Quote:
Originally Posted by wa8yxm
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.
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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.