[Talk-us] Currently available good GPS for use with OSM mapping in the USA?

[Richard Welty]

i think a couple more notes are in order as part of a consumer's guide.
the following contains notes on Garmin & Android/OsmAnd options

Garmin Pros/Cons

1) mkgmap produces useful maps from OSM data
2) in the automotive units, save location is an ok,
    not great, but ok interface for recording short notes
    on the fly
3) the note entry on the eTrex is a bit clumsy
4) eTrex screens are a bit small and monochromatic,
    not good units for driving usage
5) the eTrex has an array of mounts; i can mount an
    eTrex on my bicycle handlebars pretty easily
6) many of the low end Nuvis in the past have had
    a very cheesy power switch. one of the dead garmins
    on the window sill behind me fell to that.
7) most of not all Garmins still use mini usb instead
    of micro usb. mini usb is going away for a reason,
    it is a very poorly engineered design which fails
    after a depressingly low number of disconnect/
    reconnect cycles. i've had two Nuvis die due to
    mini usb connector failure. in order to get tracks
    off a Garmin, you pretty much have to go through
    a couple of disconnect/reconnect cycles (e.g.
    disconnect from the car lighter plug, plug into the
    computer, take the tracks, disconnect and put
    it back in the car.)

OsmAnd Pros/Cons

1) native maps are OSM, refreshed regularly if you
    buy OsmAnd+, at worst monthly which is way
    better than the quarterly schedule for typical
    commercial map vendors. and if you don't want
    to buy OsmAnd+ and you have some software
    skills, you can fetch the software and generate
    your own maps from OSM when you want to.
2) OsmAnd+ costs money, but not very much (less
    than $10US when i bought my copy.)
3) OsmAnd+ can be shared across multiple devices
    if a single Google account is being used
4) cell service not required if maps are downloaded
5) subject to variations in GPS hardware, it works well
    for me on a Nexus 7 (previous generation), less well
    on a 2 1/2 year old HTC that has been retired from
    phone service
6) GUI variance across different flavors of Android OS.
    the HTC GUI experience seems to me to be slightly
    nicer than the Nexus 7, but otherwise the Nexus 7
    is way better
7) mechanism for entering notes clumsy by comparison
    to automotive Garmin units
8) routing is a work in progress. for long trips, adding
    waypoints liberally seems to be a good idea. the
    current version of routing seems to not evaluate
    some potential routes that it really should, even
    over short distances. probably a bug, which leads
    to 9:
9) active group of developers, steady improvements are
    noticeable. but as with any software project, sometimes
    you get a step back instead of a step forward.
10) decent automotive mounts for 7" tablets are out
    there. i'm going to try one with the Nexus 7 for my
    christmas vacation trip from NY state to NC.


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