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Pub. 988-0147-383
www.lei-extras.com
MapCreate 6
Custom Mapping Software for GPS
Installation and Operation
Instructions
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Copyright © 2004 LEI. All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted, distributed, downloaded or stored in any storage medium, for any purpose, without prior written consent of LEI. Any unauthorized commercial distribution of this manual is strictly prohibited. MapCreate is a trademark of LEI. U.S. Points of Interest Data in this unit are by infoUSA, copyright 2001-2004, All Rights Reserved. infoUSA is a trademark of infoUSA, Inc. U.S. eXitSour
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Table of Contents Sec. 1: Introduction................................................................... I Quick Start Reference ................................................................... 2 How MapCreate Works: The Basics ............................................ 6 File Formats & Functions ............................................................ 7 Map Border File ........................................................................ 7 Custom Map File...........................
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Trail List Window ................................................................... 43 Moving around the Master Map................................................. 44 Pan Arrows.............................................................................. 44 Center Map.............................................................................. 44 Zoom Area ............................................................................... 45 Zoom in/Zoom Out.....................................
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Notes iii
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WARNING! A CAREFUL NAVIGATOR NEVER RELIES ON ONLY ONE METHOD TO OBTAIN POSITION INFORMATION. CAUTION When showing navigation data to a position (waypoint), a GPS unit will show the shortest, most direct path to the waypoint. It provides navigation data to the waypoint regardless of obstructions. Therefore, the prudent navigator will not only take advantage of all available navigation tools when traveling to a way- point, but will also visually check to make sure a clear, safe path to the waypoin
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Section 1: Introduction How this manual can get you into the field, fast! Thanks for buying MapCreate, the custom mapping software for Lowrance and Eagle GPS units. This manual was written using Map- Create U.S.A. and MapCreate Canada versions 6.3. Beginning with version 6.3, all MapCreate packages work identically, but contain dif- ferent mapping data. We know you're eager to install the program and make some maps, but we have a favor to ask. Before you grab that CD, give us a moment to expl
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included more tips and tricks so you can take advantage of all the power and performance MapCreate offers. You can see an example of the Help file's Command Reference format in Appendix 1 at the back of this manual, on page 69. Appendix 1 contains the entry on the Help Command, which explains how to use Help. In addition to the Command Reference, the Help file includes material from this manual's User's Guide segment. Just press the F1 key to launch Help. You can find facts fast by electronicall
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clude in your map. Use the PAN ARROW buttons to move north, south, east or west. Use the ZOOM-IN and ZOOM-OUT (Z-IN or Z-OUT) buttons as needed to close in on or back away from the area you're viewing. 3. Click the DRAW MAP BORDERS button in the toolbar. Move the mouse pointer above and to the left of the desired area. Click, hold down the mouse button and drag diagonally down and to the right until the de- sired area is enclosed with the green border box. Then release the mouse button. You have
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7. Another message box asks whether you want to register your current card or not. Click YES to continue the card registration process. Click Yes to register your current memory card with MapCreate. 8. You can change the label on your memory card if you prefer. Delete the default name, "Card1," and enter the new name. Click REGISTER to continue. Delete the default label, if you prefer, and enter a new name. Then click Register to continue. 9. Another message box tells you when your card has been
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Click Done to complete the registry process. NOTE: If the AUTOMATICALLY APPEND LABEL TO SAVED MAPS box is selected (see figure above), MapCreate will automatically add your card's label to the end of whatever name you give the file you are saving. Let's use the figure above as an example. If we name our map "Phoenix.lcm," MapCreate will automatically name the file "Phoenix_CARD1.lcm." To cancel this option, click the Automatically Append… box to re- move the check mark. 11. A window shows the pr
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How MapCreate Works: the Basics You'll be making maps faster if you understand the hoops MapCreate must jump through to cram a high-detail map into your GPS unit. First of all, those CDs you just purchased contain a whole bunch of raw digital cartography data. There are several hundred files of digital map- ping information containing lake shorelines, navigation aids, roads, riv- ers and all the other information that goes into our high-detail maps. It takes some fancy formatting to fit the whol
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File Formats & Functions Well, now you know what makes MapCreate tick. You may be ready to skip forward to where we explain how our text formatting makes the manual easy to skim. If that's the case, move on to "How to Use This Manual: Typographical Conventions" on page 15. But, if you want to pick up an extra tip or two, look over this segment describing the file formats and memory cards MapCreate works with. Map Border File This file defines the boundary of the raw cartography data that is ex-
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hard drive space is available, many users like to archive Map Files in the C:\Program Files\LEI\MapCreate\Data folder. This allows you to change maps on your card and reuse a map over and over without creating it each time. If you save a map to the Data folder, MapCreate will remember that location the next time you save a map, during the current work session. The next time you start MapCreate, map saves will default back to the MMC card. You cannot make changes to a Map File once it has been cr
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To help you decide what size cards to buy, make some map borders cov- ering the type of travel you expect. Then use the Estimate Custom Map Size command to calculate the size. For example, one Missouri customer frequently travels and fishes in the four-state area of Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma. He purchased an additional 128MB MMC, which holds all four states at once. This lets him travel long distances for extended periods without needing a computer to change the maps on his card. T
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cause it allows you to match your map's file size and detail level to your card's memory capacity and your travel needs. NOTE: Due to software requirements in the GPS units, MMC or SD cards can hold a maximum of 32 different files at one time for the Lowrance iFINDER and 1,000 different files for all other Lowrance or Eagle GPS receivers. The total amount of information cannot exceed the MMC size capacity, no matter what the number of files is. For example, an 8 MB MMC in an iFINDER could hold
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don't fit your MMC or SD card, refer to the Help file's Command Refer- ence section for more detailed instructions on controlling file size. GPS Data File This file format contains all the GPS navigation information (waypoints, event marker icons, routes and trails) used by your GPS unit and MapCre- ate. The file extension is *.usr (for User file). By default, MapCreate first saves a GPS Data File to the C:\Program Files\LEI\MapCreate\Data folder, but if you prefer you can save it direct to your
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Latitude Longitude Waypoint Name Comma and space separate items. First wpt 36.060798, -95.783549, Church 1 36.060784, -95.761647, Turn North 2 36.161831, -95.761529, Turn N-East On Hwy66 (3) 36.162581, -95.753760, Wpt 004* 36.169981, -95.751795, Wpt 005* 36.382616, -95.556565, Turn N-West 6 36.385315, -95.560847, Turn North 7 Last wpt 36.503465, -95.561081, Stop Turn East 8 In routes, sequence is important. 1st line is wpt 1, 2nd line is wpt 2 and so on. Text files are saved in the
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WARNING: You should never format an MMC containing a Navion- ics chart or Jeppesen aviation database. Formatting the MMC will permanently erase the chart or aeronauti- cal data from the card. GPS Unit Compatibility MapCreate 6.3 is compatible with all Lowrance and Eagle mapping GPS units that use removable MMC/SD cards for map storage. Some units, however, may need a free software upgrade to work with Map- Create 6.3. Upgrades are available for download from the web sites, www.lowrance.com
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Find Points of Interest On the computer master map, moving your pointer over a Point of In- terest (POI) symbol triggers a pop-up box with the POI's name. With MapCreate 6.3, when the information is available, the pop-up box also displays the POI's address and telephone number. This detailed pop-up only works for items classified as Points of Interest. Map with pop-up box showing POI information In a Lowrance or Eagle GPS, all POI's include the name, address and phone number. Cursor over POI s
