Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Info & Discussion Forum

I'm looking at adding a portable GPS unit to my coach. Would like to be able to pull it out easily for use in our towed vehicle on occasion. Would appreciate feed back on manufacturers, models, location of portable antenna, etc.

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rich & marcia
2012 - 24'RB

Rich

We have had a Garmin for some time. We no longer use it for its GPS capabilities as I refuse to pay the $90. annual upgrade fee. It now sits on the dash and functions as our speedometer/odometer. For GPS we use a smart phone. The GPS ap is free and to my way of thinking, it is at least as accurate as any vehicle GPS device you might purchase. Since it is also our phone, when we are in the toed we are also with our GPS.

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Steve & Sue Wolfe / Born Free 24RB / toad

I am somewhat of a GPS fanatic. I owned the very first Garmin StreetPilot III many years ago and have used about a dozen since then from most brands. I've also taken a couple trips using only my smartphone.

Can you tell us what is most important to you? Route selection quality? Accurate ETA? Traffic coverage? Multi-stop route building? Each option available on the market has its pros and cons and it depends on what your priorities are in terms of what makes the most sense for you.

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2011 Born Free 22' Rear Side Kitchen

Just replaced ~10 year old Garmin with Nuvi 1390 LMT. Cost about $140 at Costco. It was going to cost me to update old unit.
If this works as well as previous, I have no complaints since old Garmin was more user friendly than GPS in new Infiniti.
Ralph

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Ralph
2011 24RB
Former 2001 23RK

We also use the Nuvi 1390 which we bought at Costco. Comes with lifetime free map updates and also has traffic updates. We move it from the coach to our car easily. When we take long trips of several weeks duration we also utilize Microsoft Streets and Trips on a netbook. We hook up a GPS device (pharos 500)to the netbook. The device can be bought with the program or you can purchase it separately on Amazon or E-bay. The netbook sits on the doghouse and my wife uses it to navigate. We like this because it gives us a broader picture of where we are going. Have not tried to download a long trip mapped on streets and trips onto the Garmin device . I understand it is possible with some limitations.

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Joel & Sandy
2002 26' RB
2015 27' Splendor
2020 Coachmen Beyond

I have a Garmin Nuvi 1450 and have found it priceless. A couple of weeks ago I was in Mobile where I lived for 28 years yet was on an unfamiliar street. I used the "home" button on the Nuvi and saved a lot of time instead of driving until I happened upon a familiar street.

All you do to move it from one vehicle to another is unplug it from the power outlet (previously called a cigarette lighter plug) and plug it into another vehicle. I paid a one-time fee of $90 for lifetime updates of North American maps and just updated it a few days ago. I checked for accuracy by driving on a street less than a year old and the GPS showed and identified it.

I agree that you should investigate them thoroughly. There is one with software for truckers that shows clearances and percent grades. Mine fell flat on its face when I tried to use it in Manhattan. I had programmed it for pedestrian mode for several sightseeing destinations, but could not get a satellite connect. I still don't know why it did not work. I thought the tall buildings might be the problem, but could not get it lock onto satellites even on Ellis Island. Works great in a vehicle however.

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Dallas Baillio
2001 26RSB
Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Member

Any GPS made within the last five years will not need an external antenna on a fiberglass RV, nor your car. My two most recent Nuvi Garmins are easily transferable between vehicles, I prefer a glued on dash mount that the GPS slides and locks into, rather than the suction cup mount. The mounts of my last 5 Garmins are interchangeable, any GPS goes in any of my cars or RV. "Ram" makes mounts that allow you to securely mount most Garmins with bikes, motorcycles, boats, planes, etc. for extra versatility.

Map software updates do not need to be done every year, a waste of money. Most roads don't change, you might miss a new housing developments address, it not that often a problem, the GPS still works like it did when new many years later. Newest POI's (Point Of Interest) are not a big concern to me, again the majority stay the same for years. A smart phone as a GPS is becoming popular, my concern would be discharging the phone's battery, and losing the ability to use the phone as a phone. You should buy a mount to use it like a dedicated GPS.

I actually prefer some of the older Garmins that will play hundreds of mp3s through your car stereo, I recently bought a $120 newly refurbished 755T from Amazon that I like a lot for road use in the BF (because the 03 BF has a single CD player stereo), it came with a no charge Garmin map update. Load a whole bunch of music into it to play through the vehicle stereo, convenient, but apparently not a big demand feature, so MP3 players have been dropped from the newest Garmins. Transfers easily between vehicles, and small to carry for exploring on foot. Not the disaster to lose like a smart phone would be, costs less than a tank of gas. I find Garmins more intuitive to use than Tomtoms, Magellans, and off brands in N America. In Europe, Tomtoms have the reputation of better maps.

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Ed & Beth
2003 Born Free 26' RSB: SOLD March 2016
replace by a house near the beach

I would disagree about not needing to update maps on a frequent basis for a couple of reasons. First, many GPS devices that you purchase today or in recent history come with lifetime maps. So, in that case you already paid for the maps so I would not hesitate to take advantage of the quarterly map updates.

