gps

[Doneworking]

I use maps, apps and gps. Like D&J Phillips I prefer maps.

We are planning a trip from Oklahoma City to Yellowstone this year in our Roadtrek. There is a sense of adventure for us in getting out maps, spreading them on the table and dreaming and thinking about our trips. Only a map give us an overview of a large area to think about alternative routes. We start with a full map of the country. We decided we may go up through Nebraska to South Dakota on some secondary roads and revisit the Badlands and the Black Hills, maybe swing up through Montana and come back into Yellowstone from the north side. That is the reason we own a B!!

I really, really doubt with our PC, IPad, GPS or IPhone we could envision a trip so very different than our initial planning. Yes, we will use the digital devices to find some things but IMO there is nothing like an official state map to get an overview and feel for a trip.

Plus, you can't spill your coffee on your electronic helper without maybe causing some damage. The corner of a map you are examining makes a fine resting place for a good cup. And it's battery never seems to run down.

Paul

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by gerrym51

...Do you find that the abillity to search all the different things that are in it useful and easy to do. I also like that it has it;s own wifi and is very easy to connect to updates-however how good the updates are is another question

I must admit that I haven't yet optimized it, but I would like to do this before my next major trip. Apparently there are ways to customize it to the point that, for some purposes, one does not even need to conduct a search. But there's a learning curve associated with that, and I haven't taken the time yet.

For example, I would like mine to automatically show every Cracker Barrel and Walmart, and maybe Chipotle. Right now it automatically shows every mechanics shop that might conceivably have RV service capability, plus every Shell gas station (Shell seems to have paid for advertising rights). That's just what came as default. I don't need those two parameters and they pollute my screen.

I probably mentioned this on the aforementioned thread - I think the 7-inch screen alone is worth the purchase price. That thing is exquisite.

[BBQ]

The reason you need a special GPS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3-UugI0JoA

[gerrym51]

does anybody know what the difference is between lifetime Hd digital traffic
and Smartphone traffic on garmin products?

[Bud]

Originally Posted by gerrym51

does anybody know what the difference is between lifetime Hd digital traffic
and Smartphone traffic on garmin products?

Maybe:

https://support.garmin.com/faqSearch...Ja11t7iwvYnz18

Bud

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by Bud

Maybe:

https://support.garmin.com/faqSearch...Ja11t7iwvYnz18

Bud

thanks =but i read that but still don't understand.

If the device comes with free lifetime traffic do you have to buy an antenna?

[Hondo]

The RV770 looks very interesting, like that you can load the dimensions to avoid conflicts.

[booster]

For those the might be looking for a pretty good deal on less capibility in a Garmin with a 6" screen, GPS City has the one model old nuvi 2639LMT closing out at $125 which is quite good for what it is. Lifetime maps and traffic for North America are almost that much. I ran across it when I was checking compatibility of our nuvi 2797LMT with the Garmin rear wireless cameras, which it isn't. May just order the 2639 and a camera if I decide to try it, as it is compatible.

[GeorgeRa]

I purchased a 9” head radio based on the Android OS. Works great for GPS, music, phone, plus whatever app you need like for example RVParky. It can be connected to cell network, but for me it was easier to use my phone as a hot spot and Wi-Fi. It was less than $300 via AliExpress, same radios are more via e-bay or Amazon - Seicane.

[Saldar]

Originally Posted by booster

May just order the 2639 and a camera if I decide to try it, as it is compatible.

I have a 2789LMT that is camera compatible and I like it. However I have not been able to load a route (from an imported kml file) using Garmin Basecamp. It sends the waypoints as favorites, but not the route. This is in my hands, but I'm getting convinced some models may accept routes and some don't. GPS city seems to know their units so you might ask before you buy.

We haven't a wireless camera though. Our license plate is off center and behind the ladder complicating installation position. Using the GPS screen as a rear view mirror seems neat though. FCA removed the "on while doors open" mode the built-in backup camera obeyed on older vans. FitRV takes advantage of this to display on the Promaster dash screen while driving.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Saldar

I have a 2789LMT that is camera compatible and I like it. However I have not been able to load a route (from an imported kml file) using Garmin Basecamp. It sends the waypoints as favorites, but not the route. This is in my hands, but I'm getting convinced some models may accept routes and some don't. GPS city seems to know their units so you might ask before you buy.

We haven't a wireless camera though. Our license plate is off center and behind the ladder complicating installation position. Using the GPS screen as a rear view mirror seems neat though. FCA removed the "on while doors open" mode the built-in backup camera obeyed on older vans. FitRV takes advantage of this to display on the Promaster dash screen while driving.

