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Radio
05-20-2014, 04:23 PM
I have been looking at the Good Sam enhanced GPS by Rand McNally vs the Magellan RV systems.

Anybody actually have hands on road miles with one of these? All the campgrounds and POI's are nice but I'm really more interested in low bridges, steep hills and fuel stops I can't get out of once I'm in there.

Your experiences?

NN5I
05-20-2014, 07:10 PM
No experience with special RV GPSs, but I've always been well served by my inexpensive Magellans. Today I ordered a new Magellan 6230-LM, which besides being a plain-Jane GPS is also a dash camera. I'll have it in a week or two.

I too would be interested in knowing whether anyone found any real advantage in the RV-special GPSs.

W5DOK
05-21-2014, 07:04 AM
I bought one of these last year and I wish I would have bought something else. A lot of the information is outdated or inaccurate and the routing sux. Guess Garmin has spoiled me.

NN5I
05-21-2014, 10:59 AM
I bought one of these last year ...

One of which, Doc? What did you buy, and not like? The Magellan (what model?), or the Good Sam unit, or what?

W5DOK
05-21-2014, 04:18 PM
Carl, I bought the Magellan Roadmate. Supposed to do everything. Clearances, fuel, all Good Sam campgrounds, big 7 inch screen. A real disappointment. Once you enter a route, it will stay on it. If you go a different route, it will try to send you back to the starting point and not re-calculate a new route from your present position. Not real good if you're not familiar with the area. You could go back to where you started from and do it all over again.

NN5I
05-21-2014, 04:53 PM
Wow, my Magellans never do that. Instead they simply lead you to your original destination from wherever you got to when you wandered. They've always worked that way, which of course is what either of us would want.

I hope my new Magellan, when it comes, acts like my old ones and not like yours.

I can't think of any setting that could be causing it to do that, either.

Have you tried updating the internal software? It's pretty easy to do. Maybe they've fixed it.

I'll give you fifty bucks for it, sight unseen. :whistle:

W5DOK
05-22-2014, 06:51 AM
Thanks for the offer, but it looks impressive on my console. Haven't tried to update it. Is the update on their website?

NN5I
05-22-2014, 07:56 AM
Thanks for the offer, but it looks impressive on my console. Haven't tried to update it. Is the update on their website?

On their web site you can download Magellan Content Manager which runs in your PC and connects to the Internet. With that running, you connect the GPS via a USB cable and play with it a bit.

You didn't mention a model number, but if it includes LM, as in 6230-LM or 2136T-LM, that means "lifetime maps" and map upgrades are free. Otherwise I guess there's a charge for map upgrades. I have avoided buying the ones without LM, so I'm unfamiliar with those upgrades.

The model number is on a little label somewhere on the unit.

Software upgrades (as opposed to map ugrades) are free regardless, I think.

The upgrades are massive files, so expect to tie up the PC for a nonzero time. But if you have two of the same model (I have two of the 2136T-LM), it only downloads once and saves the stuff.

Content Manager also, for example, provides a way to maintain your "address book" on the PC and copy it from one Magellan GPS to another. That's a convenience, especially when you buy a new unit and don't want to put all that stuff in by hand. I have a gazillion Flying J and Walmart locations in mine, for example, from Florida to Oregon to Texas to North Carolina, so that's been very useful to me.

electricflyer
05-22-2014, 12:36 PM
A new GPS is not in my budget right now but I have been looking at them. If you are looking at Garmin RV models you might want to look at the Nuvi 2798LMT which has a 7" screen and is also a monitor for an included wireless backup camera if you don't already have one that makes a nice package. Saw one on Ebay for $400, free shipping.

W5DOK
05-22-2014, 01:50 PM
I just updated my 9165T and you were right. The file is massive. I'm leaving for Colorado next week and I'll get to try out the new update. Thanks for the info.

Radio
05-22-2014, 02:59 PM
Size matters.

