Rand McNally Tripmaker RVND 7710 Warning

[Darbone85737]

I bought the unit and installed it in my MH prior to driving from Eau Clair, WI to Tucson, AZ. It worked perfectly- even in one instance where the campground owner warned not to depend on GPS directions. (I had to try anyway and it brought me right to the place). The only place it did not work was in the badlands where it "could not find a car or RV route". I was told by others that this location made GPS positioning difficult (I don't know why).

My only issue was operator caused. It seemed the RV was moving backward instead of forward. Once I read the instructions I set it up with proper orientation and that issue was corrected

I like it.

[sasmit8]

I am having a problem with the 12 volt charger on my 7710 When plugged in I get about 1 hour and then it shuts down with low battery.It is like the 12 volt charger is not charging fast enough to keep it running. Has anyone else had this trouble?

[rickman]

We just bought the 7710. It is not very good . It warns "sharp curve" for every minor curve so how will you know when there is a real sharp curve.

Next it doesn't send you on route per size of motor home. I set up my m/home for 80 ft and it still sent me on back streets.

I was at the FMCA campground last week .It would only send me out of the park the long way. You can almost see the right way out. I can't even understand what it is saying to us. I could keep going on about the problems.

I have sent them 3 e-mails and no reply.

It's not even heavy enough to be a boat anchor.

F159321

[univmd]

7710 prototype has been replaced by the 7720 already.

[RVerOnTheMove]

We just bought the 7710. It is not very good ......................

I have sent them 3 e-mails and no reply.

It's not even heavy enough to be a boat anchor.

F159321

No, but it is certainly light enough to return!

[jassrnj]

I'm still waiting for real traffic updates ... Right now I run two GPs when I'm traveling. One for directions and the other for live updates. It gets interesting when they are both telling us to turn in two different directions. I don't think the 7720 has live updates either.

[Serenity]

In reply to various posts listed below. We just returned from a 6000+ mile trip from Lancaster, Pa. to Long Beach out by the northern and back by the southern route. The RVND 7710 is a wonderful GPS ....BUT..... as other have found it has some flaws. My problem eventually caused it to die east of Dallas leaving me to have to use my Garmin Nuvi 880 plus smart phone Google Maps and Allstays to replicate the features I liked the most on the 7710 I replaced 12v chargers, purchased 12v to 110v converters etc. to nurse it along but eventually nothing could bring it back to life. I contacted RM tech support and they initially denied anything wrong with the 7710 as had been alluded to by a CW manager along the route. However after some sweet talking on my part they provided suggestions about how to reset the charging which ran contrary to their denials and which didn't work in any case. My bottom line is that the 7710 has flaws and RM should replace any 7710 with a 7720 at very little if any cost to origiinal purchasers but that will remain to be seen. I'm about to return my 7710 for "repairs" but I'm including a demand for that substitution and should they play fair with me I will definetely come back here to say so but if they don't then I'll never again buy anything from them and will relate my tale of woe to anyone who will listen.

Cesar Cardenas F127604

I am trying to troubleshoot what seems to be a connection (battery) problem I plug in the little usb to both the wall charger and the vehicle charger and no indication what so ever of a charge. Then after about 1/2 hour down the road I get a low battery warning and then thats that. Rand is closed on weekends so here I am. Seems to be no way to open up the unit to check battery, anyway maybe I got a lemon.

Take your usb cable into on of the cell phone stores and have them check out your cable. They will also have a car charger that will fit your GPS and they can plug in your GPS to see if it will charge on a different cable.

Hope this helps

OK I'll give that a try Herman.

The only reason I feel this may not be the case is that I've had it on wall charger, vehicle charger and also the USB to Laptop connection they also included and the one thing that makes me feel (now) that I have a bad unit is that when I had it plugged into the laptop through the usb I never got the unit to show up as one of the connected items on my laptop. I didn't put one and one together at that point but now realize that this was also a problem "seeing " the unit as far as the computer was concerned. Makes sense to me now , but before I didn't think along the lines of a bad connection right out of the box.

