Need for GPS

[MyronL]

I have Garmin in my tow vehicle and admit I'm not crazy about it. For example, need to find the nearest VA hospital ?- if you don't know it's called the "Raymond G. Murphy Medical Center" Garmon will not find it for you. However, we found ourselves driving in new to us cities more than a few times and using Garmon to direct us was the flat only way we were getting back to the trailer park at night. Also, when far far from home, very nice for finding the nearest WalMart for the night

[Mountain_gal]

FYI, I recently found a "new to me" feature in Google maps. We were in South East Oregon and all 3 of our GPS devices (Android phone, iOS phone, and in car Nav) were showing (different) roads that sounded sketchy, When I looked at the steps for the Google route, it gave me Street views for each intersection. This allowed me to see that they were not only paved but wide enough to have the white strip on the shoulder side of the pavement. With that confidence, we took that route which turned out to be fine.

In the past, I have been directed to some routes (one going to Yosemite last fall) that were very tense driving with a trailer, e.g. 2 lanes with cliffs and turns that were so tight that we had to come to a stop and look to see if someone was coming the other way before going around the corners.

We do also have paper maps

[padlin]

We had the Garmin point us down AZ "highway" 288, a most memorable drive for these flatlanders.

[civi]

I use the Magellan RV. It works great, a little slow typing in addresses. When i got it they said i could upgrade it but every time i do it fails, says not enough space. So i use it along with my phone maps, between the two i get around. It has all the campgrounds in it with phone numbers. So we call ahead to make sure it is still current, if so we head to it. Carl

[kstock11]

I used Garmin for quite a while but have been using Waze on my phone more & more lately. Garmin was helpful when camping with no cell service as one of my apps (plus DeLorme maps on my laptop) would give distance as a crow flys, but in the mountains that distance could change dramatically. Waze will warn you of police, pot holes, cars on the side of the road, etc. When I have reservations, I check the campground directions provided by them and make sure my GPS program is in sync with their instructions. Leaving a campground a couple days ago, Waze wanted to take me over a road limited to 40 feet. Instead of getting out and measuring, I rerouted myself!

[Peggy & Dennis]

Originally Posted by NCBill

Google maps is pretty good but once you lose phone service you are out of luck

A very cool feature of Google Maps is that you can download maps to use “offline” ie when there is no cell service or WiFi. You do need to plan ahead of time. It’s pretty easy. Eg with an internet connection on your phone, search for a city for an area of interest. Zoom out if yiu want to download a bigger map. Tap More (or use the options menu) and select Download Offline Maps.

You can get turn-by-turn directions with audio and can even search for places. It’s like magic. For walking, it can let you see where you are in the map but not the turn-by-turn directions.

On our last trip, I downloaded a map for the Banff/Jasper area. We used it while hiking although the detail for where we were wasn’t great. Sometimes it is. We have also used it when walking through cities. Friends have used it on long bicycling trips where cell Service was not reliable.

Peggy

[Vermilye]

No one "needs" a GPS since RVers & others did perfectly well navigating around the country before the satellites went up, and that was before interstates. Still, they are handy. I use a Garmin NUVI 3580 that I've had for a number of years. My Tacoma has GPS navigation, but aside from the wonderful voice, I find the Garmin more accurate.

I've used some of the phone & iPad apps, and while they work OK, I prefer (probably just because I'm used to it) the Garmin. I will say that their planning software (Basecamp) is the most useless piece of software ever written. Actually, the best combined planning & travel GPS system I've used was Delorme's Street Atlas, but you needed a PC to run it on after they dropped the Apple version, and now that Garmin bought Delorme, it has been dropped.

I believe Garmin even closed the world's largest globe located at the Delorme building.

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

No one "needs" a GPS since RVers & others did perfectly well navigating around the country before the satellites went up, and that was before interstates.

No one needs an RV or an automobile for that matter. The pioneers did fine with covered wagons and going west following the sun.

[Jeff and Karen]

A big surprise to me is the excellent GPS that comes standard on our Silverado. I’ve used them all - WAZE, Google Maps, Garmin, Apple Maps - but the GMC unit is by far the best. By best I mean accuracy, completeness of features, and ease of use. I know. Who wudda thunk?

