GPS Questions - Help

[zcaveman]

I am now thinking about getting a GPS device. My spouse wants to move into the 21st century. I want something simple and inexpensive to start. Baby steps. Also, I have never seen one in action except on TV shows.

I asked my friends and they recommend TomTom and Garmin.

In doing my research, it seems that Garmin gives street names - a biggie for the spouse. So far I like the Garmin nuvi 255W.

I have also looked at many of the posts on TOTV but I still have a few general questions.

Can you plug it into the power source on the car when using it so it does not run down the battery?

It comes with preloaded maps. Is that enough? How often can you update it for free?

Can you give it an alternate route to use forever? Instead of rt 42 to 27/441 to Belleview, I like rt 42 to 301. Can I make that the default? Or will the GPS recalculate if I take the left instead of the right out of TV onto rt 42?

Is there a power cord for in the house use and charging?

Any help will be appreciated.

Z

[chuckinca]

Normal in car operation is that it is plugged into the cigarette lighter power outlet or other 12V outlet if you have one.

You can get an adapter to charge it from your in house 120V power (my Garmin required that I also buy a 12V receiver to plug it into.

Maps - updates are handled differently by different models. My Garmin is about 5 years old and I haven't updated the maps (I don't drive around side streets in the newer areas of TV much). If I wanted to update the maps it would cost me $100 or so for a few updates over a few years.

I haven't tried to program alternate routes - I usually check where I am going first on Yahoo Maps and then I know not to follow the Garmin directions if I don't like them. It automatically recalculates when you don't follow it's route. My wife followed its directions from one side of San Francisco to the other and it took her the shortest route - thru the neighborhoods; took her about an hour and thru some pretty seedy areas when she could have taken the freeways around the city and made it in about 30 minutes.

I don't trust it to get me around the block but it is nice to check your speed and have a live picture of when you are.


.

[Xavier]

I am now thinking about getting a GPS device. My spouse wants to move into the 21st century. I want something simple and inexpensive to start. Baby steps. Also, I have never seen one in action except on TV shows.

I asked my friends and they recommend TomTom and Garmin.

In doing my research, it seems that Garmin gives street names - a biggie for the spouse. So far I like the Garmin nuvi 255W.

I have also looked at many of the posts on TOTV but I still have a few general questions.

Can you plug it into the power source on the car when using it so it does not run down the battery?



It comes with preloaded maps. Is that enough? How often can you update it for free?

Can you give it an alternate route to use forever? Instead of rt 42 to 27/441 to Belleview, I like rt 42 to 301. Can I make that the default? Or will the GPS recalculate if I take the left instead of the right out of TV onto rt 42?

Is there a power cord for in the house use and charging?

Any help will be appreciated.

Z

I personally would recommend the Garmin. The 255W has been around for a while, so I might pick something released more recently. Although I believe the 255W would serve you well.

Yes you can plug it into your 12V receptacle for power while you are driving. Everything you need should be in the box.

I believe you can upgrade at no charge for the next update after you buy the unit and register it. After that you'll want to buy the Lifetime Maps. I paid $90 for Lifetime Maps on Amazon and I can update my Maps four times a year on-line for as long as Garmin supports that unit. Some of the new GPSs come with Lifetime Maps included.

The newer units may be able to save a specific route, but mine, about 4 yrs old, doesn't. I can save destinations in my Favorites though. When I set Belleview in my GPS it always picks 301 as the route maybe because I have my GPS set on QUICKEST not SHORTEST. If I were to turn right, she may try to turn me around for a little while, but she would soon recalculate the route up 27/441.

There is a home charger that you can plug into to charge the unit and there will also be a usb tether to your computer for charging and for downloading/updating.

You can also get lots of different specialized POIs (points of interest) for free from www.poi-factory.com . You can download them to your GPS. For instance, we travel in a motor home that burns diesel fuel so I have a POI of Diesel Stations that include Flying J, Loves, and Travel America. Another POI that I have in the GPS is all of The Army Corps of Engineers Campgrounds. You can pick out POIs for all kinds of things such as Waterfalls, Lighthouses, Covered Bridges, Wal-Marts, Sam's Clubs, etc.