5" screen: cheaper. easier to see out the windshield. harder to see the info.
7" screen: Costs more, harder to see around, I drive a truck, not a class A. easier for nearsighted eyes to see maps.

Still trying to make up my mind on that.

And how about audio quality and external speaker ports?

NN5I
05-22-2014, 04:43 PM
... how about audio quality and external speaker ports?

I've never owned (or heard of) one with external speaker ports, but my little Magellans have plenty of volume. Despite severe hearing loss, I've never had a problem navigating without looking at the thing. I've got it set so loud that people with normal hearing scream in agony.

The new 6230-LM apparently has a headphone jack, though. It's supposed to arrive on Saturday. I can hardly wait. If I survive my MRI tomorrow afternoon, I'll play with the Magellan all weekend.

Radio
05-22-2014, 08:26 PM
If I survive my MRI tomorrow afternoon, I'll play with the Magellan all weekend.

I used to work on MRI machines. It's just a big ol' HF radio set. And a big ol' magnet. And a big ol' refrigerator. All on steroids.

A little cramped and noisy in there, but not a problem really. Let us know if something serious turns up.

NN5I
05-31-2014, 11:47 AM
Update on the Magellan 6230LM: It arrived last Saturday and is now on its way back to Amazon for a refund. Here's the letter I wrote to the president of Magellan, explaining why:

Peggy Fong, President
Magellan GPS
471 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95050-4300

Dear Ms Fong

I have been a happy Magellan GPS customer for some years, and currently own several of your products.

Recently I purchased (from Amazon) your latest GPS, the 6230-LM GPS-Dashcam. It is on its way back to Amazon for a refund. I thought you might find use in knowing why.

It wasn’t easy to purchase this product. It seems in great demand, and has been in back-order countrywide. I was delighted to purchase it, and eagerly pleased when it arrived last Saturday.

I immediately placed it in service in one of my vehicles and drove around a little. Then I played the video back on the Magellan device itself. I was surprised to see that the video was jerky and that it was plagued with frequent dropouts, or freeze-ups (several per minute), each lasting from about 1/5 second to several seconds; the longest was about four seconds.

Well, I thought, perhaps on the PC it will be better. So I hooked it up to one of my PCs, which was running Windows XP at the time, and attempted to run the Magellan Player from the little memory card. It crashed with a Data Execution Prevention violation. DEP is an optional hardware/software feature not present in all PCs.

Well, OK, I’ll try it in Windows 7 on the same PC. It came up fine, and after fumbling around I was able to save the video as an AVI file on one of my solid-state drives. Playing this AVI in Windows Media Player, the jerkiness and the freeze-ups were still there, unfortunately.

Then I booted back into Windows XP and tried it there. Whenever I attempted to browse to the drive containing the AVI, Windows itself crashed! Back to Windows 7, delete the directory that contained only that AVI. Then back to Windows XP, and once again I was able to browse my disk drive.

Curious, I attempted to run the Magellan player in another XP system that doesn’t have the DEP feature. It came up, but I didn’t attempt actually to view or save any video on that PC.

So I’m guessing that you tested the software on a non-DEP Windows XP system but not on one that had DEP. That’s an unwise omission, wouldn’t you agree? But it seems to run in Windows 7 with DEP.

Another thing that disappointed me considerably is the downloadable User Manual on your web site. I downloaded and printed it and found an amazing number of errors.

Samples:

Many misspellings of the word maneuver as manuver. Sometimes the two spellings occur in the same short line of text.

Several misspellings of receiver as reciever.

On page seven there are two images of the 6230-LM, labeled with capital letters starting with B. Accompanying, there is text in short paragraphs labeled starting with A. The text for A describes the feature labeled B; the text for B describes the feature labeled C; and so forth. This is true for both of the illustrations on page 7, and for others on pages 22, 23 and 24. May I say I found this confusing until I figured it out. It isn’t your best advertisement.

In several places the plural criteria is used when the singular criterion is meant.