Basecamp is kind of a wonky, but really useful program, I think. Our 2797 takes the routes well from basecamp, but I always load them directly from the computer to the GPS using the "send to" command. How are you loading the route to the GPS? There is also a setting on Basecamp that you can select to not send the waypoints with the route, so that needs to not be checked. There is also one that makes it so the transferred data is exactly the route you laid out in Bassecamp, and that you want to have checked.

I almost always do our routes on basecamp and then load them rather than try to make the GPS itself follow the way we want to go. The exception is if we are in an area and I have things we want to see in the GPS as "saved" places, we just pull it up and let the GPS chose how to get there.

Keeping the destinations and waypoints how you want them is very important so the GPS doesn't insist you actually get to the point. With waypoints (vias) if you go off course and miss one (very easy to do when you have drag/dropped the route when you made it or if you just take a side trip because you say something you liked. If you miss a waypoint, it goes right back navigating without issue as soon as you get back on route, ignoring the missed point.

[Saldar]

Originally Posted by booster

Basecamp is kind of a wonky, but really useful program, I think. Our 2797 takes the routes well from basecamp, but I always load them directly from the computer to the GPS using the "send to" command. How are you loading the route to the GPS?

You are right again. I made a route directly in the Basecamp program and it transferred fine. I'm not getting routes from kml files made in google maps, but this method does the job.

Only a few old units don't handle routes:
https://support.garmin.com/faqSearch...2B1T8VcBjiueA6

[booster]

Originally Posted by Saldar

You are right again. I made a route directly in the Basecamp program and it transferred fine. I'm not getting routes from kml files made in google maps, but this method does the job.

Only a few old units don't handle routes:
https://support.garmin.com/faqSearch...2B1T8VcBjiueA6

That is good to hear! The other big advantage with using the Basecamp made route is that it will transfer exactly as you made it, with all the waypoints and vias to get to the roads you want.

It makes sense that it wouldn't work form Google, as from what I have read they appear to only send the actual destinations or points you have chosen to GPS and then let it calculate between them, and many GPS units will take a different route than Google. If you had unit that didn't recognize the points as a route, it just sticks them in memory, it appears.

[JohnnyFry]

Sorry if this appears twice, it apparently did not post the first time.

I have been using GPS for a good many years both in work situations and for vehicle navigation so after a lot of research I settled on a Garmin Nüvi 2797 with great expectations. After a single cross country trip that expectation was down the tubes. In the end we had to use the Garmin, the iPhone and a paper map.
I began looking for another solution, one which did not depend on internet connectivity (like the iPhone or anything using Google maps). I finally found ALK Technologies Co-Pilot®.
1. It works on my iPad.
2. Has an internal updatable database so no net connection.
3. It utilizes vector maps (as opposed to bitmap) which allows ever increasing resolution as you blow the map up.
4. The iPad screen is designed to be very touch and gesture friendly making it easy to blow the display up and down.

The program is not expensive ($20) and the map sets are also reasonable (under $20 with updates). Maps are available worldwide.
You will also need a GPS receiver. I bought an Bad-Elf™ lightning connector GPS ($135) which is excellent: it receives both USAF and GLONASS satellites and includes a well designed app which shows satellite ID and signal strength, Lat, Long and positional accuracy. It is tiny and plugs directly into the iPad.
I purchased an iPad holder which mounts into the coffee cup holder (under $20)

So, for under $100 plus an iPad you get a very large screen GPS system which offers easily movable and zoom maps so you can get the big picture (that was a real problem with the Garmin).

Probably not for everyone but it works very for me.

[booster]

The 7" screen on the 2797 was not big enough? We think it is huge compared to the older models. I do all our routes on a 15.6" laptop, so can easily see all the details and pick points more easily without missing.

[booster]

Just a note for Saldar and anyone else who likes to use Google maps because it searches and finds stuff way, way, way, better than Basecamp which sucks that way.

I usually keep Google maps and Basecamp both open the computer and find wherever I want to go on it. In Google maps just click on where want to go and it will bring up the GPS coordinates at the bottom of the map, but won't let you copy them directly. Just click on the coordinates and they will go to the current location/directions panel on the left side where you can copy them. Then go to Basecamp and do the find/coordinates method from the find pulldown and paste them in the box that comes up, then click the create waypoint and it will put a waypoint there and show it in the left panel of screen for the trip you are working on. Right click and rename it so you know what it is and you are good to go. Once you have done it a couple of time it goes very quickly and really saves time compared to trying to find stuff through Basecamp and get them into a trip.

[JohnnyFry]

One of the big issues for me was the face that the touch screen on the Garmin was clunky compared to the iPad. The other show stopper for me was that the Garmin did not make it easy to show a turn by turn synopsis and when you initially put the destination in it might offer 2 routes but the presentation did not make it easy to determine the difference without actually activating it.Google, for example, gives several options to select the best.

In the end it all falls to personal preference, they will all get you there.