I've got an Asus 1005peb.
I'd like to buy a USB GPS receiver, mainly for use with maps.
Questions:
1. As I understand it, there will be no more costs associated with it - just buy the USB GPS receiver and that's it?
2. I need it to work everywhere (I travel a lot). that includes North America & Europe, mainly. Will it work everywhere?
3. Any recommendations?
Bonus points if you know whether or not your recommendation works with Linux (Ubuntu 9.10)
I'd like to buy a USB GPS receiver, mainly for use with maps.
Questions:
1. As I understand it, there will be no more costs associated with it - just buy the USB GPS receiver and that's it?
2. I need it to work everywhere (I travel a lot). that includes North America & Europe, mainly. Will it work everywhere?
3. Any recommendations?
Bonus points if you know whether or not your recommendation works with Linux (Ubuntu 9.10)
Hi vxp,
You have a problem. A GPS receiver will do nothing useful for you without a navigation program and some maps. More cost unless you can find free stuff.
I don't know what navigation programs and maps might be available for Linux. None of the programs you see reviewed on here have Linux versions as far as I know.
For a GPS receiver you can start by looking at the GlobalSat BU-353 as an example of a good USB receiver. But you better make sure you can find navigation software and maps for Linux before you waste money on a receiver. I did a quick Google search using the words "Linux navigation software" and got some promising hits, so you might be able to find something that will work.
If you can't find anything decent to run in Linux, you could always use a VM and run a Windows nav program. More cost for a Windows distro unless you can find a VM that runs Windows programs natively.
...ken...
You have a problem. A GPS receiver will do nothing useful for you without a navigation program and some maps. More cost unless you can find free stuff.
I don't know what navigation programs and maps might be available for Linux. None of the programs you see reviewed on here have Linux versions as far as I know.
For a GPS receiver you can start by looking at the GlobalSat BU-353 as an example of a good USB receiver. But you better make sure you can find navigation software and maps for Linux before you waste money on a receiver. I did a quick Google search using the words "Linux navigation software" and got some promising hits, so you might be able to find something that will work.
If you can't find anything decent to run in Linux, you could always use a VM and run a Windows nav program. More cost for a Windows distro unless you can find a VM that runs Windows programs natively.
...ken...
Excellent! I was looking at bu-353 already.
Navigation software is no problem: Install GpsDrive - Car navigation system - Ubuntu 9.10 - Allmyapps
My question still remains, though: will it work everywhere? More specifically: Europe and North America
Navigation software is no problem: Install GpsDrive - Car navigation system - Ubuntu 9.10 - Allmyapps
My question still remains, though: will it work everywhere? More specifically: Europe and North America
The GPS will work everywhere it can see GPS satellites. No problem in North America and Europe. You just need to make sure you can get maps for GPSDrive for the areas you will be travelling.
The only thing to be aware of is the startup time of the GPS. When you buy it it won't know where it is so it goes through a cold start. It's seeing the satellite information but it needs to establish where the satellites are actually positioned before it can do the triangulation to figure out where it is.
Cold starts really need as good a clear view of the sky as you can possibly give the receiver. That includes down towards the horizon as well as straight up overhead. Cold starts can take a few minutes. The better view of the entire sky you can give them on a cold start, the quicker they can figure out where they are.
Trying to do a cold start inside the house right after you take the receiver out of the box is going to be a frustrating waste of time. So have a little patience and don't bother trying your spanky new receiver until you can take it outside and get it a nice wide view of the sky.
If you turn a GPS off and travel a long ways, say an airplane trip, it will have to go through the same cold start process to figure out where you are.
Once the GPS receiver has done a cold start, it will start up much more quickly each time you use it after that, as long as you have not travelled a long ways since you turned it off. Just a few seconds to warm start is quite normal.
...ken...
The only thing to be aware of is the startup time of the GPS. When you buy it it won't know where it is so it goes through a cold start. It's seeing the satellite information but it needs to establish where the satellites are actually positioned before it can do the triangulation to figure out where it is.
Cold starts really need as good a clear view of the sky as you can possibly give the receiver. That includes down towards the horizon as well as straight up overhead. Cold starts can take a few minutes. The better view of the entire sky you can give them on a cold start, the quicker they can figure out where they are.
Trying to do a cold start inside the house right after you take the receiver out of the box is going to be a frustrating waste of time. So have a little patience and don't bother trying your spanky new receiver until you can take it outside and get it a nice wide view of the sky.
If you turn a GPS off and travel a long ways, say an airplane trip, it will have to go through the same cold start process to figure out where you are.
Once the GPS receiver has done a cold start, it will start up much more quickly each time you use it after that, as long as you have not travelled a long ways since you turned it off. Just a few seconds to warm start is quite normal.
...ken...