do gps watches have a monthly fee like gps car units? or do you just buy the unit and it works?
Garmin units (from what I’ve read) come with their own software that also comes with a monthly fee. Free (and legal) software is available that will also work with your GPS watch. Search the web and you’ll find what you’re looking for a lot faster.
i just read somewhere that gps is free and that it’s the other features of gps units you have to pay for. like a car unit you have to pay for the traffic feature but the gps part is free.
I was thinking more of the athletic GPS units (being that this is RSU), I have no idea about car GPSes.
i was talking about those too. i guess taxes pay for gps or something.
Hand held GPS units are free to use, your software would be to communicate with a computer. You can buy mapping software for some units, but once you have bought them you have no fee.
I use Memory Map for my computer, and download tracklogs to my computer from my GPS. It works great, it is really good to follow your route. Moving the cursor over your route it shows you your speed, time you were at the position, and the location of that position.
I don’t know what brand of mapping software you can buy in America, but I am sure there a lot of options.
Innes
No. You just buy the unit and that’s it.
Assuming you mean like a garmin one or whatever.
A lot of people buy mapping software to work with their GPS. This lets you plan your route on the computer, then upload it to the GPS.
If you are in the US, you can get free mapping software from http://www.trailgauge.co.uk/features.html which automatically downloads US topographical maps. It works in other countries but you have to scan in maps for them.
Joe
maps cost money, so do extra info, or using advanced location methods like GSM triangulation can cost money, but standard GPS triangulation is free. So there are no monthly fees.
good to hear. i may just invest in a gps watch instead of a cyclometer.
I have a Garmin Forerunner Running GPS and it came with Garmin’s program that has mapping, and all the other funky features that anyone could need right in their program. They also send information for the GPS mapping site that I can’t think of right now and that sight is free and does your mapping using google maps. I find the whole program and GPS system quite funky really. Never had a problem with it running or riding. I bought a bike bar mount and put it on my T7. Wokrs great and FREE
My dad has a Garmin wrist GPS. Some model of the Forerunner I think.
You do not have to pay to subscribe or for any other service.
I’ve been using the Garmin Edge 305 for my distance rides for the past year and I’m very happy with it so far. The edge series is specifically made for cycling with the 305 including a heart rate monitor and a speed/cadence sensor (I currently don’t have the cadence setup, but plan to in the future). The heart rate monitor is a must in my opinion if you are serious about training.
As has been echoed by others there is no monthly fee for the use of most sport specific handheld GPS devices, basic software is typically included with the device that allows you to pull stats off the device. In Garmin’s case they bundle the Garmin Training Center software which is available for both Mac and PC for free.
I’m not a huge fan of the Mac version of the Garmin Training Center software and I recently found a Mac app named Trail Runner (http://trailrunnerx.com/) which I find to be pretty slick and imports all my Garmin training stats.
Carl