In at least one place in the manual there appears the nonexistent word ut.

In at least one place in the manual the word too occurs when clearly to is meant.

I contacted Customer Support, describing the problems with the video and the problems on the PC: support case 59391. Three or four days later I received a reply from Dan – AM 20354 which addressed only the video problem. Clearly he had not read my whole 250 words. He advised that I reformat the memory card. I did that, and tried again. The video was now even worse. I replied to him, but have heard nothing back.

Amazon seems very accommodating, and my 6230-LM is on its way back for a refund.

I think you may have been in a little too great rush to market; to me this product seems actually unmerchantable.

In a spirit of helpfulness I enclose my printed copy of the downloaded User Manual, in which I have indicated numerous errors (I count 67 of them) that need correcting. While you probably cannot find a proofreader with skills equaling mine, surely you can find someone better than you have.

Sincerely

Carl Hayes

W5DOK
05-31-2014, 02:24 PM
Picky, picky, picky. Now you are going to make some poor Chinese person actually read the gibberish they print in their user manual. Or, possibly some American high school kid. Having spent a great deal of time in the Far East, I can usually understand their translations in users manuals. You would think that if they are going to sell their product over here, the least they could do is make sure the documentation is correct.

NN5I
05-31-2014, 03:31 PM
Well, I wouldn't have returned it for the problems with the downloaded PDF manual. The printed manual that comes in the box is much better, though less complete.

I returned it because of the poor performance of the video camcorder function and the problems with the Windows software.

I was quite disappointed, and more than a little surprised. I have always really liked Magellan products, and I expect to buy Magellan in future.

I was impressed with Amazon's handling of the return. When I bought it, shipping was free, and Amazon also paid for the return shipping. They contacted UPS, and the UPS guy, when he picked it up, had with him a prepaid shipping label. So I won't end up losing a single red cent. All I had to do was put it back in the box I got it in, and tape it up. To me, Amazon seems a first-class outfit.

Actually I think Magellan is first-class too, but they really fell down on this particular product. They had never before, I think, designed a camcorder of any kind. The GPS function was all anyone could reasonably demand.

Of course, I think people who are paid to write English ought to be able to write English. Spelling is so easy! You learn a word once, and it stays the same as long as you live. Why would anyone who has more than twenty working neurons have any trouble spelling the words of his native language?

Radio
05-31-2014, 05:24 PM
Carls letter reminds me of the letter I wrote to Jelly Belly about some of their rather odd selections of flavors for jelly beans.

http://www.openroadsradio.net/forums/showthread.php?t=546&highlight=Jelly+Belly

But back to GPS: I have heard the 5" screens are too small to be seen, and the 7" are too large to allow seeing out the windshield of anything but a Class A or a tractor trailer rig. What is the consensus here?

NN5I
05-31-2014, 07:47 PM
I've been using 4.3 inch screens for a couple years now, both in the little Ranger pickup toad and in the big Class A. Big enough, but only because I never try to program them while driving, and because it's easiest in any circumstances to listen to them but not look at them. It's essentially never necessary to look at the thing when driving. That's my experience anyway, going from Florida to Oregon, then Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio (for the Dayton Hamvention), thence North Carolina (for Judo camp), and finally back to the good old Sunshine State, where right now it looks very stormy, rainy, and tornadoish outside. Big wall cloud a while ago (ten minutes), but no rotation last time I looked.

++++++++++ LATER +++++++++++

Big nothing. A little rain, hardly any wind. Bummer.

W5DOK
06-01-2014, 06:53 AM
I have a couple of vehicles with factory gps, (large screens) and I also have a Garmin Nuvi with a small screen that I use when I want good directions. The factory automotive units are pretty sorry. I have the 7 inch Magellan and a 7 inch Garmin that I use in my MH. The spoken instructions are good until you get into major cities and need to see lane information, then you need the largest screen that you can get. The small screens are ok in your Nissan, a foot from your face, but stretch that sucker out there 3 feet and with old, tired eyes, it's a problem. I have a Ford dually with factory nav (worthless) and I have no problem using the 7 inch Garmin mounted in the middle of the dash. In the case of gps, bigger is better and a person of average height should have no problem seeing over the gps mounted on top of their dash.

