I hit the road for the first time with mine and it has saved me more times than I can count. One huge save was approaching a section of freeway and I was about to pass a slow truck. All of a sudden the GPS sounded an alarm. WARNING HIGH WIND CROSS WINDS AHEAD. I decided against the pass and took my foot off the gas then the cross winds hit me BANG almost shoved me in the next lane. HAs I been passing that big rid during that cross winds, who knows what the outcome would have been.
Now about the SPEED WARNINGS, I always listen when these warnings come about and those warnings alone saved me the price of the unit.
So far it has given me flawless direction and perfect advice on turns etc. I haven't caught it once given me bad advice.
I sure hate to hear all the bad things happening with some of these units.
I also enjoy the capability to select large truck stops for fuel rather than the generic "FUEL" stations that are grouped in other GPS units. Before the other units would tell me there was fuel ahead alright, BUT the lots were too small or hard to maneuver so I was always getting ON and OFF till I found the big boy fuel station.
Now for one more beauty. I selected service because I threw a code on the engine. The GPS directed to a Ford dealer specific to large class A RV repairs. They took me in diagnosed a fuel pump problem and had me on the road in five hours. Could I have found these guys on my own, perhaps, but the the GPS did all the work for me.
I'm sticking with this unit forever and will add suggestions as I go along to help improve these units for future.
I've uploaded updates on both the MAC and the PC and both seem to be working for me.
Lobstah wrote: There are a few "major" manufacturers of GPS units. Garmin, Magellan, TomTom.
Those three companies are in intense competition with each other for sales/market share, which means they constantly add new features and/or drop pricing.
Who benefits from that? Us consumers
For another company to come in and do something that none of them do, and do it well, is highly unlikely. Not impossible, but highly unlikely.
So people buy some of the product...time goes on, and the company says "Well...looks like we're not selling as many as we need to, so we're going to discontinue the product."
Seen this many, many times.
'nuff said
Jim
that happened to me with the Lauwrance iWay 500. A great GPS with a 5" screen, etc., but the!y don't support it anymore
Well, the navigation had been flawless. We drove from Grants Pass Oregon to Crater Lake today and the RVGPS was hopelessly lost. It was a good thing we had maps.
On the other hand, we had to find a place to stay tonight on the move and the GPS came in very handy compared to a Garmin or even a printed campground guide. However, it's very annoying that you can't simply search for "All" campgrounds and have to look through each type (commercial, KOA, National Park, county park, etc.) in sequence.
About those warnings... I turned them all off. The speed limits have only been right about 50% of the time and it sits and yells at you otherwise. The construction warnings were also useless. The hazards (winds, sharp curve) just parrot what the road signage say and are simply distracting.
Quote: ust parrot what the road signage say and are simply distracting.
YA how annoying having a verbal "backup' warning of a HIGH WIND area, if you happen to miss a sign. We all know how we all see every sign on the road and never miss one while were looking in a left side mirror while the sign is on the right and we're going 60 miles an hour.
For me, distract me all day long if it keeps me safe.
Just so that you know, the "All Campground" function to list them all in order of distance from you is coming soon. (I have inside knowledge of this fact.)
Good travelin! ........Kirk
Professional Volunteer
Fulltimer for 11 years, URL:www.adventure.1tree.net
Like I said Kendall, you're in love with the RVGPS and nothing anyone says here is going to change that. If you've been driving "privately and commercially" for 45 years I don't know how you managed to get by without the RVGPS until now. You obviously need it to be safe.
Road signs are not a distraction. Paying attention and actively controlling your RV are part of driving. Constant warnings from a GPS are a distraction, especially when they are wrong and repeat endlessly. If you need audible warnings that you are going too fast than you are obviously not paying attention to what you're doing (which is driving by the way). If you're going to rely on a gadget to keep you safe then you're not the kind of driver I want to be near on the road.
Speaking of the road, the RVGPS failed miserably today navigating from Detroit (Oregon) to Silver Falls State Park. It was so wrong it was almost funny. It couldn't figure out the right route and finally locked up while it was recalculating. I had to use the reset button to get it back to life. It also couldn't navigate from Silver Falls State Park to Salem (and there's a highway directly connecting the two).
I only have one thing to tell Rand McNally... try again. I'll be sending my RVGPS back and picking up a new Garmin with lifetime map and realtime traffic for less than half the price. My friend who is traveling with me in his motorhome and also bought an RVGPS is dissatisfied with his as well and is going to return it too.
It was worth a try but Rand McNally is trying to play with the big boys in SatNav market and they'll need to do a lot better to succeed.
Mike
* This post was
edited 07/14/11 01:37am by Mike Schriber *
Well, we are back from a camping trip and I discovered a new feature (which is in the gps manual on page 56 and 57). It was an accidental discovery on my part since I did not read all 154 pages before the camping trip. We were headed north on interstate 69 in Michigan, and I found that if touched the gps map it could be "pushed" or moved into a new position. So instead of zooming in or backing out, I "pushed". We were immediately directed to leave 69 which we did, and then traveled several backroads not fit for our rig and I was a bit aggravated about that. So at the campsite I did some more reading in the manual. The bottom line is this... there is a feature where you tap the map and it will avoid the location you tapped, but it isn't just that simple. You also have to tap the word "Avoid" at the bottom of the screen. I distinctly remember tapping and with one eye barely on the gps I inadvertently tapped "avoid" and wondered what happened to the screen. hmmmm Oh, well (I thought to myself) But it was a lesson in a new feature that could be very good when used intentionally.
Just wanted to pass along something I learned. And I am determined to learn this gps very well.
Paulette
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