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DougF

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What features do you most like in your GPS? If you were to purchase a new one, what would you look for?
 
I have a Garmin Nuvi 760. It's a discontinued model, but their newer models have many of the same features. I like the Wide Screen of the Nuvi. It has an FM feature that I like which allows you to interface the GPS with your FM stereo speakers. I also like the bluetooth that allows you to use the Nuvi with your cell phone as a hands free device. Mine also has MSN features. For an additional yearly fee, you can get lots of additional info via MSN network. For example, I can find where the cheapest gas is and see how far each gas station is from my location, then the Nuvi will guide me to whichever station I choose. I also like the restaurant look up and the movie look up. When I'm in a different town, I can search for restaurants by type or cuisine, etc., and have the Nuvi guide me to the location. One time when In Huntsville, AL, I had a craving for Greek food and the Nuvi took me to the only Greek restaurant in town! I also like how the Nuvi will change its display to a dark background at night automatically. Oh, and if you don't like the voice, you can pick from serveral others, including a female British accent :smile:
 
I have Garmin GPSs. None of them are specifically made for a car, and I would have bought them specifically for a car...BUT...I know one of the first things I'd want on mine is the ability to pre-plan a route and then save it - or save multiple routes.

Some of the GPSs <span style="font-style: italic">only</span> let you enter an address. The GPS figures the route and off you go. Others do the same thing but let you define a stop on the way, but that's it.

My GPSs all let me sit down at the computer and figure out a specific route no matter how weird it might be. I can upload the route(s) to the GPS and leave them there forever if I want to.
 
I have an older TomTom One. It does allow me to pre-plan the route. Very happy with it for work and pleasure use.
 
I made a mistake in my original post: I have <span style="font-style: italic">one</span> car-specific Garmin GPS, a Street Pilot III. It also allows route pre-planning but it's old and really slow.

I may be looking for a newer small GPS for the car, I never liked the older Tom Toms but I would have to look hard at them if the new ones have route pre-planning.
 
I received a TomTom for Christmas.I wasn't overly impressed
with the older version (had us heading South rather than North).
I'll let you know how thw newer version works when I go to pick-
up the Wife in Feb.
I think that you still need a map as "backup".

- Doug
 
I just bought one this afternoon. It hasn't sent me in the wrong direction, but it sent me on some interesting streets. I have an Australian girl giving me directions.
Since I had never used one, I wanted to see what some of the favored features were. The directions are fairly limited, so I'll be learning about it as I go. It's a Garmin Nuvi 255W.
 
We have an older Garmin GPS Nuvi 200 (now discontinued) and a newer Garmin Nuvi 205 (they are both very similar). We bought the newer one because we were so pleased with the older one and didn't feel like swapping it back and forth between our main street cars. Our newer Nuvi 205 is only $99 at WalMart. A great deal in my view.

Even these basic models have a lot of features if you read the book and look online at the various GPS forums (yes, they have them).

By the way, I've occasionally put the older Nuvi 200 in my race car and run it on its internal battery, to see what my max velocity was and how many track miles I've traveled.

It clocked the Spridget at 102 mph at BeaveRun.
grin.gif


I also have a battery-powered, hand-held Magellan GPS unit for the plane. It's older and I bought it about 10 years ago. No internal road maps, but still works fine for basic direction or good for hiking. I haven't flown for a while so haven't used it.
 
Had a rhino 2 way radio with the built in GPS. real battery hog. As I am still in the Guard I like having a GPS that does MGRS so I can use it with my military maps.

I am thinkiing about a garmin unit that does MGRS as a replacement as I don't use the radio function of the rhino.
 
Basil: We have a NUVI gps also and love it..........
except for that grating woman's voice. How do you change
voices on the NUVI units?

Thanks,

Wendy Todd- Dale's wife.
 
On mine it is an option in the settings (A wrench icon on the 760). Under settings, I select "Local" which then gives me several male and female voice options. I don't know if it is an option on all Nuvi (it may be).
 
aeronca65t said:
...
By the way, I've occasionally put the older Nuvi 200 in my race car and run it on its internal battery, to see what my max velocity was and how many track miles I've traveled.

It clocked the Spridget at 102 mph at BeaveRun.
Click to expand...
I did it once on a flight where it read 534 mph, which was 1 mph different to what the seat back display from the aircraft was telling us.

I also made the mistake of punching the home button and listened to John Cleese's voice make corrections every 5 seconds; embarrassing because the cabin was very quiet at the time.
 
Just thought of another feature I like: the ability to save your track. I have a tiny GPS I can carry with it that <span style="font-style: italic">only</span> tracks where it is. All my full-size GPSs do too. I don't know about the Nuvis, etc. I use the track data to add the geographic location to pictures I take in post processing, but it's also sometimes neat to have a track of where you've been on vacations and trips. Tinfoil-hat types can always turn the feature off :smile:

<span style="font-size: 8pt"><span style="font-style: italic">Click for larger</span></span>
 
DougF said:
What features do you most like in your GPS? If you were to purchase a new one, what would you look for?
Click to expand...
I have a Garmin 780. Probably the most used feature is the MP3 player. Not the best functioning player, you can search by name of song or artist, but it doesn't have shuffle play. You can play alphabetically however. It has an SD card slot and a stereo out jack to plug into your car stereo or use headphones. One good thing about using the GPS for your music is when a direction comes up the music is automatically muted (if you are using voice directions)
As far as the GPS function, I have mixed feelings. I live in Los Angeles and am pretty familiar with traffic flow. The Garmin hates taking me on the freeway, always routing me down surface streets. It can get annoying when it wants me to take the next exit, recalculates, recalculates, recalculates. I've ignored 5 exits and shaved 10 minutes from my travel time according to my trip calculator. Maybe if I payed for the MSN service that wouldn't happen. Some GPSs come with lifetime FM traffic info included, a better deal I would think.
If you go hiking, "Garmin Locate" is a neat feature. When you pull the GPS out of the car, it automatically marks you cars position so you can find the car again. Also helps in those stadium parking lots.
 
I've a Nextar & love it.
 
Ian,

I didn't think that you were allowed to use GPS
on commecial airlines?Did this change?

- Doug
 
AngliaGT said:
I didn't think that you were allowed to use GPS
on commecial airlines?Did this change?
Click to expand...

There is/was never any rule against it but certain airlines specify what devices you can and can't use. Continental and Delta allow standalone GPSs when "electronic devices" can be used. Air Tran on the other hand, doesn't let you use any of them.
 
I was on a Continental flight. I think that it's because TomToms and presumably Garmins are receivers, not transmitters. It took over 5 minutes for it to get a fix.
 
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