GPS Questions - Looking for a Better Tool

[lsbrodsky]

One more strength of BaseCamp: I put my planned trips into the Garmin Cloud. I then take them from the Cloud into my laptop, which travels with me. I also have BaseCamp and the maps on my laptop so that as we progress on our travels and want to change the trip, I make the changes on my laptop, connect it to my GPS and presto! As was said, it is much easier and quicker to make route changes in BaseCamp than on the Garmin device.

Larry

[gator.bigfoot]

For me personally BaseCamp is the most aggravating piece of software I have used. If I wrote code like that I would no longer be employed. Not too mention their maps are out of date before you update them and that by at least by one year. I recorded my entire trip and sent in the logs as well as all of the corrections to Garmin and didn't even get a reply. That was the final straw. I returned it. I will never use this piece of junk again. What good is a GPS that tells to you to take a road that doesn't exist. And that was a major highway. I would rather go with paper which is a lot more accurate. I can print out all of the maps the and instructions off google if necessary, but if I have cell signal I will just use the phone. The issue is that I travel in areas that are not well traveled and there is little to no cell signal so paper is a good option. If I want to have a GPS that is mediocre then I can just use CoPilot for $15 and save the hundreds on a device that doesn't really work anyway. My cars also have GPS built in, but I'm not paying hundreds on map upgrades that aren't going to accurate either.

[m.hony]

Amen, Brother!
Preach!

[lsbrodsky]

Nah! My experience with BaseCamp is very positive. One trick I had to learn was to select Automobile instead of RV if I wanted BaseCamp to route me on questionable roads like the Blue Ridge Parkway. None of the GPS algorithms for routing are perfect if you want to wander the back roads but my Garmin has served me well getting me to my destination anywhere from Georgia to PEI. Perfect? No, but I cannot look at paper maps while I am driving.
Larry

[nilesrob]

I stand corrected. Yes, Garmin has Base amp and I use it on my mac for hiking purposes.


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[nvestysly]

When this thread was started I had just purchases a Garmin RV 760LMT GPS hoping it would be the best available product for our needs. I was (and still am) less than impressed but I have become familiar with its limitations and committed to working with it on our next trip. At this point I've only used it for some relatively "local" drives of 100 miles or so and we were not towing the trailer.

At this point I find RV mode is probably not that helpful. We can tow our trailer almost anywhere a car can go. I don't want this electronic thing thinking for me in that regard. Only once in our thousands of miles of towing without a GPS did we encounter a bridge that we were not able to go under. We can make U-turns where a large motorhome cannot although we prefer to avoid those situations. We have been known to drive several miles down the road to find an appropriate place to turn around. I may change my opinion when we begin using the Garmin while towing but for now we plan to use "car" mode.

BaseCamp is interesting and useful to a degree after finally learning how to put the map into BaseCamp so I don't need to have the GPS connected to the computer.

I don't like the fact that waypoints, routes, etc. simply download from BaseCamp to the GPS as a series of entries rather than allowing some sort of sub-folders or other means of organizing. Am I missing something here? I planned a trip with dozens of stops and used some waypoints to force BaseCamp to follow certain routes. On the GPS that translates into lines and lines of scrolling to locate entries and it's difficult to know what's what. How do other people handle this? I was hoping to have several trips loaded on the GPS but now realize that is not useful as the second trip simply clutters the information I need for the first trip. I hope there is something I'm overlooking.

The videos and tutorials referred to in one of the earlier posts (#43) have been very helpful.

I like the idea of a handheld GPS for hiking, bicycling, kayaking, etc. The DeLorme inReach handheld has the added feature of being able to text even when there's no cell phone signal. Now that Garmin owns DeLorme I wonder if BaseCamp will integrate with the inReach product line? Anyone have experience or knowledge on this?

It seems each system has it's limitations - whether it's screen size, feature resolution, lane guidance or some other annoying "feature" so I'm sticking with the Garmin for now. I hope I don't regret that at some point.

The idea of a better mousetrap still interests me. As you see other products with improved operation and software don't hesitate to post the information here.

[lsbrodsky]

You know, once the waypoints are in there, I never need to mess with them so I do not know how convenient or inconvenient they might be. I have found, though, that it is better to create as Routes rather than Trips. Once you create a Trip and download, there is no changing it on the Garmin. Not so for Routes.

Larry

[ColoradoLady]

I have found this discussion on GPS and navigation to be very helpful, as I am most certainly not in the computer technology geek level of knowledge. I have the GARMIN RV 760, and am just learning, (and I use that term loosely) to use it.

As some have indicated, it appears one must immerse yourself in the process until it begins to make sense!

