Rand McNally RVND 7735-LM

[Johninar]

I have the CW7735 and I'm pleased with it. Love the large display.
Every GPS brand has it's quirks.

[Mr_D]

We have both the 7720 and the built in Garmin (I think) in the Magna, but it's got the original '08 maps in it. Trying to decide whether to upgrade it for $99 or just use the 7720. I like the convenience of the built in one but the 7720 has more features and lifetime updates so it's a better unit for us.

[George Schweikle]

Report from a first time GPS user. We drove to Greenville, SC, and back, used the basic directions on the 7735, and it seemed to work properly except for displaying a few speed limits incorrectly. I used it right out of the box, so probably need to dock it to download any available upgrades. I had a hard time deciding where to mount the unit, and finally settled on the side window above the view for the side mirror and love the large display. I downloaded the owners manual and it's 69 pages. Not sure if I will ever use all of the bells & whistles.

Originally Posted by Johninar

I have the CW7735 and I'm pleased with it. Love the large display.
Every GPS brand has it's quirks.

[vabege]

Originally Posted by George Schweikle

My new camping world master catalog has a new Rand McNally GPS. Does anyone have any experience with the 7735 or know the difference between it and the the 7730?

$349.99 with $297 price for Good Sam members + a $10 discount sticker.

Amazon shows lower customer satisfaction responses for the 7730 compared to Magellan and Garmin, but I'm considering the new 7735 just because the company cared enough to have a commercial member here that responds to questions.

I bought a 7735 2 weeks ago while on the road (Camping World, Statesville, NC) to replace a malfunctioning 7710. Had the 7710 for 4 years and loved it but it kept locking up (at the worst times). Am very disappointed in the 7735. Audio is barely above a whisper, screen contrast and brightness is terrible. Contacted Rand McNally and apparently both problems are known and they are "working on a fix". Seems like another rush to the market place prior to any meaningful field trials. Looking to return for full refund and may change to another manufacturer.

[Denniscw]

Buy Garmin

[bobkathy95]

I have the 7720 - I have had the power cord replaced once under warranty. Now the "on/off" button is malfunctioning. Unit keeps cutting off. My choice is the $99 "out of warranty" repair or a new unit. The reviews on the 7735 seem to be all over the place. I confirmed with Garmin - their newest RV GPS DOES NOT compute routes based on your RV info. Even though there is a place to enter such data. Looks the only choice is the Magellan RV9365 LMB. Does anyone have any experience with this unit? Also, Magellan now has a unit RV9490 LMB "Smart GPS". Does anyone have any info on that also. Thanks for your input

[vabege]

I had a Rand McNally 7710 GPS that began to have freeze up issues so I bought the new 7735. I have had numerous discussions with Rand McNally regarding to their Good Sam 7735. First, the 7735 is exactly the same as the 7730 with the 7735 being the Good Sam copy of the 7730. My issues with the 7735 were the audio (couldn't hear it going down the road in my motorhome) and the display brightness. After owning it for less than 2 weeks I ended up sending my unit in for warranty work and now have it back. The audio volume level issue was partly solved with a new software download and I now have the brightness that should have been there from the beginning. However, I have wanted to add an external speaker to the 7735 using the headphone jack output but have been totally unsuccessful in that endeavor. The owners manual alludes to being able to add an external speaker but I have tried three different powered external speakers and none work. Rand McNally does not sell an external speaker for their GPS's as an accessory but instead refer you to another company at DieselBoss trucking site for semi truck driver products and trucker services. The speaker I bought from them does not work either even though they said that it would. I have not given up on this but Rand McNally does not seem to be able to tell me what the signal is that is available at the headphone jack (i.e. a line output or an impedance level that I have to match). FYI, ear buds or headphones work great on the 7735 but as I told Rand McNally I can't drive with headphones on my ears. So, all in all, the 7735 is an OK unit but it definitely has issues.

[Maverick50]

Originally Posted by gemini5362

I have had a 7710 since they came out. I prepurchased mine. I had a problem with the power cable shorting out after i had it for a couple of years. I did not worry about it. I just took a cigarette lighter to USB adapter which I have for cell phones anyway. I just plugged the proper usb to mini usb adapter into the lighter adapter and the 7710 and went along. After about 4 years of me forgetting to plug it in or moving it and pulling the plug out the battery finally got tired of being totally dead. The battery got to the point where it would only stay charged for about 5 minutes. I just kept it plugged in and used it. Finally after years of use the last update caused the computer to lock up. I spoke to rand mcnally and they are fixing the software problem for me.

