Street Atlas 2008?

[Van DeWald]

Actually I just got an email solicit for Delorme SA 2009 plus the LT-40 GPS puck for $60 (after a $10 coupon). I've been using MS S&T 2006 with a Pharos 360 GPS without any trouble, but SA2009 is just coming out this month. Was also wondering if anyone had any experience with the LT-40.

Van

 

[Scott Weberpal]

The way DeLorme acquires there data allows for error on private drives which are shown as roads. Often rural data is acquired through satellite images, and if a satellite image shows a long drive way to a farm, it will be shown as a road on the map. If a tractor path runs the opposite direction from that same farm to another road, the combined driveway/tractor path will show on some of their maps as a continuous county road. Unfortunately this will likely never be fixed.

 

[Roger Brown]

I have, and like 2008, but if you are looking to upgrade you might as well wait for 2009 now. It should be out any time now and likely will be the same price as 2008.

Roger

 

[David Wolfson]

I've just gotten the LT-40/SA2009 package and am running around town with it. My early impressions are that the LT-40 is significantly better and worth the upgrade; and SA2009 has only marginal changes oriented toward hands-free, pre-configured operation.

The LT-40 output split through the DeLorme Serial Emulator v1.09 into WeatherTAP RadarHD, Allison House's spotter network client, and SA2009 seems to function pretty reliably. Setting all the COM ports is still somewhat of a black art, though.

 

[John Erwin]

The new version of Microsoft Streets and Trips is horrible. It uses Windows vista activation and I had trouble getting my legit version to work

Just bought MS 2008 and had no difficulty activating it on XP. I also like the Pharos SirfIII GPS that came with it; much better than the Garmin GPS puck I was using before (now relegated to APRS duty). I also own SA2007 but I find that both programs peform admirably (sometimes for different reasons).

 

[Chris Kridler]

I ended up upgrading to 2009/LT40 before my chase trip. The receiver was hugely faster in acquiring satellites. The maps still have major gaps/flaws (totally confused by Wichita Falls' interchanges, but then again, so am I; and Route 400 in Kansas, a major road, just disappeared for a stretch in southeast KS).

One quirk, and I swear I don't remember this from the previous version, is when you choose "center on GPS" so it tracks you, the arrow (you) is always pointing up. I like the 2D version with north always pointing up ... but if you choose north up and "center on GPS" is not selected, then the map won't track with you. Is there a way around this, does anyone know?

Chris K.

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Chris - I just ordered SA 2009 and your question made me search the user manual frantically, because I also do NOT want north to face up all the time. I found this:

Compass—The default map setting is North up in 2-D and in the GPS direction in 3-D. To change the compass, select or clear the Rotate Map in GPS option on the GPS tab in the Options dialog box.

So evidently there is a rotate option there somewhere that should let you reset this in 3D mode. I'll have to look closer once I get it installed, but it looks like it can be done.​

 

[Roger Brown]

So evidently there is a rotate option there somewhere that should let you reset this in 3D mode. I'll have to look closer once I get it installed, but it looks like it can be done.​

I have SA from many different years and that has been a setting in the options for as long as I can remember. It should still be in there for 2009, but I haven't bought it yet, so I can't say for sure.

Roger

 

[Chris Kridler]

You can indeed rotate it so north is up in 2D. However, when you click 'center on GPS' and that box is highlighted in yellow, after a second "You" (the arrow) point up. And as I mentioned earlier, if 'center on GPS' is not selected, then the map doesn't travel with you. At least, that's the experience I had, so I wondered if there was some other setting, e.g. to make north always be at the top AND have the maps move with me. I like having north up so I always have a sense of where my compass points are in a chase situation ... it's easier to figure out where I am in relation to the storm. But that's just me. (2D thinking, I guess. )

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Finally completed the install on this last night - -

If I'm understanding you correctly, you have these options checked the way I do in this image -

And it works fine in 2D mode, but not 3D ... hmmm. If that's the case, it sounds like a software problem. I will try it out a bit. Otherwise I'm like you and will go back to using 2D mode all the time. I sort of like 2D mode, just because it orients the map the same way as my radar software ... so when I'm alt-tabbing between the two, I'm getting a better idea of where I am in relation to the storm. 3D would be nice for giving the software your destination and then letting it compute your best route, but I'm not sure that I'm really seeing the advantage of it from the chasing perspective.

 

[Mike Peregrine]

I decided to do a test run on this on the way to work this morning. Now I can kind of see the draw of 3D mode. It makes it really easy to see where you are at and what you are doing. It was a lot more accurate than 2006 was too ...

Chris, if you go into options, then select GPS options (as you see in the example screenshot above), you'll scroll down and make sure your options look just like mine in that shot. It worked perfectly for me. Kept my map centered and kept north facing up in 3D mode.