Knew this could happen and it did! - RV-Dreams Community Forum

janni · RV-Dreams Family Member

Knew this could happen and it did!

Racerguy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Been there ,done that with our Garmin.We try to use the instructions the campground sometimes put on their web sites as to what exit to use.Over the past year we have learned when to ignore the GPS and when to follow it. I've probably jinxed us now and will get lost next time biggrin

Penny and Paul · RV-Dreams Family Member

We learned the hard way to NEVER use the "shortest distance" feature. Once we ended up on a little road that dead ended into a corn field. I had to do a three-point turn in the dark with a TT. At the first RV-Dreams Rally in Benson MO, we got routed down some residential side street and then found out that it dead ended at a quarry. Now we only use "Fastest Route"

One other thing that helps is to find the destination on a map, and then manually browse to that location on the GPS and mark it. Way more accurate.

Garmin used to make a product that used a USB antenna attached to a laptop, and the live mapping software could interface with other mapping programs. I was on their web site today and saw it list as "discontinued". Man, I was bummed!

Froggi · RV-Dreams Family Member

We use the big truck Garmin and when going from SC to a friend's in eastern TN, we did the same thing. Miles and miles of roads we should not have been on (we're almost 60' long total - Freightliner MDT and 41' toy hauler). No place to turn...just guts to go on. UGH!

Funny thing is, looking at a paper map, if we had continued on the highway for maybe another 4-5 miles, we could have turned on a much larger road and taken a shorter, straighter route.

Other times, in cities, it's taken us on some really wide detours...for no apparent reason. We just laugh...

TxYellowRose · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sorry you had such a crazy "detour!"

We don't even own a GPS. I grew up being the "navigator" on our family trailer trips and still use maps, regular atlas and trucker's atlas. Google maps and MapQuest come in handy at times, too.

Nope, no "newfangled" stuff for us! biggrin

janni · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks for your replies and yes, we laugh too(when it was over). Back to better map reading and I said if we call ahead for reservations we will ask for directions at the same time. We are 55 ft long and then me in the little truck so there just isn't any turning around.

Pat L · RV-Dreams Family Member

Well with my Garmin the Mystery Voice is called "Beverly Ann". She and I have had some interesting conversations over the time. She will take me off a perfectly good highway and down through a small town with everything narrow. I usually always view my maps prior to departing in the AM so I have a good idea where I am going. I carry a post-it-note pad and wright down the exit numbers, stick it on the dash and away I go. Drives my DW crazy that I take the time to do it. I look at it this way: I can call Beverly Ann what ever I want. She does not cook and I don't sleep with her!!!

tcox4freedom · RV-Dreams Community Member

The main thing I like the GPS for is "city" diving in a big truck. I have found it helps out most of the time with upcoming turns and allows me to keep my attention on the traffic and not road signs.

I too, think soley depending on the gps for navigation is asking for trouble. A few years ago I was driving my 4 runner in SC near Charleston. I was taking a scenic route through francis Marion Forest. when my GPS instructed ne to turn down a nice "paved" forest road. But, before, I knew it the pavement ran out and now I was on a muddy dirt road! If I had been in anything other than a four wheel drive, I would have had a couple of miles to back up!

One thing I like to do is take the time to get some bird's eye views of key areas. Sat pics helped me avoid most trouble spots and choose alternate routes when I was driving a big truck. (My nav tools now inclued an "UP-toDATE" truckers atlas (low OP's and truck rtes listed); GPS system (with the MOST current mapping system installed) AND Sat pics of areas I'm not sure about!

-- Edited by tcox4freedom on Thursday 7th of April 2011 11:16:25 AM

53 Merc · RV-Dreams Family Member

Quite often Gloria (Gloria Garmin) just has to deal with disapointment. She gets really upset when I don't follow her instructions. ON occasion she has tried to get me to turn and I did not do it. WOW!!! She gets really ticked. Once, she did get me to turn, when I knew full well to ignore her. I had to spend about 20 minutes getting turned around where there was really no place to turn around to get out of the guy's driveway. Made up my mind then and there, if I have doubts, I am gonna go with my instincts, not hers. She can just get unhappy and tell me "off route, recalculating".

