Cheapest GPS that can follow a route?
 

I am looking for a GPS that can follow a route turn by turn, (able to load gpx, kml etc onto it) I currently have an android phone, and its a problem because I can't have my screen on the whole time, (battery drain) and I am looking for a gps to follow routes I can't remember. I am looking for a very cheap one, and the garmin edge 305 seems alright, but is there any cheaper?

Thanks.

Have you already tried and ruled out OSMAND with your current phone? It has a few quirks, but if you get the hang of it, you can use it with no network access and, hence, reduce battery needs.

I keep my screen off most of the time and turn it on just when I have a lot of closely-spaced turns to make, and that doesn't seem to drain the battery too quickly.

If you definitely need the screen on a lot, you could consider connecting it to an external battery -- large-capacity units can be purchased fairly cheaply through Monoprice.com. Of course that add to the bulk, but if your alternative is to carry both your current phone and a separate GPS, I suspect this would be a cheaper option.

I find OSMAND very confusing, As whenever I turn the screen off sometimes it doesn't give me instructions. I have tried using earphones with it.

Also,
what sound files/maps do you use?

P.S I have tried turning on the background services.

Whats your setup?

thanks

I certainly agree -- I've had a lot of frustration with it myself. But, now that I've got the hang of it for what I do, I'm very impressed with it because it can do so much totally offline, thus saving battery.

I had the same problem. I finally got this to work, I believe, by setting the "wake-up interval" to zero seconds (under Background Settings).

For the maps I use the offline versions that I was able to download for whatever states I visit from within the app. I don't recall which settings I've changed, but wherever possible I tell it to use offline data. I was able to download an English-speaking voice from within the app.

That said, I rarely use the turn-by-turn navigation of OSMAND: for what I do with it, I find it is easier and more reliable to just superimpose GPX tracks that I export from RideWithGPS.com. I then just look at the phone occasionally to see what turns I need to make. Don't get me wrong: I realize that your needs / wants may be different.

For turn-by-turn directions, the key thing is to first establish a destination, and then select "Follow" from the Directions prompt.

What do you do when it rains?

Good question! I'm new to this style of navigation, plus I don't need it very often, and I haven't yet had to deal with rain.

That said, I know for a fact that I can operate my phone while it is inside a Ziploc baggie. However, I also know that the baggie makes it harder to read the screen, so with the addition of rain it would probably be very hard.

Alternatively, I've considered switching to spoken turn-by-turn directions over Bluetooth to my rain-proof headset but, frankly, I doubt I'll ever find myself needing navigation while also in the rain. So far I've just been using this for recreational rides from one town to another following backroads, and I tend to make such trips on nice-weather days.

I started with the old Garmin Etrek Legend. You can find them used on Ebay for $40.00 bucks! I used mine for years and once you load the routes, it will take you turn by turn anywhere you want to go. You don't need color and I'm thinking of picking one up used as a backup.

Get the streets map software from Garmin or Ebay for even greater savings! I have loads of self made routes over the years all saved on my external hard drive.


https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=173

I would recommend a used Garmin Edge 305. It can guide you along a route (no maps though), as well as supporting cycling useful data such as heart rate, and cadence that the others cant provide. Plus you can upload it all to Garmin Connect.