W5DOK
06-05-2014, 03:48 PM
Update on my 9165T. Hit the road this morning on my way to Colorado. I updated the Magellan with the latest software and this was it's first use since then. The first deviation from the route it selected resulted in it trying to re-route me back to my point of origin. The only way to make it calculate a new route was to power it off and back on. This is truly a worthless POS, in my most humble opinion. After the update, the screen is very dark, even on the brightest setting. The speed limit in Texas on most highways is 75, and on some roads, 85. These are not new speed limits. The Magellan still has the old speed limits for ALL the highways. I updated my Garmins and they have the current speed limits. The Magellan supposedly has some great features, like overpass heights, weight limits, etc., but it's negatives far outweigh it's positives. IMO.

N3LYT
06-05-2014, 06:58 PM
Buy a Garmin and then has a look at http://www.poi-factory.com/ they have all kinds of poi's that are useful to RVers that you can down load to Garmin's.

Andy N1ORK
06-05-2014, 09:04 PM
OK, so I'm looking for a new GPS. I have an old 2007 4.3" Magellan that I want to replace in my Prius V. I think I want to stay with a 4.3 or 5" unit that has free life time maps of the US and Canada, free traffic up dates and up loadable POIs. Don't need Blue Tooth or MP3 capability as the car already has it.
Any suggestions?
Andy

wa8yxm
06-06-2014, 06:02 AM
I will comment on one thing.. FIrst the RV unit from Magellin has not played well to on-line reviews.. Many I've heard from were less than happy.

Second, for most GPS units and programs including Microsoft Streets & Trips which I use as my RV GPS (I use Google in the car). You can get a "Point of interest" file or 20 from the Discovery Owner's Group. These POI files have various RV parks, or you can get a Wal*mart pack, or a Flying-J or a Low Bridge (Assorted heights) or a host of other files, and there is also one GIANT POI file for S&T (Do not know about other programs)

I will admit that some of the locations are "Located to city" some to block and some to address.. .(Many need a bit of fine tuning in short) but.. here is the link:

Map Overlay Files (http://www.discoveryowners.com/cginfo.htm)

megahurst
08-01-2014, 05:41 PM
A little late with some input but want to put my two cents worth in.

I have a Good Sam Rand McNally 7725RV and an older model Tom-Tom. The 7725 has a few perks I appreciate: Instant (almost) find for Flying-J and Wal-Mart and a few other things. The ability to develop route on Good Sam web site and transfer to GPS is a neat addition. HOWEVER - there is a ton of other 'stuff' that I will never use and would prefer not to have in the way. I also found it a pretty steep curve to learn how to use the unit. Over all - not really worth my money.

The old Tom-Tom, although I pay for quarterly upgrades, is by far easier to use and will automatically re-route should I decide to divert from the recommended route.

Solution -- I carry both.:2cents: NA9E

wa8yxm
08-02-2014, 07:42 AM
These devices have been reviewed on other forums and play to mixed reviews.... They do have some nice features, but Magellin is not the greatest GPS maker (Garmin is) and there are some other issues as well.. Since I do not have one, or use one (I use Streets and Trips with a massive POI file that includes low bridges) I can not tell you much about it.

I also use Google maps on my phone.

Mr. Ham
08-29-2014, 09:08 PM
I'm smart enough that I don't need a
Tom Tom or other GPS device.
I usually know where I am going, and if I don't, I know how to read a map
or follow written directions from Google.

The crap they make today should be categorized as being distracted driving.
I can't stand to listen to those things giving me directions.
Even worse is when they send you in the wrong direction and insist that you turn around immediately and go back.

People are getting more and more stupid every day..

