[clug] Looking to buy a GPS

[Sam Couter]

Hugh Fisher <hugh.fisher at anu.edu.au> wrote:
> So get off your bike :-) and start building your own, or pay
> someone to build it for you. If David Tulloh is correct, the
> chips are standard designs. Heck, CLUGers would most likely
> buy them, or chip in for a small production run.

One word: Maps.

The hardware is relatively easy, and could probably mostly be built
from off-the-shelf parts. It would be more expensive than a unit bought
from Hardly Normal, but I'm happy to pay more for a device that actually
does what I want.

I'm sure the software's already done too. gpsdrive looks like a decent
program to someone who doesn't have an actual GPS to plug it into, or
any maps to display with it. It probably needs some modification to make
it suitable for use with a tiny screen, but I'm sure it's a great start.

But maps are hard to come by. The Australian Government seems to think
it's okay to spend my tax money to create maps in a proprietary and
patent encumbered format (so I can pay for them twice and still not have
any rights!), and obviously commercial maps are also protected in various
ways.

I want the GPS for motorcycle touring, mostly on poorly signposted
gravel roads and fire trails. Without maps it's less useful than a
paper map with no compass (I can at least tell direction from the sun).

Once I'm up and running I'd love to contribute to the OpenStreetMap
project, but finding a device I can justify spending my money on in the
first place has been impossible so far.
-- 
Sam Couter         |  mailto:sam at couter.id.au
                   |  jabber:sam at teknohaus.dyndns.org
OpenPGP fingerprint:  A46B 9BB5 3148 7BEA 1F05  5BD5 8530 03AE DE89 C75C
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