GPS screws me again

[adamdegraff]

Anybody here sick and tired of their GPS? Or is it just me? I have a late model Garmin GPS 680. Software is up to date. Lately, I have been using it in my car around my home area and I have found that MOST of the time, it takes me the wrong way. By wrong, I mean that it takes me down small, obscure side streets, always taking longer, often increasing the complexity of the drive. It regularly takes me on roads that I could not get my bus down. It frequently takes me to abandoned buildings... such as the time we were near Memphis and it took me to what it thought was a Target Store.... ended up at some unrelated office building. Never was there a Target at that location.

When I am in a place that I don't know, I go where it tells me to go. Through experimentation in my home area, I realize that this little gizmo has no f***en idea what the heck it is doing. The other day I wanted to go to a Starbucks. It took me off the highway, down 3 different busy side streets and dropped me right at the starbucks front door... which, coincidental, was right off the next highway exit with easy access in all directions. What's the deal.

Anybody have a model or brand of GPS that they are happy with? Or should I just get a really good paper map and use my wireless internet to figure out where I want to go. I have "The Next Exit" and am in the market for a good paper map of the US.

Thanks for any advice.

~Adam

[Jerry Winchester]

Adam,

Yep you are right, GPS can hose you faster than a map on many occasions. But I rarely rely on it solely to get around and I hardly ever use the database directions to "Locations of Interest". Most generally, the problem is that I assumed an incorrect address or misspelled something.

I have also had two GPSs tell me to go in two different directions. Both ended up being right, it was just a judgement call and they didn't agree. And yes, they were from the same manufacturer.

I tell folks from out of town (mostly people from out of the country) to not get the "Never Lost" function when they rent a car because they rely on it and never learn their way around town. And they always do it and then try to find my house with it and end up making a 20 minute drive in about an hour. It never fails.

But there are great uses for a GPS if properly rigged up. I really don't know my way around downtown Houston. I only go there when something bad is happening (trip to the lawyer's office or an a$$ eating from a customer), so I mostly block it all out. But I use the GPS to sort out getting out of downtown all the time because there are lots of one way streets and only a few ramps to the interstate. It works real well and because the map is good and the screen is large, I can always use it as a map, so I just default back to dead reckoning.

[phorner]

I agree. I also have a late model Garmin with up dated software and 2008 maps (the 2009 maps have recently become available) and I've found that there can be the occasional hiccup.

Mine has done the job roughly 95% of the time, and it's a tool I've generally learned to trust.

Just make sure that you have the parameters programmed that you want to use ie: truck or bus, avoidance of minor streets, faster time instead of shorter distance, etc.

I have found recently that the satellite signal drops out every so often, so a map is always handy. I just have to make sure the bus is headed due north if Janice is reading it :D

[Ray Davis]

I have a Garmin Street Pilot 2720 which has served me very well for several years.

I have actually found the internal database to be quite good, and use it quite a lot.

Is it perfect, no. In fact I've found when some areas it is worse than others. In the Southern CA area, it does pretty good, but we have a lot of freeways, and most places will take you freeway, and minimum turns beyond that.

In areas where there aren't as many, they I've found it to be a little less accurate.

GPS directions should always be tempered, if possible, by looking at a map. I don't know if any of the units successfully have a way of routing specfically for a bus or RV.

I've been happy with my Garmin, while my friends Magellen sucked (main user interface issues). As you might guess, routing decisions are not trivial. What's obvious to a human is not at all obvious to a program looking at hundreds of streets possible in getting someone from point a to point b. I don't know for sure, but I would assume that the primary information available within the routing software is just the street name, and perhaps posted speed limit, and whether a road is major or minor. My unit seems to know that much. But, it probably doesn't know much between varying grades of major and minor, nor does it probably have any info about how "skinny" a road might be. Some units I believe have access to underpass information, and might route depending upon height restrictions.

Programming-wise it's an incredible task, and the units do "pretty well" considering.

Ray

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Here's an about face from the Neanderthall POG member.

Yes the GPS screws up, with or without a current database. It fails to know the best route sometimes, it fails to recognize common sense routing sometimes and there are occasions that mine, despite being set up for a large vehicle, will try to send me in places I would never take the bus.

The strength is that it is right more often than not. I have mine set up so I know the distance to my destination which helps me gauge how long I want to drive or how hard to push. It shows my speed which I think on the whole is more accurate than the Pro Driver or the speedometer. I like seeing the weather ahead, and when there are many lanes of traffic and exits from the interstate going both left and right it gives me a heads up.

But if you really want to be prepared, sign up for AAA and go get every city map they have. It will fill a large drawer, but those maps are so detailed they are a great supplement to any GPS.

[wrongagain]

I have just the thing for you,...
If you dont mind setting a laptop on the dash the "copilot truck" series of gps software is the best.
It is based on "pc miler" truck routing software.
It has all the nifty features my car gps has, garmin nuvi 770.
This copilot software all but grabs you by the throat if you try to anything remotely stupid.
They have an RV version but I wanted the hardcore truck version.
When I set it up I chose to make it think I am a rig pulling a 53 ft trailer.
Never even came close to putting me anywhere that the bus wont fit.
Try it you'll like it.
Cheap money at $299.00

[adamdegraff]

Ed, thanks for the suggestion. I might just look into that.
Adam

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Ed, thanks for the suggestion. I might just look into that.
Adam

Adam, Peg and I have been using Copilot ( Auto Version Not Big Rig Truck ) for the last 4 years on our laptop, and it has worked fairly well, but the Auto version has it's bad moments too. http://www.alk.com

I think everyone would agree here, "You better have a pretty good idea of where your going, and Do Not BLIND Trust any GPS System. It might get you into a world of hurt, in a big rig."

