New GPS - Love It

[MikeFromMesa]

I can tell you some real horror stories of following a Garmin GPS in our MH.
1. routed us thru a gated community instead of a left turn in Las Cruces, NM
2. sent us left off I75 south for 4 miles when location was right off I75. Had to drive 7 miles to find turn around of 2 lane road.

and many more examples. I don't trust GPS now.

Ask RV park for any known GPS problems finding RV park now. Look up route of Google maps on i-phone if I don't know route.

My Garmin kept trying to route us through people's driveways and, I suppose, through their backyard as the proper way to some National Park we were visiting. It also kept trying to get us to turn left across a concrete barrier to get to one of the addresses. And kept telling us to leave the interstate at exit so-and-so and then, when I did, telling us to get back on. We have been routed down roads that don't exist, through open fields and using routes that do exist but I know to be much slower routes when I have it set for "fastest route".

I now mostly don't use my Garmin and, when I do use a GPS (my new Rand McNally) I generally use it for the general information it provides - how far to the destination, the current elevation, nearby RV parks, what highway mile marker we are at and the like. I do find it helpful for that kind of data.

 

[Ernie n Tara]

Most of us can tell similar horror stories, but, despite the horrors you'd have to pry my cold dead hands off my older Garmin. The usefulness far outweighs the fact that I still have to apply a little common sense to its use. It is at least an order of magnitude improvement over maps alone! ;D ;D

Ernie

 

[ArdraF]

I'm with you, Ernie!  In spite of my love for paper maps (which we always have on board) we do love our Garmin.  We've noticed a distinct improvement over the years in terms of their routing.  The horror stories are not all gone, but they've tried to improve it, so getting map updates is important.  I believe anyone using old maps will have more problems.

ArdraF

 

[ArdraF]

Our old Nuvi 5000 started dying as we neared home on our last trip and we just replaced it with the Nuvi 2757.  I used it for the first time yesterday and have to say I'm impressed.  Significant improvements since the 5000!  First, it's larger screen makes it easier to see but that's to be expected.  The enroute navigation is neat.  As you get to an intersection where there's a turn it automatically zooms in so you see more detail and then zooms out after you make the turn.  It's really amazing!  Then, if you're in say a shopping center parking lot, the major stores like Home Depot and Wal-Mart are labeled so that you put in your destination and you can orient yourself so you leave at the correct exit.  But one of the best improvements is coming up to turns.  Instead of just saying Turn right in 500 feet it says "Turn right onto Green Street after Office Depot" or "Turn left at the next light before Applebee's."  Exiting a freeway is also improved.  I was surprised to hear "Take the next exit ramp and stay right in the second lane from the right."  That, along with the visual, really helps in a strange place.  We're just learning to use it but even entering addresses and saving them seems better.  So far, I'm glad we got the Nuvi 2757.

ArdraF

 

[PancakeBill]

I had a TomTom for my motorcycle and also used it in cars and trucks, (before MH), had a Nuvi, Still have it, but maps are outdated and too expensive to update.  Bought the RM7710 last year and so far love it.  Yes it does goof up, but no more than the TT did.

TT took me off the main road, and had me turning right into the woods.  Backtracked, and it recalculated.

 

[BruceinFL]

  It's  But one of the best improvements is coming up to turns.  Instead of just saying Turn right in 500 feet it says "Turn right onto Green Street after Office Depot" or "Turn left at the next light before Applebee's." 

Hopefully, Office Depot and Applebees won't go out of business.

 

[waroland]

I love it when the GPS want you to drive at least a half mile to make a U-turn when the is a crossover right where you need to go. You wonder how long it takes for the maps to catch up to road construction that seems to take 5 years to complete.

 

[Cant Wait]

I'm waiting on a GPS mfrg. to come  out with a unit that will let you input way points, i.e. city's you wish to travel thru that don't show up when selecting say shortest, or fastest route.

 

[Sr Fox]

CW.  Sygic does that.  Easy as pie.
Just do a travel via

 

[aggiedad]

I'm waiting on a GPS mfrg. to come  out with a unit that will let you input way points, i.e. city's you wish to travel thru that don't show up when selecting say shortest, or fastest route.