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Jeff and Karen

A big surprise to me is the excellent GPS that comes standard on our Silverado. I’ve used them all - WAZE, Google Maps, Garmin, Apple Maps - but the GMC unit is by far the best. By best I mean accuracy, completeness of features, and ease of use. I know. Who wudda thunk?

Question for you. What about updates?
I have a TomTom with lifetime updates. My buddy has a Toyota Highlander. Toyota only updates maps once a year and they charge him $250 for eastern US and Canada and another $250 for western US and Canada.

[Jeff and Karen]

You’re right, gbaglo. The excellent GMC navigation system comes with a price - updates are costly. I haven’t updated yet, but the cost to do so is $160 for US, Canada and Mexico. One hundred sixty dollars isn’t trivial. Eventually I’ll update the system, but it won’t be until the current mapping version directs me from Point A to Point B through a new lake.

[skiman]

Originally Posted by Jeff and Karen

You’re right, gbaglo. The excellent GMC navigation system comes with a price - updates are costly. I haven’t updated yet, but the cost to do so is $160 for US, Canada and Mexico. One hundred sixty dollars isn’t trivial. Eventually I’ll update the system, but it won’t be until the current mapping version directs me from Point A to Point B through a new lake.

I compromise and do it every two years. I have driven where there is no road according to the GPS more than once. Its a rip.

[MyronL]

That's why I elected to ignore the GPS in my Silverado once the trial period ended. Don't need to be saddled with another nice annuity I must pay out on a regular basis to a company that does basically what is out there otherwise for a free one time payout. Convenience yes, but at a price the wagons westward pioneers wouldn't pay.

[Vermilye]

I'm always a bit suspicious of "updates". I've sent bad road information to Garmin & no changes with successive updates. I wonder how many of them are to update paid POI's rather than roads. At least they are free (part of the initial cost) for my Garmin.

[steve dunham]

We had to add a 8 GB memory card to our Garmin GPS
When we attempted to update our GPS we were told all the data would not fit so we had to choose if we wanted the Eastern US or the Western US and that we had to delete either Mexico or Canada . The reason for needing the added memory was that they couldn’t fit the maps in with all the added POI . The POI ‘s take preference.
We would not travel without our GPS , it’s not perfect but sure beats trying to read a map when moving

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

I'm always a bit suspicious of "updates". I've sent bad road information to Garmin & no changes with successive updates. I wonder how many of them are to update paid POI's rather than roads. At least they are free (part of the initial cost) for my Garmin.

When I lived in California there was a section of 99 that got straightened out near Merced. My old Garmin kept thinking I was off the highway and tried to direct me back on. Got a new one (broke the old one) and sure enough, even though the road change was five years old the new one did the exact same thing. And that was a major highway.

[h2owmn]

I'm a big fan of WAZE. It's saved my butt in traffic many times with alternate routes. Once it was on the grapevine (I-5 into l.a.) with a horrendous traffic jam. It directed me to an exit. I was towing and was a little concerned but when I saw all the big rigs taking that route, I followed. Saved me at least an hour caught at a standstill.

[civi]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

We had to add a 8 GB memory card to our Garmin GPS
When we attempted to update our GPS we were told all the data would not fit so we had to choose if we wanted the Eastern US or the Western US and that we had to delete either Mexico or Canada . The reason for needing the added memory was that they couldn’t fit the maps in with all the added POI . The POI ‘s take preference.
We would not travel without our GPS , it’s not perfect but sure beats trying to read a map when moving

Thats what they said on mine too (Magellan). I got it in 2014 by 2015 when I tried they said no room. It was about $300 when i bought it to. I just use it anyway, with my cell and PC at home, I can download maps to my cell. I really like using it, It helps a lot. The wagons west did not have 8 lanes going on at all different directions at 80 mph. They just followed the sun. Carl

[MyronL]

Where's Ward Bond when you need him?

[Ron in BC]

I started navigating with a sextant, then Loran C, then Sat-Nav, then early beta versions of GPS, then my good old Tom Tom. So I think that modern GPS is the best thing since sliced bread.

I do my regular updates, but yes, sometimes it shows me driving through the boonies when in reality I'm just on a new section of road. I view it as a pretty trusted advisor, but not infallible. Mine's on all the time, even locally, because two of my vehicles have mph speedometers so the display on the GPS, in kph, is handy.

I used Streets and Trips for years. I still have it on a power hungry netbook. Wish that I could install it on my tablet. I like it more than the Tom Tom.

Ron