GPS usage

[znt1186]

I have the RM 7725 and am generally pleased with it. Been using it for about 6 years or so. Sometimes use waze or google maps as well. Never trust any of them 100% is the best advice you will receive. Many of them use the same map source and can give the same erroneous directions. Look ahead online before you take off so you will have some sense of where you are going before hand.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by robertkathy

as the owner of a good sam/rand mcnally i would have to say buy a Garmin, i wish i had

I bought a RM 7730 in 2000. I called tech support and asked why no map updates in over 3 yrs. The heavily-accented man asked me " how long do you think a lifetime map subscription should last?" I replied, "for the life of the GPS", he disagreed so I hung up. Considering buying a Garmin this spring.

[andy29847]

I've been navigating with GPSs since 1999. I would hate to travel without one. I have settled on using cheap GPSs in my RV. Mine are always Garmins. It doesn't bother me to buy a refurb unit.

I usually buy my stuff from GPS City ( https://www.gpscity.com/ ).

I try to avoid trusting my GPS for best routing decisions. To start with, even the latest maps are several years behind. Also, most GPSs have options that change how the route is chosen. You don't want to be following a motorcycle route with you 45' RV.

Where the GPS shines is getting you ready for upcoming turns, keeping track of you estimated time of arrival, and finding points-of-interest (gas, food, etc.)

I've never updated a GPS. When I first started using GPSs, if you had one that worked, you didn't screw with it, i.e., no updates. Now it is mostly about the updates being worse than the original maps. In my experience, the maps have been losing details for several years.

I plan my routes on my PC, either at home or on a lap top on the road. I normally use Garmin Basecamp (free download from Garmin) to make the route go where I want it too. Basecamp has a steep learning curve. It is a great map filing system as well as a good planning tool. I sometimes use Google Map or Google Earth to look at routes. Google Earth is a good tool for checking any secondary roads you might have to use.

I guess you can tell, I'm a little bit of a map weenie. All this and I still get lost.

https://www.gpscity.com/gps-receiver...automotive+gps

[gmc70]

We carry2 Garmins neither are the RV770. The wife has one by her seat and I have one on the dash in front of me BUT she always has the good old paper map in her lap. We have gotten into some tight spots but nothing I could not handle. For us the old paper map is still the final say but that is just us.

[Borkfarm]

I agree the paper map is the rule when we travel.

[Bahamaniac]

Garmin RV 780 and love it! You program the height, length, width, and weight of your rig and it avoids low bridges, overweight routes, etc. Also tells you traffic delays, red light cameras that are active, and other useful information. Garmin quality is consistent. I've used Garmin for marine navigation for years and it saved me several times.

[Don Juane]

Large screen Garmin. Having the "RV" stamped on it is only to impress your neighbors and if you've got nothing more to spend money on. Just get a larger screen. If you need a back up camera, I'd go with a four channel color/HD camera cheap Chinese setup with possibly a DVR tossed in for fun.

[ByeTheWay]

I own 3 Gamins. 1 in RV, 1 in toad and a hand held. Love them all. And a few of us have taken the time to learn Base Camp. Base Camp is a free download from Garmin which can be used with Garmin GPS's. For instance I recently downloaded over 400 Tracks, which I converted to Routes to be used in the back country Jeeping. Paper maps to me are like setting your watch back 100 years.

[TonyDi]

I've been very satisfied with my Garmin 770.

[jleonard]

I've had Garmin GPSs on my boats, and vehicles and I like them better than anything else I've used with one exception.
I had a Tom Tom and it drove me nuts with the "take the motorway" and "go straight on" phrases.

I think my iPhone with the "maps" app is the best but I limit it's use because it chews up data.

[scenic route]

Still using our 760 LMT with a bean bag mount so it goes between the RV and Jeep. Considered upgrading to Garmin's next gen model, but we are satisfied with the updates on their website.

We've had very few hiccups in RV mode...more than likely operator error. Most notable in 'Auto' mode was in WV(very remote) on a dirt road between two paved roads. This 'shortcut' turned into a rock crushing adventure. After 2 hours we hit the other paved road and asked a guy on a tractor which way to Diane. He laughed and said "Fallard yore GPS, didja"? and pointed to the right.

Gotta love a Jeep and a full tank of gas!

[traveler of california]

Just got a Garmin Drive 55. Love it.

Nick