GPS ??

yes i have many times,, smallunits and mostly for fishn,, the newer ones are better than what i use.. i do have one of those get there with units for the truck and change it out for the car sometimes..the garmin unit..it works but sometimes there is abetter way and you still need to have amap with you...iused it on my last journy in the spring and it worked well i got from home to clardys and tods and franks and then all the way over to marty's and back safly..have used them in the woods too but the canopy soeties interfrd with it..lowrance unit..
 
I have a hand held E-Trex which I have never used despite the substantial investment in the unit and software (maps). OK for hiking, hunting and such but not very rapid in acquiring new positions.
We also have a car unit which is handy for going to new locations. But, one must be very careful to not accept directions blindly. It can give very strange instructions. e.g. Going from our home in north Arkansas to Little Rock, it will try to take us down a dead-end gravel road (I know it's dead end because I used to own the farm at the end); a steep goat trail that ends at the White River and would take a goat to get back up; many private driveways that lead to nowhere, etc. It is not precise. It puts our home on another street more than a quarter mile away. But, use common sense and it can be very helpful. I'm sure we will always have one from now on.
 
I use a tom-tom. Just a cheap one, got it remaindered off ebay. It's saved me countless times... and ended all the arguments. I wouldn't be without it... ;)

Thanks,

Bill
 
My wife has a garmin. We rented one when we were out in San Francisco, CA for a week. She gets lost very easy, but with it, was driving all over San Francisco by herself, pretty good for a mid-west girl. Several of the new ones have the lane assist on them that tells you which lane you need to be in when approaching a split in the highway (no not when your in the UK and driving on the wrong side of the road Larry :D ).

Best thing to do is go the local electronics borg and try one out. I think several are now coming with free traffic alerts too.
 
It really depends on what you would like to use for (e.g. wilderness tracking or roadside navigation aid). I own the road atlas kind (a Garmin Nuvi 200w) and absolutely love it. It was relatively cheap ($150), easy to use (my mother-in-law has figured it out), and (so far) 100% accurate.

I actually prefer the portable units to the in car models. I take mine with me everywhere - on business trips, to Hawaii on vacation, to find my kid's friends houses.

The thing that finally pushed me over the edge in buying one of these was my mother-in-laws insistence that either my wife or I accompany her everywhere due to her fear of getting lost. Once she saw how this works, she manages much better on her own. :thumb:
 
I have a few, one a first generation, seat of the pants affair. I also have one that attaches to my laptop which we use to determine what amenities are at the next exit for longer trips. I also have a smaller unit in each car for local trips.

They are all great!
 
For the car, or walking on city streets, etc. - a Garmin Nuvi 350. Nice little device, with an internal battery so it can be used handheld, or in the car without having to plug in.
 
I have a Garmin etrex, one of the cheaper models. My main use for it is fishing on Henry's Lake in Idaho. There are several springs under the lake where the fish congregate. I used to troll around all day trying to find them, but now I can just go right to the 'spot'.
 
Living in LA, they are very useful. LOML and I are both hooked on them.

I have one built into my car, and gave one to LOML for Christmas a couple years ago (a Garmin, dunno the model offhand). I'm sold on them. The database on the one in my car is a bit outdated (created in 2000), so any new roads or changes don't show up. The Garmin is newer and more up to date, but the one in my car is easier to use.

We took the Garmin with us on our recent trip to New Mexico, and it was interesting seeing how the two different nav systems perceived the world. The Garmin was the winner hands-down for finding points of interest like hotels, banks, restaurants, and gas statrions. (My Lexus is more limited in the kinds of places it lists.) For example, when we were in Tucson needing windshield wiper blades, it was very easy to find an auto supply place nearby.

I won't have another car without one.
 
I have one built into my car...The database on the one in my car is a bit outdated (created in 2000), so any new roads or changes don't show up...

Vaughn,
Can't the Lexus dealer update it for you? The one in the Subaru uses a plug-in DVD hookup to update it. Subaru dealers charge about $75 for the service.

For the Garmin, the yearly update DVDs cost about that same amount. I recently paid $69 plus shipping to update the maps in my Novi 350.
 
I always have trouble with mine - getting it folded right and everything. I think I picked it up at a Sinclair station.:D

Sorry Doug, can't help since we don't have one - yet. Good thread though.

Wes
 
Although I'm in the same crowd as Wes with the fold-up "GPS", I've been interested in this thread. LOML and I are starting to do more get-away weekends to new places, so my interest in a GPS system is greater now. Before we head out anywhere, I check the route on Mapquest and print out necessary information. We manage to get from point A to point B without any issues. What advantage would we have with a GPS?
 
My former office-car had toyota's nav system, and while I enjoyed it, I know my area well enough not to need it. There are days I wish I had it or a smaller unit in the van, but not often.

That said, I wish I had one for the LOML just because it would be a nice gift.
 
Vaughn,
Can't the Lexus dealer update it for you?
Last I checked, it was about $300 for the updated DVD and another $200 to install it.

... What advantage would we have with a GPS?
Too many to name. For starters, you can actually see where you are relative to everything else around you...all the time. Until you've seen one in action, it's hard to describe, but it makes it much easier to find places, and you don't have to stop and pull out the map when you make a wrong turn somewhere. Even when I'm driving in a familiar part of town, I like having the ability to take a side street to get around traffic or construction, then simply glance at my dashboard to see where I am and find the best route to my intended destination. I've found little side streets and shortcuts in my own neighborhood that I didn't know existed.

For cross-country travel, it can't be beat. Pull into an unfamiliar town, and know right away where (and how far) things like fuel, food, lodging, entertainment, medical, etc. are at. MapQuest is good, but it doesn't take into account detours and side trips, nor does it easily show where things like gas stations and restaurants are along the way.
 
To add to what Vaughn said, the GPS gives you the freedom to very simply deviate from the predetermined route for any reason. For example, due to unusually bad traffic or road construction, you decide to get off the freeway as a detour. The moment you change your course, the device will recalculate new directions from your new location.

Another feature that I appreciate is that it will communicate information in 3 different ways - visually with a map, verbally via lady's voice, and in text across the top of the screen. So, even if you're by yourself in terrible traffic that you can't take your eyes off of, you can still listen to the voice commands.
 
I have two.

Tom Tom Go 720. Works perfect and talks. Car only. My go to for car use now. Was just on sale at Best Buy for $179 which is a great price.

Garmin GPSMAP 76CS (CSX is new model). Works great in and out of car for Geocache and boat use and floats. Great to mark fishing spots. Does not talk.
 
Vaughn,
Can't the Lexus dealer update it for you? [/quote

Last I checked, it was about $300 for the updated DVD and another $200 to install it. ....

Yow! Somebody saw you coming! That's outrageous.

Since yours is eight years old, does it use a DVD mounted in the trunk? (Some did) Toyota/Lexus used to use a Toshiba GPS. Don't know what yours might be, but if it does use a DVD in the trunk, you might be able to buy the newer DVD direct, and install it yourself.
 
Top