GPS Personal Navigator Files PNFs    21 February 2008

Personal Navigator  Files (PNFs) now Google Earth compatible, version 4.01 Vista compliant
Order Personal Navigator Files CD version 4.01 (Win95-XP-Vista) for £9.99    Order PNFs CD + GPS The Easy Way for £13.98
Personal Navigator Files CD version 4.01 now available on CD for £9.99   see PNF Specification PNFsCD Cover full size

At DWG we have been using GPS systems, handheld and vehicle based, as an integral part of our research into new walking guide books and as the fundamental system that records the details required for our Tour & Trail Maps, Drive Touring Maps and our Tenerife Walkers' Maps. For us modern GPS equipment integrated with mapping software has given us a quantum jump forward in the accuracy of recording our walking routes, and has enabled us to compile the latest ground surveys as the basis of our published maps. Our 'Walks' series of walking guide books incorporate GPS Waypoints which GPS users can program into their hand held GPS to provide Waypoint Navigation which complements our Walk Descriptions and Maps. Now we have developed full GPS Track & Waypoint Navigation for GPS users in the form of Personal Navigator Files (PNFs).

Getting lost is never a pleasant experience. Getting lost abroad in unfamiliar territory can be most unnerving, not to say distressing. We pride ourselves on the accuracy of our Walk Descriptions; including frequent timings so that you can check your progress against the walk description, compass directions for compass users, along with detailed observations.
PNFs go one stage further by providing the actual walking route along with all the GPS Waypoints referred to in the book. These can then be downloaded into your GPS. At the start of a walking route switch on your GPS and select the PNF for that route. Your GPS will then show your progress along the walking route as you progress. The accuracy is such that if you take a wrong turning (accidentally) you will see your mistake within 20 metres as your GPS cursor leaves the Track shown on the display. No more wandering about wondering if you are on the correct route.
PNFs; Satellite Navigation for walkers!
see Ken's review of our Tenerife titles including using our PNFs  PNF Specification

For everyone, including ourselves, who has tried to follow the walk descriptions that appear in some supposed guide books (not DWG books though), and wondered if the author ever walked the route in recent decades, PNFs will come as a revelation. At DWG we have walked all the routes we publish, and we can prove it through our GPS records. By making those records available in the form of PNFs you will get a new level of confidence for navigating in the territory covered by our 'Walk' guide books at Home & Abroad.
Even if you never intend to buy a GPS, or think 'Map & Compass' navigation is best (see GPS The Easy Way), you can have confidence in the accuracy of DWG guide books because you know that we are publishing PNFs which show exactly where we have been when researching a region, resulting in better accuracy of both maps and walk descriptions. At present DWG are the only people using integrated GPS as an integral part of researching walking guide books, perhaps a factor to consider when deciding which walking guide book to purchase.

PNFs take quite some time to compile as we record far more information than is needed just for a walk description, and of course the GPS is recording where we have been when we go wrong. We edit out any confusing information so that the PNF shows the walking route as we describe it in the walk description.

Client Comment from Jenkin D 27.03.2007 "Excellent collection of walking books- especially useful for people with GPS and PNFs.
Having access to a GPS and PNFs for particular walks, we can now safely undertake walks which we would otherwise only have done with a guide.
We currently undertake holidays to areas where the books and PNFs are already available for. Yours sincerely J.D

Free Personal Navigator Files CD v4.01 (Win95-XP-Vista), normally £9.99, with all orders over £25.00 while stocks last see our general Order Form

Personal Navigator Files CD -  version 4.01 now available.   PNF Specification             See Solving Track Truncated reports when loading Track Files

Our thanks to our clients who have been using version 1.01-3 since September 2004, version 2.01 since January 2005, version 3.01 since January 2006, and version 3.02 complete with Google Earth compatibility from August 2006. We have learnt a lot from your comments on the good points - Pin-Point Accuracy, and the not so good - eliminating rogue track points, need for unique waypoint names, improving the instructions on the CD. It has been a steep learning curve of the 'blood, sweat and tears' variety, but then all great technological jumps require this resilience in honing the concept into the finished product. Now with version 4.01 (February 2008) we have Windows Vista compatibility along with even more destinations.
"Hi David & Ros. 
My wife and I have just had a very successful walking week in the Alpujarras ably supported by your map and book. The GPS waymarks were invaluable. We are buying a house in the Alpujarras and will be making extensive use of your PNFs. Thanks for putting such useful tools together.
Kind regards Frank & Hilary K "

version 4.01 released 20 February 2008 represents another leap forward with Vista compatibility. We've added the walking routes from our new Walk! Devon, Walk! the Isle of Wight and Walk! Brittany guide books. We've rewritten the 'Instructions' sections of the CD to make using our PNFs CD version 4.01 as straightforward as possible; including 'Solving Track Truncated reports when loading Track Files' including a worked example.
Full gps navigation on one CD; more than 1,000 walking routes at Home & Abroad.
GPS Utility Special Edition software (Vista compatible) is included on version 4.01 CD.  Now you can start loading our walking routes from version 4.01 CD to your gps via your PC without needing any additional software.
Google Earth compatible files means that if you have Windows XP/Vista and a broadband connection you can see many of our walking routes in real time.

The PNFs GPS Track and Waypoint files are in Oziexplorer .plt and .wpt format that can be used directly with the GPS Utility Special Edition software. 'Read Me' files are in standard .txt format that will open in any Windows based word processing programme. While Ros has designed the CD format into a flashy auto-run package which will guide you through the contents.
Mac users using MacGPSPro should download the MACGPSBabel file conversion programme from http://gpsbabel.sourceforge.net to convert the PNF files into GPX format.
GPS Utility Special Edition software (Win95-XP-Vista) is compatible with most hand-held gps receivers including:-
Garmin eTrex, eMap, 76, 12, 12XL, 48, II, II+, V, III, III+, 162, MAP195, MAP12, 12CX, Street Pilot, III Pilot and latest PC connectible units.
Magellan 315, 320, 330, 2000XL, 3000XL, NAV6000, and latest PC connectible units.
Note that the software is NOT directly compatible with car-based sat-nav systems such as Navman, TomTom etc.    See Solving Track Truncated reports when loading Track Files

For more information see GPS The Easy Way essential reading for anyone thinking of GPS and see Ken's review of our new Tenerife titles which includes comments on using PNFs in the field; our first independent field trial of PNFs.
uk.rec.walking internet newsgroup frequently discusses GPS topics and sci.geo.satellite-nav newsgroup covers discussion from novice to expert on GPS topics.
Order Personal Navigator Files CD version 4.01 (Win95-XP-Vista) for £9.99   
Order PNFs CD 4.01 + GPS The Easy Way for £13.98

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