GPS - Good, Bad and Ugly?

[Larry1013]

I have a 2015 Ford F350 with the Ford Nav/GPS radio. I have not been overly thrilled with how it determines the routing and the lack of options to program for towing. I do like the interface with the Sirius Travel Links for fuel prices and POI's.

I have been looking at the various GPS units for RV/Trucks from Garmin, Rand McNally, TomTom and others such as TeleType World Nav, Magellan. I would like to open a discussion on GPS units and get options of the GPS one owns along with their pros and cons or what they might purchase next time and why.

Thanks for your inputs. Hope it can not only help me but others also.

[bsmith0404]

Any that include truck/rv routes and has free map updates. The maps are typically good for about 2 yrs then I start to notice many things that don't show up and need to be updated. Having truck/rv routes that take clearances into consideration would be nice. I can't believe the big three don't include that on the GPS in the 2500 and 3500 trucks, that's what they build them for.

[Festus2]

Larry -
While you are waiting for others to reply to your post, it might be worthwhile to do a forum search on this topic. There have been a number of previous threads about GPS and you may find some useful information already on here that will help you make your decision.

[GaryWT]

My GPS is old and has never been updated. Has taken me to the wrong spot a few times but luckily I have been able to get out of it. Seems to love gated dirt roads around state parks and a few campgrounds. Have thought about looking at new ones but just never think of it at the right time. Would love one that would avoid certain tunnels etc when towing with propane.

[Larry1013]

Originally Posted by Festus2

Larry -
While you are waiting for others to reply to your post, it might be worthwhile to do a forum search on this topic. There have been a number of previous threads about GPS and you may find some useful information already on here that will help you make your decision.

Festus, I did do a search for the 'word' GPS but it returned nothing for me. I possibly could have searched each MFG by name but found no general discuss open to all units. If you know of a few discussions, I would enjoy viewing them.

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by Larry1013

Festus, I did do a search for the 'word' GPS but it returned nothing for me. I possibly could have searched each MFG by name but found no general discuss open to all units. If you know of a few discussions, I would enjoy viewing them.

Larry -
Try typing in "Garmin" and/or "Rand McNally" . I know that some members have the Rand and have been quite pleased with it. I found a number of threads/posts using Rand McNally as a search word.

Hope you have better luck this time round.

[Larry1013]

Festus....appreciate the input...will research....but actually was hoping to get a discussion of more than one MFG per thread...there are many on the market now days....

but, if you prefer to remove this thread....your call....will check other threads out but they appear to be somewhat dated

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by Larry1013

Festus....appreciate the input...will research....but actually was hoping to get a discussion of more than one MFG per thread...there are many on the market now days....

but, if you prefer to remove this thread....your call....will check other threads out but they appear to be somewhat dated

Larry -
I see no reason to remove your thread. Hopefully, members who have recently purchased a new one will contribute.

I also found this site which I think would be helpful:
http://www.doityourselfrv.com/rv-gps...w-best-options

Have a look and see if it helps.

[buzzcop63]

We use a Garmin Nuvi 260W purchased from Costco way back in 7/5/2009 for $139.99. I have never updated the maps because I am too cheap. The Garmin was used for searches all over our area when we were looking for new living location. It has been used on Nemours vacation trips and works especially well at night when conditions are bad and knowing what's ahead for turns in the road is essential. This GPS has saved me many times where we have got ourselves lost, I should say while I got us lost and just by pushing a button it takes us home. The unit has been simple to use and great help when we started RVing. So far, even though the unit is old it has always got us where we were going, right to the front door!

Good advice is to check the route before hand to make sure the GPS unit is taking you the way you want as they can be set for preferences but we have found you just go the way you want and the unit corrects itself and gives you another route, they all seem to end at the correct place. Would stay with Garmin.

[mikebrls]

I have a Garmin Dezl760 rv , truck and auto gps works great . In truck mode you can put hazard material like propane and it will keep you off bridge's and tunnel's that do not allow for that type of gas , and of course you can program in your weight , length , height and how wide

link

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-t...rod112211.html

[Festus2]

Larry -
Whatever GPS you are considering, make sure that it has FREE lifetime maps updates. Many of the older units do not have this feature and to have the maps updated, it is quite costly. The updating process is quite simple and quick on all units but I really would not want to buy a GPS that did not have the free lifetime map update feature. There are just too many changes taking place in traffic patterns, routes, etc., so having the latest information possible can help prevent you from all of those "recalculating" messages that you sometimes hear if you have taken the wrong turn and the wrong place.

Garmin is most likely the GPS of choice but I think that the Rand McNally has some nice features designed especially for the RVer.

[Tinbender]

For what its worth we bought the "Good Sam" version of the Rand McNalley last year from Camping World and are very satisfied with it and it's functions.

We have made 10-15 short (2-5 hundred mile) RV trips using it and one 3,000 mile RV trip as well as a lot of just car trips. Very helpful and user friendly for a couple of tech challenged old farts.

Only two complaints; the ------ voice constantly repeating "speed warning"
and it absolutely refuses to recognize and properly locate our home address.

They are all good just find one you think you will like.
Tinbender

[jtyphoid]

Originally Posted by Tinbender

Only two complaints; the ------ voice constantly repeating "speed warning"
and it absolutely refuses to recognize and properly locate our home address.

They are all good just find one you think you will like.
Tinbender

You can adjust the threshold for speed warnings or turn it off completely.

You can solve the problem of not locating your home address by moving somewhere that it CAN find. :-)

By biggest complaint about the Good Sam version of the Rand McNally 7725 is that you can't turn off pet care locations if you want it to show nearby POIs on the map. I can't see the POIs that I want because of all the pet supply, pet grooming, veterinary clinic, etc icons cluttering the screen.

