How can I help my dad get the most out of his Garmin GPS that I just gave him?
September 18, 2011 7:34 PM Subscribe
I just gave my dad a Garmin etrex legend hcx for his birthday. I have a mac, he uses Ubuntu. Could anyone help me help him get the maps that he needs to make his new tool as useful as possible for him?
I think I finally succeeded in finding something that he didn't have out of which I think he could derive a lot of use and fun. He is 65, but in excellent shape and has spent the last two winters of his retirement cycling around SE Asia.
I would like to help him equip his GPS with the maps he would need to get the most out of the unit, no matter where he is in the world. But neither of us want to pay Garmin hundreds of dollars for these maps. Since he is a Linux user, what software would he need to manage and install maps? And where could he find these for free?
I would appreciate any additional resources that would help us collectively overcome noobhood. Thanks.
I think I finally succeeded in finding something that he didn't have out of which I think he could derive a lot of use and fun. He is 65, but in excellent shape and has spent the last two winters of his retirement cycling around SE Asia.
I would like to help him equip his GPS with the maps he would need to get the most out of the unit, no matter where he is in the world. But neither of us want to pay Garmin hundreds of dollars for these maps. Since he is a Linux user, what software would he need to manage and install maps? And where could he find these for free?
I would appreciate any additional resources that would help us collectively overcome noobhood. Thanks.
Are the maps available from retailers like Amazon? Could they be cheaper that way?
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:39 AM on September 19, 2011
posted by ZeusHumms at 12:39 AM on September 19, 2011
Typing "garmin" into the Ubuntu Software Center search utility returns a number of packages. Among them are:
I will add that the files produced by Garmin GPS units are just specially formatted text files, so there are a lot of folks who have written scripts to parse them so the data can be used elsewhere. I did this once to allow my employer to import the data into spreadsheets, etc., etc. But I doubt that you'll need any of those kinds of tools for general use when there are so many packages available.
posted by richyoung at 8:31 AM on September 19, 2011
- "gpstrans - communicate with a Garmin GPS receiver"
- "mkgmap - Generate Garmin maps from OpenStreetMap data"
- "gpsbabel - GPS file conversion plus transfer to/from GPS units."
I will add that the files produced by Garmin GPS units are just specially formatted text files, so there are a lot of folks who have written scripts to parse them so the data can be used elsewhere. I did this once to allow my employer to import the data into spreadsheets, etc., etc. But I doubt that you'll need any of those kinds of tools for general use when there are so many packages available.
posted by richyoung at 8:31 AM on September 19, 2011
Response by poster: Thank you for the responses thus far. I don't have Ubuntu, so I was unfamiliar with the Ubuntu Software Center, but I will pass that on to him. I'll keep this up and post up some results in case others are interested.
posted by SpicyMustard at 10:23 AM on September 19, 2011
posted by SpicyMustard at 10:23 AM on September 19, 2011
There's also "Synaptic Package Manager" which should have access to the same libraries the software center does. He may prefer to use that.
posted by axiom at 7:57 PM on September 20, 2011
posted by axiom at 7:57 PM on September 20, 2011
I haven't done it, but you might try this: http://www.andreas-diesner.de/garminplugin/doku.php
posted by Argyle at 10:20 PM on September 22, 2011
posted by Argyle at 10:20 PM on September 22, 2011
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posted by Deflagro at 8:16 PM on September 18, 2011