GPS

[Indy Glenn]

Originally Posted by wjbryans

I bought the RV 785 for the 2019 season. It has a lot of great features, but it can also be quirky for planning trips, especially if you want to modify the suggested route between point A and B. It will often insist on taking you backwards on you route to some point it had originally picked. I was also trying to go from Pittsburgh to Toronto and it insisted the only way to do that was go to Montreal first... even when I picked Niagara Falls and a way point.
I now ensure I have at least a 2nd opinion for routing such as the WAZE app or another less expensive GPS.
The important thing it to alway have a map for overview to verify the GPS route makes sense.

I am considering this GPS. In the Garmin web site, it clearly says to use the lane minder feature, the unit must be mounted in the v=center of the windshield.

Does the camera separate from the GPS unit?

It says it comes with a powered magnetic suction cup.....???? Can you say what this is?

I stopped using suction cup mounts years ago because they didn't work well.

Thanks in advance for your insight.

And yes - - Garmin GPSs do not do well if not taking their route. I also have a backup of WAZE and I print off aTrip Tik from the AAA web site - they are free online.

Hmmmm - - reading what I just wrote - - why do I even use a GPS???? It also makes an accurate speedometer.......LOL

g

[Guzowskip]

Originally Posted by Yonder

We use a Garmin 760. It is RV intended. I like it a lot and use the back up camera feature to supplement the on board camera so I can see different views. I also have an on board Rand McNally but really like the redundancy of two. Very handy also is the opportunity to set each so that they display different data as I drive.

When there is a conflict in routing, which one do you use/trust?

Paul and Chris
06 Winnebago View
NW Fla

[Guzowskip]

Originally Posted by AnotherMike

Quote trimmed for brevity...


AND... a tablet or laptop with Google Earth on it...

a GPS can get you there, but ALWAYS use GE to look at the layout before you drive into a place you've not been to before...
GE gives you a overview of the destination, where the buildings are, and where the parking is...

A friend told me a horror story about a shopping center parking lot with too-narrow aisles and too-short turning radius at the aisle ends and a 32 foot MH...

And that tablet coupled with a WiFi camera can serve as a backup camera monitor...

Mike

I'm a retired pilot. Route study before departure is very important, IMO. Just blindly following the gadget will occasionally take one astray... especially if the maps do not differentiate between road surface types. On a recent trip, I was headed for a Harvest Host site and their address was on a numbered county road in Texas... but part of is was a dirt road over a very steep railroad crossing. Fortunately, my pre-mission route study enhanced my situation awareness and I was able to find my destination without the GPS.

[Guzowskip]

Originally Posted by BruceDeville

May I disagree? I prefer the stand alone GPS (fixed or portable), when trying to use my phone as a GPS, the screen is to sensitive to accidental touch. I am just in the mist of a major interstate interchange with five or six lanes each way and I get a telemarketer with an important incoming call. With that call, away goes my GPS and mapping. GPS are just to cheap to mess with compromise.

It's an opinion.

Opinions always appreciated and we can all learn something from other's opinions. We can also understand that most will generally rationalize their own decisions, eh? If one is happy with/her his choice, who are we to disagree?

That said, $150 for a tablet and $30 per year for service gets pretty expensive over time... much more than a stand-alone, dedicated GPS.

Additionally, We don't have real estate in windshield view for a 10" tablet in our Class C without sacrificing some visibility out front.... safety issue.

Paul and Chris
06 Winnebago View
NW Fla

[Argosy]

Originally Posted by Johnynorthla

Don’t remember that Argosy, but I can tell you this. It works awesome!

Apparently it's an option, it asked a couple of times and I clicked by it, seems to work fine.


Thanks!!

[Guzowskip]

Waze? I've heard good things but two points merit consideration:

1. The data/routing/diversions depend on user input. GIGO.

2. If mobile phone service is not available, Waze is useless.

Paul and Chris
06 Winnebago View
NW Fla

[Guzowskip]

Originally Posted by Argosy

Downloaded the app, first thing it wanted is a mobile number. What does it use that for?

