GPS FOR LAPTOP - Page 2 - Montana Owners Club

Montana_35 · 04-01-2006, 07:02 AM

I have used Delorme Street Atlas for years and love it. got started using it when I was working for a oil company and did alot of traveling on a daily basis...asked around to find out what the other guys used and their answer was always Delorme. I turn the voice directions off as they bother me while driving and also have many unneeded voice prompts. I depend on my co-pilot to tell me when a turn is coming up. Just my two cents worth on NAV software.

CountryGuy · 04-01-2006, 08:00 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Parrothead

Carol why does it surprise you that something the government did is not 100%? I agree with the above on the maps - they are much like the maps I purchased from the government for school bus routing. Not 100%.

HA HA, Sue, NO surprise.

Sad, eh??

dsprik · 04-01-2006, 08:01 AM

Co-pilots also have "many unneeded voice prompts": "You're going too fast", "slow down", "don't your brakes work???", "don't take this corner that fast", "wasn't that your turn back there?", "are you doing this just to scare me?", "are you supposed to have your cruise on when the roads are this bad?", "isn't this icy???", "what's wrong with that parking spot?", "you hit that rumble strip on purpose!", "Ok, I guess I do need to use that rest area we just passed", and the night time "coming out of a dead sleep from the passenger seat" prompt, "Are you all right???"

These are all prompts that I have been told about... Probably no volume control for that...

CountryGuy · 04-01-2006, 08:04 AM

Alright, I have a question

Since, we all pretty much agree that the maps are all from the same federal data base, anyone know how OFTEN those maps are updated?? According to Steve R., not in a while (see his numerous posts on the fact that his neighborhood is STILL not on the electronic maps.)

Or, maybe the question should be, anyone know if they EVER intend on updating them, and if so, WHEN?? (sigh)

Again, note, we are talking only the maps, NOT the software that manipulates said maps.

Parrothead · 04-01-2006, 09:52 AM

Well our house is 10 years old and it is there, however, an on ramp to the 10 off of HWY 79 has been around for about 15 years and does not show on any map.
Happy trails..........................

sreigle · 04-02-2006, 07:57 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by CRUZIN 2

Steve,the Radio Play 200 gets power from your truck 12v DC lighter socket (no batteries) and connects to your headphone jack. It has 8 preset FM stations to choose from to get the best sound, one-touch station changes button with red backlit selection indicator. It is wireless to the radio so you can turn it up as loud as wish. I hope you can understand what I said.

We really enjoyed your great pictures of your four wheeling, did Vic have a roll of TP with her?

Larry & LaVonne

Well, shucks. The truck's laptop has a broken headphone jack. Thanks for the information, though. Fortunately we can hear ours reasonably well, although the volume is at max. I assume MS will improve the volume next release. Maybe I should check for an update on their website.

Larry, we always have a roll of tp in the truck! We learned the hard way that many of our backroad excursions are lacking facilities along the way! We were very pleasantly surprised to find that holer at a very primitive and unexpected campground when we did the Shafer Trail. It just appeared out of nowhere.

Cut N Shoot - good to see you back!

JH Sechelt · 04-02-2006, 09:15 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by dsprik

Co-pilots also have "many unneeded voice prompts": "You're going too fast", "slow down", "don't your brakes work???", "don't take this corner that fast", "wasn't that your turn back there?", "are you doing this just to scare me?", "are you supposed to have your cruise on when the roads are this bad?", "isn't this icy???", "what's wrong with that parking spot?", "you hit that rumble strip on purpose!", "Ok, I guess I do need to use that rest area we just passed", and the night time "coming out of a dead sleep from the passenger seat" prompt, "Are you all right???"

These are all prompts that I have been told about... Probably no volume control for that..

Dave, You must be using the same navigation system I use.

John

Trailer Trash 2 · 04-02-2006, 11:04 AM

When I was at Costco I noticed that they are also selling the GPS thing that plugs into the computer for less than 100.00 and the 2006 S & T program is sold seperatly. Is this a good buy?

CountryGuy · 04-02-2006, 11:29 AM

Don, I thought Al purchased the GPS puck and the 2006 version of Streets and Trips together, one package, for about $120????

OntMont · 04-02-2006, 11:48 AM

I bought the combined S&T with GPS receiver for about $120 recently at Target.

