Linux compatible GPS, without premium

[murks]

Hi there.

I want to buy a GPS device for geocaching. I use Linux exclusively since many years, so the device has to work with Linux.

I checked the 'Send to GPS' option and it seems that all the vendors listed there require that you install some Windows or OSX program or even platform specific browser plugin. WTF?

All that should be required as far as I can tell is to download GPX files and move them onto the device. Is there no way to do this?

[Mr.Yuck]

Hi there.

I want to buy a GPS device for geocaching. I use Linux exclusively since many years, so the device has to work with Linux.

I checked the 'Send to GPS' option and it seems that all the vendors listed there require that you install some Windows or OSX program or even platform specific browser plugin. WTF?

All that should be required as far as I can tell is to download GPX files and move them onto the device. Is there no way to do this?

 

Of course, you just treat the GPS unit as an external drive. If memory serves me correctly, I drop the Geocaches and Waypoints components of a Pocket Query into folders named Geocaches and Waypoints respectively on my Magellan. HOWEVER, as a basic member, you most certainly cannot get pocket queries, and I do not believe you can get GPX files, period.

Edited July 24, 2014 by Mr.Yuck

[+ChileHead]

I only use linux both at work and at home. As my Western neighbor already said, it's easy to load up if you treat it as an external drive, but not so easy to load up without a premium membership.

 

I use scripts from here plus a few of my own to make life easier:

http://geo.rkkda.com/

 

You should be able to download loc files and send them to your device via linux.

[murks]

Thanks Mr.Yuck and ChileHead.

It's a pitty that I can't get at the GPX files and I guess I can't get the KML files either. LOC is really minimal.

 

The geo-* tools look useful, thanks, I had not found them yet.

 

Should all recent devices show up as USB mass storage device?

[+Bear and Ragged]

Might be worth looking at gpsbabel.org/

[+ngrrfan]

Should all recent devices show up as USB mass storage device?

Depends on what you mean by "recent". I doubt that my Garmin Venture HC would show up as mass storage, and I consider that to be recent.

Now if you mean "recent" as in the past 2 years, I would say yes.

[murks]

Thanks, Bear and Ragged, GPSbabel seems to be a must-have.

 

ngrrfan, I consider getting the eTrex 30 or GPSmap 64 or GPSmap 62s. I guess they all support standard USB? The GARMIN website says they support USB or High-Speed USB (s series, guess this could mean USB 2.0).

 

I don't care about all the connection features, I rather not have them at all, but the compass and altitude meter would be nice (s series).

Also GLONASS would be nice.

Do you know whether navigation with GLONASS would still work if no GPS was available? It seems the world is heading towards another big war, so it would be better to have a bit of redundancy.

From what I read the chipset used in those devices is likely able to support Galileo, but I couldn't find out what they use exactly in the new devices. Is it possible that a software update could enable that once Galileo is operational?