Latest OS Maps

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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al_yrpal
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Latest OS Maps

Post by al_yrpal »

This is the latest OS Map website. https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/o ... nline.html

I have always liked OS maps and years ago purchased Memory Map. I have the whole UK though a trifle out of date, and have subscribed to a few Explorer level on-line sections. My touring choice is to use cycle.travel to plan routes and day rides and get a .gpx track and drop that into OSmand. Both cycle.travel and OSmand run on my Chromebook but Memory Map doesnt. I prefer the detail and look of OS maps vs Osmand. I think OS maps are better for walking and Mtb routes.

So far Memory Map is the only thing that I want that doesnt run on the Chromebook. This raises the question for me as to whether to totally junk the PC and Memory Map with it and go with the £17.95 pa OS map subscription instead of Memory Map on my Chromebook?

Does anyone use the current OS subscription service? And do you have any comments on the useabilty or relative merits of it in comparison to Memory Map?

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
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531colin
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Re: Latest OS Maps

Post by 531colin »

Al, I'm self-confessed hopeless at all this techno. stuff!
I used to use the old OS get a map to print off hard copies of maps....on A4, because thats my printer. This used to give you a good look at what you were actually printing before you hit "print" , and you could store maps on the system in files.
I could be doing it wrong, but i think the new site is pants. its a huge rigmarole to get it to print a hard copy, and it doesn't actually show me what I'm printing until much too late. I always end up with a queue on my printer of several copies of the one map, and when I actually find how to print it wants to print them all.
When I have the strength, I'll re-visit the site, if I still can't make it work i suppose its only one years subs. wasted.
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al_yrpal
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Re: Latest OS Maps

Post by al_yrpal »

Hi Colin, I did try to trial before you buy and the printing seemed ok to me although it didnt seem to be a proper OS map on the trial. You just move the map to where you want, zoom in and position the frame on the area you want and hit print? Was that on your phone, a PC or a Mac?

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
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fausto copy
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Re: Latest OS Maps

Post by fausto copy »

I've been a subscriber to OS getamap for few years and like Colin, used to plot routes and then print them off on A4 with a lovely line (of my chosen colour, thickness and transparency) which I could easily follow from my bar bag.
You may be aware from my other posting cycling for numbskulls) that that is all I'm capable of.
However, like Colin, I find the new version (OS maps) absolutely awful.
When I try and print out my route, although designed with my chosen preferences, it prints out with all the waypoints numbered on it and makes the route invisible.
However, for techies like Al who presumably design a route and then export it as a GPX (?) file to their chosen hardware I reckon it would be OK and he subscription worthwhile, but I think mine will be lapsing in a few weeks time. :(

fausto.
PH
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Re: Latest OS Maps

Post by PH »

I'm not sure how but I am pretty sure someone I know is running memory map on their Chromebook - I'll find out more if you're interested.
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al_yrpal
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Re: Latest OS Maps

Post by al_yrpal »

Hmmm perhaps I will stick to Osmand for the time being. I do like the voice turn by turn directions I can get off my phone using Osmand on occasion. Richard Fairhursts PDF maps are pretty useful too. A pity I like OS maps.

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
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al_yrpal
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Re: Latest OS Maps

Post by al_yrpal »

PH wrote:I'm not sure how but I am pretty sure someone I know is running memory map on their Chromebook - I'll find out more if you're interested.


Yes please. I can access my PC from the Chromebook using Remote Desktop and run Memory Map but the idea is to get rid of the PC. Memory Map isnt very smooth using it this way. If there is a,way to do it directly that would be great.

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
stu1102
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Re: Latest OS Maps

Post by stu1102 »

There are a number of people that have Memory Map here ;

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?PHPS ... board=63.0

just do a search once your there
cotswolds
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Re: Latest OS Maps

Post by cotswolds »

I'm in a similar position to you - I purchased Memory Map and OS mapping of the whole of the UK some years ago. The maps are out of date, but I use them for rural areas where things barely change so it doesn't bother me. For urban mapping I prefer Open Street Map or Google anyway.

