[A/S] Re: GPS Software for Macs

[Stan Nicholson <stan@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Joe - Thanks for the detailed look at trip planning and GPS software. 
One of the frustrations for me has been the lack of support for Macs, 
so that it was necessary to run a PC emulator - more trouble than it 
was worth.

In December I was delighted to run across Route 66 software, which is 
a pretty comprehensive package that runs OS X native. It runs great 
on my Titanium laptop, and talks just fine to my old Garmin eMap as a 
GPS receiver. We really like having the moving map and other info 
displayed on the laptop's 15" screen. It's a little dicy, though, 
trying to see much detailed info when driving solo. It's ideal when 
one of us can play navigator.

For those interested in some details: We power both the eMap GPS 
receiver and the laptop from the Suburban's 12V outlets. The eMap 
uses a Garmin cable that both supplies 12V power to the GPS (thereby 
saving lots of AA batteries) and connects the GPS to the laptop.  The 
latter is done by connecting the Garmin cable to a Keyspan 
serial-to-USB adapter, which is plugged in to a USB port on the 
Titanium. The laptop is powered by plugging its 110v power brick into 
a small inverter that's plugged into another of the Suburban's 12V 
outlets. Net result:  Glorious scrolling map display!

This setup has been very handy - for example, the dark and stormy 
night we were lost in unfamiliar territory. We pulled over, plugged 
in the navigational setup, and were very happy to confirm that the 
road we were on was going to get us where we needed to go, even 
though it sure didn't look right. And we knew where we were going to 
come out, and exactly how to get back to the campground.

Another example:  I made a long solo round trip drive from So Cal to 
Colo Springs during the Christmas holidays, and was delighted to find 
a new (to me) use of the Route 66 software. On New Years' Eve I hit 
Flagstaff about dusk, and decided it was probably smart to stay the 
night. I was solo, so wasn't running the GPS setup continuously. I 
pulled into town, parked in front of a business, and entered its 
street address into the program. I then searched for "Motel 6" and 
"Flagstaff", and immediately got the contact information for all 
three in town. I picked one, had the software plot a route, and 
immediately got a map showing me exactly how to get there. I could 
have called from the cell phone, but just drove the six blocks and 
walked in, no problem. So when I'm on a road trip without the 
Overlander, this has been very useful.

The website for the Route 66 software is:
http://www.66.com/route66/homepage.php

So, now Mac users can join the fun!

Stan