Maps - GPS Units

Sending Map Elements to a GPS Unit

Being a browser based program, Mission Manager cannot directly communicate with GPS hardware. So here are the steps to pull in a Mission Manager defined search area into your GPS. This example uses a Garmin etrex Vista C. The instructions below assume you have already installed a 3rd party application to interface with your GPS unit. You'll also need to load the correct GPS drivers into your computer so that when you plug your GPS into the USB port, your computer recognizes your GPS.

1. Define a search area on a Mission Manager map. Use any of the map tools to draw an area or path. 2. Use the "Export Map Data" button on the Map screen. It's on the lower left of your screen. 3. Save the export as a GPX file. 4. Import that GPX file into 3rd party software. I used the free EasyGPS program in my testing. The GPX file imports as tracks. 5. Using the 3rd party software, "Send" the tracks to your GPS unit. You can choose to send all map elements, or just the team's assignment by left clicking a particular map element and sending that to the GPS unit via a context dialog box. 6. On your GPS, go to the Main Menu and click on the Tracks screen or icon. 7. On your GPS, highlight and then click the Saved Tracks you just sent to the unit. It will be named the same name you chose in step 1. 8. On the Saved Track detail screen, there is a checkbox for "Show on Map". Make sure that is checked. You will see on your GPS the tracks outlining the search area you made in Mission Manager.