[bsmith0404]

Just a warning to all and a reminder to some. When you label "home" on your GPS, do not do it at your address. Use a commercial location near you such as a store or gas station. Thieves have broken into cars, stolen a GPS, then used it to drive to a home a rob them. This is especially used at events such as movies or sporting events when they know how long a person will be gone. Oh, when you call the police to report your car being broken into, that just gives them a little more time to take items from your home. Clip your garage door opener to your visor to make it really easy for them.

[Festus2]

Good advice about HOME security and your GPS. Another way of accomplishing the same thing is to enable your password/code feature so that "they" can't access anything unless they know and enter the password or code.

[Desert185]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

Just a warning to all and a reminder to some. When you label "home" on your GPS, do not do it at your address. Use a commercial location near you such as a store or gas station. Thieves have broken into cars, stolen a GPS, then used it to drive to a home a rob them. This is especially used at events such as movies or sporting events when they know how long a person will be gone. Oh, when you call the police to report your car being broken into, that just gives them a little more time to take items from your home. Clip your garage door opener to your visor to make it really easy for them.

My stuff is password protected, but I can't do the same to the registration and proof of insurance that is in the vehicle other than use my PO box as an address.

I do have a clutch, though, so maybe that will be a theft deterrent these days.

Edit: truck theft stats.

The Toyota Camry, the top-selling car in the US last year, came in fifth on the NICB’s list, with 14,420 cars reported stolen. Pickup trucks were also well-represented: Full-size pickups from Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge had 27,809; 26,494; and 11,347 models reported stolen, respectively.

I like my odds.

[Larry1013]

I would never consider a NEW GPS without lifetime maps as a minimum. I was considering one with ability to assist with items mentioned such as propane or length or etc. I have noticed that it seems many have complained about the screens on the 7" models from some companies with them not as viewable in bright sun as the smaller ones. For now might consider finding a used 5" RV GPS off eBay to see if it will add any benefits over the current Nav/GPS in the truck.

Also looking into some free smartphone GPS apps to see if they are beneficial or if you have to pay for the functions to add in the restrictions.

[Javi]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

Just a warning to all and a reminder to some. When you label "home" on your GPS, do not do it at your address. Use a commercial location near you such as a store or gas station. Thieves have broken into cars, stolen a GPS, then used it to drive to a home a rob them. This is especially used at events such as movies or sporting events when they know how long a person will be gone. Oh, when you call the police to report your car being broken into, that just gives them a little more time to take items from your home. Clip your garage door opener to your visor to make it really easy for them.

Home on my GPS is set for the Police Department/City Jail... I thought it might be funny to watch if it were stolen and used to find my house.

[Rick]

I have the Garmin RV 760LMT and I have a TT. I've had Garmins all my life and loved them...up to now. Now only 1/2 in love.

Things I've learned about it. It should be named "2 AXLE RV 760LMT" as that's what it's made for (although it can be used for vehicles with more axles or towing). All the pictures on the Garmin page for the 760 and on the GPS itself (to tell you if you're in Automobile or RV mode) show a 2 axle Class A. The problem with this is if you're towing in CA, the max speed limit for a vehicle towing another vehicle or a trailer is 55mph. The Garmin doesn't recognize trailers as a RV, so it may tell you that the speed limit is 70mph (even though one of the icon choices is a car pulling a trailer!). As all states have different towing speeds, this is a real problem for TT owners. Of course, common sense applies here regarding different states speed laws and the driver knowing them. As far as routing goes, I imagine this doesn't make much difference to the GPS (except for the displayed speeds), as the length, width and height of my combined truck and TT could be the same as a large Class A.

Another thing is their installed POI database. If you want donuts, and you choose the "Donuts and Baked Goods" category, it has to be either a Winchell's, Krispy Kreme or Yum Yum donut shop or you're out of luck. I was in Atascadero recently, sitting in front of a Mom/Pop donut shop and the Gamin said I had to go to Bakersfield to get a donut. Thank god for smartphones. I'm not sure if those 2 companies paid to have themselves listed, or Garmin is just lazy. I don't know how this works for other categories. I did just look under the "Fast Food" category and found several donut shops (with the name "donut" in it) close by. Why they aren't listed under "Donuts and Baked Goods"...
Another example...We have a Lucille's BBQ Smokehouse about 5 miles from us (and many more within a 100mi radius). If I look for it in the "BBQ" section of the Restaurant category, there's not a single one to be found (although it lists a place that sells BBQ's). If I do a search within the BBQ section, the closest one listed is 31mi away. If I go back to the Restaurant category and do the same search again, the one close to me is there. It lists all the Lucille's as either Lucilles, Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Q or Lucille's Bbq. Most of them are in the restaurant category, but the one near me is in the "Specialty Food Products" category and another is in the "Art and Entertainment: Bar or Pub" category. No continuity.

The things you get with the smartphone app...at least half of them you have to pay for. And since you're using a smartphone, you can just use it for the same free info instead of the Garmin app since you're already paying for the smartphone service. The Garmin traffic info isn't available in all areas, but you'd be paying for it. Waze is a good traffic info app and it's free. One more thing...I do remember while in RV mode of getting a warning saying something like "this road unsure for RV's". Then why did it route me that way?

I like the size of it (huge screen) and the split screen for lane changing. I'll keep this till I need a new GPS, but then I'll look more carefully at other brands.

Rick

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

For those of you that also use a handheld GPS for moving
around on foot to do the hide and seek stuff (geocaching),
don't forget to ensure your DATUM (UTM Zone, NAD), if using
USGS topo maps is set to the same as the map you are using
otherwise you can find yourself up to 400 yds. (more or less),
from where you truly are. Oh yea, don't forget to LOOK UP every
so often, don't want anyone walking into trees or off a cliff (it's
happened!).

hankaye