Xavier

[skyguy79]

Did you check your cell phone to see if you already have GPS capability? I have Verizon wireless and although I have not used it (we have Onstar in our Vehicle) I know it's there if we use a vehicle other than the one with Onstar.

[Hawkwind]

Can you plug it into the power source on the car when using it so it does not run down the battery?

It comes with preloaded maps. Is that enough? How often can you update it for free?

Can you give it an alternate route to use forever? Instead of rt 42 to 27/441 to Belleview, I like rt 42 to 301. Can I make that the default? Or will the GPS recalculate if I take the left instead of the right out of TV onto rt 42?

Is there a power cord for in the house use and charging?


Z

Z
The Garmin units all come with a mounting that has a power cord that plugs into the lighter or power source for power. You just snap the GPS unit into the holder and plug it into the power and you are running off the power source and not the internal battery. As far as in home use the units come with a USB cable and you recharge the unit that way. No additional charger.

If for example you are going from LSL to Belleview you would enter the address in Belleview where you are going. The GPS will calculate the route based on some settings such no toll roads, no dirt roads, shortest route or fastest route. Now if it comes up with a route of to 466 / 27/441 to Belleview and you head west on 466 the GPS will first tell you to turn or make a u turn to get back on track. If you ignore the GPS and keep driving you will reach a point that the GPS will recalculate and decide that the 301 route best meets your settings and starts directing you from there. Some times the change to the 301 route will be quick and other times longer as it all depends on how many options there are for you to turn around.

As far as updates the maps are always changing. The preloaded maps are okay for the major highways and where new roads are not being constructed but with all the new areas of TV you will want to be up to date. The updates will also give you changes in POI (points of interest) such as rest areas, restaurants, gas stations, hotels/motels, hospitals etc.

Garmin updates their maps 4 times a year (normally updates are February, May, July and November). They give you one free upgrade but that must be within so many days of purchase of the unit. They also have a lifetime upgrade program for about $90.00 that allows you to update the maps the 4 times a year.

One other thing about the Garmin is that you can use one of the programs called MapSource. This will allow you to create your own route, upload that to the GPS for your travels. This will override the built in GPS calculated route.

For example there is always a discussion on TOTV as to the best route down I-95 to TV. I used MapSource to create routes via I-10, 301, 206/19 an 40. When I leave Ohio I select which one I will use and off I go.

Other than the one free update to your new unit and other updates have to come from a bit torrent or some other hack or underground site. This is illegal but they are out there.

If you have any other questions or concerns send me a PM and I will try to answer them.

[kb8tpw]

You have good advice above. My two cents worth is that the Garmin 1450 has a version where you don't have to pay to update maps. Its a few bucks more but well worth it here where the streets are like rabbits. I have had a Magellan, a TomTom and recently went to Garmin which is far superior in my opinion.

[Pturner]

My friend had a TomTom that kept telling her to make a u-turn if she didn't follow the directions. My Garmin just says "recalculating" and lets me go my way. I also bought the lifetime map updates, four times a year.

Um Skyguy79... if Z even has a cell phone, I'm betting it doesn't have GPS. Trust me on this. :p

Z, although the Garmin comes with a mount, I never installed it. I don't like that people can see the windshield mount and know you probably have a GPS unit in the car. I have found that if you just leave the Garmin on the console, it picks up the signals just find. I do plug it into the cigarette lighter.

Please let us know if you buy one and how you like it and if you want me to come over and show you how to use it when I come down.:D

[Bill-n-Brillo]

I like my TomTom. Buy a TomTom where the model ends with an "M" and it comes with lifetime maps included in the price of the unit.

Bill

[zcaveman]

Thanks for all of the information. It really helped. I have saved these comments to a file and will take it with me when I go GPS window shopping tomorrow!!!

