Intro and background
OsmAnd : how I use it cycling
How to create a route from a track file ...
Adjusting route with waypoints
OsmAnd Feature Requirements
OsmAnd Pros
OsmAnd Cons
Conclusions
Contact - additional links
OsmAnd has been very active in the last year with a tonne of updates and redesigns. The most important improvements for me have been in track files. You can create a route and save it as a track/waypoint file and then use it on other GPS units with varying success. You can also load a track file and tell OsmAnd to 'follow that track'!
I need to re-evaluate OsmAnd/smartphone solutions at some point. I still really like the turn announcements and ease of creating routes on the smartphone but I still struggle with 'rainproof' and 'battery life'.
I am a cyclist and have been using a Garmin NUVI 550 for cycle touring and day-cycling for the last 3 years in such places as Spain, Italy, Vermont and Virginia USA. I have probably created 3 or 4 hundred routes over the last 3 years which I have documented on my website gpsana for mostly personal use ... and to share with friends.
I have recently become interested in OsmAnd because Garmin does not make the NUVI 550 anymore and I have not been convinced their cycle touring Edge models are sufficient to my needs.
There has recently been alot of talk on the google OsmAnd group about track files and waypoints .. so on this web page I have documented some of my observations and info on how I have used OsmAnd in the last month cycling in Virginia.
OsmAnd : how I use OsmAnd cycling
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Smartphone with Portable Battery Pack etc.
Garmin NUVI 550 - for comparison (no longer available).
It's waterproof and has a 4 hour battery. See Garmin NUVI 550
to see how I use it!
Smartphone as I see it riding
Yes, the elastics are a pain, but for evaluation and to keep the same bayonet mount as the Garmin, it works.
I need to disable password if I want to turn off the display to save power and be able to easily turn on the display when needed.
I've found I can go for about 4 hours before I need to start charging the smartphone.
If I connect the Portable Battery Pack at the start, I will get a beep after a while saying something about an over-voltage condition and asking me questions which I can't read while riding! The best strategy seems to be to use the alarm to tell me when the battery is getting low. Then I plug in the Portable Battery Pack, push it's 'ON' button and I should hear a beep telling me that the phone is charging.
If I don't disable the screen, I end up staring at the screen for the duration of the ride which means I don't 'smell the roses' - so I like turning it off. Besides, there is not enough power to do a long ride if I use the screen all the time.
How to create a route from a track file in OsmAnd 1.7.4
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OsmAnd will think a bit and create a route. You can select the mallet icon (or maybe it looks like a volume control?) and touch the forward/back arrows to see a manual simulation of route. You should see that it gives street names etc. and ignores small bends in the road.
BUT - you don't like the route because it does not follow the track .. so you need to add some more way points. This is where it gets tricky and frustrating.
Adjusting Route with waypoints:
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This is extremely slow and frustrating as the interface keeps refocusing on the bottom of the list and you have to scroll up to find the way point you want to move up the list!
When you do this, you start to realize OsmAnd needs the following buttons:
Additional 'Must have' features:
'Nice to have' features:
The reason I am keen on OsmAnd is because it has the potential of solving the Garmin problem of setting waypoints in one tool (windows PC) and transferring it to the GPS hardware and discovering that the algorithm for routing is slightly different and you get a different route! This is with identical maps. The problem gets worse if you update maps on PC and not on GPS (I don't do this).
With OsmAnd and Openstreetmaps, using only one device with a common algorithm and map set, you should never get this discrepancy in routing. Sometimes it is a subtle difference and you only notice it as you zoom in on your route .. but as a cyclist, there is a reason I select one road segment over another and I don't want to be tricked out of a good ride!
This also raises the issue of transferable waypoint files. This is always a risky thing to do as you don't know how incompatible the routing algorithms that verified the original route is with the GPS you are going to put it on. Same thing with the maps - if you create waypoints on one tool/map set and then expect it to be transferable to another GPS map set, you may be disappointed!
In my opinion, if you want to share routes, the best format is a track file. A waypoint file is useful but needs to be verified and adjusted by the end user to be compatible with his/her GPS.
I once said my big problem was display intensity of my Galaxy II .. but I retract that somewhat.
I've been using the cycle mode display and I find I can follow the display if required in most light conditions. Most of the time I ride with the display off and follow voice commands. I get about 4 hours on the battery in this way. I can also plug in my mobile battery recharger for another 4 hours if required.
So now I would say my problem is deleting waypoints if I change my route on the fly - which can happen frequently!
The Garmin NUVI 550 will let me start in the middle of the route and can make a reasonable decision dropping waypoints when it realizes you are closer to another waypoint or you have re-joined the route in another point and direction.
OsmAnd, on the other hand, can not automatically drop waypoints when you start in the middle. It can't ever drop a waypoint it seems unless you manually delete them which is hard to do as the waypoint numbers are impossible to read on the map in sunlight and the editor to delete waypoints is subject to human error. Yes, I once deleted too many waypoints and then I was sunk - had to pull out the Garmin.
Osmand (and Openstreetmaps) may not always be able to route your cycling route as the road may not exist in the database (even if it exists in reality). In North America and specifically in Virginia, I have been unsuccessful on about 15% of the routes I've tried to route because of an Openstreetmap deficiency. In one case, I fixed Openstreetmap then downloaded and generated a new OsmAnd map file. You should plan on a day or two for the process with most of the time waiting for your changes to propagate to the required websites. (but atleast you CAN fix it which is the whole advantage of Openstreetmaps!)
The steps required to setup a cycling route with waypoints are time consuming. From starting with a track file to starting your ride there are many steps and making an error in one step can mess you up and annoy your fellow riders as you fiddle around with settings on your smartphone and OsmAnd.
The potential for OsmAnd to be a 'killer app' on Android is huge. When you actually look at the list of missing features required to make a cyclist commit to OsmAnd, the list is small and probably not difficult to implement. After that, it is a matter of quality control.
Despite some initial concerns over battery and display brightness, it appears
a relatively old Samsung Galaxy S2 can be a great GPS navigational aid with little
cost. At worse, it is a great backup in case your Garmin dies (and they do die).
Contact:
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If you see an error in anything I have stated here, please let me know and I will correct it!
If you disagree with any statements I've made, please contact me and let me know your thoughts!
Send comments and suggestions to: hb [at] nordicwind [dot] ca
Harold Blount - rev: 2014 April 29
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