I have found the need to keep and use, memorize routes via RAND McNALLY map books, as the ultimate backup tool., in addition to a GPS. The GPS unit in my Interstate, which I believe uses Google, has tried to take me on back roads, into farm and ranch roads, which I know not to take, after consulting the map book (RAND Mc). It appears to me that for trip planning as well as navigation....all come into play. I will continue following this thread, as it is very informative and instructive. Thank you all! Evelyn.

[lsbrodsky]

You correct, you must never place all of faith in your GPS. You need to know where you are going and have an overall view of how to get there. No GPS is perfect, that is to say the map database and the routing algorithms are not perfect. I always have paper maps available as a backup but a GPS sure is nice 99% of the time.
Larry

[greghoro]

Originally Posted by nvestysly

I don't like the fact that waypoints, routes, etc. simply download from BaseCamp to the GPS as a series of entries rather than allowing some sort of sub-folders or other means of organizing. Am I missing something here? I planned a trip with dozens of stops and used some waypoints to force BaseCamp to follow certain routes. On the GPS that translates into lines and lines of scrolling to locate entries and it's difficult to know what's what. How do other people handle this? I was hoping to have several trips loaded on the GPS but now realize that is not useful as the second trip simply clutters the information I need for the first trip. I hope there is something I'm overlooking.

No means to organize waypoints on the GPS as you can in Basecamp. The majority of GPS users do not use Basecamp and have no need to organize their waypoints. Typical user doesn't store waypoints on the GPS and those that do only have a couple. And most users would be overwhelmed if presented with any type of organizational decision to make. However, if you assign Categories to waypoints, they will be grouped together under the Category heading on the GPS. But not always and I can't figure out when and why.

When searching through your Saved waypoints on the GPS, consider typing in the first few letters in the search box rather than scroll through the list.

To alter a route without adding a visible waypoint, use the Insert tool. When you want to adjust a route, select the Insert tool, touch the route at or beyond the point where you want to alter its direction and click the mouse, drag to the point you want to to pin the altered route to and click the mouse again. Some refer to this as creating a "shaping point". Takes some practice. It's best to create a shaping point at an intersection. Note, be careful when doing this on a divided highway, you must place the shaping point accurately in the correct lane based on your route direction. There is a difference between northbound and southbound when placing a shaping point.



Greg

[wbrisett]

Originally Posted by nvestysly

I like the idea of a handheld GPS for hiking, bicycling, kayaking, etc. The DeLorme inReach handheld has the added feature of being able to text even when there's no cell phone signal. Now that Garmin owns DeLorme I wonder if BaseCamp will integrate with the inReach product line? Anyone have experience or knowledge on this?

Maybe... I have a DeLorme handheld that I use when hiking. The Topo map software it uses is Windows only (a downside for me because after working for 10 years at Apple, I still only use Mac OS X at home), and it's pretty complex (if you think BaseCamp has a poor UI, wait until you see Topo). That said, for topographical mapping, DeLorme has it in spades over Garmin's topographical maps.

InReach is really just a DeLorme PN-xx with the two way texting. In the future it would be possible, but there's a lot of stuff Garmin/DeLorme has to work out first. The maps are vastly different, could it be ported back to older PN devices or will they have to come out with a new generation of PN/InReach devices along with newer Garmin devices?

Honestly, my main fear in the DeLorme/Garmin buyout is that Garmin will kill the PN devices. For hiking they are far superior to the Garmin handhelds, but I guess only time will tell now.

[nvestysly]

A few comments about the Garmin RV 760LMT after using it for a few weeks.

For the most part I find it useful but at times it can be extremely frustrating.

I like the fact that the speed limit and actual speed are displayed on the 760. Other than temporary speed limit changes such as found in construction sites the speed limit is very accurate. The 760 identifies the correct speed limit +\- 100 feet of the speed limit sign posted on the roadway!

It's easy to grow accustomed to the lane guidance the 760 provides. This feature is very helpful but is not infallible. There are times when the 760 does not specify a lane even when the lane is very critical to following the route. I don't understand when it's correct and when it isn't so it's difficult to say this feature "works" when my anecdotal info says it omits key lane assignments 20 - 25% of the time.

The algorithm used to define routes seems odd at best. There are times when it specifies out of the way roads. Times when it clearly follows a path that is not the designated US or State road and its route is unusual to say the least. For instance, routing through neighborhoods when staying on the US or State road makes much more sense to me.

Three times it had taken us on roads that are clearly questionable. Gravel when a perfectly good paved road existed one block over. Once on a road that did not exist and appeared to never exist! Down a gravel road to a county campground when the road to the county campground was two blocks over and paved! I verified the campground location using a smart phone so I can't understand why the 760 took me to the wrong place.

