Linesman vs IWM/WFA Cd Rom

[certacito79]

If anyone has any advice on which package father christmas should leave in my stocking I would love to hear any advice etc

John

[John S]

Really depends on what you want to use it for.

If you want to use it 'on the ground' and know where you are in relation to old trench maps and modern maps then Linesman is the one as it works with GPS. It is an excellent piece of kit.

If it is browsing at home on the PC then price would be my deciding factor as I think the range of maps offered by each one is more than adequate.

I would throw into the pot the NMP Trench Map Atlas which has an index of trench names which can be useful. I think it is the same list that is in the book Rats Alley.

Regards

John

[certacito79]

Cheers for that, I am taking out a couple of Army matesin the new year so maybe Linesman would be better. If its worth the extra then I think may go for that. (Hope Father Christmas is feeling generous!!)

[Brian Curragh]

John

Linesman is excellent - if you want to take it out into the field then you will need a GPS enabled PDA - to load the maps onto - I got the Mio P350 which does the trick but there will be others out there. You could try a laptop with a GPS attachment but that's getting a bit cumbersome to cart around.

Regards

Brian

[johnreed]

I agree with Brian Linesman on a PDA is brilliant, the Trench Maps are superb. I use it to walk the trench lines, used with a Mio 350.

John

[MartinWills]

Hmmm,

As others have said, it depends what you want to do with them.

The WFA option is not a cheap as you may think because there is a whole series of them to buy and coverage is not as comprehensive as it might be (as yet). Of those issued so far you would probably want The Salient; two sets covering most of the Somme and probably Haig's Artillery Maps (which are fascinating). Without members discount that's £100 and does not cover all of the Western Front by any means - other maps are on discs to come.

The WFA does offer more than just 1/10,000 maps (some other scales and aerial pics) but it can get a bit tiresome working through them as you simply have a folder full of files and an html based index list. ERviewer is included as a viewer, or you can use your own imaging software, though some files may be on the large size for some PCs.

N&M offer good coverage in 1/10,000 of all the British sectors from the coast down to south of St Quentin together with a front end and index (based on Rats Alley). It's a slick offering but simply offers you maps you can browse and print.

Linesman offers "3D" viewing on screen, a contiguous canvas so you can move between maps and the facility to use it with GPS on a PDA in the field, which for many will be the deciding feature. You also get included in the initial offering modern mapping for the sectors in France (you can superimpose new and old) and modern mapping of Belgium is now also available. Remember you need the PDA as well if you intend to use it in the field where the modern maps will also be more than helpful.

You pays your money and takes your choice, but the key decider is most likely to be what you want to use it for.

Martin