Questions For Those With GPS Units?????

[Buffalo]

For the last week, I've been looking at Garmin 760 & 750 GPS units. I have a friend, who is very electronically oriented, & he just bought the 760. Now, I wonder if I can live without one.



I'm 62 & have never had one. Can't remember the last time I was lost, either. I'm, also, concerned about having to remove the unit from the dashboard & replacing it each time you park somewhere. Seems kind of like a pain in the sit down parts, if you know what I mean. I'd rather not complicate my life anymore that absolutely necessary but, can appreciate the fact that the GPS could be helpful, at times.



Prices have come down, considerably on GPS units & I do like a good deal.



What do you folks think? Are they all they're cracked up to be? Are they REALLY that necessary? Any opinions would be appreciated.



Thanks.



Joe F.

 

[LBARTLETT]

I moved from Kansas to Texas, bought mine when I was taking my son't truck to him at Ft. Benning, now I use it for business, I fly somewhere, rent a car and punch in the address where I'm going. I wouldn't be without it. It is so much safer than trying to read a map. I have a Garmin 260

 

[kenny61]

They come in handy but are not perfect. They will alaways get you to the general area but not always the exact spot. Around here if you leave it out in the car it will get stolen and you will be replacing glass and the GPS

 

[Hoefler]

I own the 750, saved my but when the highway was closed on recent trip to Mass. and got off the highway and tried to get to Hadley!

 

[Grizzly]

Get the 760. It has the blue tooth compatable, which is well worth the extra money. I have the 760.

 

[Regcabguy]

Costco's got some good sale prices going. Costco online has the Garmin 750 for $199. 99.

 

[Jim W]

I have the Garmin 720, last years model. You will need to update the GPS map in the unit via your computer. They sell a new DVD each year with map updates. I will be updating next year when the unit is two years old. We travel everywhere with it. MY son made an AL bracket that I Velcro in to the small slot under the radio. Place this under the rubber mat and stuff the extra cord in there also. The unit will disengage from the mounting support which I leave on the bracket. You can take the unit with you will fit in your shirt pocket. Another feature is the milage indicator and top speed that has been recorded. Will worth the money spent for the unit.

 

[JLEONARD]

I bought a TomTom about a year ago. I bought it mainly because the job I had called for a good deal of travel. It helped me out for sure. Now my job requires zero travel, but I still use it once in a while (once per month perhaps). On those occasions it is invaluable.

Last week thwe wife used it for someplace new she had to go in another town. Now I probably won't ever see it again. LOL

Regardless of the brand they are nice to have toys, but I would not say I can't live without it.

 

[Jrissler]

Mine goes eveywhere I go. Ihave the older Garmin ique palm, it is pretty cool with everything a palm has plus GPS. I have 220,000 miles loged on mine now.

 

[cruiser_2]

I have the tomtom 910 and LOVE it. I have owned Garmin units and the Tom Tom's are far superior in features and preferences that you can set. The new devices are now voice activated so they are much handier to program in an address or point of interest. (POI). I travel a lot and really don'r know what i would do without mine these days. Oh yeah the one really Butt saving feature ton the Tom Tom that Gramin is Assisted Sattelite Navigation... works in tunnels and when I was in Boston all through the big dig areas. That feature in itself is wonderful. I got severly LOST in Boston one time with my garmin GPS.

 

[Skydiver]

I have had an old Garmin colormap 3 since 2004. While traveling to Wy. the interstate was shut down due to an accident. The gps along with a CB radio saved much time. The truckers let me know the road was closed and the gps found a side road.

While driving through Southern Nebraska I made better time on the 2-lane roads driving between cornfields. Just had to watch out for farm tractors.

 

[JRBurton]

I own the navigon, it does a good job if you know your final destination address. It will get you to your final destination but sometimes it will take you off course to get there. Its not perfect but then again its only as good as the information programed into it.



John

 

[kenny61]

Just don't do this...
GPS Sends Another Driver Onto Train Tracks of Doom - Switched

 

[wcjp]

They're especially handy when looking for a restaurant, hotel or preferred gas station when on the road. I also use mine as an MP3 player. I've also added topo maps to my Garmin Zumo 550. Very handy when in the mountains. I only throw it in the truck when on the road. It's also saved considerable time over various routes I would've taken.

