Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: APDrone on May 22, 2009, 10:46:41 AM
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Since they release new GPS units about as often as tennis shoes, would anybody care to share their experiences and/or recommendations with GPS units out there?
Favorites?
Any makers to avoid?
Features?
This is not a question of need. It is want.
Usage will probably be sporadic.. maybe a couple road trips a year.. and who knows what else they can be used for.
I suspect some features are like an automatic ice maker.. you don't really know how well you'll like it until you have one.
Thoughts?
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Drone,
Try the iphone or some such phone if you need (want) a new phone too. However, I am sure that most dedicated GPS devices will have much more features. My iphone is based on Google earth which is nice. I'm not sure if you can can get voice directions yet. Maybe though. I'll have to check into it.
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You're talking about a car-based GPS, not a handheld right?
I use the google maps program for blackberry (which has GPS built in). Love it, will never have a phone without it again. It's always on you, no matter who's car you're in or who you're traveling with.
My girlfriend has a tom-tom, and my blackberry came with navigation software with a moving map display etc and they're basically the same. I dislike the moving map displays because they seem to always show the wrong level of zoom... I like to know what's coming ahead, not all of a sudden get a "turn left ahead" message in heavy traffic when I have to cut across 4 lanes. Google maps lets me do that by giving more control over the zoom level, and also lets me quickly plot detours (with my brain, not a stupid computer that gets all screwed up if you deviate from its plan).
Google maps is the way to go; those car thingies are too dumbed down for me.
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I bought a garmin for my old man a year or so ago. He likes it - easy to use. I found a sweet deal on a garmin 755t over the holidays and picked it up. You'd be surprised how helpful they are. I'd get one with traffic updates though - it's almost a necessity in the DFW area. :)
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Drone,
Try the iphone or some such phone if you need (want) a new phone too. However, I am sure that most dedicated GPS devices will have much more features. My iphone is based on Google earth which is nice. I'm not sure if you can can get voice directions yet. Maybe though. I'll have to check into it.
My Memoir has a fairly large screen, gives voice directions, hilites the transitions, shows what next transition will be (right, left), reroutes if you miss a turn... checks traffic. I can either type in the address or do it verbally. Other things the Memoir does is internet and weather. It also a a touch screen QWERTY keyboard. It has a 8mp camera and you can upload directly to your favorite picture site like photobucket. You can check your email and ohhhh it's a phone. :rofl
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Thanks guys.. but a new phone is not an option. I have Verizon ( ack..ptui..hissss ) and their fees would probably run me enough to buy 2 new GPS units a year. If their coverage wasn't the best, I'd drop them in a heartbeat.. But that's a rant for a different thread...
I've been looking at Garmin.. that seems to be generally recommended. I don't need another MP3 player, and I don't think the monthly fees for movie listings is necessary.
Still digging though..
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Hard to go wrong with Garmin or Magellan for that matter.
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Since they release new GPS units about as often as tennis shoes, would anybody care to share their experiences and/or recommendations with GPS units out there?
Favorites?
Any makers to avoid?
Features?
This is not a question of need. It is want.
Usage will probably be sporadic.. maybe a couple road trips a year.. and who knows what else they can be used for.
I suspect some features are like an automatic ice maker.. you don't really know how well you'll like it until you have one.
Thoughts?
Garmin are pretty good. I have had different brands, and they are ok. But, irrelevant of the brand, buy cheap. All GPS come with errors that cost to correct. After a year, changes in the road will make the problem even worst. And upgrading the maps cost as much as buys a new top of the line GPS. Now, I live in Europe, and the changes in roads might be more common here than where you are at.
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Here most maps are updated on the fly.
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Here most maps are updated on the fly.
Yeah, provided you are willing to pay for the service.
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I just read under a google search that voice directions will be coming to iPhone. Not sure when though.
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I purchased the Garmin 255W. I would recommend a wide screen (4.3" or bigger) and definitely the text to speech feature. IMHO, anything else is a lot of bells and whistles that aren't really needed.
Obie
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+1 Garmin
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I have a Garmin 670 and so do 3 other people I know that bought the same model after I purchased mine (basically they saw mine and were quite impressed). They discontinued the 670 and its siblings, but the 7xx series or the 2xx series are quite nice yet.
+2 Garmin
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Go look for a Garmin 205W. It's the basic navigation unit with a wide screen with no bells or whistles. I got one for $50.00 at Sam's Club last October. It has the 12 volt power cable, windshield mount, a small instruction book and that's it. It does have the navigation software and voice prompts but none of the MP3 crap or other "options" that you don't need for just road navigation.
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You can't go wrong with the Nuvi 255.
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You can't go wrong with the Nuvi 255.
That is the one I have, the 255W. I never thought I would use one much but have been surprised how often it helps me out.
Word
Mark
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Yeah, provided you are willing to pay for the service.