Z

[zcaveman]

Um Skyguy79... if Z even has a cell phone, I'm betting it doesn't have GPS. Trust me on this. :p

:1rotfl::bowdown:P! - you know me so well! Actually I do have a cell phone. I have a seven year old Nokia and it is usually off. I have it for emergencies. I only use it for long distance calls and calls north of TV which are non-local calls.:shrug:

[herbaru]

Be sure to check the prices of the ones with Lifetime maps. I got mine, Garmin, on Black Friday 2010 at Best Buy. Doorbuster deal. Went at 10 am and they still had lots. This was in Raleigh, NC.

[skyguy79]

I like my TomTom.
"If one gets a TomTom, does one need to do a ritual rain dance for it to work?":throwtomatoes:

[fraurauch]

One word of caution about the Garmin 255W (I own one). When I wanted to update, it told me that it did not have enough storage to load the entire United States map. I had several options, I chose the Eastern half of the US as we don't plan to drive across the country, so it's fine for our purposes. Mine also did not come with the USB connector needed to do the update. I had to purchase it. If I were buying again, I would make sure it had all the features I needed, as well as the cords needed to do the update.

[zcaveman]

One word of caution about the Garmin 255W (I own one). When I wanted to update, it told me that it did not have enough storage to load the entire United States map. I had several options, I chose the Eastern half of the US as we don't plan to drive across the country, so it's fine for our purposes. Mine also did not come with the USB connector needed to do the update. I had to purchase it. If I were buying again, I would make sure it had all the features I needed, as well as the cords needed to do the update.

Thanks for the info. I was under the impression that any USB cable would do. I have one from my digital camera that I was planning on using. But i will make sure the end fits into the GPS to be sure.

Looks like more research anyway.

[Hawkwind]

One word of caution about the Garmin 255W (I own one). When I wanted to update, it told me that it did not have enough storage to load the entire United States map. I had several options, I chose the Eastern half of the US as we don't plan to drive across the country, so it's fine for our purposes. Mine also did not come with the USB connector needed to do the update. I had to purchase it. If I were buying again, I would make sure it had all the features I needed, as well as the cords needed to do the update.

According to the Garmin web page the 255W comes with a slot to accept an SD memory card. Just get a 2 gig SD card and that will hold everything including Canada and Mexico.

[logdog]

I bought a TomTom about 4 years ago and really loved it. When we moved to TV, our neighborhood was showing empty pastures. I went to Target about 6 months ago to buy a map update. It was $70. Then I saw that they had TomToms on clearance for less than $35 with a free map upgrade and it had features mine didn't. Guess what I bought. I went back a week later thinking I would buy a couple more for gifts but they were all gone.

I don't think you can go wrong with either TomTom or Garmin. Those two are always highly rated in Consumer magazines. I would strongly recommend buying a unit with free lifetime map upgrades.

[Finallyretired65]

I agree as thats what we use. It works great!


I like my TomTom. Buy a TomTom where the model ends with an "M" and it comes with lifetime maps included in the price of the unit.

Bill

[faithfulfrank]

I have owned a few Garmins, and like them.
I currently have the 1490 LMT, which has lifetime maps and lifetime traffic.

The reason I like this one is that it has bluetooth, and a 5" screen...which is much bigger then the 4.3 inch screen the others have.

Buy.com just had this on sale for only $180.00 no tax, free shipping. Great deal. I should also add that for the folks who say they did not have enough room for all of the maps.....you really should not need to add a card. When I called Garmin, they simply walked me through an easy deletion of all of those extra languages they also have in there you never need. I do not speak Swahili and do not need my GPS to. That freed up a ton of space.

Frank

[jchase]

I have purchased several Garmin GPS's for myself and family over the past years. Last week I broke the antenna off my Nuvi 360 after the suction cup came loose and I shut my car door on the unit. I called Garmin to see if they would transfer my lifetime maps over to my wife's Nuvi 360. The representative on the phone looked up my account and seen that I have purchased several (six or seven) in the past. He said he couldn't transfer the map updates, but, what he did was gave me information to send the broken one back and sent me a new Nuvi 360 with the lifetime maps included FREE! Yes free. I couldn't believe it. What great customer service! I would buy nothing but a GARMIN!!

