WA8LMF Home Page | Main Ham Radio Page |Main UI-View Notes Page | Updated  31 Dec 2021  

 
NOTICE:   As of April 2014, this notice appeared on the Undertow Software (Precision Mapping publisher) website:
 

"RV Plan 'N Go 2013 and Precision Mapping v9.0 are no longer available from Undertow Software.  You may want to check Amazon, e-bay, etc. to see if any resellers have any stock left."

As of fall 2021, Undertow Software has disappeared from the Internet -- apparently the company is now out of business.

 

 

IMPORTANT!    Undertow Software shut down the RegisterMyApp.com activation website as of 1 March 2020.  You can no longer activate a newly-installed copy of Precision Mapping 9.0 (or any earlier versions of Precision Mapping)

 If you only want to use Precision Mapping 9.0 with UIview (not use Precision Mapping standalone), activation is NOT required.

Just run Precision Mapping 9 once after install, dismiss the prompt to activate, and close the program. It will now work with UIview and the PMap Server 9.

[This expedient will NOT WORK with any earlier versions of Precision Mapping such as Ver 7.0 (discontinued in October 2006), Ver 8.0 (discontinued in April 2009), or Ver 8.1 (discontinued in November 2011).

 
 

Using Precision Mapping 9.0 With UI-View

A complete UIview / Precision Mapping 9 install consists of three separate programs that must be installed separately in this order:

Jump to:

        (Links jump to points farther down on this page.)

The Precision Mapping 9.0 program alone, can also be used to create accurately-calibrated static maps of the US or Canada, for use with either UIview or other APRS programs.

Background and General Information

The "secret sauce active ingredient" in Precision Mapping is the MP2011PM.ocx "Active-X"  control.  This is the program component used to retrieve data from the Precision Mapping database files. This software component, located in the main Precision Mapping program folder, is used by both the standalone Precision Mapping Streets & Traveler program Version 9, and by the PMap Server 9 plugin for UIview.

MP2011PM.ocx also emulates the behavior (function calls) of the earlier MapPro71.ocx control used by previous versions of Precision Mapping.   (Since PMap Server is essentially unchangeably "hardwired" internally to use MapPro71.ocx ,  MP2011PM.ocx has to "quack like" the earlier OCX to make PMap Server work.)

[Note that UI-View does not actually use the Precision Mapping program.  The PMap Server plugin for UIview only utilizes the databases and the MP2011PM.ocx  control. This control is placed on your hard disk (and registered with Windows) by installing the main Precision Mapping program.   You can, if you wish, run the stand-alone Precision Mapping 9 program separately and simultaneously with UIview/PMap Server 9.  Both programs can use the database at the same time.]

 IMPORTANT! 

IMPORTANT!   Installing Precision Mapping 9 will "break" any earlier Precision Mapping 7.0 or 8.0 installations on the same machine, normally rendering them unusable.

This includes both the standalone Precision Mapping 7.0 or 8.0 program, AND the PMap Server 7.07 for UIview. 

 

Note for Precision Mapping 5 and 6 Users:  These earlier versions of Precision Mapping and their associated PMap servers can remain on your system. They are not affected by the install of Precision Mapping 9.0.   

You do not need to un-install Precision Mapping 5 or 6 before installing Version 9.0

 

  1. Install UIview Ver 2.03. Verify that UIview operates normally. You must have UIview working correctly before installing the other programs. Temporarily switch UIview to use the static map of the entire world , provided with UIview (i.e. pull down "Map, Choose A Map" in UIview).

    Or download and install this useful fixed map of the entire continental US for testing. This is a static map GIF image of the US, already calibrated for use with UIview. Shut down UIview. Extract the files from the downloaded .zip file into the \MAPS folder located underneath the main UIview folder. Then restart UIview pull down "Map, Choose A Map" in UIview and select "Whole US". Note that this is a very large image, and may be larger than your display.  If so, you will have to scroll east-west and north-south to see various parts of the map.

