Rv gps

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

That's something I need to learn to do better - stop and take a breather. I have improved in some areas though. I don't speed anymore.

Well, except on foot, at an airport. Most folks would be hard pressed to keep up.

I am guilty of both those things yet, and as I get to the point of semi-retiring, the full retirement, andtake more time to travel (whenever that is ) I need to stop more and smell the roses. I am getting better at stopping for breaks, mostly to check out neat stuff than a driving break, but do miss a lot of things I would like to see. As far as speeding goes, I mainly stick to within 10-15kph (10mph) of the limit, and very rarely over 120kph (75mph), and even this will change as I get myself into retirement travel mode.

Back to GPS. This is about the only thing I really don't like about my 2015 F150, the GPS is a PIA to use. Not intuitive in the least, and too many steps to take to enter a destination. Once it is set and we are on the go, it works fine. My older Garmin is much better, but nothing seems to beat Google Maps. Heck, you can type in an address and it intuitively fills in the rest of the address part way through, it is much easier to scroll around on, and is constantly up to date. The only downfall, especially with travel in the US, is the data usage and roaming charges. I almost always use Google Maps, shut it down when driving long stretches, and turn it one when I need directions for turns and the such.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Sisababe

POI could be useful. Do you find the Garmin's directions accurate?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Directions from any brand GPS must be taken with "a grain of salt." POIs for rest areas have been spot on. Haven't encountered a (height is user specified) low clearance since installing POIs a year ago. Other POI files could be out of date if not updated by author and reinstalled. For example, if one has a McDonald's POU file installed and the McDonald's has closed since the POU file was created or updated, it will be inaccurate. POIs only indicate the presence of something, usually by name. You still have to enter a POIs address as a destination. Towing, I'm really only interested in low clearances and if on an Interstate Highway, rest areas.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

This is about the only thing I really don't like about my 2015 F150, the GPS is a PIA to use. Not intuitive in the least, and too many steps to take to enter a destination. Once it is set and we are on the go, it works fine.

Yep. Ford asked me in a phone survey what I liked and didn't like about my F150 and I gave them an earful about the GPS.

"Navigation". "Destination". "Street Address". "In a city". Blah, blah, blah.

Compare that to Google maps:

"Navigate to 123 main street, Cincinnati ohio."

Done.



Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

POIs only indicate the presence of something, usually by name. You still have to enter a POIs address as a destination.

I have TomTom. Touch "POIs Near You", touch Restaurants or Medical Clinic, or whatever and you get a list. Scroll the list and touch "Sally's Cafe" and it gives map and directions ( also says how far ). Don't have to enter address.

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

I am guilty of both those things yet, and as I get to the point of semi-retiring, the full retirement, andtake more time to travel (whenever that is ) I need to stop more and smell the roses. I am getting better at stopping for breaks, mostly to check out neat stuff than a driving break, but do miss a lot of things I would like to see.

This must be a "guy thing"-- I have the same problem. Even if I have camping reservations at my next stop and have no need to hurry, I still have the overwhelming urge to drive directly to my next destination, then unhitch and look around if it's not just an overnight stop. As a result I miss stuff on the way. I guess psychologically it is a task that needs to be completed. It's hard to fight the feeling.

OTOH, I tow at a sedate 60 mph and don't go faster unless I think I'm impeding traffic, in which case I'll speed up a bit.

[Chris R]

My Ford Sync3 GPS data is about 3-4 years out of date for POIs even after "updates". Missing some parks that have been around for 50 years. Roads are also out of date. At least it recalculates the route without verbal blah blah.

[ReagentGrade]

I generally travel alone. I always have my Rand McNally Road Atlas and a full set of AAA state and regional maps. I have a back up GPS on my iPhone with offline maps, but my Garmin GPS is my main tool on long drives.