:coolsmiley:

[Hawkwind]

Garmin has changed their customer service over the past few years and all for the better. At one time you only received one map upgrade for the first year and they only updated the maps once a year.

The one thing they will not do is allow map upgrades to more that one unit with only buying one license even if the other units have been registered.

I will have to check the pricing of the 3790T with lifetime maps as that is a very interesting unit but for now the Nuvi 750 works great.

[Lynn222]

I can answer a couple of your questions. I have a Garmin and having moved to TV on 1/15/2011, I rely on it daily!

Best Buy sells a charging cord that you can use in your home to charge up GPS. I bought one because my golf cart doesn't have a cigarette lighter!

I have updated the maps once and had to pay. I didn't receive any free updates. Updates only need to be done once a year and when you go online, go to the GPS site and they should have a place where you can check to see if there are updates for your GPS. The standard maps received were just fine.

[Hal :-)]

I have a Garmin, one of the early models, that's now retired to the glovebox. I found the Google Navigation on my Android cell phone superior. I know you said you have an old cell phone, but I would recommend upgrading. The GPS is a freebie. With a newer smartphone, you have access to everything you do on your PC, read your email, maintain your calendar, set reminders, play a game, watch a video, or read the news in the waiting room, text someone, snap a photo, and on and on. Hey, you can even read TOTV. The smart phone is the 21st century PC. In any case, I found Google navigation an improvement over Garmin and I was surprised how complete it was in TV. The coolest thing is voice recognition. Hold the search button, then say "Navigate to 1020 Lake Sumter Landing" and it quickly responds with directions.

[villages07]

newegg.com has the garmin 255 with lifetime map updates on sale for $99. Use promo code EMCKGKJ39 when ordering to get the 99 price (otherwise it is 129). Free shipping, no tax.

The 255 is a very basic model...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16858108396&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL030111&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL030111-_-EMC-030111-Index-_-GPSNavigation-_-58108396-L07A

[zcaveman]

After reading all of the responses, I was opting for the Garmin 255W. Best Buy had a 1300LMT on sale for $159 so I went back to Google and did some more research. Boy is it confusing. So many models. So many options. So many comparison charts.

I finally bit the bullet and went down and got the Garmin 1300LMT. The sales person at Best Buy was very helpful in answering all of my questions. After I got home, I downloaded the latest maps - boy did that take time!! Then I tried to put in my home address. I live in Marion county with the crazy street names and did not put the SE91 in front of the street name and it could not find my address. I pressed a few buttons and managed to put an incorrect address in for my home address and could not figure out how to correct it. Since I wanted to get a AC cord for charging and a carrying case, I went back to Best Buy and the sales person fixed my problem. I used the Garmin to get me home and it worked perfectly!!

I downloaded the users guide and am now well on my way.

Thanks for all your help!

Z

:BigApplause:

[Hawkwind]

The fun has just begun. Wait until you take it in a road trip. You will also want to look into adding additional Points Of Interest (POI) to help you along the way. One of the hottest ones is speed trap cameras and red light cameras. Also if you taking a long road trip the rest areas POI is another must have.

I have been looking for a long time for an up to date FREE red light camera listing but have not come up with one. I do know that the city of Orlando just activated 10 cameras there and there are also some in Apopka on 441 in the center of town.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Hawk - Have you looked into this one from GPS Data Team?

http://poidirectory.com/poifiles/?list=united_states/safety/

Bill

[Hawkwind]

Bill
I was on that site a LONG time ago and never added it to my fav's. I will give it a try.

I have also created my own POI's using MapSource for such things as the state lines, toll booths, crossing interstates, tunnels and rivers going down I-77 / I-26 / I-95 to the Villages. Plus routes to TV via 310, I-75, 40 and other routes.

Found an interstate exit POI file and loaded it up on one trip and that drove me nuts. The GPS was always giving me warnings so it was killed for the return trip.

Thanks again for the link.