New MS Streets & Trips

Smoky

Since I don't use S&T for navigation, only research, I can't answer your questions since I use my Garmin for all those functions.

Hi Smoky,

I agree the voice commands are essential but I have not had any luck with them on SA2005. They worked pretty good on SA2004 but now the ambient noise is too much no matter what I use for a mic. I finally turned it off. I really like the reroute ability of SA2005. It's much like SPIII.

I have S&T 2002 on my computer and find it is not as friendly for me as SA. According to the help information it updates your location every 15 seconds. The last time I tried using it with a GPS I didn't like the symbol used for my location. It was hard to see and really diidn't show direction.

SA200X took a little time to learn but I found it more beneficial than the older versions. I guess I haven't found any software that runs perfect 100% of the time.

BernieD said:

Smoky

Since I don't use S&T for navigation, only research, I can't answer your questions since I use my Garmin for all those functions.

Click to expand...

We do the same thin Bernie.  Garmin for enroute navigation and SA8, or is it SA9, for research.  Like you I will be getting S&T to replace my aging SA8 or 9.

Checked out S&T 2005 reviews at Amazon.com, and it wasn't pretty. Much talk about inaccuracies, missing street names, rivers and the like, old data... the list goes on and on. Don't know how much is true, so I'll wait for your evaluations. Interestingly, the link(s) to a 30-day 'try-it' on the MS site are dead. Could they be trying to tell us something ???

Smoky said:

IMO the voice command in DeLorme is absolutely essential.

It used to be that Microsoft's software did not have real time GPS update.? Has that been improved?

Also doe the MSFT program allow both USB and serial GPS input?

I have things I do not like about Delorme (mainly it is bulky and unweildy) but the things I do like are pretty important to me.? I would love to find an excuswe to shift to MSFT.

I also run the DeLorme Topo which is awesome in the Rockies.

Click to expand...

The last two versions of S&T have almost instantaneous GPS updating....evry 5 seconds or so I believe. S&T will accept either USB or serial, but USB is the way to go. If you want an excellent mapping program with voice commands that has RV routings, then Copilot 7 (or 8 I guess now) is the hot ticket. However, it's not cheap. S&T is so inexpensive, there's almost no excuse to not have it. 

S&T is so inexpensive, there's almost no excuse to not have it.

Click to expand...

That's how I felt about S&T after reading your earlier messages Bernie.

OK.  Bernie and Ron, you guys got me thinking now about the Garmin 2620.  Instead of all the trouble of mounting a laptop for real time navigation, maybe I switch to an advanced GPS that at least announces turns with voice.

The specs for the 2620 say, "Audible and visual navigation instructions and warnings."  Since is comes with an external speaker am I safe in assuming this means voice information?

Also i comes with a beanbag mount which put a big smile on the Admiral's face.  Not only does this mean taking up less space in the cockpit, but also means no drilling or any kind of permanent installation.

I would have to give up trying to ask it questions by voice like, "Next turn?"  or "When do we get there?",  or commands like "zoom in" which make for very safe driving.

How well do the friction bean bag mounts work?

Is it possible to upload a route created by DeLorme into the 2620?  I am thinking maybe it is since it comes with a USB cable and Berni says he does his planning on the laptop and driving navigation with the GPS

Smoky

This might not be what you want hear  ;D

I use a laptop with (until now) SA, soon to be S&T. The Garmin is our standby. OTOH I navigate while the other half drives, and I like to see a larger screen. It's also more convenient when the driver takes a wrong turn and says "which way now?".

When I was condiering upgrading to the 26XX from the SPIII I was having a bit of trouble deciding if I wanted the 2620 with a hard drive or a 2610 which uses a flaxh card.  Once I found out that you can now get the flash card in 1 GB and 2GB capacities that settled it,  I got the 2610.  With the 2610 I can upload what ever maps I want anytime I want.  I have the 1GB card and find that I can load everything I need including City Nav, Metro Guide 4.01 and topo maps for the areas I expect to be traveling.  From what I understand uploading maps to the 2620 is not as easy.  I would very strongly recommend getting the 2610 and a 1 or 2 GB flash card.