$9.99 a month.....
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Garmin x 10000000000000000000000000000 000...
I have the Nuvi
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Iv'e driven the new Honda Hybrids with built in GPS. Some back roads around here dont show. Guess I'm driving in bum f!@$ nowhere now. :D I'll check make and brand this weekend.
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After 2 days of research, I settled on the Garmin Nuvi 265WT (from amazon or newegg, approx the same price. I paid $218ish).
The higher number garmins seem to have slightly more/better features, but the 265WT has a few great features that the "better" garmins either lacked or offered only for an additional fee.
1. Widescreen. Better than square.
2. Decent price.
3. Free traffic with built-in receiver, at the cost of occasional "unobtrusive" text-only advertisements.
4. Bluetooth capable so you can use its mic/speaker as a hands-free cellphone speakerphone.
My brand new car did not have the option of a nav system (except for fairly expensive onstar which I don't like anyhow) and I got the 2009 model instead of the mid-year 2009.5 update, so I didn't get bluetooth either. So the combination of a decent nav device, bluetooth, free traffic, etc. made up my mind for me.
Consumer reports liked it too, rating it very high in overall "value", given it's price and feature mix. Some people HATE the garmin map updating scheme (you get to update the thing within a year of purchase, must pay for further map updates, and the map updates are proprietary and not as up to date as some other systems) but I figure "good enough" will be good enough and if I'm going someplace not in the gps map database I can always use google maps or something before leaving my house, and print terminal-area directions to find my exact destination anyhow.
So that's what I just bought... I'll find out if I like it when it shows up :)
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Thanks a whole bunch, guys! :aok
I really appreciate the input.
Now to haul the Mrs. down to buy my birthday present.. :devil
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Thanks a whole bunch, guys! :aok
I really appreciate the input.
Now to haul the Mrs. down to buy my birthday present.. :devil
Happy B'day!!
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That is the one I have, the 255W. I never thought I would use one much but have been surprised how often it helps me out.
Word
Mark
I have the 500, it can be used for hiking as well...geocaching....provides GREAT 3d maps of surrounding territory :aok
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I have the 500, it can be used for hiking as well...geocaching....provides GREAT 3d maps of surrounding territory :aok
Off topic. You hike BJ? if so where? Love hiking.
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Happy B-Day
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Off topic. You hike BJ? if so where? Love hiking.
I live in SW VA near Roanoke, TONS of places to go around here (Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian Trail...) Wife got the the 500 for Christmas so we stomping about and hunt down the little geo-cache thingies, makes her quite happy (ok, it IS somewhat fun :))
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My curiosity is up Drone, If your age was an exponent what would it be? Mine for instance is 7.41619882 :D
Or 3.80295253 I think I best get to sanding doors again. :lol
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My curiosity is up Drone, If your age was an exponent what would it be? Mine for instance is 7.41619882 :D
I'm afraid my age was never a ponent, therefore, the determination of the x-ponent is, indeed, impossible.
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I live in SW VA near Roanoke, TONS of places to go around here (Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian Trail...) Wife got the the 500 for Christmas so we stomping about and hunt down the little geo-cache thingies, makes her quite happy (ok, it IS somewhat fun :))
Yeah shenandoah mountains are a nice place.
Happy Bday APDRONE
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The only one I tried (for driving navigation) was Magellan, but it was not that nice IMHO.
I studied a lot of gps equipment since I wanted to pool up for my wife's birthday (she likes mountain trekking) and always came up with all recommendations for Garmin.
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Nuvi 255 is on sale at Radioshack today and tomorrow for $180.
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Nuvi 255 is on sale at Radioshack today and tomorrow for $180.
255W went on sale for 180 at Best Buy today... $229 for dual car package ( extra cig adaptor, case, and dashboard mat mount )
got to use some reward zone bucks too..
Wife got off cheap, so I made her take me to Famous Dave's for lunch. New toy, ribs, and brisquit.. A good day, indeed.
Thanks again for all the info, guys!
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:aok You wont be disappointed! Buy a hard case for when it's not in use and DON'T leave it in the car. GPS units are the hottest things to steal lately.
Obie
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Enjoy!
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UPDATE..
Ok.. field test with the Nuvi 255W.
Um.. 'Simply Outstanding' is a good way to describe it.
Have spent the last 4 days in San Jose/San Francisco/ Santa Cruz area. This toy has been a godsend. Bring up the destination ( Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge, Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Airport, Hotel.. etc ) and hit 'go'. It does an excellent job getting you there.
Bonus discovery.. it has 'Pedestrian' and 'cyclist' modes to use in addition to automobile.. Soo... when you park in the public parking area, you save the location you are at, then at the end of the day, you can set it as a destination and 'go' to where you parked. You did take the GPS with you when you locked your car.. right?