At this point I will be pulling through Kissimmee FL on Monday and might just return the unit for a new one at the CW where I bought this from online.

Anyone else have any other ideas?

I just returned from a 3 month trip loop thru AL, FL,GA,Carolinas,Virginias,OH IL and WI..

Other than the Topsail Park issue, I liked how it performed and it's warnings / directions..

It correctly warned of a low clearance , two incidences of where I was apparently over the legal state length, (believe I'm at 63'), and speed limit changes,(and warnings), construction ahead, - and in one case ( intersection of 104/301 just north of Lady Lake FL) it clearly warned of low road clearance at a RR crossing... a REALLY bad one that had a road rise of probably 2 feet going over the tracks that would have torn everything out of the bottom of the MH..and if one had tried to make it over, would likely hang up the coach completely.... . it's probably the worst crossing over a set of railroad tracks that I've ever seen...... I saw two regular cars ( sports cars) turn around rather than attemting to drive over it also...It did have a warning sign about 50 feet in front of it but based on the condition of the scratches and groves on the pavement and rails, a lot of folks have not heeded the small warning...

Having just left a storage area, I initially did not have this Rand on yet ... stopped in time, turned it on and it clearly told me I was in the wrong place .. turned around, went to a different crossing intersection , once over the tracks, I came back past that intersection and it warned me approx .5 miles ahead to NOT take that turn ( did not have a route in it.. just using the map part at that point) .....got really lucky - another lesson learned.

I am having a problem with the 12 volt charger on my 7710 When plugged in I get about 1 hour and then it shuts down with low battery.It is like the 12 volt charger is not charging fast enough to keep it running. Has anyone else had this trouble?

7710 prototype has been replaced by the 7720 already.

[ksehrbrock]

Have a 7710 which is great - when it works. The first one couldn't hold the daytime brightness. Had it returned and exchanged. The next one has a habit of freezing up at random positions, sometimes as early as the "Accept" window, butr mostly just when I get the destination in. Will try for another one before giving up.

Karl S. Canada

[skiprd]

I don't have the 77 but missing Topsail is not the fault of the GPS. Most GPS units will miss Topsail because coordinates for Topsail are wrong as furnished to the manufacturers. This is true of many locations that are problems with a GPS. It's best to have your paper maps as a backup.

You almost have to use the physical address or coordinates for some parks. I have run into a problem with using the name of a place many times. I don't care what GPS you have. I think many use the same data base.

It is true that every GPS on the market it capable of being wrong, which is why our rule for traveling is: "Maps, GPS, and Brains--Always Have At Least Two."

What makes it confusing, though, is that we've found that the various GPS units do *not* all have the same errors, which makes it hard to figure out which one is telling the truth and which one is having some kind of a mental problem. I've been known to run as many as four different mapping options simultaneously (just to play around and see what happens): a GPS, a PC, a smartphone, and a tablet (sometimes multiple units within each category), all running different software, and it's interesting how often they disagree with one another, especially on routing options. Looking at them right now, the Garmin Zumo 660 and MapSource software both locate Topsail right on the bippy. Streets & Trips also gets it right. So does the Nexus running CoPilot. It looks to me like GoogleMaps isn't even in the right ZIP code. I assume the new Apple maps program gets it wrong, but only because it seems to get everything wrong. So, there you have it ... and hence our traveling rule.

For what it's worth, the reason I haven't added a Rand-McNally unit to the arsenal (and why I'm still using my old Zumo 660 from my motorcycle as my primary GPS) is because being able to program routes on a computer and load them into the GPS is a critical feature for me, which seems to have been dropped from the capabilities of most units. Too bad. As soon as Rand-McNally adds that feature (if ever), I'll definitely give it a look.

Skip K4EAK

[JacknKay]

I to would like to have the ability to upload routes from a computer. I always research a new route using Google maps and sometimes on my iPhone. Often I have my wife refer to the paper maps just to make sure. I had the RM7710 and now the 7720. It was very handy on our last cross-country trip and impressed some of my fellow travelers on occasion. I like the dash-board feature for those areas of the country that are feature-less, (you know who you are).

