Gps

[SCBillandJane]

Does anyone have GPS recommendations. I have always relied on maps, but with a Trailmanor hitched up, it is more difficult to turn around if you miss your turn. Has a GPS really helped you? What should I look for?

[countrygirl]

I got one for Christmas and it is really handy.. I am NOT an expert on them though. I looked at TomToms and really liked a LOT of their features but people kept warning me not to get a TomTom. I got a Garmin and it is really easy to use. There are several other brands as well. Some people use a lap top and get a GPS program for it. I have even seen where some people built a holder for their laptop to sit on the center console of their tow vehicle. If you have a lot of room in your tow vehicle this may be a possibility.

I did not like the way my Garmin attached to the window so I bought a little sandbag type holder for it and love that I can place it anywhere on the dash board.

My son has a Magellan GPS and loves his.

Keep in mind ...roads change...there is construction on roadways...new off ramps etc. so you want to be able to update it on line as needed.

I have read...they are an attraction for theives and never leave mine in my vehicle...it is big enough to see but small enough to slip into a purse or pocket...mostly though I listen to mine for directions. Some people say they are not 100 per cent accurate and they also do not always give you the shortest route to your destination.

[ShrimpBurrito]

There is a relatively new chipset that came out maybe a year ago or so...I can't remember when exactly. I believe it is the SiRFstar III chip, and many GPS manufacturers use it. You want at least that chip, as it is much faster in acquiring a signal both initially, and if you are in an urban, wooded, or cloudy area (or in your car), after the initial signal lock as well compared to its predecessor. The chip apparently enables greater receiver sensitivity and lower power consumption.

There may be other chipsets too.

I have one of the older 4.3" units made by Mio, and it has been fabulous. I received it as a gift, so I didn't go through the selection process.

Many GPS units are able to tell you what services are along upcoming freeway exists, but others are also able to tell you, for example, the price of gas at a specific gas station. Pretty handy these days, although when I looked into it awhile back, that service was only available through a monthly subscription.

Alternatively, you can access the same feature through your cell phone if you have internet service at gasbuddy.com.

Dave

I just built a table for my notebook to sit on between the front seats and run DeLorme on it. The screen is 10 times bigger. I can do WIFI on it. And I can use it to store photographs. We just plug it into a small inverter.

So I have seen no need to buy a stand alone unit, tho I do have a small pocket unit for hiking.

Just do not depend on any of them to route find off the major highways. They will lead you far far astray.

BK

One great little GPS unit that you can pick up for $90 - $100 is Mio's C230 (and it has the SiRFstar III chip). Last time I let users on this forum know of my Blog (around November 2007), I was just getting started on "Unlocking" (that's another term for good hacking) the many capabilities of this unit. I'm proud to say that those efforts have matured into a really nice package with unique skins, ability to read audio books, play music and videos / movies, play games... (and all legal!) that you are able to download for free, if you are up to the challenge and happen to procure this GPS unit.

You can read all about it here and you'll see what's kept me from spending much time on the Trailmanor Owner's site.

BK,

Although you can't browse the internet or get email, I'll bet it will do just about everything else your notebook will do I agree that I don't always agree with the itinerary, but it will get you to your destination. If you have another route in mind, just mute your unit and it will keep recalculating a route to your destination from wherever you are currently.

I went another way. I have a AT&T 8525 cell phone. It is a cell phone, but is also a Windows Mobile 6 PDA. I have a bluetooth GPS I use with it. I use OnCourse Navigator 6 for street navigation. It comes on a microSD card I just plug into my phone. I need no cell converage to use it. I comes with 12 Million POIs (Points of Interest). The POIs include just about anything you will need. I also have Memory-Map Navigator. This is a topographic navigation program. This is handy to take on hikes. I also use it on canoe trips.

As an added bonus, I almost always have my cell phone with me. All I need to use it anytime is to just throw my little bluetooth GPS unit in my pocket. We are going to visit our son and daughter-in-law next week. They live in the Washington, DC area. When we go sightseeing in DC, I always take it. When ready to head back to my son's house, I just fire up the GPS. About a minute or two later, I know where the nearest METRO stop is as they are in the POIs. I also use it to mark my parking spot at the METRO station before wehead into DC. When have forgot where our vehicle is and wondered around looking for it a couple times.

An additional bonus is I can use my cell phone to surf the web and check email. I also do not need wireless to use the phone if I have cell coverage. I did not have a home laptop until about six months ago. The cell phone kept me in contact just fine when camping or just on a trip. The only change I am going to make is my next cell phone will have a built-in GPS. I am looking at the HTC Touch Diamond which should be out later this year.

I have a $99.00 Garmin GPS that I use for hiking and plug it into my laptop running Microsoft Streets and Trips. I am just using what tools I have on hand at present and have been using in my work van for the past few years rather than go out and purchase something else to clutter up an already full truck dash! Well, the GPS sits on the dash and the DW has the laptop. At any rate one of the neat things about the set up is the ability to blow up the map image on the computer screen to be able to tell way ahead of time what lane I need to be in to be able to make an exit. That feature has saved me more than once in big city interchanges where I have no previous experience.

[B_and_D]

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ight=dirt+road

You can always ask one of the locals.

Maybe so, but I already own the laptop and it does do those extra things. Being a photographer the abilty to dump files to an external HDD is a big point for me too.



BK,

Although you can't browse the internet or get email, I'll bet it will do just about everything else your notebook will do I agree that I don't always agree with the itinerary, but it will get you to your destination. If you have another route in mind, just mute your unit and it will keep recalculating a route to your destination from wherever you are currently.[/QUOTE]

You might want to checkout iGuidance instead of MS Street and Trips. It comes with both a PDA version and a laptop version. With iGuidance the wife can take a nap. It has voice navigation. The OCN6 I use is similar to iGuidance, but OCN6 only has PDA software. OCN6 will tell you which lane to get in 1/2 to 2 miles before the turn. The length is 1/2 mile for city streets and gets longer with 2 miles the advance warning for Interstates. I use it and almost never look at the map on the screen. My wife will even drive the van and use if if we are not towing the TM and let me take a nap. She knows she just has to following the voice directions.

Another plus is you can set an option in some programs to avoid sharp turns when towing the trailer. We do not need it for the TM, but some also have an option to set a minimum height clearance for those taller RVs. There is also an option in OCN6 to set a minimum distance to travel before the program suggests a u-turn. If you miss a turn it will try and reroute you with several turns. I have OCN6 set to allow the reroute to be up to a mile to turn me around. If it can not get me turned around in a mile, then it will suggest a u-turn. You can set it to never allow u-turns also. You can also ignore a voice prompt and let it reroute you automatically if there is something you do not like about the road it is sending you on.