Author Topic: USEFUL MAP TOOLS (Read 12200 times)

wolfy · « **on:** October 19, 2012, 09:36:14 PM »

I have used this place to buy different plastic rules and roamers for plotting points on UTM grid-sectioned maps for GPS and compass usage. He also sells rules for use with longitude and latitude lines for those that want to stick with navigating with aeronautical or nautical charts and those of us that measure standard USGS topo maps that way, too. This guy is a good guy to deal with and his prices seem fair for the quality of products he makes and I've been very satisfied with everything I've ordered from him.

He produces all kinds of measuring tools for different 'non-standard' map scales like those found on National Geographic, DeLorme and MyTopo maps, too. I suggest sending for his free catalog so you can go through and mark the ones you want. It saves skipping around through the pages on the website and is less confusing....at least was for me

. His little book on using his tools was also quite helpful, but not really mandatory, as his catalog also tells how to use them.

Anyway, poke around in here because there is more to it than first meets the eye. There's a couple of useful tutorials, too

http://www.maptools.com/index.html

Bearhunter · « **Reply #1 on:** October 19, 2012, 09:50:07 PM »

Thanks for the link Wolfy!
Lots if good info and cool stuff there.

PetrifiedWood · « **Reply #2 on:** October 19, 2012, 11:08:45 PM »

Cool link, thanks!

zammer · « **Reply #3 on:** October 19, 2012, 11:51:21 PM »

Sweet! thanks for the link

SwampHanger · « **Reply #4 on:** October 20, 2012, 04:52:06 AM »

Thanks Wolfy! I might just build a map of the swamp with mil grid sys that would be awesome.

Ordered my catalog it is hard to navigate. But looks like some great stuff.

Wilderbeast · « **Reply #5 on:** October 20, 2012, 06:00:41 AM »

Interesting site, but I found it difficult to navigate through it.

SwampHanger · « **Reply #6 on:** October 20, 2012, 02:37:45 PM »

Wolfy I spent some change today! Custom made a map of my hunting ground on WP paper and ordered a new compass. Oh I also ordered a 1:24,000 scale pocket size UTM grid. I'm gonna stay away from your threads

I really needed to do this. There are a few property lines back in the "Deliverance/Dueling Banjo" area I wanted to be sure of.

wolfy · « **Reply #7 on:** October 20, 2012, 04:53:31 PM »

Yes, it's wise not to infringe on property in possible contention by love-sick double-barrel wielding property owners in dire need of dental care......especiall y in a swamp

Might want to ask Hushnel to hold back a little on the banjo pickin', too

I think you'll really like that grid tool! I just grid-ruled an old NAD 27 map today, so i can use it with the GPS and a grid measuring tool. Those pens that guy sells at Maptools make some darn nice grid lines, too.....can't tell they weren't printed by the USGS map printer when they printed the map!

What kind of compass did you end up ordering?

SwampHanger · « **Reply #8 on:** October 20, 2012, 05:16:08 PM »

Suunto M-3DL http://www.backcountry.com/Store/catalog/search.jsp?q=suunto+M-3DL

wolfy · « **Reply #9 on:** October 20, 2012, 05:24:15 PM »

I've heard good things about that thing......congrats! What's your declination down there? You should do a 'gear review' on it after you've had a chance to use it a little

SwampHanger · « **Reply #10 on:** October 20, 2012, 05:35:22 PM »

Cool thing about the map will have it on it exactly because its a little ways from my house(declination ). This is the first time using a true map here. I've just used WMA maps to orientate my self/compass and walk out to the river that runs the length of the area. But theres alot of area I realized was being under hunted that requires a little more to get to. But I think I put together a good package. And I had to break out my old FM21-26 Land Nav book. When it all comes in I'll do a pic and review. Oh that place was even able to put the boundaries of the area I wanted and shade it. Know just gotta find my ole pace beads if there still around.

