Do you have any open source GPS suggestions?

[gregoryshock]

For personal reasons I'm trying to avoid using a smart phone.

I have a 2012 Ford Fiesta equipped with Ford Sync Version2 powered by Microsoft. Originally you could subscribe to Sync services which used the GPS in my dumb phone to get my location. Then it could download directions to wherever I needed to go. (Voice activated turn by turn) Ford decided to cut ties with Microsoft and the ability to subscribe to Sync Services went away.

Before I had this car I experimented with a GPS by Navigon. I didn't know much about GPSes back then and now I still don't know much about them. It's not from a lack of reading because I've downloaded articles and comments about them. Sometimes this stuff confuses me and I need a little extra help getting pointed in the right direction. I will say this about Navigon GPS - My experience with it was awful. When I bought it I didn't know that I would need to purchase upgraded Maps for it. Recently I learned that Navigon GPS stopped making maps for North America. And that was a long time ago! (At least that is what I read in some of the comments for my particular model)

I need some help figuring out an alternative to the Microsoft powered Sync Services. Do you have any open source GPS suggestions?

[JoeFootball]

Do you have any open source GPS suggestions?

Not sure if this would be what you're looking for, but I just stumbled across this tutorial on gpsd.

Joe

[gregoryshock]

I've been wondering if tablet could be connected to a dumb phone via bluetooth and used as a GPS.

[AZgl1800]

keep it simple, just get a Garmin and be done with it.

[srq2625]

keep it simple, just get a Garmin and be done with it.

Requires windows or mac to update... At least I've not found an open source way to update my Garmin. This is the only reason I have a windows install on a separate disk.

[catweazel]

keep it simple, just get a Garmin and be done with it.

The problem is that you generally need a Windwoes machine to update any commercial GPS. It grinds on me that I have to have a Windwoes laptop just to keep my GPS maps up to date.

[Moem]

Some Garmin navigators (it's not a GPS, that's just a part of the system) can use maps made by OpenStreetMaps. I use a Nûvi that works fine that way. No Windows needed to update the maps.

[gregoryshock]

keep it simple, just get a Garmin and be done with it.

Do you mean something like these?

https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Navigator ... rds=Garmin

https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-DriveSmar ... rds=Garmin

[gregoryshock]

Some Garmin navigators (it's not a GPS, that's just a part of the system) can use maps made by OpenStreetMaps. I use a Nûvi that works fine that way. No Windows needed to update the maps.

Is yours on this list?

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss ... =N%C3%BBvi

[AZgl1800]

keep it simple, just get a Garmin and be done with it.

Do you mean something like these?

https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Navigator ... rds=Garmin

https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-DriveSmar ... rds=Garmin

Yes,
any of the Garmin, or Rand McNally, or TomTom GPS units... they are dedicated to being a GPS and you won't be using up your cellphone Data Plan....

Plus, a cellphone for navigation is iffy at best, with cell coverage being what it is.... heavy metro areas, buildings block the signal. very rural areas there aren't any signals period, and in the mountains? just forget about it.

The ONLY WAY you can use a cellphone for navigation reliably is to use a dedicated map app like "CoPilot USA" or Google Maps and download the full trip route to the phone, that is a PITA an uses uses up Data.
With CoPilot USA, the maps are 2.8gBytes and you better have a SDcard to put them on.

I like CoPilot USA for sitting down somewhere and planning what I would like to do.
But to use it for navigation, it has a lot of shortcomings.

the biggest one for me, is that once make turn onto another route, it does NOT tell you that you are on the correct route. it is totally dumb ass quiet until you reach the next turn.... that is very negligent of CoPilot's programmer and I emailed him about that, for all the good it did. so I quit using the app.

[Moem]

Some Garmin navigators (it's not a GPS, that's just a part of the system) can use maps made by OpenStreetMaps. I use a Nûvi that works fine that way. No Windows needed to update the maps.

Is yours on this list?

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss ... =N%C3%BBvi

Nope, it's a 1490. But I've just been told that pretty much all Garmins can do this little trick. You'll find more information here: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM ... n/Download and https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Gar ... .nl:Manual