Community Forums

gbburgess · 10-03-2015, 06:42 PM

I have a GPS in both cars and the MH. When in the MH I have an up-to-date Rand McNally Atlas and a Truckers Atlas. I use Streets and Trips to define a direction and path. I check it against the Truckers Atlas and then (if everything works out) add it to the Magellan GPS. When driving if a change appears on the GPS I follow the Truckers Atlas. That said I agree with a previous post that said GPS are correct 90% of the time. Driving home from Denver (car) last winter the GPS wanted us to follow irrigation sprinklers thru a very large field. We got a good chuckle out of that.

AZGypsie · 10-03-2015, 07:26 PM

Got a GPS in a rental car in Dallas a few years ago. We could not, for the life of us, get FRENCHIE to speak English to us! I learned to torne a gouche and torne a droit all around Dallas! It was interesting but would not want to do it in our rig! One time she wanted us to torne a gouche (turn left) into a construction ditch. Parisian witch!

JC2 · 10-03-2015, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timetogo

Always carry paper maps.

Exactly.

cuffumdano · 10-03-2015, 07:49 PM

We have the Garmin 760RV unit as well. Even with all of the correct settings several times I've had out the atlas, gps on my phone and the Garmin! Not to mention a grumpy DH saying "where do you want me to go"!
I didn't answer with the first thought that came to mind for fear I'd be walking😜

2011 Serrano 31X
Wonderful Life

St. Gerard · 10-03-2015, 09:12 PM

Gotta love em. Type in my sticks and bricks address and end up at a boat landing parking lot. Yup, I am off the grid right in the middle of town. Life is ggod!!

Skip426 · 10-03-2015, 09:21 PM

Up-date , before every trip , review every corner against a paper map , before you start driving and try to avoid finding signs like this.

Photo didn't load

Skip426 · 10-03-2015, 09:23 PM

Trying again.

DAN L · 10-04-2015, 03:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip426

Trying again.

been there, done that, no signs though.
garmin

Monacoach · 10-04-2015, 05:21 AM

Was driving on the interstate one day and decided to program the gps. I went back and lay down on the couch for a nap and the stupid gps put the coach in the ditch! Must have been defective.

Jamie65 · 10-04-2015, 07:13 AM

I normally double check the GPS on a map or Google maps, but this was a one hour drive across town from Townsend to Gatlinburg Tenn. I will never trust it again.

Darrel · 10-04-2015, 07:24 AM

In the words of my hero Ronald Reagan "Trust but verify!!".

Have a nice day - Darrel

JohnBoyToo · 10-04-2015, 07:32 AM

I can't remember a time one of our Garmins took us into any uncomfortable area...
(other than through the neighborhood with bars on all the windows in southwest memphis !)

but, I DO keep the gps's software and maps up to date... ANY GPS has to have updated maps and software - continuously.
In my experience.. many issues are, like with computers, "user errors" :-}

I have gotten trained by my 4 or 5 garmins that you ALWAYS update the maps and software before every trip to new places...
and make sure you have the settings correct for the driving you will be doing.

I actually have a separate unit for the jeep just so I would not forget to change it from auto to rv setting - makes a BIG difference in the route calculations.

I actually blindly followed it going to new areas looking at houses in at least a 100 mile loop throughout Dallas - Fort Worth yesterday.... never took me astray...

Nana25K · 10-04-2015, 07:34 AM

We rely only on the Rand McNally Truckers Atlas. Large print for old eyes. Red roads are generally a go but on occasion have chosen to avoid them. Our GPS is only a tool. But then again I'm a Truckers daughter who had to be able to map her way to remote destination and back in the 60's before the Trucker Dad would allow me to even get a learners permit

nothermark · 10-04-2015, 07:42 AM

Aside from the obvious wrong road fiascos GPS routing will be constrained by the limits you put on it. If you say fastest it dives for interstates. IF you say most direct it looks at dirt roads going your way. That is why I always run a route on either Google or Street Atlas to see what my options are and adjust accordingly. I can run interstates but they are boring. I can run regular truck routes but they get bogged down in heavy metro areas. Picking a route that uses both is beyond most GPS units but makes a much more enjoyable trip. If I use Google map and move the route it will give me the difference in time and distance. Often it is a couple minutes and/or several miles. Changes that will be worth it just to vary the trip while I save a bit.