5 degrees 7' W

wolfy · « **Reply #11 on:** October 27, 2012, 07:20:42 PM »

I decided to grid the old NAD27, 1:24,000, 7.5' quadrangle USGS topo map of my area in Degrees, Minutes, and Seconds rather than with the 1 kilometer Universal Transverse Mercator grids. Most people grid their maps with the UTM grid these days, but the UTM grid necessitates the use of many more lines on the map in order to use the 'roamer' or grid tool and I wanted to keep the old NAD27 map more uncluttered and true to its' era with the addition of only two more meridians and parallels. This method divides the standard 1:24,000 topo into only nine seperate 2.5' rectangular sections, but you need a map ruler to match that scale rather than a roamer or grid tool.

The UTM grid roamer is faster, simpler, less confusing and cumbersome because you are not having to deal with dividing degees, minutes and seconds by 60. The GPS can be set to read longitude and latitude by decimal readings for the grid tool or by degrees, minutes and seconds for utilizing the ruler.

I had a lot of fun using the ruler on that old map today. It is DEADLY ACCURATE if you are careful in placing the ruler exactly on the meridian and parallel lines when measuring points on the map. I used the ruler to check out GPS readings that I had recorded for our house, the water tower at the state park, and a radio tower I had been using for landmarks. All the measurements were accurate to within ONE second of what the GPS said

.

Here's the ruler I used.......

http://www.maptools.com/products/LatLonRulers.html

PetrifiedWood · « **Reply #12 on:** October 27, 2012, 11:00:06 PM »

I ran into the decimal vs. DMS problem when trying to locate those property corners. The subdivision plat was laid out using quad bearings. Those had to be converted to 360 degree bearings for use with my transit. Then converted to decimal degrees for a triangle solving app on the smart phone. I ended up using a scientific calculator app to convert DD to DMS and it worked out alright.

For map use, some base plate compasses should have a scale on them for measuring out seconds on the map. But it doesn't make sense because the only truly accurate measurement would be latitude. The closer the map area is to the poles, the shorter the distance between lines of longitude. A typical usgs topo map will be a little shorter across the north edge than the south edge.

wolfy · « **Reply #13 on:** October 27, 2012, 11:24:07 PM »

That's what I like about the longitude & latitude grid markings. When you ink them in, you line up the grid tics along the top and bottom of the map with the four little '+' marks within the map itself. That gives you a pair of truer internal meridian lines that are spaced narrower at the top than they are at the bottom. It's not very noticable on a 7.5' topo because of the large scale, but it's quite evident on a smaller scale chart. Due to the inequality of distance between the meridian lines, you Rebs get slightly bigger topos for your money than we Yanks, because they narrow to nothing at the poles and are at their greatest distance apart at the equator

woodsrunner · « **Reply #14 on:** October 27, 2012, 11:38:34 PM »

thanks Wolfy...saved to favorites!!!woods

SwampHanger · « **Reply #15 on:** October 28, 2012, 02:01:19 PM »

Map tools was a good company to deal with and fast delivery. Sent me an extra copy of there book of toys so I left one at the camp for the fellows to look over. Mytopos.com sent me the map I ordered just as fast. Great companies to deal with. I'll do a review as soon as I can hit the swamp hunting in a couple weekends.

wolfy · « **Reply #16 on:** November 03, 2012, 05:11:45 PM »

While sitting around the house at night, I have been using that map ruler to record the DMS measurements that I have gotten from all of the control points and benchmarks visible on my NAD 27 map that I gridded into nine seperate 2.5' rectangles. Though more fuss to get data down on paper, I feel that it's a more exact method of measurement than the grid roamer just because there's fewer lines, the meridians are more true than the 'square' UTM grid lines and the scale of the ruler measures to a smaller area on the map than the 'crowded' scale of the roamer.

