adding gps etc

[euphonius]

is there no way to reset the offset? there are at least three of us in this forum that use the Garmin Zumo 660 or its BMW variant, the BMW Motorrad Navigator IV. Though Garmin, as a closed and rather antiquated proprietary system, remains the antithesis of open source and compatible standards, we have been able through their China distributor to recalibrate the map to compensate for the China offset. We've all had this done at the Shanghai office. They take your GPS into the back, then go up on the roof. They won't let you accompany them when they do it. They are all secretive about who does it and how. But it gets done.

Mine is accurate down to a couple of meters at most, though that hardly helps when the road you are riding opened only last month and isn't even in the map.....

Any cryptographers in MCM?

[ChinaV]

Any cryptographers in MCM?

Not a crypto, but have played with the offset extensively. It's not universal throughout the country, different areas have a slightly different offset. There is a file that gets loaded into the GPS unit to correct the algorithm, although others in know have told me it gets zapped into the firmware.

I find it interesting that my HTC HD2 running Google Maps is always correct regardless of the country I am in. This leads me to believe that the Garmin fix is file based and not firmware based.

Nothing to do with national security, just another means of ensuring unfair competition by the Chinese government in the GPS market.

Cheers!
ChinaV

[bikerdoc]

The offset can be easily overcome, though it doesn't come without some risk that might mean a unit/device becomes bricked.
Talking about GARMIN GPS especially for handhelds (SYMBIANS, PDA, PPC's, WM, etc) then dig around in sites like ppcwarez and pda4x just to name a few (there are others). If one digs hard enough there and reads lots of relevant threads then some of the answers to questions posted here - can be found there. I've posted extensively about Garmin on those websites - nuff said.

As I've stated previously the great thing about Garmin, is that one can use Mapsource on a computer, which inturn means that one can upload/download maps, POI, routes, tracks to/from the Garmin related device. If I want to create a specific route I can do so on a computer and upload this onto my Garmin device. I use Garmin on WM/PPC's (HTC - TD, P3300, HD2) which also gives me the tracking functionality which can be a real bonus. There are not many other GPS applications that include that tracking ability. There are some issues with Garmin in China - inability to use co-ordinates within the application is the biggest (aside from the offset), but this can be overcome easy enough with some creative thinking. One needs to look squarely at UNISTRONG CHINA for the adoption of these issues.

Up-to-date mapping for ALL GPS providers in PRC is an ongoing issue given the rate of development & change, I personally have been pretty happy with Garmin in this regard. I've been in some pretty out of the way places and it's still been able to navigate fine. Like every GPS though, one should use it just as a reference and not rely on it solely. That's why I use 3 different GPS apps on my HTC's. That doesn't mean that Garmin doesn't have some routing issues at times, but I've found it be pretty okay and manageable, and certainly no worse than other navigating programs.

I've used R66, Destinator 6 & 7, iGO8, Mapking2007 and a few other local systems and continue to play with several of these. My top 3 GPS apps for China are GarminXT, Mapking2007, iGO8.

[andre555]

... The upgrade is around 1,000 rmb ...

I paid 200RMB for the upgrade recently including a new SD Card. I send the device to Unistrong Beijing office, they update everything (software and map data) and send it back. Took less then 1 week.

[slabo]

For using Mobac with android, i still haven't found a working setup. I've tried a bunch of different apps to load the offline maps, but none of them can handle the dreaded china map offset. So far the only thing i've used on my phone that works with the offset is plain standard google maps. Does anyone know something helpful?

Felix, have you tried OruxMaps? I use it on my HTC Hero. You need the latest Mobile Atlas Creator 1.8 release to be able to build maps for OruxMaps. In settings, you must set max map size to 1048575, or map images are too fragmented and your Droid will crawl.
Turn by turn is useless for China, roads change too much. I plan my route on Google maps, then export to KML (press link, then add output=kml, and you get a kml file!). Then i load the KML in Mobdac, then build a map around those waypoints. I add more detail when my route passes through cities.

[Lao Jia Hou]

I paid 200RMB for the upgrade recently including a new SD Card. I send the device to Unistrong Beijing office, they update everything (software and map data) and send it back. Took less then 1 week.

Thanks Bikerdoc & Andre - i'll get it done via Unistrong.

[bikerdoc]

Felix, have you tried OruxMaps? I use it on my HTC Hero. You need the latest Mobile Atlas Creator 1.8 release to be able to build maps for OruxMaps. In settings, you must set max map size to 1048575, or map images are too fragmented and your Droid will crawl.
Turn by turn is useless for China, roads change too much. I plan my route on Google maps, then export to KML (press link, then add output=kml, and you get a kml file!). Then i load the KML in Mobdac, then build a map around those waypoints. I add more detail when my route passes through cities.

I disagree; turn-by-turn is NOT useless at all IMO. While there are certainly many new roads being constructed here, that doesn't mean that GPS is useless or completely unreliable. I use Mapking2007 with maps that are dated 2006/2007 and 2008 and granted the maps don't have all the roads one could use, they have the majority and one needs to exercise a certain level of common sense - no matter where one uses a GPS.

In my experience using GPS in China, one can easily get from points A - B turn-by-turn without too many issues. GarminXT I have found to be excellent for use in (and out of) China overall. Last October, it's all I used to navigate through lower Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Anhui. Never pulled my mapbook out once, & never got lost. There are loads of other reasons why having these GPS's are worthwhile; like finding the nearest gas/petrol stations, lodgings, places to eat on the fly etc. Not something one can do with a KMZ/KML loaded file... Numerous times I have met up with riding buddies in some far off town that I may have never been to before. If one knows the name, or address or some other location it is pretty darn easy. The only issue can be with spelling, which is always and issue with Pinying/Chinese.
A friend of mine was using his Garmin Nuvi to drive around China on a daily basis finding suppliers, picking up samples etc. He had few if any significant issues. If one wants to pre-determine or pre-plan a route with Garmin, one can use Garmin's Mapsource... easily.

[felix]

Hi Slabo thanks for the tips, i've been testing out oruxmaps for a couple of days and it seems like a pretty decent piece of software. It still has the offset of death though...

Have you found any way to de-offset the maps in mobac? If there was a way to calibrate them in mobac before creating the altlas, then they would come out perfect in orux. I just can't figure out how!

[Lao Jia Hou]

Thanks Bikerdoc & Andre - i'll get it done via Unistrong.

You guys saved me a lot of money, thanks! I went to the Unistrong office (I live in Beijing) and had them do it while I waited. Price including SD card was 99 rmb, because I have an old, bottom-end GPS. They installed it (thank heavens!) and I'm up and running with new maps.

Originally, I was either going to buy a new GPS or pay a less-than-honest shop around 1,000 rmb for the update.

Thanks again for the info and help.