Craig, Thanks, very helpful, especially the info about the FIT format.
Mike On Sat, Dec 23, 2017 at 10:33 AM, Craig Wallace <[email protected]> wrote: > On 2017-12-22 18:48, Mike Thompson wrote: > >> I am looking at getting a GPS Watch. Does anyone have any advice? My >> primary concerns: >> 1) Ease of getting GPX tracks out of the watch so they can be uploaded to >> OSM. Seems like a lot of the devices require you to first upload the track >> to their proprietary site from where you can download the GPX... sounds >> like a hassle. >> 2) Positional accuracy >> 3) Recording fidelity (e.g. once per second, once per five seconds, etc). >> 4) Battery life. Ideally > 10 hours on a single charge while recording >> tracks. >> > > You could look at a Garmin Forerunner. Probably the most popular GPS > running watches. > Most of the newer models record tracks in FIT format, and work as a USB > mass storage device. So you can just plug it into your computer, then copy > the files off. > There are a few options for converting from FIT to GPX. eg GPSBabel works, > or Garmin Basecamp. You don't need to upload to any website. Some more > advice here: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/FIT > > Accuracy is usually not bad for the newer models. Though can sometimes be > a bit out, especially under trees. Not too surprising for such a small GPS > receiver, and swinging your arms about etc. > > Recording rate depends on the model, most of the cheaper models only have > "smart recording". This usually gives 1 point per 5 seconds or 10 seconds > or so. Though it should record more points where needed, ie a twisty path. > The higher end models can record 1 point per second. > > Battery life again depends on the model. Some of the cheaper ones are only > about 8 hours, or up to 15 or 20 hours on others. Especially if you disable > extra features, eg heart rate or Bluetooth. Some of them have "UltraTrac" > mode, which gives longer battery life, but a less detailed track. > > Or another option is the Garmin Foretrex 601. It is much bulkier and > heavier than most watches, maybe a bit too big to wear on your wrist. But > OK if you attach it to a rucksack strap. It has much better battery life - > it claims 48 hours. It uses AAA batteries, so you can carry spares if > necessary. And probably more accurate - should be a bigger antenna, and it > can use GPS, GLONASS and Galileo. > > Craig > > _______________________________________________ > talk mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk >
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