The reason I'm using the USGS markers is because they are all marked on the maps with very fine, tiny 'X' marks that are easy to measure and they are complete with elevations, so I can check the GPS elevation reading against the map, too. I have been meticulous in my map measurements, just to see how close I can get to what the GPS says when I lay it on top of the bronze discs embedded in the tops of the monuments. I am happy to report that my measurements have all been accurate to within at LEAST 1/2 second. To me, that kind of accuracy measured from a map with a simple little plastic ruler is uncanny! Best $5 bill I ever spent to tie a map and GPS together......so far, I have watched the GPS screen as I approached my goal-spot and when it 'zeroed out', I started looking around and I have been able to spot the marker within 5'-10' of where I stood......NO kidding!

SwampHanger · « **Reply #17 on:** November 04, 2012, 09:31:29 AM »

I think that is great Wolfy. I've had more than one conversation with folks about carrying a map to complement the GPS. Down here its flat with big canopies so sighting in on a object and walking to it is not that easy. So just by updating your map with a mark every so often can mean coming back out where you want to. Cause elevation only changes a few feet between land and water. Never mind how much rainfall will mess that idea up.

wolfy · « **Reply #18 on:** January 13, 2014, 03:43:00 PM »

Here's another REALLY COOL MAP SOURCE....

http://toolserver.org/~geohack/

Just plug in your desired coordinates and pick & choose from a HUGE variety of sources!

MnSportsman · « **Reply #19 on:** January 13, 2014, 05:16:05 PM »

Thankee!

wolfy · « **Reply #20 on:** January 14, 2014, 01:46:38 PM »

Here's another really cool source for making maps that is simple, user-friendly & well worth playing around with......I liked it, anyway.

http://geokov.com/Default.aspx

t43eagle · « **Reply #21 on:** January 17, 2014, 03:56:41 PM »

Wolfy - great site and those tools are great to use. I once printed tools like these on a clear plastic overlay - like those used on overhead projectors and passed them out to the scouts. Another option is to make your own based on the map scale if you can't find commercial ones. Print them on clear overlays or paper and then laminate. The scouts liked them better than marking lines on paper and then using the map rule!

wolfy · « **Reply #22 on:** May 15, 2014, 08:27:42 AM »

This is a VERY handy single source for conversions and calculations for GPS, compass & mapwork.

http://www.beg.utexas.edu/GIS/tools/index.html

zammer · « **Reply #23 on:** May 15, 2014, 07:27:15 PM »

Quote from: wolfy on May 15, 2014, 08:27:42 AM

This is a VERY handy single source for conversions and calculations for GPS, compass & mapwork.

http://www.beg.utexas.edu/GIS/tools/index.html

Nice find Wolfy....

This link here that you posted above http://geokov.com/Default.aspx even has a section for Ontario, http://geokov.com/Canada/Ontario/Ontario.aspx

wolfy · « **Reply #24 on:** January 17, 2017, 08:17:25 AM »

Here's a new feature from MyTopo.com that looks useful for those seeking a longer lasting, waterproof, to-scale topographic map of ANY area that you want printed...only $9.95!

https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/10-printed-waterproof-maps-mytopo/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=20170117_SHOT17_1&utm_campaign=/blog/10-printed-waterproof-maps-mytopo/

Orbean · « **Reply #25 on:** January 17, 2017, 09:23:22 AM »

Very cool, thank you. Have booked marked it. I purchase my maps from a local sporting goods store that has unfortunately is dying, the cause I believe is because of indifferent or even rude customer service, which is unfortunate, it was at one point the place for hunting and fishing supplies.

wolfy · « **Reply #26 on:** February 17, 2018, 08:44:27 AM »

Quote from: wolfy on January 14, 2014, 01:46:38 PM

Here's another really cool source for making maps that is simple, user-friendly & well worth playing around with......I liked it, anyway.

http://geokov.com/USA/USAmap/usa-map-maker.aspx

EDIT: Dead link update

Orbean · « **Reply #27 on:** February 17, 2018, 02:22:59 PM »

I have been buying from a company call map tools https://maptools.com/. I think it is a one man operation, could be wrong. Nice guy and have never had a problem.

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Author Topic: USEFUL MAP TOOLS (Read 12200 times)