[OSM-talk] GPSMAP 60Cx still the best OSM GPS?

Ed Avis eda at waniasset.com
Tue Apr 7 11:06:00 BST 2009


Roozbeh Pournader <roozbeh <at> gmail.com> writes:

>Is GPSMAP 60Cx still the OSM GPS to get?

A 'high sensitivity' GPS receiver is a good thing but this is not the only one
available. 
<http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_tracklog/2007/08/mediatek-gps-ch.html> is a
comparison of GPS accuracy in this unit against the eTrex Vista / Legend units
which use a different chipset but are also marketed by Garmin as 'high
sensitivitiy'.

>Is there any OSM-related reason to try to get a 60CSx (the version
>that has the electronic compass and barometric altimeter)?

A compass sounds like it would be useful for OSM mapping.  You could see which
way you're facing and check you are walking in the right direction even when GPS
reception is weak.  However, my experience with the electronic compass in
Garmin's Vista HCx unit has been disappointing.  It doesn't seem to work
accurately unless the unit is held exactly horizontal, and even then it can
still be wrong.  A compass that points the wrong way some of the time is no use
at all.  In the end I turned it off to save battery.

Garmin units don't have any official support for Linux but they do work with
gpsbabel.  On the more upmarket units like the one you mention, you can load OSM
maps such as those available at <http://downloads.cloudmade.com/>.  But the
display quality is pretty basic; if you're expecting beautifully rendered Maptik
tiles to appear on your GPS's colour screen you will be disappointed.  Viewing
the map on the device is useful but I still find it necessary to print a paper
copy of the no-names map for the area I'm about to visit.  (I wonder if
<http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/GroundTruth> would give better results?)

-- 
Ed Avis <eda at waniasset.com>





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