TomTom has published data that indicates that 18% of their roads database changes on an annual basis. That 18% is not important to you until it IS important to you if you know what I mean. Included in that 18% is freeway reconstructions, exit ramps changes, highway mile marker renumbering, etc. It is more than just a new residential subdivision. Of great concern to RV'ers should be US highway expansions to 4 lanes (thus usually 10 mph+ speed limit increases) and bypass construction around towns. When traveling to an unfamiliar area if you hit an area that is part of the 18% you may cuss yourself for not getting the map update.

The most important reason to update the maps, IF you have a new model Garmin is because of the Garmin trafficTrends feature. If your device has trafficTrends, then the map is what updates the accuracy of this feature's data.

trafficTrends works by collecting real road speeds from drivers and then using that road speed data in route selection and ETA calculation. This is time of day based. In other words, the Garmin may calculate a different route through a city at 8:00am on a Tuesday morning than it will at 2:00pm on a Saturday afternoon. The traffic Trend data is embedded in the map data. If you don't update your maps, you don't get the latest trafficTrend data.

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2011 Born Free 22' Rear Side Kitchen

For GPS we use DeLore Street Atlas 2011 with USB receiver (Approx. $60. from Delorme directly), We installed the program on a laptop and a notebook. The laptop is mounted on a swing arm table in the B/F and the notebook is in the towed vehicle, thereby, the USB receiver is the only item to be transferred. We used Garmin many years ago and found DeLorme works the best for us. We will be at the homecoming if you are interested in seeing our arrangement. We will be parked in the John Sheldon County Park (new section) and will be towing a Smart Car...

Carol & Ed Freye

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Ed and Carol Freye
2014 Born Free 25' Triumph
Towing a 2014 Mini Cooper Coupe

We have had Garmins for many years with no problems. I always get the lifetime update and update when ever a new map is available. I have a mount in each of my vehicles and just move the unit to whichever one I'm using.

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Lee-TheBizMan
2005 BFT - named "Tilly"
2012 Scion xD "Toad"

This is my second Garmin, it goes with whatever vehicle I am driving, and it always goes! I have the lifetime update, which Garmin allowed me to transfer to a second Garmin after my first one (9 years old) finally failed. I simply love the unit. From Key West to Fairbanks, it never once failed to meet my needs. The map update process is tedious, but effective. The features are rich in value, and easy to use while on the road. I like it much better than the Tom Tom unit (a relative has one), but the maps are essentially the same (neither Garmin nor Tom Tom does their own maps, they buy them from a third party).
I have the dash unit that sits on a relatively heavy stand that conforms to the shape of your dash. It has never shifted or fallen or been a problem, and it doesn't require a suction cup.
My vote is for Garmin!

I completely agree with you that when it comes to the choice of a stand-alone PND that I would pick a Garmin unit. Just for the record though, TomTom does own their own maps. They purchased TeleAtlas several years ago. To this day I still prefer the Navteq maps that are in the Garmin units.

My main reason for still using a PND instead of my smart phone is for the lane guidance and freeway signs features. Even though our Born Free units are smaller and more nimble, I still like to know well ahead of time which lane I should be in and what the road sign looks like when I get there.

This is where I think you will see a big difference between the map quality of the two providers. The lane guidance, in my opinion, is much better on the Garmin unit and the accuracy of the freeway signs cannot be compared. Especially with the latest versions of the Garmin maps, it is almost always you will find that what the GPS says the road sign looks like and says is 100% accurate. With the TomTom units it is almost like they try and build what the road sign might say based on the road names at that exit and then throw it against a green background color and call it a road sign. In my experiences with them it is close and it gets the point across but it is never identical to what the actual sign says. Admittedly though my last experience with their maps was two years ago.

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2011 Born Free 22' Rear Side Kitchen

Jalan,
I stand corrected, I should have noted that my comments were from information that was current when I purchased my 1490T Garmin. At that time, TomTom had not yet executed the purchased you identified in your post. Thanks for the clarification.
I agree that the lane management for Garmin is truly amazing--it astounds me how much power is present in that little box on my dashboard!
Jay

I use the Garmin Nuvi wide screen. Bought about 8 years ago with lifetime map updates (I think about $125). I have no complaints. When I know the area I don't think it always uses the most efficient roads. But; when I don't know the area or city it gets me there!

The map upload is somewhat tedious, BUT I agree with earlier posts to go without an up date in some areas is a problem. Over the country roads change due to construction, exits change, business change, etc.

I also use the GPS on my IPhone. It works; but as an RVer I opt for the Garmin.

I'm sure there are many new ones with more features than mine. but I like it - as I can transfer from RV to car and also walking. I use the suction cup mount.
brent

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Bornfree (1999 Rear Kitchen)
Traveling with Chester (The Boxer) - at least in spirit

Yesterday I tried to put an address in my Garmin GPS given as 6898 Hwy 90, Daphne, AL. This is a movie theatre that has been in this location for a couple of years. It did not find a match. I then tried 6898 Highway 90. Still no match. Then another version with no match. Finally 6898 US Hwy 90. Jackpot! I knew it was a US highway, but what if I had not known this? I've had other similar experiences. The Garmin search software is no "Google."

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Dallas Baillio
2001 26RSB
Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Member