GPS recomendations

[Aaron Coffee]

Been thinking of getting a GPS, and am looking for suggestions. I am a hayseed and get easily confused on big city interstates(where 2 or morelanes go straight and 2 or more lanes are an exit, etc.). Planning on doing some different traveling next summer, and think a GPS may be helpful. I have also thought of updating my cell phone to a smart phone as I could see some of the things could come in handy(finding nearby restaurants, stores, etc.) Thoughts, suggestions, comments?

[WesGrimes]

Tom Tom told me to drive into a lake once, and then took me down a dead end dirt road in rural Oklahoma.
Garmin once gave me a set of right and lefts in Downtown Houston and then said searching for signal when I got to close to all the skyscrapers. Problem there being if a GPS is telling you when to turn, you don't pay as much attention to how you got where you are going. Once the technology breaks, you are in trouble and lost. I print maps out now.
If I had to choose, Tom Tom One.

[eamarquardt]

I had to replace my van in June. I tend to back into things now so I purchased a Magellan GPS that has a wireless back up camera as part of the package. I like it better than the Garmin we bought for my wife. The lanes seem better represented and it is a bit easier to understand (IMHO). I really like the back up camera feature. I can back up and hook up to a trailer all by myself and I'm able to get the alignment so perfect that all I have to do is lower the coupler onto the ball not tomention that I havent backed into a thing using the camera. It was about $350 from Amazon.

Cheers,

Gus

[asianflava]

Most units use the same mapping data, so wrong directions isn't really a sticking point. I have a Pioneer in-dash DVD/NAV in my truck and a portable Garmin when we fly to unfamiliar places and have a rental car and sometimes used in the wife's car. Both have their pros and cons you just have to get familiar with the software and how to drive the unit. The one thing I consider a must, is to get one that has free lifetime map updates. The GPS is only as good as it's maps, if they are old, then what good is it?

[Shadow Catcher]

Had a TomTom for our trip, would not find legitimate addresses i.e state parks and it failed, replaced it with a Garmin, good enough for all we use it for. 2nd the life time maps.

[GerryS]

I've had Tom Toms, and Garmins. Even an off brand. For general navigation they all work about the same.

Find a store with several brands and play with them. The user interface is abysmal on some.

I've. Got a tomtom on my iPhone....that's rate best I've owned do far. Very fast updates (screen motion) and snappy interface. It makes use easy. Navigation works the same as dedicated units.

Real time data connection with traffic updates have saved me a few times!!

[VijayGupta]

My first was an antenna and software that fit on a laptop. Worked well, but was hard on the laptop batteries.

Upgraded to a Garmin dash unit that worked well for a year or so until it suddenly didn't work. Still under warranty, so I returned it, they refunded my money, I went to the back of the store and got the upgraded unit for $50 less. Can't beat that deal. It's been working fine for a number of years.

I do in-home service work, so I use it daily to find 3 to 5 different locations. It generally gets me within a driveway of where I need to be. One county around here is just nuts with their street naming and numbering and I can't blame Garmin for the stupidity of the county engineers. I've also used it on several long trips and it generally works fine (got me screwed up coming out of Chicago once, but that was compounded by construction detours). The only annoying things I don't like about the navigation is that
- Once it calculates a route, and you decide to go a different way, it will do it's damnest to get you back onto that route, even in cases where the street you are on parallels the original route then eventually merges with it
- It weights certain events too high in its "cost" algorithm. It constantly wants me to drive a mile to the next exit, go through additional stop lights, 2 4-way stops, a residential district, just to avoid a U-turn that I make every time on the way home.
- It doesn't learn. You would think that if I take a certain route all the time, or make a U-turn at a certain spot, it would accept this, OK. No, it's like a fresh start up every day.

We took it on an Alaskan cruise a few years ago. When the ship docked, I marked the location (so we could find our way back), then I could use it to track where we wanted to go, find places to eat, and figure out just where in the heck we were.

I got another dash unit Garmin for my wife when I saw it on clearance at Office Depot for $45. Navigation is fine, but the touch screen is really picky -- much more difficult to use than mine. Also I can't understand why it has a completely different user interface. Changes for no apparent reason.

[bdosborn]

I have a Garmin Nuvi 1300, which is getting pretty old now. It does voice directions and gets traffic updates, which is all I need. Its not *always* right but its right most of the time. The nice thing about the Garmin is its easy to add point of interest files such as rest stops, Diners,Drive ins and Dive locations, etc.

http://www.poi-factory.com/

I think the new GPS offer life time updates. That's what I'll make sure to get on the next GPS. One option is Mapquest for Mobile if you have a smart phone. It gives voice directions and its free. I use it for work all the time since we often use rental cars.

Bruce

[S. Heisley]

I bought a brand new Garmin nuvi 1490LMT for my trip through parts of CA, NV, ID,WY,MT,SD,NE, UT and CO because I didn't want to have to worry about making wrong turns and having to find places to turn around when towing. The first time I used it, I was sent to a dead-end in my own neighborhood. That alerted me to the fact that maybe these things aren't perfect. So, I planned ahead and printed MapQuest directions for everywhere I was going and kept all my travel information in a binder in the car. That wasn't perfect but it did give me more information than the Garmin did. The Garmin couldn't even find Pocatello, ID. MapQuest sent me up Teton Pass, towing my trailer behind me. Teton Pass is a 10% grade...not so good to do. Computer systems are fairly accurate in big cities but leave much to be desired in other areas. Also, the directions that you get from one of these systems isn't going to be able to tell you if a road has a detour or if that road is "skid row".

The point is that there is no perfect solution to finding your way. You can use a GPS system, MapQuest or GoogleMap; but, ALWAYS take maps with you for everywhere you want to go. Before you start out each day, double check your map to the way that the computer(s) wants you to go, whether it is GPS or MapQuest or whatever. Computer mapping programs and maps are only as good as the information that has been fed into them and that is fed in by humans getting a paycheck. I even had a map that was printed wrong; thereby, sending me down a wrong road. The individual who is depending on any of these systems to keep him out of driving trouble will need to use common sense and logic to be certain that the suggested route is the best for him. What worked best for me was to stop before I got too far each day and ask or verify my route with a local. They never failed to give me good directions and great driving tips and all were happy to help, especially at the gas stations and convenience stores.

[eamarquardt]

I fergot to mention that I also have a unit that works with a PC (laptop or netbook). It has a usb antenna that plugs into the computer.

I find that it is a little more forgiving on spelling than the Garmin units. It also is better at routing to multiple waypoints and can do a lot of things that a dedicated unit doesn't do. The software has a bit of a learning curve but it is far more powerful than a typical stand alone unit. It's also pretty inexpensive.

http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeC ... tion=10091

http://www.amazon.com/GlobalSat-Weather ... atlas+2012

Gus