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Old 06-21-2017, 11:59 PM   #1
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Gps

Any thoughts on the best GPS for Motorhome travels ?

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Old 06-22-2017, 12:15 AM   #2
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Garmin RV model, lets you put in your RV dimensions and driving speed, give more accurate eta's and keep you away from low spots!
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Old 06-22-2017, 12:21 AM   #3
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"Best" is a subjective term. It's like asking what is the best motorhome for motorhome travel.

That being said, I loved the Lowrance IWay GPS: I think they had the best user interfaces, but Lowrance refused to keep up in the automotive market so they are gone.

I have 3 different Garmin Nuvis and I am generally happy with the way they perform so I purchased a Garmin RV660LMT for my ACE. I've only used it on 1 trip so far and I am underimpressed. Although it shows your speed and warns you when you are over the speed limit, there is no speed limit display. There is no "breadcrumb" option. Traveling I-4 from Tampa to Championsgate this past Sunday it routed me off I-4 onto US-27 and then to Ronald Regan Pwky when I could have just got off I-4 at Ronald Regan Pkwy.

That's my take.
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Old 06-22-2017, 01:11 AM   #4
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I've been going back to a Garmin GPS every time I venture off to try other options over the last 20yrs or so. For the last couple years I've been messing around with apps for the phone and found some to be quite effective but more effort than a dedicated GPS.

I purchased the recent RV 770 release partly because it's the latest offering from Garmin. I did try to find and like other options but nothing really fit what I wanted. So, IMO ... the RV-770 was the best GPS on the market for RV travel. Anyway, it's not what I consider perfect but has been working better than expected so far. No miss-routes yet and since I've had many Garmins in the past, it was a very familiar interface. I'm really starting to like how it displays new incoming emails/messages and reads/speaks them back to me as we drive down the road.
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Old 06-22-2017, 01:19 AM   #5
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Thanks folks.
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Old 06-22-2017, 01:25 AM   #6
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I love my Garmin, but I agree that you cannot follow it blindly. Since it does not take into account traffic lights and traffic speed on many secondary roads, it routinely routes you off highways onto secondary roads that are shorter, but not necessarily faster. I have also had instances where it tried to take me all the way around a mountain (2 Hours) when there was an hour cut off that it did not recognize- for some reason. Often, it wants to take you right thru major cities rather than around the bypass - which may be shorter and even quicker sometimes, if you don't meet horrible traffic. I always travel with a map and a good idea in my head what route I think I am going to take and question the gps when it trys to change it.
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Old 06-22-2017, 01:30 AM   #7
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Bought a Magellan RoadMate RV9165T-LM two years ago with free updates and works great plus lower price point than Garmin.
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Old 06-22-2017, 04:07 AM   #8
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Google maps on my phone, Trucker Path app on my phone, navigation on the truck which is inaccurate & expensive to update, & double check clearances in a Motor Carriers atlas. I've found that Google maps is the most accurate, free current updates, & both of us have a phone, Trucker Path you can enter clearances & all sorts of stops & also on our phone. I usually check all of them prior to trip just to familiarize my self all the options.
We had a Garmin, but after a couple years we couldn't trust it to get us across the street & never replaced it, so just use what we already have available.
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Old 06-22-2017, 11:59 AM   #9
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We use the CoPilot app on our phones and tablets, along with Waze and Google Maps. After using many different GPS systems over the years, we have a general wariness about trusting any of them. Most of the time, our eyes looking ahead is still the best option. GPS is good for planning a route. With Traffic Updates in CoPilot and Waze, we can also determine travel times much more accurately as well as reroute when needed.


Of course, the comment about the "best" GPS is pretty accurate. What works for us may not be what works for you. Good luck!
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Old 06-22-2017, 01:59 PM   #10
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On a three week trip to Florida in March, had both the Magellan GPS and google maps running at the same time. Google Maps is great for traffic/accident/re-route notification and we also can decide real-time which device to trust. Even on car only trips, we use both the on-board GPS and google maps simultaneously.
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Old 06-22-2017, 03:22 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SammyC View Post
Any thoughts on the best GPS for Motorhome travels ?
Having had several Garmins over years, we retired our NUVI to car/truck use only when we bought our Axis.

We have the GARMIN RVT ... we used it for the first time a couple weeks ago...it works well. Whichever brand you wind up with...remember to go into settings, to tell it if you want most direct route, or not...and many other preferences/settings. It will take you on the scenic tour if you let it...often, it can be due to construction etc. You can tell it what to avoid and not .
You have several options of what you want displayed on the 'working' screen..
ours does show current speed limit...and it is amazing how it changes at the road sign...the spy in the sky at work !

In addition...I, as the navigator...use Google Maps to clarify things, often...keep in mind...I like Google Maps, as I can go to Satellite view and see exactly what an area looks like. In accition...when cell phone signal fails...
.Garmin is still working. Our Garmin has never failed us in the high country of Colorado.
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Old 06-22-2017, 07:10 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by SammyC View Post
Any thoughts on the best GPS for Motorhome travels ?
We went with the 760 since it has all the connections in the dash mount for power so you can just take the unit and go...

It also can use your existing backup and side cameras on it( much easier to see than on the axxerra. And you can have weather radar.

Works great on our VEGAS
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Old 06-23-2017, 12:40 PM   #13
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Google Maps or Waze on my iPhone are my navigation assistants of choice. They have gotten me around heavy traffic on more than one occasion.
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Old 06-26-2017, 02:29 AM   #14
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Got a notice that there was a map update and I thought ... wait ... that new RV-770 can update via wi-fi!

That's just too fun! No more connecting to a computer to do updates
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