[OSM-talk] GPS recommendations

[Kai Krueger]

Richard Fairhurst wrote:
> The one recommendation I'd give is: if you're expecting to be at all  
> serious about OSM, grit your teeth and pay for a decent Garmin.

I would be interested to hear how you would rate that solution compared 
to one involving a bluetooth GPS mouse and using e.g. a cell phone to do 
the recording and display of OSM maps. With GPS bluetooth receivers 
selling already at about 20 to 30 pounds, this solution seems quite a 
bit cheaper than buying a Garmin. I can't really comment on the quality 
of reception, as I haven't had a Garmin my self, but at least the other 
points you mentioned, such as built-in OSM mapping, storage capacity 
ease of use, ... should be achievable with a phone given the right 
software such as e.g. GpsMid (Trekbuddy or WhereAmI, might work as well, 
   but I haven't tried those).

At least for me, the combination of a SE K550 phone with GpsMid works 
pretty well and I would recommend it, but then I might be a little 
biased towards GpsMid ;-)

Kai

> 
> I'm now using an eTrex Legend HCx (having started with a basic yellow  
> eTrex, then moved up to a Geko 201) and the difference it makes is  
> enormous: quality of reception, in-built OSM mapping, storage  
> capacity, ease of use, ease of marking waypoints... it's just a  
> beautiful unit, and I wish I'd gone straight to it rather than  
> bothering with the Geko. It's such a shame to see people struggling  
> with gpsbabel, drivers etc. when you can just plug a USB cable into a  
> higher-end eTrex and download the tracks in mass storage mode.
> 
> Personally I don't get on with the NaviGPS at all, finding it a  
> fiddly, unreliable, counter-intuitive little beastie, and would  
> happily see it consigned to ocean floor surveying duties. But if  
> you're a happy Linux command-line hacker you may have more luck with  
> it than me.
> 
> cheers
> Richard
> 
> 
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