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Any Input on Stand-Alone GPS?

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  • Any Input on Stand-Alone GPS?

    Not interested in a smart phone but there are times a GPS might come in handy. Anyone have any experience? I understand that I'll have to download new info from time to time but I'm OK with that. I travel enough that I could use some guidance, especially in cities not familiar to me.

    Dan

  • #2
    I like my Garmin. If you do buy one - consider lifetime maps. Not sure traffic alerts are all that useful unless you are commuting daily. A bigger screen is nice. Mine has proven to be very helpful over the years

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    • #3
      We travel with two of them, a Rand McNally and a Garmin. The Garmin is pretty old.

      The Rand McNally seems lots more sophisticated of the two, it'll draw you a picture of an upcoming interchange on the big roads and show you which lane you should be in. You can give it a zip code and it'll take you to center city. It'll show you a choice of two routes to take, drawn on the map with times and mileage. You can tell it to avoid the freeways and drive for glorious days instead of hours to get where you want to end up. But maybe I haven't messed with it enough to know how to find a list of motels in the area.

      Then we turn on the Garmin to find a motel. Okay, THAT one, but it shows distance away in miles as the crow flies, not road miles on the menu screen. For punched-in destination the old Garmin demands a complete street address, it won't take you to a town using just the zip code.

      I don't know what all's out there on the market, but we've used our two a lot. I haven't had any luck downloading new data for the old Garmin. I think that part of it might be untrue, but that's easier to say than I just don't know how to do it.
      Charter member of the Turd Nuggets

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      • #4
        I like our Garmins (we have three) and how they work, but I cannot get them to download an update. I have used two different computers and I have the same results which are nothing.

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        • #5
          2 Garmins with lifetime maps.... Worth every penny!
          Patrick & Tammy
          - Long Haulin' 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014...Addicting isn't it...??

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          • #6
            Garmin for years. Do the lifetime reload feature. I do a reload at least once a year.

            Nick

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            • #7
              Garmin. Next question....

              that said, Magellan have some nice, desert racing option ones.... but still, buy a Garmin. Here's the why, Garmin owns their own maps, most of the rest use NavTeq. Navteq has different levels of detail at differing price levels. That means that whoever you buy from may or may not have cheaped out on the map software and until you buy the device, you never know.
              Doing it all wrong since 1966

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              • #8
                I ordered up a Tom Tom from Amazon. A friend has had one for several years and swears by it. I got the 6" screen and forever map updates. I went with it because I like the way it displays the road ahead with lots of warning about what lane to be in, etc. It'll be here Wednesday. If it's a loser or a winner I'll let y'all know.

                Dan

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by DanStokes View Post
                  I ordered up a Tom Tom from Amazon. A friend has had one for several years and swears by it. I got the 6" screen and forever map updates. I went with it because I like the way it displays the road ahead with lots of warning about what lane to be in, etc. It'll be here Wednesday. If it's a loser or a winner I'll let y'all know.

                  Dan
                  Son's ex roomie has a Tom Tom.. Set to Mr T's voice. "Turn right 200 feet, fool"
                  I guess you can get any voice you want.

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                  • #10
                    My Power Tour driving partner calls the voice GERTRUDE. He often gags her after about an hour. LOL

                    Nick

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                    • #11
                      We have Garmin's -
                      Phil / Omaha

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                      • #12
                        We have one of the newer garmins. It is only a few years old and it will show you a picture of the off ramp and how many lanes it has. Will sometimes tell me what lane to be in. Doesn't always. Will say if it is a left exit. I have update able maps and update about every 6 months or so, usually an update is there waiting.

                        I have either the 6 or 7 inch screen and it is great during the day and turns to a black background at night so it doesn't blind me. Overall I really like the garmin over some of the others friends and family have.

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                        • #13
                          I think they're all good, as good as they can be at least. I won't forget my first-ever experience with one, it was on a business trip with another guy. My car, his GPS.

                          We got lost in Columbia SC, the buildings and all the intersections so close together confused the thing. The GPS lady started saying, "Make a U-turn if Possible." She said that about five times and then she started to get pissed. Her inflection changed. She started screaming, "Turn AROUND!!!!!" I mean, she was getting MAD. HAhahahah!!!
                          Charter member of the Turd Nuggets

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