Community Forums

arcaguy · 10-30-2021, 06:48 PM

I know this may open a can of worms but hopefully not as bad as a tire discussion so here goes. I need to buy an RV specific GPS with all the features that make it useful to an RVer, height, length, weight etc. Right now the Garmin 785 is high on my list because of the built-in dash cam. I guess it wasn't too popular because they don't seem to include the dash cam on their newer models. Are there any alternatives to the 785 that have a built-in dash cam or any reasons I would want a newer model Garmin or some other brand. Please be specific with why it is better than the 785.

bradvoorhees · 10-30-2021, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arcaguy

I know this may open a can of worms but hopefully not as bad as a tire discussion so here goes. I need to buy an RV specific GPS with all the features that make it useful to an RVer, height, length, weight etc. Right now the Garmin 785 is high on my list because of the built-in dash cam. I guess it wasn't too popular because they don't seem to include the dash cam on their newer models. Are there any alternatives to the 785 that have a built-in dash cam or any reasons I would want a newer model Garmin or some other brand. Please be specific with why it is better than the 785.

I run with the Garmin 770 because it still works. I’m on a 4.5 thousand mile trip and halfway , no issues. Took us to each place we had reserved for our trip.

Jpiland · 10-30-2021, 07:08 PM

Ditto on Garmin products, I've run the 770 for two years now.

**Lt Dan** · 10-30-2021, 07:09 PM

I still consider Garmin the standard of the industry. I've had several over the years in cars, motorcycle and in the RV. I still have the RV760LMT that I've been using for over five years. It's probably about time for an upgrade but it still works great. It's even "argued" with me about a tunnel on Hwy 101 that had lower heights on the sides but plenty of clearance over the lanes. I knew it was okay to drive the MH through because we had been through it in the Jeep but the GPS was insisting on taking us 120 miles out of the way to avoid it.

**pasdad1** · 10-30-2021, 07:10 PM

The 770 is still available….and it has free lifetime map updates.

https://www.gpsnation.com/garmin-rv-...furbished.html

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**NLOVNIT** · 10-30-2021, 07:13 PM

I've had Magellan, Rand McNally & Garmin units. Of all of them the Garmin is my favorite. I've now got the 890. Large screen, easy to use. I like the traffic interface & it was the one that sent us off course the least. Plus I like the lifetime updates.

CaptainGizmo · 10-30-2021, 08:04 PM

DO NOT GET A GPS WITH AN INTEGRATED DASH CAM!! Here’s why…

It’s a horrible marriage for an RV because, by the time you align the camera, including lane departure, the GPS is SO FAR OUT OF REACH that it makes it impossible to control the GPS!!

This is why the 785 failed. I had that unit and it was really bad and I ended up disabling the LD and camera.

Most of us place a GPS somewhere out of view, and certainly NOT dead center in the windshield. Anything to do with lane departure and “dash cams” require specific placement (and view of the road ahead).

I’ve beta-tested and used the 890 for a year and feel it’s the best GPS form factor out there. The newest model has a larger screen.

A dash cam, in my opinion, should be a complete separate device.

arcaguy · 10-30-2021, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainGizmo

DO NOT GET A GPS WITH AN INTEGRATED DASH CAM!! Here’s why…

It’s a horrible marriage for an RV because, by the time you align the camera, including lane departure, the GPS is SO FAR OUT OF REACH that it makes it impossible to control the GPS!!

This is why the 785 failed. I had that unit and it was really bad and I ended up disabling the LD and camera.

Most of us place a GPS somewhere out of view, and certainly NOT dead center in the windshield. Anything to do with lane departure and “dash cams” require specific placement (and view of the road ahead).

I’ve beta-tested and used the 890 for a year and feel it’s the best GPS form factor out there. The newest model has a larger screen.

A dash cam, in my opinion, should be a complete separate device.

Thanks for the heads up on the placement issue. I probably wouldn't use the lane departure feature but I would like the dash cam to work correctly so maybe the 785 isn't the way to go. But it looks like Garmin is ahead 5-0 in the top of the third.

CaptainGizmo · 10-30-2021, 08:34 PM

[emoji108] Garmin, in general, is hard to top.

akeagle · 10-30-2021, 08:52 PM

Before this year I would have said the Rand McNally RVND7 we bought about three years ago was the cat's meow. But now it inexplicably and frequently loses contact with the GPS satellites, occasionally wants to lead us on unnecessary routes, and worst of all, seems not to be updatable, possibly due to Rand McNally being bought and sold several times.

We just bought a Garmin 55 (think I got the model right) for our Ford Escape and really like its capabilities. When it's time to replace the Winnebago's GPS, it will probably be with a Garmin.

When we first got into vehicle GPS, it was with a Magellan which helped greatly when I delivered flowers for a flower shop. But after a few years it seemed Magellan didn't improve their products much, so we changed to Rand McNally which easily met out needs. After buying our motorhome we stayed with RM and bought the above mentioned RVND7.

But it seems eventually Rand McNally also lost interest in the GPS business, and now Garmin seems to be the big dog of the GPS industry.

ttavasc · 10-30-2021, 10:08 PM

I agree that the Garmin's are hard to beat. Just finished up year 7 with an RV660LMT (slightly smaller but equivalent to RV770) and it's still working perfectly. Just completed the latest map update yesterday. I've thought about upgrading it but so far I don't see the need given it still works like the day I bought it and still takes map updates without issue.

atreis · 10-31-2021, 06:09 AM

Garmin 890 is fantastic. Tie it into your phone to get live traffic updates, and automatic re-routing around accidents, construction slow-downs, etc. It did this a couple times on our 3000 mile trip this past summer and worked beautifully. It would tell us, ahead of time, that there's stopped traffic ahead, and give us an indication of the distance. Driving along, traffic normal, come over a rise, and right there, exactly where it said, traffic was stopped. That also happened several times. By far the most useful GPS unit I've ever had.

Also, lifetime no-cost map updates. (Really, you pay for them in the price of the unit itself, which isn't cheap.)

FloridaSon · 11-04-2021, 06:13 PM

Anyone heard any first hand reports on this years Newmar Option Navigation GPS in the Xcite radio called Nav-n-Go?

Vibeman · 11-05-2021, 05:11 AM

I bought an RV785 Two years ago, I didn't really think I wanted a dash cam but bought it anyway because it seemed like the best unit available. I have used it on every trip since and I like it. I have a class A and I have it sitting on the dash directly in front of me and as close to me as possible while driving. It is perfect placement for me as it is almost as close as the speedometer/gauges and easy to read and hear while driving. I am 6'3" so it does not block my view of the road at all. The camera has a clear view of the road through the huge windshield so it works well too. The lane departure feature works too, but I disabled it because it was annoying. When I bought the unit in 2019 the RV890 was not out yet. Had it been available I probably would have bought it instead because of the larger screen. That being said the 785 screen is plenty large enough for where I mounted it and I now like the idea of a dash cam. I even have some interesting video clips saved.