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Old 08-21-2007, 05:11 AM   #21
richfaa
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: North Ridgeville
Posts: 20,229
M.O.C. #2839
We use a Garman system similar to Pete Hanson and it works well.They all have their positives and negatives. I think ours is the GPS-18. Wish we could find one that would warn of low branches or when rush hour in a city is . We can select that we are a "truck" and it keeps us on major roads and away from low bridges. We find that using Lat and long for plotting the course is way more accurate than using a address.
 
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Old 08-21-2007, 05:40 AM   #22
sreigle
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Location: Oceanside
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In my opinion, which GPS model depends mostly on what you want to do with it and how you want to use it. Which brand is a separate issue. I found the Garmin to be superior to other brands in quickness of reaction and in intellingence. This is just my opinion and not everyone will agree. I also found Garmin's customer service to be superb. And quick, even when by email. I had a lot of questions and apologized for having so many. The response was "if you don't ask questions, I don't have a job." I made a suggestion. They asked if I have any more suggestions and encouraged me to send to them any I think of.

I tried several brands and several models within them. Some are basic models where you tell it where you want to go and then you follow its route. That's fine for many folks but doesn't suit me. I want to be able to tell it to take me on this particular road and then that particular road even though those are not the quickest or shortest. I want to plan several routes and load them all into the gps so I can select them at will or when ready for that leg of our trip. I want to be able to do all this on a laptop and then upload multiple routes and multiple waypoints to the gps directly from the laptop.

The model I found that does all this and does it very well is the Garmin 2720. That model is now superceded by, I believe, the 2820. Garmin lists it at something around $1200 but I bought it online at pc connections for $499. Someone reported buying this model on ebay for less than that. I have been using this gps since January and am still very pleased with it. Prior to that I used a gps tub with a laptop mounted in the truck. It also did a good job but I like having the portable directly in front of me on the dash. The 2720 will hold 2500 waypoints and 50 routes at one time. When we finish a route I delete it and its waypoints. I currently am loading waypoints for sightseeing trips at our next destination.

The 2720 would not work for geocaching or any use as a handheld unit. It has no battery. It runs off 12v or the 110v adapter. It has persistent memory so it remembers everything loaded to it. It even picks up where you left off if you are navigating a route and shut it off for some reason. But it won't work as a handheld.

There are many good gps units out there but which is best for you depends entirely upon what you want to do with it.
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Old 08-21-2007, 08:42 AM   #23
Dave e Victoria
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Location: Glendale
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M.O.C. #635
I had a Garmin 2610 and really loved it. But, I tended to leave it on the dash even when shut down and i suspect the heat got it. The touch screen feature failed first and then it quit altogether just before we left our stick house for the summer.

Getting back to just paper maps actually worked pretty well and kept "eyes out rather than in". Actually, the feature I missed most was the ability to see rest stops up ahead on the interstate.

I'm ready to buy again -it will mostlikely be a Garmin - but plan to wait through the winter season when we stay mostly close to home base and spring for a new model before we leave next year.

As to things I would like to see in a GPS a biggie for me would be the contents of the book "Next Exit" organized in a way to alert to preprogrammed preferences like "Diesel" or "Costco" or "Culvers". I'd like to be alerted when my requests were showing up in some selected guard distance like 5 miles. Think I will call Garmin like Steve suggested.
Dave
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Old 08-22-2007, 06:31 AM   #24
VanMan
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I recently bought a Garmin Nuvi 350. It does not have the latest maps but Garmin told me they will start shipping upgrade CDs the end of Aug. (no charge). It has the ability to load POIs (Points of Interest) and set up the alerts when you are within a certain distance. There are downloadable POI files which individuals have posted - things like Super WalMarts in California, Rest Areas in VA, Lighthouses, etc. There are even walking tours with audio that can be downloaded - get withing 20 ft. of a building and it will tell you the historical features. I haven't loaded any yet because I think the map upgrade will wipe out any personal POIs. The 350 also allows a memory card up to 2 gigs, so I may just try the POIs that way. It plays mp3s, downloadable e-books, and displays photos. I'm now like Brad - I LOVE my nuvi!!
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