If your Memory Maps are sufficiently old, you may be able to read the files with other apps. The original MM files used a file format QCT which wasn't encrypted but the structure was so complicated that they thought it didn't need to be. However, somebody painstakingly reverse engineered it and the format effectively became public domain, and people started producing apps to read the files. (I believe for later versions of MM the files are in a newer encrypted format (QCT2?).)

When I wanted to put OS mapping on to my Android phone, Memory Map wanted none-trivial money from me for a new app to read the files for which I'd already paid quite a lot of money. I found an Android app that could read the .QCT files and so have OS 1:50k mapping for the whole of the UK offline on my phone.

Don't know much about Chrome apps, but if you've got the older format it might be worth a look to see if there's a Chrome app that will read it. There are also apps that will convert QCT to other public formats (eg PNG) but the resulting files will be massive.
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531colin
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Re: Latest OS Maps

Post by 531colin »

al_yrpal wrote:Hi Colin, I did try to trial before you buy and the printing seemed ok to me although it didnt seem to be a proper OS map on the trial. You just move the map to where you want, zoom in and position the frame on the area you want and hit print? Was that on your phone, a PC or a Mac?

Al


OK, I can understand this post, unlike almost all of what follows it.....you see Fausto pretends to be clueless, but I have to print maps off then add my route in highlighter pen.... :roll:

however, to business.....On the old OS get a map, they gave you a free look at the real OS map, but only half an A4 sheet. You could print half an A4 sheet free, as well. Now, the first thing they show you isn't an OS map I recognise, the OS map is a "layer" you have to select from a list, but you have to pay your subs. before they let you have the layer. On the old system, there was a good tool which let you position your printed map exactly where you want on the endless digital map, all done at a scale where you could easily read the map. On this new thing, you get a scruffy thumb-nail thing which I can't see well enough to know if its the bit of map I want or not.
On a Windows 7 PC, if it helps....
PH
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Re: Latest OS Maps

Post by PH »

al_yrpal wrote:
PH wrote:I'm not sure how but I am pretty sure someone I know is running memory map on their Chromebook - I'll find out more if you're interested.


Yes please. I can access my PC from the Chromebook using Remote Desktop and run Memory Map but the idea is to get rid of the PC. Memory Map isnt very smooth using it this way. If there is a,way to do it directly that would be great.

Al


OK - this is third hand and well beyond me :!:
First you need to install Linux on your chromebook, there's plenty of youtube guides (If you can understand them)
Then on Linux you can install Wine which is a Windows simulator, and should run any windows program.

I have in the past run Wine on a Linux PC to use Lightroom and Office, it worked fine.
Hope that helps!
Bigdummysteve
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Re: Latest OS Maps

Post by Bigdummysteve »

I use os getamap, while its not as useful as ridegps it can record tracks and import gpx files. One feature I use is to export the gpx filesfrom ridewithgps on my iPad then use the option to open them in OS getamap.
While I would rather buy the files on a disk etc as a standalone iOS option it's good, I have lots of maps so a fair bit invested. As for hard copies there is no option built in but you can take a screen shot and then print that.
I just wish I could share the maps with other iOS apps as a combination of OS maps and ridewithgps would be great.

What I tend to do is make the route with ridewithgps then export it as a trail in OS getamap, this allows me to use both to follow the same route if needed.
Bigdummysteve
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Re: Latest OS Maps

Post by Bigdummysteve »

One thing which is useful is the ability to buy map tiles while your out and about ( if you have coverage) the purchased tiles ARE shared between iOS devices on the same account so I have mine on the iPhone and iPad, combined with a battery case it makes a useful gps devise
Psamathe
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Re: Latest OS Maps

Post by Psamathe »

Bigdummysteve wrote:One thing which is useful is the ability to buy map tiles while your out and about ( if you have coverage) the purchased tiles ARE shared between iOS devices on the same account so I have mine on the iPhone and iPad, combined with a battery case it makes a useful gps devise

Most mapping apps will do this.

Ian
ChrisF
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Re: Latest OS Maps

Post by ChrisF »

I'm puzzled, I've used Memory Map on PC, iOS and Android for years. Both the UK (OS) ones and France (IGN). Isn't Chromebook a normal Android device? My maps themselves are quite old now(Ver5) but the apps on Android are always the latest ones. Have you tried MemoryMap online support, they have always been very helpful to me.
Chris F, Cornwall
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