IXLR8
Elite Member
If you were at Cabellas, you should have checked out their collection of GPS units. They had a good selection last time I was in there.
GPS and auto system info needed
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bearhawk
Platinum Member
*** If you park in a covered structure it won't find a lock in there. If you go out and are into the land of tall buildings (YUCK) ***
The gps receiver needs three satellites to fix it's position, it will not get a signal through buildings or parking garages.
The position of the unit in the car also effects the signal, that's why the windshield mount is so popular.
If you understand these limitations, they are very useful traveling in areas that are unfamiliar. Especially when you miss a turn, it will recalculate the route automatically.
I think it is worth the extra money to get the text to speech version. It is very comforting to actually here the street name as you navigate. You have the time to double check the street sign as you get ready to turn.
You won't go wrong with a mid level Garmin unit.
Sigarms
Super Star Member
From Cabellas website, they list the Garmin "Colorado" 300 unit for $499.
First place I checked online, they had the same unit listed for $389.
For the Garmin Colorado 400- $599 from Cabellas, $479.99 at the same other online location.
That said, I'd stay away from buying the accessories online at these "speciality" shops, because it seems that's where they make up their money.
Figure $20 for shipping, but your paying for gas and time to get to Cabellas as well.
I don't consider myself cheap, but I to like to make sure I'm getting a competitive price when personal service is limited to the product I'm buying.
Cabellas has a wonderful product mix, but the days of their "great prices" seem to be long gone.
Couldn't agree more.
That said, I still can figure out why EVERY single gps unit someone has in their car, that comes to my house, the gps unit tells them to take a right at one rural intersection and do a big loop (via another road) to get to my house which is about 5 miles out of the way. However, go straight through that ame intersection (where it tells you to go right), and in one minute the unit will recalculate the new route and bring you in the way I'd give directions to get there
Funny, my wife is much smarter than myself, but she really does have the same problem per "sense of direction". My only saving grace is my father in law tells me my wife got that trait from her mother
We borrowed a top of the line nuvi 800 something last year on a trip to Seattle. It worked very well in the country and suburbs, but in the city. eh not so much. If you park in a covered structure it won't find a lock in there. If you go out and are into the land of tall buildings (YUCK
A MAJOR reason to use a "Software mostly" one is for updates, builders build, roads move, developers develop, etc. & DeLorme updates are (relatively) cheap.
Unless/until we get something like integration with cell phone networks and GOOD cell coverage in places like underground parking garages there will be gaps. I suspect that cell phones will continue to evolve in this direction (& many other directions).
If I was starting over and had a strong need for city nav I would be checking the Verizon offering and probably others.
Right now what I have is WAY better than air wrestling with paper maps - as the Garmin ad says, (paraphrased) "it knows where I am, paper maps only know where the roads are". My use is mostly rural.
Odd, my Zumo "Knows" when I am in the Boston tunnels - and basically "fakes it", keeping a trace at the speed I entered and "knowing" that there is only one place for me to go.
So far I havn't been delayed in a Boston tunnel and I have NO plans to stop for the sake of an experiment to see what it does if I don't come out the other end more or less on schedule.
I know my way around well enough that I don't need to watch it much for such things as airport runs anyway.
I VERY rarely have a need to find a new address in the city.
True, mine will put the current directions on screen with exits and turns, based on entry point, it just loses the ability to update time and distance to turns w/o the signal.
Let's admit, who wants to spend any time in those tunnels anyway! Concrete ceiling tiles, what an excellent idea!
I know the limitations, it's just too bad that when you are in a location where you need it most (down town of a major city full of tall buildings) you can't get a lock and if you didn't bring a paper map - you're just SOL.
jb
Scooby074
Super Member
I have a Garmin c60. Its been very good as a outdoor hand held gps. Its waterproof ( and mudproof ). However its really isnt a good car gps. The screen is small and the UI is hard to navigate with one eye on the road. Ive used a Tom Tom and its a much better car only gps. Touch screens are nice!
like others have said maps are the key. I use a Topo in the woods and City Navigator in the truck. Big difference. The city is aimed at a driver in a car. It has restaurants , gas businesses etc.
One thing id recommend is that you look for "RAM" mounts for your gps. They are really the cadillac of mounts. I have a suction type in my truck and perminant mounts on my ATV and snowmobile. They are a ball and arm type which allows you to position the unit anywhere, also you only need one arm and gps mount as the system is a modular type.
). However its really isnt a good car gps. The screen is small and the UI is hard to navigate with one eye on the road. Ive used a Tom Tom and its a much better car only gps. Touch screens are nice!like others have said maps are the key. I use a Topo in the woods and City Navigator in the truck. Big difference. The city is aimed at a driver in a car. It has restaurants , gas businesses etc.
One thing id recommend is that you look for "RAM" mounts for your gps. They are really the cadillac of mounts. I have a suction type in my truck and perminant mounts on my ATV and snowmobile. They are a ball and arm type which allows you to position the unit anywhere, also you only need one arm and gps mount as the system is a modular type.
Cap-n-Cray
Silver Member
I have a Garmin GPSmap 276C with an external Lowe antenna. I have Blue Charts for use in a boat and street maps for driving. Also topo maps that all can be loaded in to it. Works great. It is getting old but still works and has voice directions. Almost too many features. Some of the newer ones have BlueTooth built in.
One thing I have noticed is that the GPS will give you a ETA time. It does not seem to change much if you speed, but get caught at a stop light and the minutes add on. On hundred mile trips speeding only saves five minute or so, but a traffic jam and the minute add on fast.
A good place for information on GPSs is GPSCity.com.
Cary
One thing I have noticed is that the GPS will give you a ETA time. It does not seem to change much if you speed, but get caught at a stop light and the minutes add on. On hundred mile trips speeding only saves five minute or so, but a traffic jam and the minute add on fast.
A good place for information on GPSs is GPSCity.com.
Cary