Beside the directions, it helps with:
- distance to the next rest area, fuel, food
- exit configuration. I like to stop hourly, especially when on the interstate. For some reason I sometimes pick exits without a return. I can get off but there is no on-ramp. Once I had to drive 15 miles to the next on ramp! I've been trying to be more careful and look at the map of the exit BEFORE I get off the highway.
- speed limit and my speed. Of course my truck tells me my speed, but I can see actual speed and speed limit at a glance on the GPS
- altitude
- distance and time to destination

To be sure, my GPS has led me astray, but most of the time it's a real asset.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I have TomTom. Touch "POIs Near You", touch Restaurants or Medical Clinic, or whatever and you get a list. Scroll the list and touch "Sally's Cafe" and it gives map and directions ( also says how far ). Don't have to enter address.

True, for the POIs that are programmed into the GPS by the manufacturer. But not for many of the "after market" POI files created by "independent" indvidals unless the POI file includes address data.

[Sisababe]

Originally Posted by ReagentGrade

I generally travel alone. I always have my Rand McNally Road Atlas and a full set of AAA state and regional maps. I have a back up GPS on my iPhone with offline maps, but my Garmin GPS is my main tool on long drives. ...
To be sure, my GPS has led me astray, but most of the time it's a real asset.

Thank you for the reply. Good info!

[Sisababe]

Originally Posted by ReagentGrade

I use a Garmin RV 760 LTM. For the most part I like it. ...
Rich

Rich, thank you for the detailed reply. It is very helpful!

[Sisababe]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

Directions from any brand GPS must be taken with "a grain of salt." ...

Thank you for the info.

[ReagentGrade]

Originally Posted by Sisababe

Rich, thank you for the detailed reply. It is very helpful!

Sarah, it's my pleasure.
Out of curiosity, I looked up the Rand McNally RVND 7730 LM.
Just from looking at the technical features, here are some things it does that my Garmin RV 760LTM can't do:
- toll feature predicts tolls on a given route.
- route compare directly compares the main route with an alternate
- Wi-Fi capability to bring in traffic, weather, fuel prices, etc. I guess you'd have to supply Wi-Fi and internet with something like a hot spot or tethering to your smart phone. I'd rather not leave my iPhone in tethering mode. But if you stopped into a restaurant with wifi...
- provides legal restrictions - propane, height and weight
- accommodates right or left turn preferences. How about my no turn preference?
- you can choose from 11 different RV types but it doesn't say how this affects the guidance it gives you. I guess this is how you tell it if your trailer has one axle or two
- video input. I'm guessing this is wired video input, but it has wifi, so that might work too
- exit preview. RV and parking amenities at exits. I wonder if it warms about no return ramp?
- cross reference to the Rand McNally Motor Carrier's Atlas. If this atlas also has the scenic routes marked, the cross reference would be useful for me
- address book functionality - you can import your address book and sort by distance or name
- RV check lists, preloaded and roll your own
It does not appear to have a voice command feature, which I like on my Garmin.
They also have a new product, the RV 80 Tablet. It bigger and more flexible and probably had all the features above and more. Plus a bigger price tag.
Garmin has a new RV 770 LMT-S which has some (many?) of the features the Rand McNally has that my 760 does not. Plus some features not mentioned on the Rand McNally
- "Real Directions" such as "turn right at the Exxon station" or "turn left at the red building". My 760 has started telling me to turn at the Exxon station. This was added since I bought it, but I didn't know because I was using the Yeti voice I downloaded from Garmin. Yeti just growls or barks. Yeti did not like having to recalculate! I returned to the standard Garmin voice when I sold my Bigfoot.
- easy route shaping. I wonder if this would help with routes like staying on a parkway despite faster alternatives.
- smart phone link app to provide expanded services
- TripAdviser and Foursquare integration to provide added travel and POI data
- it lists the specific restaurants art the next exit. I'd really like this!

I'm sure you would be happy with any of these products. If I were buying now, I'm not sure which I'd get. If I found that one solved or reduced my scenic routing issue, that would be the one I chose. Staying on a route is much less of an issue in a car, but for long leasurely drives in a big vehicle, it's huge.
I highly recommend that you get the RV specific version of either product. IMO they are worth the extra cost.
Rich

[Sisababe]

Originally Posted by ReagentGrade

Sarah, it's my pleasure.
Out of curiosity, I looked up the Rand McNally RVND 7730 LM....
I'm sure you would be happy with any of these products. If I were buying now, I'm not sure which I'd get. If I found that one solved or reduced my scenic routing issue, that would be the one I chose. Staying on a route is much less of an issue in a car, but for long lesurely drives in a big vehicle, it's huge.
I highly recommend that you get the RV specific version of either product. IMO they are worth the extra cost.
Rich

Rich, great research, I thank you! I'm sold on the idea of an RV specific navigation system to supplement my paper atlas, truck GPS, and paper maps. The features seem rich for both the Rand McNally and the Garmin models. I'll have to do a side by side comparison of the features to see which model best suits my needs. You have given me loads of help, thank you!

