GPS

[Keith Oliver]

I bought a Rand McNally GPS: RVND 7710 from a member here just over a year ago.  It recently failed, as I can't get it to turn on.  I have replaced it.  RM says they can fix it, out of warranty, for $90.  I don't need 2, so this one is FREE to anyone who wants to gamble $90 on a repair (plus shipping from here (Coquitlam BC) to you).  It will go to the local recycling facility next week if there are no takers.

[Jeff Watt]

As a sidebar to Keith, I bought the 7710 in late 2011. Worked well but started acting on me last year - not accepting a charge and also just intermittently freezing. Called RM and they suggested I shouldn't use the inverter (huh); didn't address the freezing issue. Said they could probably remotely do some patch through my laptop - not keen on them accessing it through my laptop. I have done all the updates - sometimes I think that hasn't helped. Of course I never bothered once I was home to do anything after it was working haphazardly on the way home in April. Now on my current trip it froze 5 times today from Bismarck to Sturgis.

I guess the point of my ranting is after today I am ready to replace it! But with what?. Do I go for another RM (newer version) or something else.

Keith what did you get?

Jeff

[Dennis Crawford]

Jeff,

I bought the Garmin Dezl 760 and was quite pleased.  I have since sold my coach and I sold the 760 to my neighbor.  He loves it as well.

Dennis

[Keith Oliver]

Jeff

I was in too much of a hurry to get on the road to do much research, so I ended up with a Garmin Nuvi 2797LM.  This is not set up for tall vehicles, just for cars, but I haven't seen any places that my coach couldn't go that weren't adequately marked with highway signs, so I decided that feature of the  RM wasn't necessary to me.  If I was going down the east coast I might have put more emphasis on that feature.
Everything else about the  Nuvi is so much better than the RM!  I especially like the attitude of the voice when you take a route that is different from the planned route.  eg: on the RM, the voice keeps directing you to turn around and get back to the plan, until you can stop and reprogram the route.  On the Nuvi, it accepts your decision to deviate from the route and quietly recalculates, once your choice is obvious.
I put 28 hours in behind the wheel in the last 5 days, and the Nuvi gives me that information and my average moving speed, top speed, etc, none of which the RM was sharing.
Cost less than a new RM too.  I got mine on Amazon, delivered in 1 day.

[Lee Welbanks]

I have a 7720 and also the 7725, the 7720 went south one day up in Or so of course they wouldn't warranty it, so I stopped in CW in Wilsonville and bought the new 7725 and a warranty to boot. Then just out of the blue the 20's screen started working again, has worked ever since.

The problem I have with all these GPS units is they usually take you the shortest or fastest route which at times is not the best route for a big motor home pulling a car. I always Google my route the day before so I have a good idea where I want to go. This RM is supposed to route you basically just like a truck, but that is not the case sometimes. I have all the coach's info plugged into but it doesn't seem to make much difference. I do wish these things would use Google map.

But even with that said I only wish I had one of these back in the day pounding the pavement in a truck, heck we were always lost.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

I've used Garmens for many years but never leave home w/o an atlas. There is no "judgement" in a Gps.
Steve

[Lee Welbanks]

I've used Garmens for many years but never leave home w/o an atlas. There is no "judgement" in a Gps.
Steve

Yep! Atlas right behind drivers seat.

[Jeff Watt]

I bought the rand McNally road atlas (paper) a while ago and just bought their app of the same thing. The app Works pretty well on my iPad. You can pull up whatever state you want and the adjoining one is available on the map. Can zoom in enough that old eyes can read it; the copilot can then check the map without having to fumble with pages while driving.

Camping world has a sale price on the new RM gps but I might try the Garmin RV gps - if my rm gps can be reset then maybe I'll have two competing gps's which should get me somewhere

Jeff

[Jerry Emert]

I bought the rand McNally road atlas (paper) a while ago and just bought their app of the same thing. The app Works pretty well on my iPad. You can pull up whatever state you want and the adjoining one is available on the map. Can zoom in enough that old eyes can read it; the copilot can then check the map without having to fumble with pages while driving.

Camping world has a sale price on the new RM gps but I might try the Garmin RV gps - if my rm gps can be reset then maybe I'll have two competing gps's which should get me somewhere

Jeff

If you use two just silence one of them.  I tried it once and had 3 female voices telling me where to go.  One was DW of course, not a happy trip.

[Gerald Farris]

I agree with Jerry. I have driven across country with someone who uses two GPS units at the same time, and they never agree on the same path at all times. It can be very distracting to say the least. Find the one that you like and listen to it, especially if it is sitting in the copilot seat.

Gerald  

[Joel Ashley]

Reminds me of our first trip in '06, straight out of BCS to Elko, NV.  I had punched into the Garmin Nuvi 350 the niece's address in Elko and turned it on as we entered town (after dark of course).  But no, the wife has to call the niece and ask directions.  Yeah, that worked out real great!  Got on a dead end back street 3 blocks from their house, had to unhitch the toad (first time I'd actually undone that hitch setup), diesel surely disturbing adjacent homes at 10 pm.  Niece and hubby try to figure out where we are and head out like storm troopers canvassing the neighborhood to the rescue, while I scramble to beat them to it to avoid any embarassment as a greenhorn diesel driver.