 

[Grizzly]

I have the tomtom 910 and LOVE it. I have owned Garmin units and the Tom Tom's are far superior in features and preferences that you can set. The new devices are now voice activated so they are much handier to program in an address or point of interest. (POI). I travel a lot and really don'r know what i would do without mine these days. Oh yeah the one really Butt saving feature ton the Tom Tom that Gramin is Assisted Sattelite Navigation... works in tunnels and when I was in Boston all through the big dig areas. That feature in itself is wonderful. I got severly LOST in Boston one time with my garmin GPS.

That's debateable. Garmin people say the same thing.

 

[David Pendleton]

I've had one in my truck ever since Garmin released the GPS II+ (a long time ago).



I have a Nuvi 660 now, a StreetPilot 2610 and a GPS V (all Garmin). I do occasionally use my StreetPilot and I use the GPS V on my snowmobile.



Get one; learn to use it and you'll be hooked.



Just don't screw around with it while driving until you're completely comfortable with the software--I'm not kidding, these things will make you more dangerous than a drunk on a cell phone putting on make up.

 

[Buffalo]

GREAT POSTS!!!!! Thanks.



cruiser 2:

First of all, I know NOTHING about GPS units other than what I've read. With that in mind, your comments about the Tom Tom being much better than Garmin products goes against what I've been reading. What I've been hearing is that the Tom Tom has better mapping of European countries but, not as good in the US. The mapping system that Garmin uses is supposed to be more accurate & complete for the US & Canada. Have you noticed a difference in the mapping differences between Garmin & Tom Tom?



I know that you like the Assisted Sattelite Navagation & that it works better in tunnels.



Some of you guys are real comedians!!! The comment about programming the GPS while driving is worse than a "drunk on a cell phone while putting on make-up" was hilarious. Fell out of my chair laughing at that one!!!



Thanks for your comments.



Joe F.

 

[Radshooter]

Hey Joe. If you pull a trailer, fiver, or anything big, look for a GPS that has routing options.

When we pull our big fiver, we set ours for "truck routes", and it helps get us around on bypasses, instead of going through town with stoplights every block. When we are in the Toyota, we set it to "car" and it doesn't matter if we go through or around town.

 

[Pavemen]

GREAT POSTS!!!!! Thanks.

What I've been hearing is that the Tom Tom has better mapping of European countries but, not as good in the US. The mapping system that Garmin uses is supposed to be more accurate & complete for the US & Canada.

The underlying street data comes from only 2-3 sources in the world and neither are Garmin or TomTom.

Address lookups are only going to be as accurate as the actual buildings are laid out on the street. What happens is that a street get converted into segments, either based on a block or some other distance depending on known address changes, and then assigned a start and end address for each side of the street and an offset (distance from street to actual locatio). An location in the GPS is then determined from the equal spacing of the address range. So a large building that takes most of a block and has multiple addresses will be "off" since the GPS wants to equally space the address but in reality its only one address/building

Routing is a different story. The routes are calculated given known conditions of the roads (their road class) and the type of vehicle you set the unit for. However if the underlying map data is wrong class or worng direction, etc, routing will be impacted.

i am not sure which GPS units have thier own or third party routing software.

 

[ekroman]

We have a Garmin Zumo 550, which is made specifically for motorcycles, since we put a lot of miles per year on our Harleys. We've had it a year and a half, so I'm still learning all the ins and outs, but it's a fantastic unit. It comes with a windshield mount kit, making it handy for use in the car.



A few things about GPS:



1. I quickly discovered it's only as good as the moron behind the handlebars / steering wheel. You still have to pay attention. We have it mounted on the Harley so my wife can read it to me over my shoulder (it's also plugged into the stereo, but I don't rely on the voice all the time. )



2. If you travel the same roads in the same area all the time, it probably won't benefit you. You're familiar with the area, and the GPS may teach you some new backroads, but you'll still be able to get by without it.



3. If you travel out of town, it's almost indespensible. We love riding into a town, finding a motel, and if we feel like Mexican or Italian or BBQ or whatever, we can find the nearest restaurants in two minutes.



As far as Garmin versus TomTom, it's as bad as oil, camshaft, exhaust, or tires discussion on the Harley forums.



Hope this helps.

Eddie