Waypoints – September 9, 2006

I’m finally getting back to posting Waypoints (sheepish grin), with this abbreviated edition. Hopefully, things will soon return to normal!

Places to download waypoints and tracks

• Backpacker Magazine has put up a GPS site with waypoints. Unfortunately, it’s pretty weak — few trails, and no way to download coordinates; you have to enter them manually.
• TopoShare. is another new site that allows you to download track files.When I tried to download a .gpx link, it gave a .php file extension, but it worked fine when I changed it to .gpx.
• Bikely is another source that lets you download bike routes in .gpx format.

Hardware

• Garmin has set up a mini-site to hype the upcoming nuvi 660.
• How to deal with your Edge or Forerunner locking up.
• In a sign of the commoditization (i.e., plunging prices) of GPS, Uniden has entered the GPS market.
• Hack a day has a category on GPS hacks.

The rest

• byCycle helps you plan
  bike friendly routes.
• Here’s an interesting project you may have heard about — placing all USGS DRG maps on the web for free. I haven’t quite figured out who is going to pay for the bandwidth.
• Here is a wonderful, in-depth history of GPS. One warning for those of you on dialup — it’s a 34 page pdf.
• I’m really pleased with this Google Maps imagery update, since there is a great deal of improvement in my part of Northern California.