NN5I
08-29-2014, 09:20 PM
People are getting more and more stupid every day..

Yes, and more introspective.

N3LYT
08-30-2014, 08:09 AM
Think I would rather look at a GPS than refold a map!

NN5I
08-30-2014, 08:18 AM
Think I would rather look at a GPS than refold a map!

So would I, even though Mr Ham tactfully thinks anyone who shares our opinion must be getting "more and more stupid every day". Probably he's right, about me at least -- I notice it all the time.

W5DOK
08-30-2014, 08:47 AM
There are always those that resist change and especially change to new technology. I no longer use a sextant or navigate by the stars. My GPS units provide a lot of valuable information that would not be available otherwise. BTW I also use GPS units in my boat and airplane. I don't consider myself to becoming more "stupid" because I choose to use currently available technology. Perhaps those that dislike gadgets should also consider staying off the internet and the use of personal computers.
Doc

wa8yxm
08-30-2014, 09:33 AM
I bought one of these last year and I wish I would have bought something else. A lot of the information is outdated or inaccurate and the routing sux. Guess Garmin has spoiled me.

Well the experts say Garmin is the best.....

I have not purchased the RV-GPS mostly because I have read several reviews of it on line from folks that have one, and most all of them can be summed up in your opening sentence "They wish they had bought something else".

So you now have my passed on 2nd hand recommendation... Buy Something Else. And garmin is the best for the self contained units.

My choice... For my car.> Google maps on my Smart PHone (make sure you get the route BEFORE you leave though)

2nd Choice, also 1st for the RV, is discontinued but Microsoft S*T on this laptop with a GPS dongle. Works very well, large screen (15") is way easier to "Scan" than the smaller screen of the hand held units.

KC1BUD
08-30-2014, 11:02 AM
I have been looking at the Good Sam enhanced GPS by Rand McNally vs the Magellan RV systems.

Anybody actually have hands on road miles with one of these? All the campgrounds and POI's are nice but I'm really more interested in low bridges, steep hills and fuel stops I can't get out of once I'm in there.

Your experiences?

Last week I went from my home in Lapeer County Michigan to Mason Michigan, I had the GPS set for "Most Use Of Freeways" and It was going to spyral me in to my destination. The longest possible route as it turned out. I then set it for the shortest route and it was better, but still it made obvious errors.

We must remember they are but a tool, better than trying to drive and look at a roadmap but still a tool.

When I first get my gps', I will let it route me somewhere like home or some other short trip that I am familiar with then I will deliberately drive off route to learn how it re-routes me. The GPS will try to send you back to your original route for a long time until it has no other option but to re route you.

Also it never hurts to look at a real road map to familiarize yourself to a new route so as you drive you will have a mental picture of roughly where your going.

By the way mine is named Lola, just as in the movie RV.

NN5I
08-30-2014, 02:43 PM
Perhaps those that dislike gadgets should also consider staying off the internet and the use of personal computers.
Doc

Amen, Doc.

I extend it also to those who don't like people. And those who despise every radio ham they've ever met probably won't gain much enjoyment from websites frequented mostly by radio hams.

NN5I
08-30-2014, 02:46 PM
By the way mine is named Lola, just as in the movie RV.

Mine is Nagging Nellie and appears to bear the name without resentment.

W9CMG
08-30-2014, 02:54 PM
I have quickly found a good place for lunch, interesting places in large cities, parks, nearby repeater in bad weather and more. For me, my GPS's are more useful than just for routing. I can't remember all the turns needed. And, like they say, "Don't give the Lieutenant the map!"

W5DOK
08-30-2014, 03:23 PM
None of the names that I call mine (the Magellan) can be used in polite company.

NN5I
08-30-2014, 08:05 PM
None of the names that I call mine (the Magellan) can be used in polite company.

Well, no. But probably they're OK here.

