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MAPTECH ® -
Every now and again, I run across a product that I wish I had had in my possession for years. In this case, I have, but not in the format currently available for a home computer user.  Topographical
maps have long been companions on my many trips into the wilderness and I have relied on them heavily to get me out of a bad situations. Obtaining these maps usually meant heading down to the local division of the
Geological Survey building and then an hour or two trying to locate the maps for the specific areas I wanted to travel into.
NEVER FEAR!
With the recent introduction of GPS into the common hunters affordability range, has also come the development of digital
topographical maps. Giving the everyday computer user a tool that can be used in conjunction with their GPS or as a stand alone resource. I recently had the opportunity to review the MAPTECH®, UTAH, Lower Wasatch, Salt Lake City CD ROM.
MAPTECH® offers coverage for most major areas of the U.S in their
line-up of CD ROM's. The topographical maps are available in digitized maps in the 1:100,000 and 1:24,000 7.5 minute (quad) USGS maps.
The addition of the MAPTECH® TERRAIN NAVIGATOR, makes this tool
an invaluable resource and time saver when planning trips or looking over new areas for potential excursions into. TERRAIN NAVIGATOR is also
compatible with electronic GPS interface! You can upload and download information from your GPS unit, marking way points, destination markers
and so forth with ease and then print this information into a map to tuck into your back pack on the way outdoors.
One difficulty that I encountered was following information from one map
area to the next if the area I was looking for lapped across two maps. TERRAIN NAVIGATOR does offer the option to display two maps at the same time to help ease this process and MAOTECH is aware of the
problem. They hope to have this corrected in future releases.
Locating places of interested is eased by the search function MAPTECH
has included in the software. You can also add in specific areas of of personal interest to the maps you have installed, and organize them into categories for easier location in your next use.
 The layer option gives you total control over adding information to the maps for later reference. Layers can be printed out with the map, or easily left off, if desired, giving you
the ability to customize the map with the information you choose. Game trails can be referenced for later use, bedding areas, water holes, you name it, you will never lose your way there (or back) again
with MAPTECH!
This software is not only a great resource for owners of a GPS unit, but
offers the traditional compass user access to the same information, long used by packing bulky USGS maps along for the trip. I found the ability
to use the UTM floater grid, in selecting areas for printing, to be very accurate and beneficial in getting on paper, the maps locations I desired.
And found that in most cases, I could print the areas I wanted to travel into on no more then two 8 1/2" by 11" sheets of paper. Aligning multiple
print outs, can be a little tough and I would hope to see this corrected in future versions as well.
Maptech offers the following map coverage. Currently maps are available
for CA, CO, CT, DE, IL, MA, MD/DC, ME, MI, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, and TX. At first glance, these maps are expensive, but when you have them in hand, the prices seems
very nominal for the resource they provide. Most CDs are $99 each, or you may select different pricing structures for multiple CDs within an individual state. For instance to individually buy the 7 Utah CD set it
would cost around $700, but you can buy the state in two groups. One group has 4 CDs and the other offers 3 CDs. The 4 CD pack is $279 and the 3 CD set is $229 for it a total of $508 to have all of the Topo maps of
Utah. This is still more affordable than purchasing the individual maps from USGS, let alone the time spent acquiring them.
IN REVIEW:
MAPTECH has definitely made an impression on The Hunting Trail
Team! We found it to be a reliable resource for navigating our way in the woods and a very useful tool in gathering information for future use and
reference. If you use GPS or not, this is a resource that will provide years of service and satisfaction at a fraction of the cost and headaches involved with traditional maps. MAPTECH has taken a normally
cumbersome task of rolling out map after map, to locate information, and made it an easy to use, resourceful tool to be enjoyed by all outdoors man and women alike!
MAPTECH® Receives The Hunting Trail Approved
**** 1/2 Rating!
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