Many apps, especially navigation ones for phones, need the phone number and location services must be enabled on the phone for the app to do routing/mapping.

Paul and Chris
06 Winnebago View
NW Fla

[Guzowskip]

Originally Posted by rbh44

We've been using Waze for several years & I highly recommend it.Free download & it gives you all types of info,ie: Wrecks,construction,Police,etc..Never steered us wrong & we've traveled as far south as Mexico border & north Washington state.I have it on my phone & Ipad..could put on Laptop but don't see the need.You can also save planned routes for later.Good luck.

Using Waze presumes mobile phone coverage and depends on good input from users. We use it as a secondary tool but not the primary navigation assistant.

Paul and Chris
06 Winnebago View
NW Fla

[Guzowskip]

Originally Posted by sonofcy

Obsolete now, replaced by the 780

Is a device obsolete just because there is a new model out? We don't buy new mobile phones every time a new model is introduced as long as the current one works and the software is up to date. In fact, buying the previous model can yield a lot of savings without sacrificing much capability at all.

Paul and Chris
06 Winnebago View
NW Fla

[HDGoose]

Originally Posted by LarryJB

You may absolutely disagree. But I too can disagree with you. I would never use my phone to run CoPilot for the very reason you state. I have a Samsung Tab A with a 10" screen that I can securely attach to the dash. The screen is plenty large enough for me to read at a glance. I can also cast the signal to the overhead TV so that the co pilot can see it to help when driving in the city.
It's just another opinion.

How do you network your tablet to the world? Does it have built in GPS ability or does it rely on cell towers?

[Guzowskip]

Phones are a hardware-based solution, too... In fact, the Apple business model figures a user will "upgrade" every two years... it's why they don't feature user-replaceable batteries in the iPhone.

Paul and Chris
06 Winnebago View
NW Fla

[southw2]

most cell phones when you use the internal GPS will treat you like a car and not an RV, thus it sends you on roads that may not be suitable for an RV ex.
roads with height and weight and length restrictions.
My cell phone sent me on a road with a bridge height that was 2 low for my RV to pass under and also put me on a highway where only cars are allowed no trailers or trucks or RVs.
So unless you have a program on your cell phone that you can add your RV info and any avoidences like dirt roads, toll roads height restricted roads Etc.
Get a GPS thats built for use with RVs.
just my 2 cents which i learned from passed experience with my cell phones.

ted

[Johnynorthla]

So here’s a point I didn’t think I needed to mention. While traveling northbound on I 95 this past December we encountered a slowdown of traffic. Having my Garman RV GPS running in conjunction with my Waze app on the iPhone, Waze routes me off the next exit through streets to avoid the slowdown. So I immediately went to Google Maps put in one of the intersections at the exit and found that it was all a residential area with small streets. I virtually followed the route on google maps all the way back onto I 95, Although our rig could’ve made it I decided to just wait out the 15 min delay on i95 North. I even Google map the gas stations and truck stops before I go there to see their entry and exit points!

Trust but verify!

[BruceDeville]

Originally Posted by Brianna

Overall. I think hardware-based solutions are becoming "old think".
Just like the future of television, banking, music, radio, shopping, etc., having an app on your phone or tablet is the way to go.

Secure it on your rv dash, right where you want it, then take it with you in your toad when you're out exploring. Then keep it in your pocket while you explore on foot. Get right to the door of that hidden away shop or restaurant.

Then, if you get tired of it, or something better comes along, just dump the old app and download the new one.

The problem that I find using anything that is cell phone based, is limited coverage. If you are in a city you are OK. If you are driving on an Interstate highway you are OK. If you are in a very rural environment, oops your lost. In any wide area emergency, the cell phone system is the 1st to go down.