Radio
08-30-2014, 08:16 PM
Sweet Wife named the default feminine voice in Street Atlas "Rhoda Roadmap"

N3LYT
08-31-2014, 09:06 AM
Yeah I call her "Silicone Sally”. One thing I have learned if your GPS tries to get you unlost and suggests a dirt road don't take it!! All though my class C was a small Toyota at the time it was not suitable for a logging rd.

NN5I
08-31-2014, 11:48 AM
Back when I always used Street Atlas on a laptop, it led me to a road that hadn't been built yet. That cost me a couple hours. It was somewhere in the north part of Mississippi, I think.

So far my Magellans haven't done that to me. Where the Magellans are really wacko is in their notion of speed limits in Central Florida. They're almost always wrong, in Lake County anyway.

Mr. Ham
08-31-2014, 01:11 PM
Well the experts say Garmin is the best.....

I have not purchased the RV-GPS mostly because I have read several reviews of it on line from folks that have one, and most all of them can be summed up in your opening sentence "They wish they had bought something else".

So you now have my passed on 2nd hand recommendation... Buy Something Else. And garmin is the best for the self contained units.

My choice... For my car.> Google maps on my Smart PHone (make sure you get the route BEFORE you leave though)

2nd Choice, also 1st for the RV, is discontinued but Microsoft S*T on this laptop with a GPS dongle. Works very well, large screen (15") is way easier to "Scan" than the smaller screen of the hand held units.

If you are a ham and you have a transceiver that does APRS, and does not have a built in GPS receiver like the older Kenwoods, the GPS unit you would want to buy would be one that would interface with the radio.

I was on my way to Coudersport PA ( God's Country!) one day about 3 years ago in the middle of winter. I programmed the address of the person I wanted to visit and it calculated the route.
When I drove to Keating Summit, it told me to go right - past a bar and then make another right and to follow that road for 11 miles.
I made the right and went past the bar and made the next right onto a forest fire road and followed that road as far as I could go - they had 3b gravel on the road. When the graveled road ended - where the loggers entered the woods, there was a 2 inch glaze of ice on the road.
The elevation was probably 2600' and the road went straight down the hill into Coudersport 1400'... Had I taken the road that Tom Tom told me to take, I would not be here today - I would be DEAD!

I threw that piece of junk out the window and got out the map and confirmed my route and drove there by myself.

If you are a city slicker and you need to find a certain street it would be a good option for someone that does not know the area. But for driving on the highway - where I 80 has always been I 80 and east goes towards Boalsburg and west goes towards Sharon - there is no need to have a Tom Tom blaring in my ears - go left, go right, go straight - when you have driven that road for 30 years!

The best trips I have ever taken has been ones that I just filled up the tank and drove. When I found a spot I liked, I pulled over and camped. Usually buying a couple of beers for the patrons in a bar or stopping at a roadside fish and bait stand or small diner will usually get you directions to a good fishing hole or hunting spot.

NN5I
08-31-2014, 02:46 PM
The best trips I have ever taken has been ones that I just filled up the tank and drove.

With that, I agree. One of my most enjoyable drives was on a return trip from Florida, back home to Dallas. I was in a 1955 Thunderbird with the top down -- this was in about 1980, in spring or autumn -- and I missed a turn in Montgomery and ended up about 10 miles north. I checked the map, found another road going west, and cruised through some truly beautiful country. Wherever I stopped, people asked about the car and I asked about hamburgers, and went on from there. Funnest drive ever.

One of the most enjoyable stops on a long trip occurred in 1988 when I was flying my 1946 Commonwealth Skyranger from St Pete to Dallas and stopped at a small airport in Delhi, Louisiana because the clouds were getting low. A local saw me land and drove over to the airport (which probably saw about three landings a month) to ask what kind of airplane that was. We yakked some and he invited me to Sunday dinner at his home, with about 25 of his family. They were having turkey for dinner, and the turkey they were having had grown up in one of their fields. Wonderful! The clouds lifted a bit after dinner, he took me back to the airport, and I flew on to Monroe where I spent the night.