    If installing into Windows Vista, or Windows 7, keep in mind the install issues with these versions of Windows discussed HERE
     

  2. If you have previously been using PMap Server 7 with either Precision Mapping 7.0 or 8.0, switch to a static map in UIview's "Map, Load A Map" dialog before exiting UIview.  This avoids annoying error messages next time UIview is started,  due to Precision Mapping Ver 7 or 8 becoming "broken" by the Precision Mapping 9 install, or missing due to uninstalling them.
     

  3. If you need a static map to switch to, download the Whole US Static Map  as described above. This fairly large-scale map of the entire continental US may be useful, especially for 30-meter HF APRS, even after installing the latest Precision Mapping.
     

  4. Shut down UIview
     

  5. If you have previously been using Precision Mapping 7 or 8, they will no longer function after the ver 9.0 install.  You may wish to uninstall them to reclaim around 2.5 GB of hard disk space.  You may also want to uninstall the Precision Mapping Server 7.07 to eliminate the now-extraneous entry for "Precision Mapping Server V7" in the "Load A Map" dialog in UIview.

    If you are going to uninstall Precision Mapping 7 or 8 and PMap Server 7.07, do it before you install Precision Mapping 9 and PMap Server 9.  (Uninstalling them after installing Ver 9 may "break" version 9 due to a bug in the Ver 7/8 un-installers, forcing you to install ver 9 a second time!)  Again, switch UIview to a static map of some sort and exit,  before "pulling the plug" on PMap Server 7.

     

  6.  REBOOT!
     

  7. Install Precision Mapping Streets & Traveler 9.0.   I recommend that you truncate the absurdly long directory path "Precision Mapping Streets & Traveller Ver 9.0" path to something shorter and more functional like just "\PMap9".   In the future, it will make browsing the directory system much easier since the folder name won't overflow small windows in file-selecting dialogs.
     

  8. Forget about UIview and the PMap Server for a moment. Startup and run the standalone Precision Mapping 9.0 program.  You will be prompted to register the program. Choosing the Internet/online registration option will launch your default web browser and send you to the web site http://registermyapp.com .  The registration process produces a "magic number" that you then copy/paste into the dialog in the Precision Mapping window to unlock the program.  

    [NOTE: Save this number for future use if you have to re-install the program for some reason. This number is unique to a particular machine and operating system version.  If you change either (for example, upgrade from Win98 to XP, or do an install on another machine), you will have to repeat the registration process.  Unlike Windows XP/Vista/Win7 "product activation", there seems to be no limit to how many times you can re-run the registration process. Further, note that this number is completely unrelated to the numbers you received when registering UIview.]
     

  9. REBOOT!
     

  10. Download the PMap Server 9 plugin here.
     

  11. Run PMapServer9.0.0.18-Setup.exe, downloaded above,  and follow the prompts.  I recommend that you override the default path and install PMap Server 9 into a folder directly off the root of the hard disk, such as  C:\PMapServer9 .  If you start using underlays and overlays with PMap Server in the future, having the target folders (that are located under the main PMap Server folder) closer to the root will mean far less directory tree navigation.
     

  12. At the end of the setup, the installer will automatically run "Init PMapServer9.exe" located in the PMapServer9 folder.  This:
     

    • Creates configuration and support files in the PMap server folder, including  PMapServer9.ini  that later will store the path to Precision Mapping's data files. It also creates the file  !!PmapServer9.INF  which which is then copied into the UIview folder.   
       
    • Communicates with the Windows registry to find out where UIview.exe is located, and then copies the file !!PmapServer9.INF  into the \MAPS folder located under the main UIview folder.  This file must be present in this location to allow "Precision Mapping Server V9" to show up in the list of loadable maps in UIview.
       
  13. REBOOT!
     

  14. Start UIview.  Select Menu "Map", "Load a Map" and then select
    "Precision Mapping V9 Server" from the list.
     

  15. On the first-time run, you will be prompted for the location of the Precision Mapping data files. Navigate to the location of the main folder where you installed Precision Mapping 9 (not UIview!) and OK the choice.
     