[ReagentGrade]

Originally Posted by Sisababe

Rich, great research, I thank you! I'm sold on the idea of an RV specific navigation system to supplement my paper atlas, truck GPS, and paper maps. The features seem rich for both the Rand McNally and the Garmin models. I'll have to do a side by side comparison of the features to see which model best suits my needs. You have given me loads of help, thank you!

Hey Sarah, glad to help. I look forward to hearing which GPS you choose and why.
Rich

[padlin]

Here's a review on it A complete review on Rand McNally RVND 7730 LM

This is the only con to it they mention.

"Although it is not a deal-breaker for most of the buyers, this unit seems a bit difficult to get used to. Some of the ratings we have gone through emphasize that it might not be the right choice for people who are not necessarily tech-savvy.
Planning a multiple stop trip might be a tad too complicated for the consumers who have gotten used to using ancient, less capable devices. Even the individuals who have reported faults in matters of usability state that they are perfectly satisfied with the way the device works."

[ReagentGrade]

This is interesting!
I looked at that review and IMO it is cursory at best. If you look further on that website, the top rated RV GPS is the Garmin RV 760. Although I could see their list of top rated GPS's, I could not figure out how to see their "review" of the Garmin.
It appears that this website is like and more these days, they take user reviews from Amazon and create a summary. It's not evident to me that they actually try out any products. They exist primarily to provide links to Amazon. If you click on their link and buy, Amazon pays them a small percentage of the sale. They get their money no matter which GPS you buy.
I'm not saying the Rand McNally product isn't a good one, I think it is. But I don't consider this review to adequately reflect the product.
Rich

[gbaglo]

The Wirecutter is my 'go to' whatever I'm buying.
They don't just review, but give reasons for their choice, which is useful even if you choose another product. They review reviews too.

The Best Car GPS | The Wirecutter

[Sisababe]

Originally Posted by padlin

Here's a review on it A complete review on Rand McNally RVND 7730 LM

This is the only con to it they mention.

"Although it is not a deal-breaker for most of the buyers, this unit seems a bit difficult to get used to. Some of the ratings we have gone through emphasize that it might not be the right choice for people who are not necessarily tech-savvy.
Planning a multiple stop trip might be a tad too complicated for the consumers who have gotten used to using ancient, less capable devices. Even the individuals who have reported faults in matters of usability state that they are perfectly satisfied with the way the device works."

Thank you Bob. I'm pretty tech-savvy so that "con" does not deter me. I have been playing around with the online trip planner today and like the layout and functionality. I suspect I will plot my route online with this software then upload it to the device for travel.

[ReagentGrade]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

The Wirecutter is my 'go to' whatever I'm buying.
They don't just review, but give reasons for their choice, which is useful even if you choose another product. They review reviews too.

The Best Car GPS | The Wirecutter

Glenn,
This site looks like the real deal. I wish they would have listed the units they tested but didn't like as well and why. Their top rating went to the Garmin DriveAssist 51LMT-S. The things they liked about it look like features the 770LMT-S has in common.
Since they didn't look at RV units the Rand McNally was not tested. It would be interesting to see their take on it.
They also have links to buy on Amazon. I'm not opposed to the links, only to sites that appear to have evaluations but don't really add value.
Rich

[padlin]

Originally Posted by Sisababe

Thank you Bob. I'm pretty tech-savvy so that "con" does not deter me. I have been playing around with the online trip planner today and like the layout and functionality. I suspect I will plot my route online with this software then upload it to the device for travel.

I'd be interested in hearing how you like it once you get it, if you get it, I'd like to try something other than Garmin.