Airplanes (little ones anyway) are at least as much fun as RVs, even though (or maybe because) I had no GPS and navigated by looking out the window.

I miss my old Commonwealth. It was so slow, controllers sometimes thought I was a helicopter.

N3LYT
08-31-2014, 04:44 PM
Yep I Fly Roads!

Radio
09-05-2014, 03:58 PM
After considering all the advice here and in a bunch of online reviews... I have come to a decision.

I just picked up a Garmin nuvi 65LMT.

Decided that the RV specific GPS was too expensive and didn't see too many positive online reviews about them. Average price at $350 and upward to near $500... That's too much; paid $179 for the Garmin at Target.

I figure I can load my own waypoints as per Andy's and others suggestions. I usually like to plan my routes for long trips on the laptop and this allows me to do that. I'll just have to research low bridges and bad roads ahead of time on my own.

The 6 in. screen is just right, 5 in too small for my eyes and 7 in takes up too much window.

And it has free lifetime map updates and real time traffic avoidance. No cell phone required. Be advised updating maps takes about an hour :whistle: There are software upgrades (patches) that are free too. Nice to be able to get fixes as needed.

It will go for a test drive tomorrow. More later.

electricflyer
09-05-2014, 08:21 PM
Here you go Radio:http://www.poi-factory.com

wa8yxm
09-06-2014, 08:09 AM
The RV-GPS has not played well in reviews from assorted RV forums, enough so that I decided to avoid it.. Thus I can not give you a personal opinion.

This I do know, several years ago one of the Gearhead mags (GPS perhaps) did a comparison of 3 major GPS units

A top end Garmin
A top end Magellin
A top end TomTom

They fed all 3 three diffent start and end distanations (That is they fed all 3 the SAME three start and end points) then drove the routes

On all 3, the driver using the Garmin got there first, and he finished with "Your Destination is on the right" and turned RIGHT into the parking lot.

I forget who got there 2nd, but they had to make a left turn, as did the 3rd.

The conclusion: Garmin was 3 for 3 the winner.

So, what do I use, at least for now? Microsoft Streets and Trips of course.

Radio
09-07-2014, 07:27 PM
I was under the impression I could manipulate the maps, meaning to plan trips and routes, by accessing the software inside the GPS via the USB port from the PC.

Apparently not. Some sort of software has to be running on the laptop and I haven't figured out what software I need to load. Any clues?

I did figure out how to find and load custom POI files, I have Walmart, dollar stores, drug stores, flying j, other truck stops and a few other things.

N3LYT
09-08-2014, 08:51 AM
I have two Garmin's and there is no way to access the maps via the USB that I have found. Here is a pretty neat site for all things Garmin mobile. http://home.comcast.net/~ghayman3/garmin.gps/

Radio
09-08-2014, 06:43 PM
I have two Garmin's and there is no way to access the maps via the USB that I have found. Here is a pretty neat site for all things Garmin mobile. http://home.comcast.net/~ghayman3/garmin.gps/

Correct. You must use some sort of Garmin specific mapping software to plan your route, then transfer the waypoint data into the GPS. Still working on figuring that out. :whistle:

Life is happening at a quickening pace. Time for new toys is limited. I'll figure it out as I have time.

N3LYT
09-08-2014, 06:54 PM
Correct. You must use some sort of Garmin specific mapping software to plan your route, then transfer the waypoint data into the GPS. Still working on figuring that out. :whistle:

Life is happening at a quickening pace. Time for new toys is limited. I'll figure it out as I have time.

I believe there is a way to incorporate google maps.

Bill Baxter
03-24-2022, 12:38 PM
I didn't realize that we were so inconsiderate of little person living inside that small black box. They work hard trying to get us on the best quickest route. And then we don't comply. We have the audacity to think our route selection is better. I just wait them out. Eventually my way is shorter and they cheerfully adopt the new route. Of course I have to listen to the upturn instructions, but my way is still better.

Bill