ViDEO: Satmap Active 10 GPS Receiver

At last! A GPS receiver that has all the features most walkers want in the countryside. Ordnance Survey quality mapping allows the user to see their location on a 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 scale map and move across the map in real time. A large screen makes the mapping easy to view, while large buttons allow use while wearing gloves. It's also waterproof and boasts a very long battery life compared to many other units.

There is a full review of the Satmap Active 10 GPS Receiver in the December issue of Trail. For a glimpse of what all the fuss is about, check out the movie.



For more information go to the importer's Sat Map web site

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NEWS: Anquet mapping software upgrade

Anquet is releasing a new version of their digital mapping software tonight!

Anquet version 6.2 takes into account feedback from people using the Download Service. The software is compatible with Windows Vista, 2000 or XP. Improvements include letting you know the maps are being downloaded rather than appearing to freeze as it did before. It’s now much faster to access the download service and download multiple maps too. Anquet now queues your map downloads for you, so there’s no need to download one map at a time. You can also now keep using Anquet while your maps are downloading. The result is an improved download experience. In Trail tests, the slow download was a real issue, so this update is very welcome.

Anquet v6.2 also improves the tools for ‘cutting your own map’. New shading tools in the Map Manager show the map data you already own and the map coverage available. Now you’re able to easily extend your map data without fear of buying the same area twice. For map types where complete coverage of Great Britain is not available such as aerial photography, you will now be able to see the coverage available shaded on the map, and cut round those areas.

Other improvements in the new software release include easier management of My Maps. The My Maps tab now contains a filter to allow you to see certain types of maps, such as free maps available, or maps that you have purchased more intuitively. Again this was an area that Trail testers found irritating, so once again this sounds like a promising step forward.

You can download the latest version of Anquet at http://www.anquetmapserver.co.uk/Anquet/Free_Download.aspx
Anquet are also running a sale during the bank holiday weekend, with 20% being slashed off all Anquet digital maps, so long as you have the coupon code: SUM20. The sale starts tonight (Friday) and finishes on Tuesday 28th August at 12 midnight! To claim the 20% discount of all Anquet maps here’s what to do….

Anquet Download Service
Upgrade to Anquet v6.2 so that the coupon can be entered at the checkout. Once you’ve added all your maps to your basket press the new ‘Add Coupon’ button and enter SUM20 to get the 20% discount.

Anquet CD’s
Visit the Anquet web shop at http://shop.anquet.com/ Once you’ve added the Anquet CD’s you’d like to your basket proceed to the checkout and you’ll be given an opportunity to enter a coupon code. Enter SUM20 and get 20% discount.

For more information go to Anquet web site

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NEWS: Ooh! Ooh! Magellan turns GPS phone-sexy

Magellan has announced a brand new range featuring touch-screens, digital cameras, topographical mapping capability and integration with a new desktop application called VantagePoint. As if to reverse the trend of top-end phones poaching GPS technology, the latest 'Triton' range steals ideas from the latest phones, bringing a 2.7-inch QVGA touch screen, built-in 2 megapixel camera, SD card slot and voice recorder to the Triton 2000 top-end unit. The new GPSs are also completely waterproof. Prices range from $129 to $499 and all but the cheapest have upgradeable mapping. In the US Magellan has partnered with the National Geographic to offer topographical mapping for the first time on a dedicated GPS handset. Hmmm... camera, plus GPS: could this be the start of real-photo route-directions, via geo-located photos shared via the web? Details of the range, which hits the US first in September are:

Triton 2000 $500

* 2.7-inch QVGA color touch screen
* built-in 2MP camera
* built-in base maps
* uploadable maps using Magellan's new (free) VantagePoint software
* SD card slot
* electronic compass and barometer
* speaker and microphone
* LED flashlight
* waterproof to IPX-7 standards

Triton 1500 $400

* 2.7-inch QVGA color touch screen
* built-in base maps
* uploadable maps using VantagePoint software
* SD card slot
* speaker and microphone
* flashlight
* waterproof to IPX-7 standards

