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jleamont

RV GPS

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Nice review.  In my opinion (which means absolutely nothing) the stand alone GPS does not have enough added features that are not available from Google Maps or WAZE to make a $500 purchase worthwhile.

I do like the goodies but the only thing listed in David's review that is not available on your phone is the addition of weight, length and height.  If you travel a great deal of the back roads USA then you absolutely should own one of these units.  However, if you, like most RVers, travel the Interstate road system to a specific campground location it's nearly impossible that your travels will have any of these obstructions along the way.  If you have any concerns (like the RV parks does not list Big Rig Friendly) you can call and ask if they can accommodate your RV and if any special directions are required.  You do remember your phone, right?  That thing we all used to use to make reservations and talk to other people with?

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:lol: Use it all the time...hate being stuck on a non-turn around road or RV park that I have to un hook Jeep in order to get rig out, because they don't take anything over 36 foot...learned the hard way!  Now, it does not happen any more...it's amazing to me, how many interpretations there is, to "Big Rig"! :o:wacko:  

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I have had the Garman 760 LMT for a couple years now. If the 770 is similar then it is like any GPS it does have its limitations and is not "always" right.  DW has an iPad and it is also used when we are on the road.  When in doubt i follow the co-pilot navigator. It also helps to look at the route before departing, like the night before. Many times I have seen where taking one road may not be the quickest by a couple minutes or more but it is the easiest. One route may take 3 hours and 12 minutes and the other easier one 3 hours and 20 minutes.  Not a big brain job for me to choose the easier route.

Hey the Garman 770 LMT is a great device with construction and traffic updates.  I would purchase another one just like it if it were to break. Just be aware of limitations.

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When it comes to just traveling, I prefer the "Back roads of America"!  Freeway gets boring and I try not to use it, unless it's a time restraint situation.  I use Goggle map in satellite mode so I can see what I will be traveling thru, along with road numbers.  Once is all I need, I'm blessed with a strange mind...total recall. 

Carl  

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At the moment we have NO GPS. I preplan the routes via Google Maps and print the directions. DW will navigate with those and old school maps and atlas. She prefers the maps and atlas. She has a boating license and is pretty sharp with nautical maps and maps in general. When I get concerned when I am looking for places to stop in the planning stages I will often use Google Earth or "street view" and scroll down them to make certain there will be no problems.

Carl, you are 100% correct "Big Rig" is often abused like "Camping Resort". I just called a place locally to book a weekend (one of my favorite local bands are playing at the CG) their website states Big Rig friendly, so I call, NO 50AMP and when I tell her our coach is just shy of 42' I get "Oh my, we cannot handle a coach of that size, that's not an RV that's a small town" :blink: :angry:

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Just now, manholt said:

Yes!  Anything Nautical comes in real handy when your driving a rig down a dry Interstate...:huh::wacko::wacko::o

Comes in handy in heavy rain/flooding :lol:

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We have been using CoPilot for the last couple of years. It has be amazingly accurate and you can set up a RV profile for routing. You can download maps while on WIFI so you don't use data. They have one just for RV's but I haven't  seen enough good reviews to recommend that one and it is $50.00. I had the tablet 10" and can't find a good reason to spend $500.00 on a stand alone program.

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Thanks Joe!

We have the Rand McNally 7730 that seems to have a lot of the same features.  Has the ability to toggle from RV or car mode also.  I'm guessing Rand McNally / Garmin is basically the same unit?

When on the road, we supplement the GPS with the Walmart Rand McNally Road Atlas that gives us Sam's Club's and Walmart locations.  2017 version was $7.97

Then Deb also uses her iPhone to help out.

Blake

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Blake, we have the Rand McNally 7720, absolute JUNK! It looks fancy...that's about it. Last time I tried to use it after an update it couldn't find Myrtle Beach SC :wacko:. Before that it was trying to send us down dirt road cattle pastures in the mountains of PA and down alleys in Anaheim CA I felt like I was on an episode of Adam12 in CA :lol:. I turn it on for a moving map now, works good for that so I can read the street names before we approach them.  

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Addendum: I like our Garman 760 LMT and especially the big screen. It has been very accurate on height restrictions. It is programmable for the height of the RV. It also will let you know when you get on a road that is not known for accessibility.  I like the way stop input on the fly. Example: Planning from point A to point B and along the way you want a Flying J - just add it in and it will ask you for "along the route" and when you say yes it now becomes point B and the original point B becomes point C. It has been very accurate for traffic congestion and accidents.  It has a lot of other bells and whistles and if the 770 is an improvement I'd say go for it.

One of these days I'll get to point Z

 

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We purchased a Garmin Dezl 770. it's supposed to have very accurate truck routing, so If a truck can make, I know we can.  It's easy to set up for your vehicle (weight and dimensions), and so far it's been very accurate on routing us.  This unit also has the side bar that shows all the truck repair/ fuel centers and more. The reviews show that truckers believe this unit has the most accurate routing. All the bells and whistles make it a great selection.

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On 4/6/2017 at 7:37 AM, manholt said:

Yes!  Anything Nautical comes in real handy when your driving a rig down a dry Interstate...:huh::wacko::wacko::o

I realize that was with tongue in cheek some are clueless though, however nautical terms are ideal for our dry land ships. there is no mistaking stern or bow, port or starboard. Just remember "4" stern/back =4 letters; port/left =4 letters.

I am missing something, jleamonts post/ video shows a LED puck light???? Where is the GPS???

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RAYIN, to err is human!  Just like your "Nautical Terms"! :D I was not Navy, Army.  So, my response of 4/6/2017, was/is my feeling! :P

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13 hours ago, manholt said:

RAYIN, to err is human!  Just like your "Nautical Terms"! :D I was not Navy, Army.  So, my response of 4/6/2017, was/is my feeling! :P

I'm still puzzled over the puck light video in the GPS subject line???

I'm retired Army; Dad was Navy during WW II and he taught me stuff I never dreamed I'd ever need in life when I was old enough to pay attention.. Port and Starboard was one of them.

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Port, Bow, Stern & Starboard, I picked up on during one of my 816 cruises...817 is upcoming Nov. 9.

US Army, ASA.  

Puck Lights & GPS?  Go figure! :P:lol::wacko:

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Welcome to the forum.

Once, on a ferry, they required I turn the propane off at the tank. Some tunnels also have this requirement. 

My current coach is all electric but my prior coach, with propane,  was not a problem in the 10 years of ownership.

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I have the Garmin 760, and to my knowledge there is no way to add propane status to the vehicle profile. I've never had it offer any warnings for propane restrictions either, even when going through roads which had a restriction.

I've been reading about this, and apparently the propane profile is limited to the dezl 760, and only when operating in truck mode. That may or may not have changed in the 770 versions.

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1 hour ago, joyinthejourney said:

I heard that truck GPS don't configure for the fact that RV's carry propane and this can be a problem sometimes.  Do you know if that is true and/or have you had any problems because of it?

If I recall correctly the Rand 7720 RV GPS units are set up so you can enter how many propane tanks you have.  But like Jim, my current coach is all electric now so I don't worry about it.  A year ago when I switched coaches I'm sure I reconfigured the Rand for my new parameters because we still use it as a second GPS on the passenger side when traveling.

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In reading through the RV 770 information from Garmin, it appears that this newer model does have the ability to enter the propane tanks in the profile for warning when they need to be shut off or if approaching a restricted area. Routing would also avoid such an area if enabled.

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