[lug] GPS recommendation

[Caleb Phillips]

On Sat, 2007-09-01 at 18:42 -0600, Ted Logan wrote:
> On 9/1/07, Chris Brotherton <chris at protonlab.net> wrote:
> > I am interested in getting a hand held GPS unit.  I was something that works
> > with linux and that I can pull real time data off of.  The ability to load
> > maps would be a nice feature, but probably not necessary.  Anyway, I am
> > completely new to GPS units and looking for recommendations.

Garmin makes good products. They are rugged, universally work with
linux, and are (usually) reasonably priced. If you don't need the unit
to be hand-held, there are some good USB-type GPS receivers too. The
BU-353 [1], for instance, works great with linux (i.e. works with gpsd,
when gpsd wants to play nice). If you are interested in the BU-353, I
have one I'd be willing to sell.

[1] http://www.usglobalsat.com/item.asp?itemid=60&catid=17

> I've had a Garmin eTrex Vista for almost four years and I've been very
> happy with it. It's Garmin's most expensive and feature-full hand-held
> GPS for hiking and general outdoor activity. (The Vista Cx costs more
> has a color screen and more memory for maps, neither of which seemed
> worth paying an extra hundred dollars for.)

Besides the eTrex line, the other line worth considering is the GPS and
GPS MAP line. I have a Garmin GPS 60 which is the cheapest in this line.
It doesn't have maps or a color screen, but it works great for logging
data which is what I wanted it for. The top-of-the-line is the GPS MAP
60csx. I have two friends who have this unit and like it very much. This
line has an external "quad helix antenna" (etrex has a traditional
internal, probably patch, antenna). I'm not sure what that means really
(proprietary-ness), but I guess it has something to do with using four
antenna elements to correct for multi-path issues (the biggest problem
with GPS accuracy, esp. when you are around big things like
tall-buildings or cliffs).

> The one thing I haven't been excited by is the ability to download
> maps onto my unit. My experience has been that the maps are expensive
> and not very detailed.

If you have a friend who has a Garmin, you can "backup" his maps for him
(what a nice guy you are!).

> I can confirm that the eTrex Vista's RS-232 serial cable (which I
> think is included in the package) works well with Linux. I use
> gpsbabe

GPSBabel is what I use too, although my unit has a USB cable. To get
that working you need to have the appropriate kernel module. I have some
notes about that on my wiki [2].

[2]
http://smallwhitecube.com/php/dokuwiki-2006-11-06/doku.php?id=howto:usbgarmin

Oh, also, Sparkfun has a gps-data-logger [3] which is interesting (and
open) if you're just looking to collect data. I had some problems with a
prior version of the firmware for it, but I imagine they've corrected it
by now (and since it's open, you can fix stuff yourself if you need to).

[3] http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8242

Good luck,

--
Caleb Phillips