Triton 500 $250

* more compact-sized
* 2.2-inch QVGA color screen
* SD card slot
* uploadable maps using VantagePoint software
* built-in base maps
* electronic compass and barometer
* waterproof to IPX-7 standards

Triton 400 $200 (pictured)

* 2.2-inch QVGA color screen
* SD card slot
* built-in base maps
* pointer and compass screen
* waterproof to IPX-7 standards
* uploadable maps using VantagePoint software

Triton 300 $150

* 2.2-inch QVGA color screen
* built-in base maps
* waterproof to IPX-7 design
* pointer and compass screen
* uploadable maps using VantagePoint software
* 10 MB of memory for map storage

Triton 200 $130

* 2.2-inch QVGA color screen
* built-in base maps
* waterproof to IPX-7 design
* pointer and compass screen
* runs on two AA batteries

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NEWS: GPS signals to get less accurate in coming years

A new US governmental advisory board is warning that the accuracy of GPS signals in challenging areas like mountains may degrade in the next few years, with "enormous adverse impact". The current GPS system, established for the American Air Force during the cold war and now used by millions of civilians worldwide, relies on an ageing network of 30 satellites for its 10m accuracy in complex mountain terrain. But the Air Force only guarantees a provision of 24 satellites, and the chairman of the Air Force Space Command GPS Independent Review Team says even that number may be difficult to maintain. By next year, Major General Robert Rosenberg says, 11 GPS satellites will have reduced capabilities and the number of satellites in the constellation may have to be cut. That would mean unreliable coverage in mountains, canyons and other topographically complex terrain. A new GPS system ('GPS III') featuring more modern satellites is at least 6 years off, with its $1.8bn funding still awaiting approval by congress.
A European alternative to GPS, 'Galileo', is due to enter full operational use by 2012, although it's likely to require you to buy a new receiver to make use of its 4m (free) or 1m (subscription) accuracy.

More.

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COMMENT: Gear – no substitute for brains

“Is this Dove Crag?”
“No mate it is Sunday Crag.”
“Oh! That means my GPS receiver was right after all!”

This conversation took place two days ago, between myself and two weary walkers who stumbled onto St Sunday Crag in the Lake District. I had just climbed Pinnacle Ridge and was sitting eating lunch on the summit of St Sunday Crag. They thought they were part way around the Fairfield Horseshoe, which they had started from Ambleside.

They were equipped with an OS 1:25,000 map, that did not extend as far as the summit of Fairfield, and a GPS receiver. Taking advice from a fellow walker, they attempted to bag the summit of Fairfield and continue around the horseshoe to Dove Crag and ultimately back down to Ambleside. However in the clear conditions, they followed the equally clear path from Fairfield over Cofa Pike and up to St Sunday Crag, believing that the path was so clear that it must have been the correct route to follow. Having arrived on St Sunday Crag they felt concerned so they checked their GPS receiver. As the grid reference provided by the GPS receiver was completely off their map they decided that it must have an error!

You can have as much gear as you like, but without switching your brains into gear even a map and GPS receiver won’t save you from getting lost.

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Written by Graham Thompson

NEWS: Nokia fix to offer faster N95 GPS functionality

Nokia's N95 mobile sounded like a major milestone on the road to full GPS/phone/camera convergence, but in practice its slow acquisition of satellites make it a pain to use. Waiting time ranges from a theoretical best of 40 seconds to a soul-destroying 15 minutes. Now Nokia's acknowledged the problem and is about to offer a free download fix via its Smart2go mapping partner site. The patch allows the handset to use 'assisted GPS', a system whereby the network gives the device its general location, so it only needs to lock onto a single satellite instead of four. It should mean acquisition times drop to around 30 seconds.
The N95's in-built GPS doesn't come with built-in mapping of any use to the hill-walker, but can really be brought to life with ViewRanger's digital mapping software (inset pics), available from £20.



The fix will be available to download here.

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