Nope, too late.  They found us as I was trying to back across a dip in a side street I used to attempt a turnaround.  Another first:  I now discover how low-slung this particular model of Beaver is in the back, scraping out a nice furrow in the asphalt with my hitch, and scratching nice patterns in the shiny chrome mudflap.  Hey, I know.  Somewhere on this panel I was advised during the walk-through that there was a button for raising the coach.  That'll work!  Nope - it won't raise high enough (later in 2007 we find out that when in Raise Mode, limiting straps in the back on our short Monterey actually can cause the hitch to angle down and end up lower than than in Travel Mode!).  

Nephew-in-law trying to get me to back across the dip at a stronger angle - but ignoramous me just wanted the embarassment over with, and kept plowing back until no further scraping sound was evident   .  Hey, at least he was impressed with how tough the hitch was, and my discriminating taste in motor homes.  My greenhorn diesel skills... maybe not so much :X.  It was no doubt the evening's grand entertainment for the neighbors.

But I wouldn't have gotten in that pickle if one lady wasn't telling another where I should go, the second lady not understanding what the first was trying to say, the first lady unsure where we were at because the second didn't really know, the second lady yelling said misinformation at a tired, discombobulated driver, and the third (much more self-controlled) lady inside the Nuvi incessantly "Recalculating" with every wrong turn.  

Shoulda just listened to the Nuvi lady   .

Joel

[Jerry Emert]

Reminds me of our first trip in '06, straight out of BCS to Elko, NV.  I had punched into the Garmin Nuvi 350 the niece's address in Elko and turned it on as we entered town (after dark of course).  But no, the wife has to call the niece and ask directions.  Yeah, that worked out real great!  Got on a dead end back street 3 blocks from their house, had to unhitch the toad (first time I'd actually undone that hitch setup), diesel surely disturbing adjacent homes at 10 pm.  Niece and hubby try to figure out where we are and head out like storm troopers canvassing the neighborhood to the rescue, while I scramble to beat them to it to avoid any embarassment as a greenhorn diesel driver.

Nope, too late.  They found us as I was trying to back across a dip in a side street I used to attempt a turnaround.  Another first:  I now discover how low-slung this particular model of Beaver is in the back, scraping out a nice furrow in the asphalt with my hitch, and scratching nice patterns in the shiny chrome mudflap.  Hey, I know.  Somewhere on this panel I was advised during the walk-through that there was a button for raising the coach.  That'll work!  Nope - it won't raise high enough (later in 2007 we find out that when in Raise Mode, limiting straps in the back on our short Monterey actually can cause the hitch to angle down and end up lower than than in Travel Mode!).  

Nephew-in-law trying to get me to back across the dip at a stronger angle - but ignoramous me just wanted the embarassment over with, and kept plowing back until no further scraping sound was evident   .  Hey, at least he was impressed with how tough the hitch was, and my discriminating taste in motor homes.  My greenhorn diesel skills... maybe not so much :X.  It was no doubt the evening's grand entertainment for the neighbors.

But I wouldn't have gotten in that pickle if one lady wasn't telling another where I should go, the second lady not understanding what the first was trying to say, the first lady unsure where we were at because the second didn't really know, the second lady yelling said misinformation at a tired, discombobulated driver, and the third (much more self-controlled) lady inside the Nuvi incessantly "Recalculating" with every wrong turn.  

Shoulda just listened to the Nuvi lady   .

Joel

I agree Joel about the Nuvi but "she who must be listened to" has been a police officer for 30 years.  

[David T. Richelderfer]

Police officers understand rank and file as well as the military does.  Always follow the captain's orders.  The first mate (DW) is a high rank, and I am sure has many endearing qualities, but does not rank as high as the captain.

[Lee Welbanks]

Like I said before I always try and check with Google map on the route I want to take. Smart phones are great until you get somewhere 10 miles from the middle of nowhere and no signal, there are such spots up on the Navajo nation so that's when you drag out the old school atlas.
I have found out that there are alot of people that don't know how to read a map and that is just sad.

[Jeff Watt]

You are right Lee about phones and you don 't have to be in the middle of nowhere. My Canadian phone uses AT&T and here in Sturgis it kind of works BUT I watch use do to extraordinary charges. Because of these potential  high costs I bought a US Phone (Virgin) in S. Texas last winter but doesn't have service here.

The rand McNally map app available Does Not require cell or wifi signal to work - the maps are downloaded onto the device.

I should have listened to the DW yesterday  when I missed the turn into the Rv park she tells me after that she wanted to turn left but I said no - too bad I didn't listen as I had to drive all the way through town, through multitudes of Mustangs & bikes and then turn around; a lot more of a pain in the a## as downtown Sturgis isn't Real coach/toad friendly.

Jeff