unusual things a gps says to you

bluejaybee · Nov 17, 2009

This is not by any means a plug for a certain brand, but I have had a Garmin 7200 for many months now and it is by far superior over any other that I have had. Below is a site that might interest you. I know there has been many a discussion on here about GPS units, but this one is what convinced me to try a 7200. Go down the page to where the blog on the right hand side starts. Some good info there.

Garmin Nuvi 465T GPS For Truckers GPS Review

dieseldiva · Nov 17, 2009

bluejaybee said:
This is not by any means a plug for a certain brand, but I have had a Garmin 7200 for many months now and it is by far superior over any other that I have had. Below is a site that might interest you. I know there has been many a discussion on here about GPS units, but this one is what convinced me to try a 7200. Go down the page to where the blog on the right hand side starts. Some good info there.

Garmin Nuvi 465T GPS For Truckers GPS Review

Thanks for the link, the gentleman in that thread has surely become very popular...maybe the GPS makers would be wise to consult an honest to goodness truck driver like him on their next endeavor into our corner of the market.

Something else for consideration. I recently bought the Verizon Droid smartphone and it has Google Maps Navigation. I'm still learning how to use all of the features so I think this VIDEO will do a far superior job of explaining than I could...

I wouldn't buy this with the intention of replacing any current GPS system, it's just another tool to add to our arsenal. It's a phone first so it's dependent on Verizon's service, not satellites.

ebsprintin · Nov 17, 2009

Mine doesn't say anything too odd, since it is the older model that doesn't announce streets by name. About a month back I was routed out across the Gulf of Mexico and into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, I think to make a u-turn, and then back to my original route in Mississippi.

eb

Dakota · Nov 17, 2009

highway star said:
No, it's not worth the money. As these things evolve you'd think they'd do less stupid crap. But, this thing does way more dumb things than my 330 did. Here's another recent one. I'm leaving GM metalfab in Indy. You go south, make a right then a quick left and you're at I70. The 465 has me go past the right turn, then make 3 lefts to get to the left that gets you to I70. I suppose there's some value in the comic relief it provides.

I'd like to get a newer one, if just for the free map updates. lane assist is very important, all other features not so much.
Mine tried to get me cross a street that had a pretty substantial island in the center in Chicago last night, plus the occassional turn down a one way the wrong way, vor a U turn where it is not allowed(But, Officer my Garmin told me to make a U-turn....Would that get you out of a ticket....I think not)
I am happy with mine overall and use it as another tool to get somewhere but don't trust it completely. I only paid $145 for it a few years back

Dakota · Nov 17, 2009

ebsprintin said:
Mine doesn't say anything too odd, since it is the older model that doesn't announce streets by name. About a month back I was routed out across the Gulf of Mexico and into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, I think to make a u-turn, and then back to my original route in Mississippi.

eb

Did you follow that route? Did you get wet?

ebsprintin · Nov 18, 2009

Dakota said:
Did you follow that route? Did you get wet?

I figured it out before I got that far. I have a screen shot that I'll post when I find a way to take the photo off my phone.

eb

Dreamer · Nov 18, 2009

I actually have 2 systems now. A Tom Tom (ok since I'm in a van) my wife bought me, and then I use the Sprint Navigator in my Sprint Lotus phone. The Tom Tom does pretty good, but drives me nuts with some of the directions too. I have it set on Fastest Route, but sometimes that 'fastest route' seems to mean 5 seconds difference... which in some towns is stupid. In my home town I go down streets I've went hundreds of times, and it tries to get me to go down a side street.

If in doubt, I run the Tom Tom route, then on locals, run the Sprint to verify. I used the Sprint one for many months with few problems, and trust it. However, as was pointed out... if you don't have Phone service in the area, you don't have GPS! A nifty little problem I discovered when picking up in a small town in West Virginia! Oops.. back to the wonderful Qualcomm directions!

Overall, the Tom Tom 330 works good for a van.. but it has many times routed me down roads a truck could NOT go.. so no good for truck.

