[Xastir] printing maps to 1:24k scale

[Curt, WE7U]

On Fri, 28 May 2010, Kevin Ratcliff wrote:

> We have all of the topo, aerial, trail, and street maps we need for
> Xastir, but so far I haven't been able to find a way to print at 1:24k
> scale. We don't need anything fancy, just UTM or USNG grid overlays
> and a way to temporarily hide stations and tracks. It absolutely must
> be to scale so that it'll work with our UTM grid readers though. Am I
> missing some option, or is it not currently possible to print like
> this?

Xastir doesn't have the ability to print at a particular scale,
although it will print the grids, plus the scales along the map
borders with the right settings.  I had a problem the last time I
printed where the scale along one border wasn't printing for me on
my laser printer with the auto-scale/auto-rotate settings.  It might
have been a localized problem here though as I recall I had it
working at one time on a different printer and the code hasn't
changed.

If the scale problem were solved there's another issue which Tom
Russo has pointed out on this list before:  Printing maps that can
be used for compass navigation.  I think the usual method is to
print a map in Mercator projection?  Tom?

Xastir for its display/printing uses no projection at all (lat/long
unprojected).  The resulting printed maps are not useful for
plotting compass bearings.  You would be better off using some
software package which was designed for printing navigational maps.

I'm writing the above with a brand-new Silva Ranger compass sitting
here next to me that arrived yesterday...  I don't like the fact
that I can't use Xastir's maps with it, but that's reality.

-- 
Curt, WE7U.                         <http://www.eskimo.com/~archer>
    APRS:  Where it's at!                    <http://www.xastir.org>
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