  16. On the first-time run, you may also be prompted to go through the registration process for Precision Mapping again. Repeat the process described in 5. above. You will receive a different "magic number" but the process is the same.

    NOTE: On the first-time run, you will require an Internet connection to perform the registration.  Once registered, Precision Mapping DOES NOT require an Internet connection to function.  (i.e. you can use it in mobile laptop installations without Internet connectivity.)
     

  17. If large area views display properly, but local street detail fails to show when zoomed in (or nothing at all appears), pull down and select "Map, Control Panel" from the UI-View
    menu bar. From the resulting "PMapServer9 Control Panel", select "Options, Precision Mapping Data Paths".   You will be prompted to navigate your directory tree to point to the location of the main Precision Mapping 9.0 (not UI-View!) program installation. You may have to exit UIview and restart it before the changes will have any effect.
     

  18. If local street detail continues to not show when zooming in with UIview (but DOES show in the standalone Precision Mapping program), locate the file  mappro71.cfg  in the main Precision Mapping install folder, and copy it to the main PMap Server 7 folder.
     

  19. You will get the most useful mouse functions for zooming and scrolling the dynamic PMap Server maps, by pulling down "Options" in UIview and clicking on "Alternative Mouse Actions" to toggle it on. See "Alternative Mouse Actions" in the UIview help system for more info.

    The keyboard "PageDn" and "PageUp" keys will then zoom the map in or out by fixed steps. You can also zoom in to any scale, by dragging out a bounding box on the map with the left mouse button. Note that the bounding box expands outward in all directions from the center "click point", rather than from the upper-left to the lower-right corners like most other graphics or mapping applications.
     

  20. PMap Server 9 contains an obsolete unchangeable help file "PMapServer6.hlp" inherited from the decade-old long-discontinued PMap Server Ver 6. The information in this file is mostly outdated and won't display in any case in Windows 7. (See details here about fixing help file issues in Windows Vista/Windows 7.) 

    Instead, view the updated help file
    PMapServer9.chm, located in the main PMap Server 9 folder.  For various technical reasons, it is not possible to link this new help system to the "F1" or "Help" buttons inside PMap Server 9. You must seek it out directly using the Windows File Explorer.
     

Miscellaneous Comments on Precision Mapping 9.0 and PMap Server 9.0

Controlling Points of Interest Information and Display

Precision Mapping contains a database of millions of "POIs" (Points of Interest). These include gas stations, motels, restaurants, supermarkets and other items of interest to travelers. These POIs don't appear until you zoom down to detailed close-up street level In downtown commercial districts, there can be dozens of these in every block. When Precision Mapping is used with UI-View, this creates a very cluttered display that can make APRS symbols hard to spot when zoomed in. 

You can control the display inside the standalone Precision Mapping 9 program from it's own options menus and dialogs.  This WILL NOT affect the displays inside of UI-View.  Pull down "File, Map Settings..." . In the resulting list, click on "Layer Control, Landmarks & POIs".   

In UIiview/PMap Server 9, the display of these POIs can be turned on or off by editing the file
MapPro71.cfg  located in the main PMap Server 9 folder.  Be sure to exit UIview/PMap Server before making these changes.  Open  MapPro71.cfg  with a basic ASCII text editor like Windows Notepad. Near the top of the file you will see a paragraph similar to the following:

[Directories]
CDSTATE=C:\Program Files\Precision Mapping Streets and Traveler 9.0\states
CDDATA1=C:\Program Files\Precision Mapping Streets and Traveler 9.0\data1
CDDATA2=C:\Program Files\Precision Mapping Streets and Traveler 9.0\data2
CDDATA3=C:\Program Files\Precision Mapping Streets and Traveler 9.0\data3
CDDATA4=C:\Program Files\Precision Mapping Streets and Traveler 9.0\data4
CDSTATE1=C:\Program Files\Precision Mapping Streets and Traveler 9.0\states

     Note: Your paths will vary depending on where you installed Precision Mapping. 

The path for "
CDDATA4= " determines where the PMap Server looks for the POI database. 