Dale

Jack_Berry · Nov 20, 2009

yesterday sybil had us turning onto jonas road. sign was spelled j-o-n-e-s.

nightcreacher · Nov 22, 2009

my partner has a garmin 255 stuck in my window,I use it for watching the speed Limits.it has sent us down the wrong roads numerous times.I like the one in my sprint Palm Pre better,but it will loose its service as mentioned
Most of my routing is my own way of going,so GpS is always saying reroute,if Sprint navigation does that reroute thing,after a couple of times,it has a nervous berak down and quits working all together

Dakota · Nov 22, 2009

I think a *****y Garmin would be really funny

At least for a while

Jack_Berry · Nov 22, 2009

ebsprintin said:
Mine doesn't say anything too odd, since it is the older model that doesn't announce streets by name. About a month back I was routed out across the Gulf of Mexico and into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, I think to make a u-turn, and then back to my original route in Mississippi.

eb

google maps will do the same thing. for instance from spokane wa to honolulu hi it suggested kayaking to the big island. from chicago to paris it was swim the atlantic ocean.

ebsprintin · Nov 22, 2009

Jack_Berry said:
google maps will do the same thing. for instance from spokane wa to honolulu hi it suggested kayaking to the big island. from chicago to paris it was swim the atlantic ocean.

But does it try to send you transoceanic when you are trying to go from Vicksburg, MS to Grenada, MS?

eb

sockhat · Nov 23, 2009

Once while n oxford,mi . We were lookin for motel on our garmin. Since we hadn't passes any and it was several miles back to interstate. Gps listed a place that sounded like a sm motel. We followed directions,"down a gravel rd"---"motel" turned out 2 b a nudist resort !!! Yep! Sign said welcome to---
----- enjoy your stay.

Jack_Berry · Nov 28, 2009

sockhat said:
Once while n oxford,mi . We were lookin for motel on our garmin. Since we hadn't passes any and it was several miles back to interstate. Gps listed a place that sounded like a sm motel. We followed directions,"down a gravel rd"---"motel" turned out 2 b a nudist resort !!! Yep! Sign said welcome to---
----- enjoy your stay.

this post is worthless without pictures

DannyD · Dec 2, 2009

ahhhh, so others have this problem too. My GPS will take me the shortest route, but I don't think it's the fastest. When I'm in the Detroit area I know not to always follow the GPS.

A fair amount of times it'll have me get off the highway, drive on some 45MPH roads w/ stop lights & such, & then has me get back on the highway several miles down the road. It's even had me go thru residential areas. Uggggh. =)

At the loading dock on one of the places I told em the route I took. The forklift driver said I added like a half hour to my trip.

Until I get a laptop & can simply look at a detailed map, I don't have a whole lot of choice when I'm out of town except to follow it. If I'm home or near a computer, if at all possible I print me out a map of where I'm going.

If there's a setting for fastest route rather than shortest, I haven't found it yet.

Jack_Berry · Dec 2, 2009

hey danny...thats why it is the shortest route and not the fastest. i always run thru the time and distance of fastest/shortest to determine which route to take.

cheri1122 · Dec 2, 2009

Danny: if you haven't got an atlas, go get one, ok? They have all major cities in great detail, and a lot of minor ones too.

arrbsthw · Dec 2, 2009

turn right, go 162 miles on Wilson road

HossesArse · Dec 3, 2009

Hossman's had a few GPS issues, including the "get off at the next exit" immediately followed by "proceed through the light and onto the onramp" at every exit. I believe there's a fix for that; I'll have to have him come tell you about it.

The one GPS issue that befuddles me is, why do they all freak out when you lose the satellite while in a tunnel? Of all the semi-intelligent gadgets we have in our life, isn't the GPS the one that should KNOW when you're in a tunnel??

RLENT · Dec 3, 2009

Dakota said:
On a different note, does anyone use their cellphone/blackberry/iPhone for their GPS? Does it work well for you?

I don't use it on a regular basis but back about 8 months ago when my StreetPilot 7200 went on the fritz, I used my iPhone GPS for several weeks while I decided what to do (repair or replace) - it worked very well considering what it is - but I would not say that it is a substitute for a standalone dedicated GPS unit .... at least not yet.

There's a video of how it works here:

iPhone GPS & Navigation

The video on the Droid/Google Maps Navigation that DieselDiva linked looks very interesting ...... particularly the voice aspects ..... way kewl.

One of the things that I most dislike about the Garmin is their insistence on using local street names when you are navigating a route on either US highways or State routes - rather than using the actual highway/route numbers.

I'd rather it said or showed something like "Turn right and continue on Highway 482" when you are following these routes thru towns - as opposed to "Turn right on 2nd Street" (which is Highway 482) - since usually the highway/route signs are far more visible than a mere street sign.

Dunno - maybe there is an option to set it to do that, but I haven't found it.