Find the nearest gas station, Target ( very helpful when you need something that simply isn't covered by 'convenience' stores), restaurants..
I'm hooked. Especially the text to voice feature. Having it give you the name of the street you're looking to turn on really helps.. and some of the pronunciations provide some entertainment for the passengers.
Yes.. you can go to google and print off this stuff.. but.. really.. why bother? Especially finding where you parked..
Anyway, if there's anybody out there looking for a really useful gadget, I'd recommend this thing in a heartbeat.
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UPDATE..
Ok.. field test with the Nuvi 255W.
Um.. 'Simply Outstanding' is a good way to describe it.
Have spent the last 4 days in San Jose/San Francisco/ Santa Cruz area. This toy has been a godsend. Bring up the destination ( Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge, Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Airport, Hotel.. etc ) and hit 'go'. It does an excellent job getting you there.
Bonus discovery.. it has 'Pedestrian' and 'cyclist' modes to use in addition to automobile.. Soo... when you park in the public parking area, you save the location you are at, then at the end of the day, you can set it as a destination and 'go' to where you parked. You did take the GPS with you when you locked your car.. right?
Find the nearest gas station, Target ( very helpful when you need something that simply isn't covered by 'convenience' stores), restaurants..
I'm hooked. Especially the text to voice feature. Having it give you the name of the street you're looking to turn on really helps.. and some of the pronunciations provide some entertainment for the passengers.
Yes.. you can go to google and print off this stuff.. but.. really.. why bother? Especially finding where you parked..
Anyway, if there's anybody out there looking for a really useful gadget, I'd recommend this thing in a heartbeat.
Most excellent!
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The nuvi 255 (w) is probably the best value in GPS today; all the features you want, yet not too many you won't (you pay for those too). If anyone, young or old, were looking at a first GPS unit, this is the one I would (and do) recommend.
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Glad to hear that your satisfied with your new toy. You can also download new icons from the website (I've got the Spitfire).
Another bit of advice is to be sure to lock it in the center console (or take it with you) when you leave the vehicle. GPS units are the hottest items for theifs lately. I would also recommend getting a hard case for it when its not in use. You can find them pretty cheap on Ebay (15 to 20 bucks).
Obie
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Still the best GPS out there
Needs no batteries. But intelligence is required.
(http://www.eylerz.net/science/scienceblog/wp-content/uploads/compass-parts.jpg)
(http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/histcountymaps/ga1952map2.jpg)
(http://www.psy.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/sun.jpg)
Electronic GPS is for spit drivers, little girls, And the occasional cruise missile.
;)
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Yep yep yep, GPS units triple our driving enjoyment. We use the Garmin Nuvi 350 handheld and the optional GPS in our Verizon wireless phone. Garmin is more reliable in remoter areas because the Verizon apparently uses land-based relay towers.
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Still the best GPS out there
Needs no batteries. But intelligence is required.
(http://www.eylerz.net/science/scienceblog/wp-content/uploads/compass-parts.jpg)
(http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/histcountymaps/ga1952map2.jpg)
(http://www.psy.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/sun.jpg)
Electronic GPS is for spit drivers, little girls, And the occasional cruise missile.
;)
That compass will not tell you the phone numbers of all the restaurants within a fifty mile radius of you current location.
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My garmin 265WT is pretty nice. It comes with "free" traffic advisories (small text ads pop up from time to time when looking at traffic overlays) and the thing works pretty well overall. Bluetooth too, so I can use it as a hands-free cellphone speakerphone since my new car didn't come with bluetooth. I think the 265WT is at a pretty decent price point too... It's the cheapest of the widescreen format traffic-enabled devices, and it seems to have great reviews online. It's not as nice or as easy to use as the built-in OEM honda GPS in my wife's civic, but it's pretty good overall.
The only thing I don't like about it is that the distance to go countdown isn't displayed on the main map. You get current speed and arrival time, but no distance to go unless you go to the trip computer/log display. I'm not very concerned with current GPS speed (I have a speedometer and it works...) so I wish they had put dist to go in that spot instead.
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Still the best GPS out there
Needs no batteries. But intelligence is required.
(http://www.eylerz.net/science/scienceblog/wp-content/uploads/compass-parts.jpg)
(http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/histcountymaps/ga1952map2.jpg)
(http://www.psy.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/sun.jpg)
Electronic GPS is for spit drivers, little girls, And the occasional cruise missile.
;)
Hmmm...does YOUR contraption tell you where the nearest Hardees is, or tell altitudes or show topo map layout for hiking? My 500 does!
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That compass will not tell you the phone numbers of all the restaurants within a fifty mile radius of you current location.
Hmmm...does YOUR contraption tell you where the nearest Hardees is, or tell altitudes or show topo map layout for hiking? My 500 does!
Dont need or want em.