Bill Adams · RV-Dreams Family Member

Just as a side note, one of the options in the Garmin is to turn off that obnoxious "off route, recalculating". It will still recalculate, it just does it silently (a must in my opinion).

-- Edited by Bill Adams on Thursday 7th of April 2011 03:19:01 PM

janni · RV-Dreams Family Member

Awwe you guys got a way of making this mistake far less painful. The advice about maps, sat pics, and especially about the fastest route and shortest route(think this has been what I have been doing wrong) is much appreciated. Our Gorgeous Glora AKA Beautiful Beverly Ann in is thrown in a drawer in the naughty corner for awhile.

mailman01 · RV-Dreams Family Member

There is a process where a route can be selected on Mapquest then transferred to the Garmin using a USB connection. The site is http://garmin.blogs.com/my_weblog/2008/04/mapquest-sends.html After selecting and adjusting your route, select SEND TO GPS. Only takes a couple of seconds. The new route shows up in the Favorites on Garmin.

Marty

Rick-n-Phyl · RV-Dreams Community Member

My favorite map system is Microsoft Streets and Trips on a laptop, with the GPS sensor USB device attached. Too many options to go into, but it is big screen, gives a "real" map, and has display and nav options. Makes it easy to do your own thinking as to best route. For us, it is definitely worth the cost of software, sensor and the 12v to 120v inverter we use to keep the laptop powered, especially as my "navigator" is typically involved in some computer games to pass the time.

Ms Garmin has her attributes, but has shown to be very fallable.

Penny and Paul · RV-Dreams Family Member

Rick-n-Phyl wrote:
My favorite map system is Microsoft Streets and Trips on a laptop, with the GPS sensor USB device attached. Too many options to go into, but it is big screen, gives a "real" map, and has display and nav options. Makes it easy to do your own thinking as to best route. For us, it is definitely worth the cost of software, sensor and the 12v to 120v inverter we use to keep the laptop powered, especially as my "navigator" is typically involved in some computer games to pass the time.

Ms Garmin has her attributes, but has shown to be very fallable.

We just got a copy of this last night. I downloaded the free MegaPOI file (POI=Places of Interest) and was pleased to see all the COE campgrounds on it. Then I subscribed to the service from lowclearance.com (a database with bridge clearances that is an add-in to many GPS programs.) The program, the GPS antenna, and the low clearance service cost a total of 90 bucks. That's only ten dollars more that the cost of updating Maggie Magellan with the latest map, (which BTW is dated 2008/ 2009). With this setup there are current road construction updates, new and changed roads as of this month, and the clearance for over 3200 bridges and underpasses.

I'll have it at the spring rally if anyone wants to check it out, and I'll also give a review after using it a bit.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Jo's first experience with a GPS was in a rental car several years ago. She had flown out to the D.C. area to spend a week with our youngest son while he was temporarily working out there. (She had never been to that area before.) While using the one in the rental car, they found that it was too slow to notify in time for a turn.

After that, and my first experience with one, we had one in a Ford Explorer. I really go sick of it telling me that unimportant drivel as we went along. It ended up with the name of "Chatty Cathy." Now, if you all remember that name, you are dating yourselves.

But, Chatty Cathy got turned off and we used it mostly for looking at when driving in unfamiliar areas. We will eventually get a new one for full-time traveling, but it will have the "trucker" features so it may better warn us of low clearances or whatever else they warn about.

But, I still plan on using other sources for planning, mostly Mountain Directory East and West, possibly Streets and Trips, and who knows what else. Last year, while driving through Colorado in a regular vehicle, we came across a road that had a sign saying "No Vehicles Over 38 Feet." That sort of thing would be important to know.

However, I don't recall anything on that road that would have been difficult for that long of a rig or longer. But then, I wasn't driving, I was taking pictures.

Terry