I now have an Alpine Blackbird PMD-B200 Navigation system http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/products/product.php?model=PMD-B200
that installs in both my Hummer and is portable to take to the Bus. Works good, SO FAR. Another Option

Gary S.

[BUSTER]

Adam,

I am certain you configured the GPS for bus and most freeways rather than shorter distance...and car or motorcycle...I have a Garmin like Ray's and it has been helpful in the bus....good luck

[dalej]

Adam,

I use a Garmin 276c. When I hit menu twice that will take me into Setup, from there I move to Road routing, then select Calculate routes for, then choose Bus, it's default setting is Car/motorcycle

It also has a custom road prefs. which I can choose to change my prefs. by moving the sliders toward the major road and medium roads but avoid minor roads.

Try looking around a little in the setup menu, there is a lot in there.

Good luck!

[Darl-Wilson]

Adam,

I use a Garmin 276c. When I hit menu twice that will take me into Setup, from there I move to Road routing, then select Calculate routes for, then choose Bus, it's default setting is Car/motorcycle

It also has a custom road prefs. which I can choose to change my prefs. by moving the sliders toward the major road and medium roads but avoid minor roads.

Try looking around a little in the setup menu, there is a lot in there.

Good luck!:cool:

Adam, I am in agreement with Dale. I have a 3 yo C550 Garmin Street Pilot and it is almost flawless. I have the latest upgrade and have it set up for "Bus" and generally use the 'direct route' mode. Like most electronic equipment it needs to be setup properly. If your VCR (does anyone still own one of these antique devices?) still blinks 12:00am after 15 years then you could be electronically challenged and might need some help setting up the GPS. If that isn't the problem try Garmin's tech support. Something isn't right if you are having so many serious problems with this highly-rated product.

Good Luck (a Nevada thing)

[Jon Wehrenberg]

No wonder I use maps. My VCR really is still blinking.

[adamdegraff]

Thank you all. I will check into all of this. I think when it comes down to it, I was just expecting too much. One day, no doubt pretty soon, these things will work like we wish they did. For now, I will be thankful that it is difficult to get lost as long as it is on.

~Adam

[tdelorme]

I use the big print edition and we never get lost :)



http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i174/tdelorme1/atlas.jpg

[adamdegraff]

I use the big print edition and we never get lost :)



http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i174/tdelorme1/atlas.jpg

I can't make out the details on my computer. What is the title of this map? ISBN#? I really need something like this. Does it have notifications for low overpasses? I ran into that the other day when the GPS tried to take me under a 12 footer. OH, let me clarify... I "encountered" that. I didn't run into anything:-)

Thanks,

Adam

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Google, Motor Carrier Road Atlas.

[Jeff Bayley]

I have used Tom Tom, Garmin, Magelon and Lowarance auto version and for the laptop, Co Piolet and Microsoft Streets and Maps. The Co Piolet is supposed to be better according to most but I lost patience for it and shelved it becuase the Microsoft Streets and Maps was so intuative and easier to use. But it doesn't have the option to to tell you not to go down this road because their's a low bridge like the big rig Copilot Big Rig does.

For a car GPS, the Tom Tom is the easiest to use hands down. It automatically zooms in and then back out before and after turns. Newer GPS's have bluetooth features which will read you bluetooth engabled cell phone's address book and let you search and dial calls and it works as a speakerphone also but it might be considered safer since you have large print to see your phone book instead of hunting around on your phone while your driving. Since I am not retired and work from the road, I'm on the phone a lot working while I'm driving, although I have not gotten one of the bluetooth enable GPS's I refer to. I use the Microsoft Streets and Trips. It sits right on my dash and has never come close to falling even with no velcro or anything and you have a much larger screen than a regular GPS but if yours won't stay on your converters dahs, you could look into the getting a Jotto Desk which is similar to the brackets police cars use to hold thier computers. They sell them in various lenghts to accomadate RV'ers. The software such as Piloet or Streets and Trips gives you much more comprehensive planning ability and is more robust than a stand alone GPS and it's about $120 for the software and the sensor.

Whether you looking at a GPS or a map, I found out the hard way that when you see a road that has a truck load of winds and hair pin turns, that means your going over a mountain. So on top of the hair pin turns your turning going up or down. Go another way when you see somthing look like a line of aint's walking through a drop of whiskey.

[merle&louise]

Adam,

I use Microsoft's Streets and Trips software on my laptop and I find it very user friendly. Using the View Menu, select Map fonts and enlarge the print on the map. I have a Jotto Desk installed on my dash and my laptop's 15 inch screen provides a nice moving map with the route highlighted in green.
The GPS plugs right into the laptop and we are good to go.

I always select PREFERRED ROADS and the software routes me thru using interstates and federal (US) highways. All of this type of software should be used in conjunction with other aids to navigation (atlas, etc.) not stand alone. I have also found that zooming in tight will give a good indication of the width of the road. Like anything else there is a learning curve; it is part of the fun of motorcoach travel!