Trailer Trash 2 · 04-02-2006, 12:36 PM

OK ! Target.
Costco is selling seperatly and it sounds like Costco is getting more for there's. Thanks.

TT2

sreigle · 04-02-2006, 01:07 PM

I also got them in a single package.

Carol, I missed your earlier question/comment. Our (former) neighborhood came into being in 1979. Not only are the electronic maps not showing it correctly, neither are the paper maps. It is there on both. It's just wrong as to the street layouts, which go through, which don't, etc.

I've seen the S&T combination at some Walmarts. Sometimes the DeLorme, too.

**Carl n Susan** · 04-02-2006, 01:11 PM

Fry's had (two weeks ago) the MS S&T 2006 with GPS for $79.

HomeOnTheRoad · 04-02-2006, 01:13 PM

If you buy them together then you know they work good together. The one in the package is a good one for me. No problems. Works good.

Parrothead · 04-02-2006, 01:44 PM

I ordered mine off the internet from Delorme (Earthmate.com) as a package. I think it wads $129 or there abouts. Software and puck.
Happy trails.....................

dsprik · 04-02-2006, 02:01 PM

Is this setup any good from Delorme? I've been watching it for a few months...

http://www.delorme.com/
$99

Parrothead · 04-02-2006, 02:15 PM

Dave I don't think that is the one I have. Steve may be able to help here a little. There id one of the models that plug into the laptop that uses less power than the other. I have the less power one.
Happy trails..........................

sreigle · 04-02-2006, 03:01 PM

Yes, Dave, that is a good one. The LT-20 is just a newer version of the puck that is supposed to be an upgrade from the prior version. You know, periodically they upgrade to get you to buy the latest and greatest.

Sue mentioned the one that plugs into the computer. That one plugs into a USB port and draws its power from the USB port. I have one of those. I used to have the older version that plugged into the serial port. That one had to be plugged into a 12v source, 'powerpoint' or cig lighter. The one in this ad plugs into a USB port. That's the best price I've seen for that combination.

DeLorme Street Atlas or Microsoft Streets & Trips? Both are good. I have the 2005 version of Delorme and the 2006 version of Microsoft's. The following is purely my opinion. I used SA for years and have been using S&T the past few months.

In my opinion - SA is more powerful and allows things such as drawing in roads that do not exist in the map. They can be marked routable. There were, possibly still are, some restrictions about connecting to a limited access road, though. S&T has a cleaner interface and is easier to learn. SA has more businesses in it than S&T. S&T has more campgrounds. SA has more road anomalies than S&T. At least from what I have seen. By that I mean more places it won't connect two roads for routing purposes.

They're both good in my estimation.

dsprik · 04-02-2006, 03:52 PM

Do you feel that you really need both, Steve? Seems like several people do have both. I had SA mapping (non-gps setup) for several years and I really got used to that program. I would like to stay with it if possible. That LT-20 Earthmate - is that an exceptionally superior receiver? Or just more expensive?

sreigle · 04-03-2006, 05:41 AM

No, I don't really NEED both. I've used DeLorme for years, mostly because it had the voice prompts. Vicki is a bit map-challenged so I need those prompts to clue me a turn is coming up. But I liked the interface and easier routing in S&T. So when the 2006 version of S&T came out with voice prompts I bought it. But I still have the 2005 version of SA. So that's why I have both. I'll probably not update the Delorme package unless they come out with something that makes me switch back.

The LT-20 is actually pretty cheap when you consider you also get the mapping software at that price. I don't know if it's superior to anything else but I can say that the DeLorme pucks we have used have been outstanding at holding on to signals. Very rarely have we lost the signal, even with many overhead trees and on narrow twisty mountain roads. Long tunnels will cause a loss of signal but it picks it up within seconds of exiting the tunnel. Same for the Microsoft puck. I have a NavMan puck around here, too, and it's not nearly as good.

One thing that continues to amaze me. There have been times I wanted to mark our exact location so I've connected the puck to laptop while sitting in this chair in our Montana. The puck was sitting on an end table, a couple of feet from a window. And it found enough satellites to give me elevation as well as location! I've done that with both the DeLorme and the Microsoft pucks. Cruzin2 was in here when I did that with the laptop sitting on the table and the puck by that skinny 3295RK window.

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