I do not know about anyone else and I will sure testify that it has route problems like every GPS out there ( read my posts about the 1500 dollar built in GPS problems on my enclave or the 3000.00 built in GPS on my Porsche that did not show streets that had been in A Town for over 30 years) When you compare it to the problems I have had with built in GPS units it works very very much better for a lot less money.

How did it work after Rand McNally fixed it for you? I have the RVND 7710 also. I had to send it in for the Largest update they have ever had. Had to send it back twice so far. Last time I told them to fix it right or send me a new one. It used to work perfectly before the did the update. Camping is over for us this year, so we'll see how it goes in the spring. I have to admit, the service was so-so, and they screwed something up. They wanted me to pay the service fee... ha ha ha! I told them I'd see them in court first!

[blemon56]

So I update the software and maps on my RM 7725. I enter a route in RV mode from Long Island NY to Wildwood FL. I look at the route. It takes me from the Long Island expressway into Manhattan to the Holland tunnel (no propane allowed). I give up! My Iphone wouldn't even send my car that way. If I can't use the RM GPS on routes I'm familiar with... How can I trust it when I'm in unfamiliar territory?


Sent from my iPad using iRV2 - RV Forum

[vabege]

I have too much experience with the 7735. Bought it this year to replace a malfunctioning 7710. The 7735 is exactly the same as the 7730 but the 7735 is the "Good Sam" version, no other differences. Took almost 3 months of back and forth online, phone and snail mail to get the kinks out of my 7735 and am still not happy with it. Even sent it back to their repair facility only to have it returned stating there were no problems. Volume is absolutely terrible and have not been able to identify an external powered speaker that will work with the unit even after utilizing Rand McNally's suggested supplier, DieselBoss.com, who I was lead to believe could help me out. I now have 3 speakers for the 7735 that do not work with the unit. Believe it or not Rand McNally told me that the unit works great with headphones. Imagine driving down the road wearing headphones?? There is a compatibility issue with the speakers I have tried on the 7735 and Rand McNally doesn't have a clue what the problem is. We are reluctantly using the 7735 on our trips but I depend on my wife to listen to the verbal commands in case they are not loud enough for me to hear since the built in speaker for the 7735 is on the back of the unit, as it is with all the GPS's. My 7710 would literally blast you out with volume, not so with the 7735.

[Jeff753]

I have the rand 7730. I tried to use an after market USB cable and it would not keep it charged. Went back to the original Rand charge cable and it charges.
I do not like the routing on the 7730. It recently seems from Greenville go lake Toxaway via mountain passes (north out of Greenville) instead of 26 to hwy 64. It has bad weight info on hwy 64 west of Brevard which caused it to send me through the switch backs.
I'm not a Rand fan. I do now verify my routing with paper


Jeff
2001 Dynasty Regent tag axle
Cummins 350 8.3 ISC

[tjshively]

My, now old, RVND 7710 has worked great for about 4 or 5 years. I update it on a regular basis. I purchased the Magellan RV9145-LM and it is a piece of @&%$*. It has very little that an RV'er needs. I sent it back for a refund. Yes, I have a small problem with the mini USB plug on the RVND 7710 but I took a 90 deg USB plug and hot glued it to the unit. No more issues. I also got a 2 amp power supply that keeps it charged up better than the 1 amp one that came with it. I use Street Atlas 2014 on my notebook along with the RVND 7710 while driving. No Magellan RoadMate RV9145-LM for me. I've tried them both and the Rand McNally wins hands down. Hum, what does hands down mean?

[TheRvWebGuy]

Originally Posted by tjshively

My, now old, RVND 7710 has worked great for about 4 or 5 years. I update it on a regular basis. I purchased the Magellan RV9145-LM and it is a piece of @&%$*. It has very little that an RV'er needs. I sent it back for a refund. Yes, I have a small problem with the mini USB plug on the RVND 7710 but I took a 90 deg USB plug and hot glued it to the unit. No more issues. I also got a 2 amp power supply that keeps it charged up better than the 1 amp one that came with it. I use Street Atlas 2014 on my notebook along with the RVND 7710 while driving. No Magellan RoadMate RV9145-LM for me. I've tried them both and the Rand McNally wins hands down. Hum, what does hands down mean?

I think it's a horse racing term, lol... anyway... I agree totally with you about the Magellan RV9145-LM (garbage). I returned mine to Camping World for a trade to the RVND-7735-LM and have loved it!

[Bobb.25]

Yup, I have the RVND7720, and the micro USB port has been a royal PITA. Even stopped at a truck stop to buy a micro USB cord and USB to 12 volt auto adapter. Right now black duct tape is the solution.
I agree the routing can sometimes be a tad creative.
Bob