Never in my life have I had a problem finding a decent place to eat whenever I wanted one without seeking the assistance of a sissy box.
No need for one now.
Drive past a place. If it looks interesting. Stop and eat there. I dont see the great difficulty.
Besides. They ruin the exploration and adventure factor.
Most of the best places and most fun I've ever had was in the things I unexpectedly found or never planned for.
You people have entirely too much structure in your lives.
You've become as pre programed as the gadgets your enslaved and addicted to.
Worse yet is your doing it to your kids as well. Where every spare moment is planned out almost to the last detail.
Travel in the spirit of Lewis and Clark,Juan Bautista de Anza,John and Sebastian Cabot,Marco Polo ,Coronado and Cortes!
Turn them off or throw them away! Away I say!!
And learn to live life as it was meant to be lived!
:)
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Travel in the spirit of Lewis and Clark,Juan Bautista de Anza,John and Sebastian Cabot,Marco Polo ,Coronado and Cortes!
Turn them off or throw them away! Away I say!!
And learn to live life as it was meant to be lived!
:)
The great adventurers didn't have to contend with one-way streets, no u-turns, toll-booths, tail-gaters, highway patrols, and road construction.
Get rid of those, then the toys can go away.
Go back to admiring your salsa dancer.. :rofl
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Dont need or want em.
Never in my life have I had a problem finding a decent place to eat whenever I wanted one without seeking the assistance of a sissy box.
No need for one now.
Drive past a place. If it looks interesting. Stop and eat there. I dont see the great difficulty.
Besides. They ruin the exploration and adventure factor.
Most of the best places and most fun I've ever had was in the things I unexpectedly found or never planned for.
You people have entirely too much structure in your lives.
You've become as pre programed as the gadgets your enslaved and addicted to.
Worse yet is your doing it to your kids as well. Where every spare moment is planned out almost to the last detail.
Travel in the spirit of Lewis and Clark,Juan Bautista de Anza,John and Sebastian Cabot,Marco Polo ,Coronado and Cortes!
Turn them off or throw them away! Away I say!!
And learn to live life as it was meant to be lived!
:)
DAMNIT WHEN I'M A 100 MILES FROM HOME AND I WANT A THICKBURGER I WANT ONE NOW!
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The great adventurers didn't have to contend with one-way streets, no u-turns, toll-booths, tail-gaters, highway patrols, and road construction.
Get rid of those, then the toys can go away.
Go back to admiring your salsa dancer.. :rofl
Your right. Just the occasional hostile Indian tribe, Alligators, Poisonous snakes and cannibals.Not to mention the possiblity of being sacrificed to some peoples "Sun God" Plus,No roads, period. Hell sometimes there wasnt even a toe path to follow.
And you whine about your trivial 1 way streets and tail gaters.
;)
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We enjoy our Garmin Nuvi 750. Takes the pressure out of remembering to take that critical exit off the freeway or how to get to the hotel in a town we have never been to before.
It does not stop the adventure at all. Quite the opposite as you can deviate from the course as many times as you like and the unit will always find a path back to it. We often go, "What's over there?" and not even be concerned about getting lost.
It does not make things more structured. It makes things more fun by taking the pressure off of as you know longer have to wonder, "where the frak am I?".
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I like my Garmin Nuvi as well. :aok
Ii is great in car, but I am currently also considering a Garmin Colorado hand held for for hiking/biking etc. The more accurate terrain maps are just pretty expensive :(
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I like my Garmin Nuvi as well. :aok
Ii is great in car, but I am currently also considering a Garmin Colorado hand held for for hiking/biking etc. The more accurate terrain maps are just pretty expensive :(
I'm thinking of getting this product for VA...we do a LOT of hiking, and you can print them off your laptop gridded at 1:24000, which pretty much works
http://maptech.mytopo.com/land/terrainnavigator/index.cfm?infopg=buy....if ya dont wanna go the gps route, ya can use these:http://www.maptools.com/products/MilScale.html
The UTM thing kinda confronts me, but the folks I talk to in search/rescue, etc say that everyone uses it, save pilots and the military
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I have the Zumo 550 for use on my motorcycle. It rocks. XM Radio, weather, and traffic ready, Bluetooth, mp3 capable, left hand and glove friendly, water proof, vibration resistant, etc etc etc. But it does have a hefty $$$ tag on it.
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=135&pID=414 (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=135&pID=414)
Terror
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Dont need or want em.
Travel in the spirit of Lewis and Clark,Juan Bautista de Anza,John and Sebastian Cabot,Marco Polo ,Coronado and Cortes!
Turn them off or throw them away! Away I say!!
And learn to live life as it was meant to be lived!
:)
I could be wrong (correct me if I am) but I believe Louis and Clark used the most modern, up to date navigation devices available to the at the time of their exploration. I have no way of proving this, but I bet if they had had GPS available at the time they would have used it.