Hi, Thinking about purchasing a Nuvi. What models work well with mkgmap maps? Also, do any provide a track log facility so I can use the same gps to collect data? Cheers, Mark
Something like a 255W, perhaps. Anyone got any experience with this unit or similar? Thanks, Mark
Mark Burton wrote:
Something like a 255W, perhaps. Anyone got any experience with this unit or similar?
Thanks,
Mark
I think none officially support tracklogs. Some firmwares can be hacked for tracklogs, and some others should still allow getting the activelog - but also not officially supported.. 255W would be my idea too. For other units one rather pays a surcharge even though the hardware is more or less the same. Crossflashing is not possible for any Garmin unit AFAIK. The outdoor units have many many more features however (but of course tiny screen in comparison, and slower CPU meaning shorter max lenght for autorouting from A to B, they need routepoints inbetween).
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Hi Mark, Mark Burton schreef:
Thinking about purchasing a Nuvi. What models work well with mkgmap maps?
I recently bought a very cheap Nuvi here at the MediaMarkt (German company, has shops in the Netherlands): it's a 205T (T for TMC, the receiver being integrated in the car charging cable), for only 66 euros. I'd guess any Nuvi will do, though, so the only thing you should ask yourself is: do you also want to use it with Garmin maps on it (and if so, which maps?) Here's a Nuvi 205 for less than 100 euros including shipping (Netherlands): http://www.gsmtrack.nl/index.php?page=navi_merken&action=navigatie&id=205 http://www.pixmania.nl/nl/nl/2682729/art/garmin/gps-nuvi-205-frankrijk-be.ht... Pixmania also delivers in the UK (that's where you are, aren't you?) http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/2948781/art/garmin/nuvi-200-gps-satnav-uk-ir... We also have an older Nuvi 255 (Europe) that also runs OSM maps out of the box. A 255W (as you write in your other mail) should probably also work.
Also, do any provide a track log facility so I can use the same gps to collect data?
Most car GPS units (and some others as well) use a sort of (damping? I'm not entirely sure about the English here) to avoid your position "jumping around" when you're standing still. Sort of the higher harmonics are filtered out. However, to collect tracks, the jumping around might just be what you want. You *don't* want corners to be round and you don't want your track to gradually shift in the right direction, you want it where the GPS thinks you are at that very moment. So I'm not saying you can't collect tracks with a Nuvi, but track quality might be better on a separate unit. My Nuvi 205 is able collect data - it can show the GPS track on screen (which is *very* comfortable if you're driving around in untracked regions, as you can easily see where you've been before) and it stores the track as a GPX file that you can read from JOSM without conversion. I'm not sure if the 255 that we own, can also store tracks. It probably depends on software versions (and AFAIK, you can't read those on the box :( However, I collect my data with an "AMOD" agl3080 gps tracker, a simple unit without display, with regular AAA size batteries and only two buttons; and firmware changed to the non-static-navigation version for the behaviour I described before. It attaches to a computer like it's a small USB drive. Anyway, regarding your question, and AFAIK, any Nuvi unit should do for OSM maps (warning! still: I'm not a Nuvi expert). Best regards, Valentijn
Hi Mark, for collecting OSM tracks with your Nüvi you will want one where you can switch off the "show on road" behaviour. If you can't switch that off your tracks will always be exactly on top of the roads that are already in the map. Very much useless for OSM mapping. With my Nüvi 255W I don't see a way to switch off that behaviour (but perhaps there is some hack that I don't know of). Also all the nice options to control the tracklogging are missing, e.g. setting the point density. From the tracks that my Nüvi captures it seems that the distance between the points is about 30 meters, that is very far apart for OSM mapping. So I think at least the Nüvi 2xx series is useless for mapping. But using the mkgmap-generated OSM maps on them works fine. They do support the day and night modes (the Oregons for example doesn't), true color display (this is missing from the eTrex series, they only have 256 colors) and have an easily accessible SD-card slot (2 GB cards work, maybe more). I don't know about marine POIs, those are probably not supported well (but I don't know). Other than the Oregon for example it doesn't have a dedicated marine mode. Hope that helps. Regards Thilo
Thilo Hannemann schreef:
So I think at least the Nüvi 2xx series is useless for mapping.
My Nuvi 205T has an option to show/hide the tracklog. I bought it quite recently, but it has an older map (2008). I'll ask a collegue, who just got a 205, if he has the tracklog option as well. V.
On Tue, 2009-09-01 at 23:04 +0200, Thilo Hannemann wrote:
Hi Mark,
for collecting OSM tracks with your Nüvi you will want one where you can switch off the "show on road" behaviour. If you can't switch that off your tracks will always be exactly on top of the roads that are already in the map. Very much useless for OSM mapping.
This seems to be model dependant. Just because it shows on the road while you're navigating doesn't necessarily mean that it's actually collecting that as a datapoint. Double check to make sure before uploading data from it for the first time. The 205 is fine for data collection, but you do need a windows binary-only freebie (not free, but no charge) to convert the log data to a GPX.
Paul Johnson schreef:
This seems to be model dependant.[...] The 205 is fine for data collection, but you do need a windows binary-only freebie (not free, but no charge) to convert the log data to a GPX.
Well, my Nuvi 205 just saves a GPX; you can show or hide it, but it records it nevertheless. Not that I use it for uploading (reasons in previous mail), but it came in handy while biking around in an untagged suburb, as I could see where I went. V. -- Durgerdamstraat 29, 1507 JL Zaandam; telefoon 075-7074579
On Wed, Sep 02, 2009 at 09:20:08AM +0200, Valentijn Sessink wrote:
Paul Johnson schreef:
This seems to be model dependant.[...] The 205 is fine for data collection, but you do need a windows binary-only freebie (not free, but no charge) to convert the log data to a GPX.
Well, my Nuvi 205 just saves a GPX; you can show or hide it, but it records it nevertheless. Not that I use it for uploading (reasons in previous mail), but it came in handy while biking around in an untagged suburb, as I could see where I went.
The Edge 705 saves a TCX file that can be converted to GPX by gpsbabel. It seems pretty accurate when recording at 1-second intervals. But the Edge is in a different price class. I got mine from an UK webshop when the GBP/EUR was at record low rate at the end of last year. I have been very satisfied in the hardware. I have been powering it from a hub dynamo charger circuit of my own design. Marko
Thanks to everyone who has responded to my question - I have read all the replies. As I want the Nuvi primarily for navigation, I don't really mind if logging isn't possible or, if possible, not good quality. The fact that it works well with our maps is enough. Cheers, Mark
Mark Burton schreef:
As I want the Nuvi primarily for navigation, I don't really mind if logging isn't possible or, if possible, not good quality. The fact that it works well with our maps is enough.
Just one small remark (at the moment you have probably ordered your Nuvi already): if you're going to use it on a (motor)bike, you might want to check the availability of a mounting kit for it. V.
Hi Valentijn,
Just one small remark (at the moment you have probably ordered your Nuvi already): if you're going to use it on a (motor)bike, you might want to check the availability of a mounting kit for it.
Actually, it's for car use only because I already have an etrex vista hcx which I use on my bicycle for both navigation and logging. The second reason I have for getting a nuvi is that I want one to aid mkgmap development (compatibility testing, etc.) Thanks again for your help. Cheers, Mark
participants (6)
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Felix Hartmann -
Mark Burton -
Marko Mäkelä -
Paul Johnson -
Thilo Hannemann -
Valentijn Sessink