I can do this with my NUVI - I input my ultimate destination. Then input a new destination. The NUVI asks me whether this is a waypoint or a new destination. Answer it as a waypoint. Works.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The main problem with entering just a city as the waypoint is that the GPS has to stick in some specific point and it's usually the geographical "city center", which is often not where you want to be in an RV. Might be the heart of the downtown area, an old part of town, or an industrial sector. It's much better if you can pick some nearby intersection of two main highways or something similar, but that's not easy to do without some local knowledge or browsing the map to find something convenient to your desired route.

The fuzzy concept of routing near some town on the way to another is not easily translatable into GPS coordinates or navigation instructions.

 

[Alfa38User]

Many newer Nuvi products allow you to establish "routes" (basically a series of way points) much as the marine units have always done. The older units like the 350 series allowed only one way point which changed each time you inserted a new location in mid-stream.

I believe it might be easier to establish a route using Garmin's Base Camp software on a PC and the Map from a plugged in GPS  then transfering it to the GPS itself or use a program (like Google maps??) which can produce a route that can be transferred to a Garmin. (Not tried that myself yet!!)

 

[Sr Fox]

What I do is touch the highway near the city, usually at a bypass and it will create a waypoint for me. This way I do not have to do downtown unless I choose to.

 

[Wigpro]

I can enter my final destination then set an intermediate waypoint and it will then determine my route - I generally do my trip planning on my laptop using Streets and Trips and then transfer the route manually in the GPS. Rather than selecting the "downtown" or "City Center" you can select a go to - intersection of highway as a waypoint then travel the route you planned.

Rather than selecting Go To> City - select GO TO > Intersection and type in the two highways and the GPS establishes that as a VIA rather than the final destination...

If I have a desired campground through my research it is almost always in the Garmin - if not I put in the address and review the route it is planning and then either revise or ignore the obnoxious b%$#tch voice recalculating and just drive the way I want to!

I find the planning is done easier on my laptop then I already have an idea of the routes I will be traveling and can google earth the location and do some research on what I may want to see and visit and also find a park or campground then use the GPS for predicted arrival time and detailed close by directions - but my long term directions I already know from the laptop.

Plannning for me is part of the experience....

Jim

 

[ArdraF]

This morning I used the new Garmin and was surprised at one point when I heard a little "ding" and it was telling me that I was nearing a school zone!  It also told me the school zone speed limit.  That's certainly a new feature.  In addition, it tells me the current speed limit (that was in the old one) along with my current speed (that's new).  So I think we'll be seeing all kinds of new features in this new GPS.

By the way, Wigpro, your method is great for someone who actually PLANS where they're going, but many of us only have a hazy idea of where we want to go that day so a laptop program is not very useful for people like us (way too complex!).  I look at my paper map (yes, paper!) and say, yup that's about the right direction and off we go.  We'd probably drive you crazy! 

ArdraF

 

[tc tom]

We have gone back to maps first. If the GPS  route is different then the map we follow the map. Takes a little more time up front but can save a lot of anxiety, stress and time later on. For the most part the only thing that I like the GPS for is the heads up for exits on the freeways.

Happy camping, Tom

 

[Oscar Mike]

I look at my paper map (yes, paper!) and say, yup that's about the right direction and off we go.  We'd probably drive you crazy! 
ArdraF

I am looking forward to the day when I can just point in a direction and go, I am destination oriented right now because of Susan's work schedule, but we're hopeful that the 2015 season will at least allow us to meander just a little,

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I use Streets & Trips on the PC like a paper map, perusing the roads available in the general direction we wish to travel, identifying towns, etc. I find it much more useful than a paper map - it can zoom for better detail and/or can show POIs that I select, e.g. restaurants, Walmarts, museums, whatever. Once  have a general path in mind, I can use GPS, cell phone, and tablet while traveling.

 

[Sr Fox]

Gary, I am finding all kinds of info that Streets & Trips is discontinued.  Is that correct?
Fox

 

[Ned]

Gary, I am finding all kinds of info that Streets & Trips is discontinued.  Is that correct?
Fox

Here's the official word from Microsoft.