I'll post again in a week or so when I've completed a backcountry trip.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, one thing that some of you might not understand about your GPS is the route it takes you through at times. I usually set mine for Shortest Time, not Shortest Distance. You might not know this, but I have tested mine and rarely do you see the reason why you left the freeway to take a smaller street. But the actual reason, that I have verified, is the fact that an accident has happened and your GPS has directed you around it. I have actually seen flashing lights [emergency vehicles] ahead and my GPS took me off of the freeway and back on after the problem on the freeway that was slowing down or stopping traffic.


I have also been on a triangle of streets and my GPS took the longer route. It was a small triangle and you could see all of the streets at once and we were virtually the only vehicle there. Why; I can't answer that one.

[m.hony]

Sometimes I don't want shortest time OR shortest distance, but some combination of both that is the BEST route as far as traffic and road conditions.
The GPS device is not human and doesn't have a human brain, reasoning, and logic.
We take certain routes because we have lived here 40-something years and know the best way. I wish GPS devices would LEARN the route- memorize the turn by turn we actually do and next trip give us directions that way/based on that.
I understand exactly how they work, but it still frustrates me terribly.
I choose not to use it until I'm absolutely lost. Then it doesn't matter if is not giving me the optimum route because I don't know the optimum route.
Sometimes it does recalculate according to the turns I am actually making.
Sometimes it tells me to make a u-turn or circle the block for 20 minutes before it finally recalculated according to my turns.
Usually the way the GPS device wants to take me is both longer distance AND longer time.
It calculates based solely on distance, not considering stop signs, stop lights, traffic congestion, fuel stops, meals, rest breaks...
I have mostly gone back to a road atlas and a compass and memorizing the turns. If there are too many turns, I will print the directions and learn a few turns each fuel stop or rest stop.
Asking directions from locals is good, too.
Many times I set GP, then do what I want to and ignore it till I become totally lost before I depend on or rely on GPS.


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[greghoro]

Originally Posted by nvestysly

I like the fact that the speed limit and actual speed are displayed on the 760.

I found this feature very handy when we were in Canada. The metric markings on my speedometer are very difficult to read and switching the GPS over to metric solved that problem.


Greg

[wbrisett]

Originally Posted by greghoro

I found this feature very handy when we were in Canada. The metric markings on my speedometer are very difficult to read and switching the GPS over to metric solved that problem.

I took a year long position there back in the late 90's. We brought our US car and that probably was the one thing that was difficult for us, the US numbers were large, but the metric one's not so much so and it was hard to read. Today with the electronic dashes, it is easier to switch over so you know exactly how fast (or slow) you are going in either metric or imperial. However, having the GPS provide this information is definitely handy.

-Wayne

[RandyNH]

Originally Posted by m.hony

The GPS device is not human and doesn't have a human brain, reasoning, and logic.
We take certain routes because we have lived here 40-something years and know the best way. I wish GPS devices would LEARN the route- memorize the turn by turn we actually do and next trip give us directions that way/based on that.

Your significant other, sitting next to you reading a paper Atlas, probably wouldn't be able to give you all the turns YOU want.

Why would you need/want a GPS to give you directions on a route you've been traveling for 40 years?

They are assistive devices, people who follow them down one ways the wrong way and into lakes deserve what they get. When a fire alarm goes off, do you run out of the building and stand and wait for the fire department to show up? When a car alarm goes off, do you immediately call the cops to come? If you drive a Tesla, do you just watch it drive you under the tractor trailer??

M.hony this post is not aimed at you, just using your comments as an example, I've heard so many say the same thing.

[m.hony]

Oh no!
She has no sense of direction at all!
I'm totally on my own!
I still have to tell her, "Help me look for Hwy 19."


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[greghoro]

Originally Posted by RandyNH

Why would you need/want a GPS to give you directions on a route you've been traveling for 40 years?

In addition to giving directions, having an Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) is very useful, even on a known route. You can let the person know how early/late you may be. Granted, not useful if your known route is significantly different than the one calculated by the GPS but it should still be on an order of magnitude.


Greg

[gator.bigfoot]

Originally Posted by greghoro

In addition to giving directions, having an Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) is very useful, even on a known route. You can let the person know how early/late you may be. Granted, not useful if your known route is significantly different than the one calculated by the GPS but it should still be on an order of magnitude.


Greg

Only of course if it makes sense. I find it usually takes longer towing than without. Then there is traffic. The unknown. What good is the GPS if it constantly changes the end time. I can guess that much on the outset as well.

The bottom line is 760 is no better than the cheapest GPS. Nothing works better than your phone if you cell service. Paper maps are still some of the best if you know how to use them and if you have a good map and navigator.