Ron:

The whole idea of the 2620 is that you do not need to upload maps.  The maps you are uploading are already embedded in the 2620 hard drive.  It has the base map PLUS the detailed map for North America.

After having to upload maps on my old gps I decided it would be nice to get a GPS already preloaded.

My question is that I wonder if I do my planning on the DeLorme if I can upload the route from my laptop to the GPS or do I have to compute the route all over again?

We have been using a 2620 since last summer and are quite pleased with it. ?It goes in the car when we're camped and in the motor home when travelling. ?We still use SA while under way in the motor home as well and I do all the trip planning with SA.

The 2620 is a standalone unit, there is no way to upload or download route data from/to the computer but we haven't found that a problem. ?The route is planned with SA and the 2620 recalculates when we deviate from its computed route and quickly adapts to our choice.

Ahh ok Ned, I see how you are doing it.

How well does that small screen serve you?  Easy to adjust to?

And is the voice information loud enough and easy to hear?

And how well does that beanbag mount work?

I am thinking about ordering it this week from Newegg.  Newegg is selling it for $809, a huge discount from the 1200 or so price at Garmin.

I'm not sure you can get all three map sets loaded but I am pretty sure you can't get Metroguide 4.01 loaded on the 2620.  Ver 4.01 is the last version that is routable on the Garmin series besides City Nav which has a lot to be desired.  I use Metroguide when City Nav just has no clue where the road is.

Smokey,

How well does that small screen serve you?  Easy to adjust to?

Click to expand...

I have the 2610, but physically they are the same size. Screen size is adequate, and the zoom function makes it that much easier to navigate in congested areas like cities and cloverleafs.

And is the voice information loud enough and easy to hear?

Click to expand...

Speaker volume is plenty loud and is adjustable thru an on-screen menu control. I mounted mine inside the dash and have no problems hearing it, also hard-wired power to it so I don't need to plug it into the accessory socket.

And how well does that beanbag mount work?

Click to expand...

The beanbag is quite stable, but could slip a bit during severe turns - but you don't want to do that anyway ;D In addition to the beanbag, it comes with several temporary mounting pads with a sticky surface, and a permanent mount that also sticks to a surface, but with a much greater grip like Velcor has. I use the permanent one in the coach and the beanbag in the car.

They also come with an IR remote control, so it's easy to use without having to use the touch screen to change the display, announce directions, etc. Ideal for a single driver/navigator.

I also like the ability to do my routing with Map Source on the main computer and then saving it to a flash card, but that's just my preference. Some prefer having everything pre-loaded ala 2620. If I load all the maps onto the flash card, I can still do my routing on the 2610 if I want to. Your choice.

>if I do my planning on the DeLorme if I can upload the route from my laptop to the GPS or do I have to compute the route all over again?

Smokey,

Doesn't look like anybody answered this.

Short answer yes.

I use S&T for planning/dreaming and the 2610 for executing.

S&T seems to do a better job of computing a route than the 2610 or map source.

My planning process is to lay out the routes in both S&T and MS.  S&T doesn't really give you a easy look at each days time/distance.

Then upload maps, routes and waypoints to the 2610.

Then when starting out I can either select one of the stored routes or simply tell Mrs. G the destination for the day.  Usually I have looked at the route the night before and made notes on a 5x3 card, or the copilot can do a quick sanity check using the (gasp) paper map.

Then we go the way we want to.  Mrs G has fits if it's not the way she wants to go but ultimately she will agree with our route.

Getting 99% of the way there is pretty easy without GPS.  For terminal guidance and finding the nearest grocery store, Mrs G is really useful.

S & T comes in 2 ver. With or without a GPS Receiver. I have the GPS Reveiver ver. Reveiver is almost clear. Which makes it almost invisiable on the Dash.  I picked up mine at Best Buy. I got my S & T to work with my Delorme reveiver also.  But i'm really a fan of Co-Pilot Laptop 8. And i'll second the vote for The Next Exit book.

