONE as hard as trying to get a Garmin to take the secret code to
make the damned out-of-date chart appear!