If you want the POIs to show inside UIview, edit  MapPro71.cfg to ensure that the path for  CDDATA4=  points to the same folder as the other Precision Mapping data files in the lines above.  If you do not want the POIs to show inside UIview, edit this line to just  CDDATA4= .  Save the file and restart the program.  (Be sure to save it with the original ."cfg"  extension; don't let your editor change the file name extension to ".txt" !)

If you are certain that you will never want the POIs, either in UI-View or in standalone Precision Mapping 9, delete the line CDDATA4= in both MapPro71.cfg (in the PMap Server 9 folder) and in PMSAT90.ini  (in \My Documents\PMSAT90 ).  Then delete the entire contents of the folder "\DATA4" located under the main Precision Mapping 9 program folder.  This will reclaim over 380MB of hard disk space.

If desired, you can custom-tweak the POI displays.  Open MapPro71.cfg with a text editor like Windows Notepad,  and locate the following lines (they will be near the end of the file):
 

OBJECT=POIMGR
VIS=1
MMJR= 0.25
MMNR= 0.15
VISL=FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF01
FLABEL=STD_NAME
FHINT=STD_NAME+#13#10+"ph."+PHONE

 

 

Importing Display Options From The Stand-Alone Precision Mapping Program To UIview/PMap Server 9

The standalone Precision Mapping 9.0 program has far more options for things to display or not display than the PMap Server 9 control panel does inside UIview.  These include various types of points-of-interest, green coloration for national-state-local parks, zip code boundaries, air ports (major and minor), rail lines, show or not show various classes of roads down to "jeep trails", and 3D-looking shaded-relief coloration.   Most of these options are controlled by pulling down "File, Map Settings" in Precision Mapping 9.0.  

It is possible to "wholesale" import the settings from Precision Mapping 9 to the UIview/PMap Server installation.  The display and user preferences are stored in two files:

Despite the name differences, these two files are identical!   You can import any view options you desire into PMap Server 9 by copying and renaming the Precision Mapping version of this file, with the following steps.  This includes the settings discussed in the paragraph above "Controlling Points of Interest Information and Display"  
 

  1. Start the stand-alone Precision Mappng 9 and select the desired options using it's "File, Map Settings..." dialogs.   
     

  2. Exit the program. This causes the current settings to be saved back into PMSAT90.ini in the \My Documents\PMSAT90 folder.   
     

  3. Copy the file PMSAT90.ini  in the \My Documents\PMSAT90 folder to the \PMapServer9 folder.  
     

  4. Shut down UIview & PMap Server 9.  
     

  5. Rename the existing MapPro71.cfg file in the \PMapServer90 folder to something like MapPro71.cfg.bak as a backup.  
     

  6. Then rename  PMSAT90.ini to  MapPro71.cfg .    The next time you start UIview/PMap Server 9, all the view options from the standalone Precision Mapping will appear inside UIview !   

You can semi-automate this process by creating a simple batch file using a basic text editor like Windows Notepad.  Open Notepad and enter a single line similar to the following line.  (Of course, edit the paths to reflect where your "My Documents" folder and PMapServer9 folder are located.)

COPY  "C:\My Documents\PMSAT90\PMSAT90.ini"   "C:\PMapServer9\MapPro71.cfg" 

Note that any pathname strings with spaces in them (like "My Documents") MUST be enclosed in quotes. Save the file as something like "CopySettings.bat".   Double-clicking this file will now copy and rename the current Precision Mapping .ini file in a single step, overwriting the existing PMapServer 9 .cfg file.  Shut down UIiview each time before running this batch file.

Be sure to save a copy of the existing PMap Server 9  MapPro71.ini file under another name before doing this! 

Here is an example of this kind of import into UIview/PMap Server 9.  The standalone Precision Mapping 9 was set to show shaded relief and to NOT show the solid green park coloration overlays before importing the .ini file into UIview.   (NOTE:  This is a screen cap of a 1920x1080 pixel full-HD screen.  Scroll to view on lower-resolution displays.)

 

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