Can anyone compare Garmin RV to Rand McNally's 7720 or 7725?
504751
I don't have personal experience, but we bought ours on the advice of a neighbor who had had the Rand McNally, wasn't satisfied, and bought the Garmin, which he highly recommended. We bought the Garmin and have not been sorry.
504752
I had the RM7720 and returned it 2 days later. The touch screen did not work properly even after calibration, and I was not happy with it. The Garmin RV is great. It works perfect, and I like the smart phone link for weather.
504753
sorry can't compare all i can say is my garmin has been great, i have now added the garmin backup camera to my garmin when you put truck in reverse the screen turns on back up camera.garmin is #1.
504754
Had a Good Sam branded RM7725 and a # of issues:1. the voice sounds like a cheap walkie talkie - 2. no alert when you go off route, it just starts rerouting and if you're not paying attention you don't know what's going on - 3. highways database is sorely lacking - 4. U can only use the GS trip planner to preplan a trip and upload it - more things I didn't like but short answer is that I returned it.NOW - I have a Garmin Nuvi so was able to try out Basecamp, hate it. Will be asking if I can use Street Atlas to plan a trip and upload it to this unit.
504755
I was a long time Garmin user but bought the RM 7735 for use with my camper. The voice was awful and after adjusting all the settings I was still being re-routed off major highways. Just sold it and I am buying a Garmin again.
504756
I had the RM when it first came out and returned quickly when I found the screen unreadable in anything besides subdued lighting. Databases are likely similar. They may have improved the RM, but I find the Garmin to be far better to work with.
504757
I just found the Rand McNally easier to use and the Garmin contained information that I knew was incorrect.
504758
I don't personally know of anyone that has the Rand McNally. Some of the RV forums that I frequent have had good reviews on both the Rand McNally and the Garmin. I don't know which Rand McNally there were using. Sorry.
729426
You'll find that the eXplorist GC has an older software, but the firmware is up-grade-able, but for "me" it only transferred using Win ExP. I had a lot of problems with the GPS freezing and had to remove the batteries. Spend a little more money for a Garmin.
1492154
I am in the exact same situation, I am debating which GPS to return. 255WT or 285WT?285WT is actually cheaper too, since I didn't have to pay any tax buying from amazon.sigh... I should have just shelled out a little bit more for the 265WT from Radio shack.The bluetooth on the 285WT seems nice to have, but is the lifetime traffic on the 255WT any good, and is it more worthy than the bluetooth? I never followed the traffic information from my Navigion 2100T, since I am not sure how useful it is.
1558406
the only difference i could find was the map,which could be updated on your computer. some show every street known,but i never found it that useful.call garmin
772650
Looks to me like they're pushing Nuvis. Type garmin in google and go to the manufacturer's site. You can compare 4 side by side at a time.
1631921
Here is a great link that should answer your question:http://www.golfgps1.com/Garmin-Approach-S2-vs-S3-Difference-Between-Review.html
6190
How about the 885 without MSN Direct, and adding the GTM 20, which gives Navtec fm traffic? That's what I'm considering doing. Might want to call Garmin to see if this option will give you what you want. If you do, would you report back?Yes. 855 is the one i mean. Sorry for the confusion.
9024
I'm surprised no one has given you a suggestion. On the off chance you are still looking, I'll add a comment or two. Obviously, any of the units you have listed "could" do the job very well (I've heard good and bad things about each of them). Multiple routing (which my unit doesn't have) would be very nice to have if it's implemented properly. I originally wanted the Magellan because I liked its features better than the others (especially the AAA feature), but didn't want to take a chance (their customer support is terrible). And any unit that allows you to exclude/avoid a road is a good one to get. The Nuvi 200 really is a basic unit and has no Text-to-Speech (which I prefer even though some names are butchered). The 200 also comes with only the lower 48 states (adding Canada can get very expensive), so I would suggest the 250 or 260 (the 260 has TTS). The newer 260W (wide-screen) is probably priced too high right now. As far as ease of use, they all work similarly, but Garmins are probably the easiest and most logical (with Magellan a close second). TomTom will give you many more customizable options, plus has Mapshare (a really great idea). No matter what you decide to get, I'm sure you will be pleased. Just remember that they all have various quirks (even the big, expensive models).
1473513
I'm not familiar with the unit you're comparing to, but I bought this one, use it constantly and love it. Recently went full time in an rv, and couldn't be w/o it!
1046626
I have been doing a little research and stumbled across this site. http://www.the-portable-gps.com/gps-for-trucking.htmlCopy and paste it. I think I found my answer to what I want for Rv'ing.
1858595
it depends on whether you have an RV or not. If you have an RV, you want that large display.I currently have an onboard TomTom in my RV. But I chose to buy the large Garmin so I could see it and so I could use the audio and several other features.
1020415
thx, I guess i'll stick with 540TM :-) I am upgrading from old Garmin that had no map updates and traffic and hopefully it would be worth it at this price. I did use one of the TOM TOM models (smaller one) for a 2600 miles trip in the west coast and routing was really good.
795592
If you go to the garmin website you may find the answer there. Sorry I am not able to help.
313419
I returned my explorist 710, the track time and date was always incorrect. I bought a Garmin Oregon, which I love. I use it to track my rides and hikes. I believe you can download maps, but I haven't. The altitude is extremely accurate.
517088
Right on the Garmin site! I studied the features of both units, and further down, they have a comparison chart. That's where I saw something a bit different noted on one unit over the other, so I went back to make sure I knew what it was and sure enough it was the part about how that unit shows the actual highway signs. You might have to click on something in the details to see a demo of what you'll see on the screen. I loaned our portable (old)Garmin to our daughter & was caught without it, so going to get this upgraded one to replace it & let her have the old one...
1566510
The Garmin 800 is a better option for downloading *.tcx files with embedded turn by turn directions. The Garmin 810 does not support *.tcx files as well as the 800. I used RideWithGps.com last year to plan my ride across the USA (4162 miles in 53 riding days) and had turn by turn directions all the way with the Garmin 800. I originally bought an 810, but returned it when proved problematic and bought the 800 instead. It worked pretty well. The only problem was when turns are very close together. RideWithGPS gives you the option to set how early a turn notice will be given (50', 200', etc). If the turns are really close together and the warnings are set to be 500' the notifications can overlap.
1573115
I have a Garmin 255WT and TomTom 930. Two totaly different models. The 930 was or is their top unit. The 255 is more of an entry level. When traveling size can matter. A smaller unit can slip into your pocket if you decide to walk in a part of town instead of drive. The TomTom has more features (not difficult). I can view the route by text so if I lose satellite I can still read how to get there. The Garmin does not. The TomTom holds more destinations I have visited than the Garmin, which helps because I go back to some locations - but maybe not for a month or more. The lifetime traffic feature (that's why I bought that model) in the Garmin helps calculate delays. The Garmin is extremely accurate in arrival ETA but doesn't tell me how far I am from my destination, only time until I arrive. The Garmin has Bluetooth and when enabled I can get the address and phone number of POI's. The TomTom is not compatable with my mobile phone. In my area of Southern California I use the Garmin more because of ease of use and creation of Favorites. When I am travelling further from home or to a totally unfamiliar area I use the TomTom. I had to return the Garmin within a year because the battery did not hold a charge. Very good return process. Glad I had a spare. The TomTom battery went out after about a year and a half but again good return process. Both took about 10 days to get the replacement units back.