Barb

Smoky said:

The specs for the 2620 say, "Audible and visual navigation instructions and warnings."  Since is comes with an external speaker am I safe in assuming this means voice information?

Click to expand...

The SPIII and 26xx power cords have the external speaker embedded. Vivian gives you the voice readouts of the directions

Also i comes with a beanbag mount which put a big smile on the Admiral's face.  Not only does this mean taking up less space in the cockpit, but also means no drilling or any kind of permanent installation.

Click to expand...

I have permanent brackets on the dashboards of our TS and car. It is the same bracket that is in the middle of the beanbag but has a semi-permanent glue that keeps it on the dash, no drilling.

I would have to give up trying to ask it questions by voice like, "Next turn?"  or "When do we get there?",  or commands like "zoom in" which make for very safe driving.

Click to expand...

Voice in the Garmin is one way, Vivian tells you, you don't ask Vivian ;D ;D ;D  You can push a button to have her repeat the current instruction.

How well do the friction bean bag mounts work?

Click to expand...

I use it when we fly somewhere and rent a car. Depends on the dashboard, it can slide around a bit. The glue down mount takes less space and is solid.

Is it possible to upload a route created by DeLorme into the 2620?  I am thinking maybe it is since it comes with a USB cable and Berni says he does his planning on the laptop and driving navigation with the GPS

Click to expand...

As Ron said, he recommends the 2610 as do I. You can download created routes from the Garmin MapSource mapset to the 2610, I'm not so sure about the 2620. That said, I never download routes. When the 26xx creates a route for you it always starts with where you are specifically. You tell it where you want to end up and it routes you there. If you want to deviate from the route that the Garmin generates, you can just drive off and the Garmin will recalculate or you can insert a couple of via points to force the general route you want to take. No need for downloads, IMHO. When I do planning on the laptop, that is on a macro scale, not necessarily the roads and such to take. Just an idea of distance, time and features along the way.

Smoky said:

The whole idea of the 2620 is that you do not need to upload maps.  The maps you are uploading are already embedded in the 2620 hard drive.  It has the base map PLUS the detailed map for North America.

Click to expand...

The same maps that are on my laptop. I use a 1GB CF card in my 2610. I can get nearly half the US on the card, it isn't such a hassle to do and I do have a lot more flexibility. Haven't driven far enough to the edges of map in a very long time so I don't think that I have had to reload in over a year.

For some people, the extra cost of the HD is worth it. I like the flexibility (I have a couple of CF cards preloaded with off road maps and trips) of using the cards, and it is cheaper ;D

S & T comes in 2 ver. With or without a GPS Receiver. I have the GPS Reveiver ver. Reveiver is almost clear. Which makes it almost invisiable on the Dash.? I picked up mine at Best Buy. I got my S & T to work with my Delorme reveiver also.? But i'm really a fan of Co-Pilot Laptop 8. And i'll second the vote for The Next Exit book.

Click to expand...

Barb:

I beleive S&T has one version. As soon as you hook up a GPS it activates all the GPS functions (at least mine does).

I like the big screen for navigation and Sue REALLY dislikes the voice commands of SA. The other reason for having my laptop up is Silverleaf's VMSpc chassis information software which I don't leave home without.

That, S&T, and some country music is all the entertainment you need to while away the hours. : : :

Joanne and I use ST 2003.  We have used it both for our 12,000 mile Alaska trip and for our 4,000 mile P.I.E/Nova Scotia trip.  We use it with a small USB GPS sensor mounted at the top of the windshield glass.  The voice is a clear, sweet and female.  It notifies me of most turns and tells me about approaching towns.  Also notes when I am exceeding the speed limit.  Of course the voice is my wifes.  We have found some errors in the map but nothing to great.  The bridge location to P.I.E. was off by about 3 miles.  I noticed that errors in low populated areas of eastern Canada were more frequent.  Not but but it was possible to be off the maps road by 0.5-1.0 miles once and awhile.  But for $15 and covering both the U.S. and Canada it has been a big help.