[Mallie]

We bought the Rand McNally RVND 7710 in Dec of 11. We wanted three things. 1. We wanted something larger, and easier to see in the RV. 2. We wanted lifetime map updates. 3. We wanted one that would route a large RV and keep us out of place that would be a problem, like low bridges etc. It is different from any GPS I have ever used. Not anything like most car GPSs. We have taken it in the tow car a couple of times, and it is wee too big for a car, however the size is just right for a large RV windshield, one of our reasons for buying it. We have no trouble viewing as other have. Ours is stuck to the windshield, high and I guess no sun hits it. Routing it just like any other gps, a crap shoot. We will never trust any GPS directions completely and I would suggest the same cautions for anyone considering a GPS. We use Delorme maps on a Motorhome mounted computer that shows on the Big TV screen over the driver. And we use Google maps on the iPad. And with three sources, still have to choose which it the way you want to go. Lots of times one will turn in a different place, makes no real difference some times, but others it does.

It has some good functions, and some that are not so good. Lot of features that come in handy and some you will never use. There is a list of Wal-Mart's, and notes the ones that allow parking, phone numbers of store etc. List of campgrounds, state federal etc. And Woodall's.

Rest areas are pretty worthless, because it show all, many are so small you can't get a large RV in, and many are restricted to trucks only. Has a place to enter maintenance and fuel, and will log both. Has a virtual dash that has some good info and three trip odometers. Elevation can be view it several of the screens.

One of reasons we spent big buck for this unit is for the RV routing. RV routing does offer some benefits, but if you do not use some common sense with it, you are going to get in trouble fast. Have to remember the GPS is just using the info that has been programmed into it, no magic involved. Larger roads, normally used truck routes, will yield good results. Where smaller roads will have less info available and the device is left to make decision just like any other GPS. In other words, it is impossible to have every trucking hazard on every road and every lane in the country, so don't expect it.

The 7720 is has the weather on wifi and a camera input but is basically the same unit. Rand McNally has an excellent user's manual that you can download before you buy one, and you should read until you understand all the features the unit has to offer.

Jax@cwis.net

[LewsRoo2]

We bought the 7710 at Daytona Good Sam Rally. I have used it in Florida and north on east coast to Maine with no problems. We like the features and trip designed around the size of our motorhome. Used a Tom-tom before and ended up in some interesting places with 39 foot motorhome and toad.

[bizsmith@yahoo.com]

Isn't the 7720 the current model? Why buy one that has so many known issues? I would like to see comments on the 7720.

[Mallie]

The price at campers world is $330 with life time maps and free shipping

RV Upgrade is $316 with LTM, not sure about shipping

Comes with 1 yr warranty. We have had ours a little over a year, no problem so far.

[Pjrg34]

I see what is on line about the 7000 series however I am most interested in the 5510.

Any comments on this unit ??

Have been using a Garmin for years and very happy. Just wanted to get the RV additions that RM is pushing.

I was one of the first 5510 and I did not like it at all. I ran it on the drivers side and a Garmin on the passenger side and they seldom agreed. But the Garmin used to say you have arrive and I was in the middle of a farmers field. The 5510 I put up with for several years and within the past two months it was stolen out of my coach, without the power cord. Then they came back and got the power cord. I am changing locks. Glennon Woods.

[copsuno]

The 7710 is a piece of junk, so bad that the company discontinued it after 1 yr. I had to send mine back twice and it is broke again. Locks up and will not charge properly. There is no Customer service. The poor people in tech support try and are quick to have you send it in, but to no avail. I need a unit that will not foul out within 200 miles into a 1800 mile trip. I tried three times to contact them via their site email and have yet to get a reply. This is the poorest company I have ever done business with in my life. Buyer Beware if you want to do business with Rand McNally.

[rickman]

Useless. untrustworthy .no matter what settings I use it takes me on wrong streets & roads. I have one turn to get on the major HWY it takes me on a neighborhood tour. We were at the FMCA campground last fall, you can see the exit to the hwy from their gate but it wanted to take you on another tour.

We had to buy another Garmin. Yo would think they would get their people on the fixes needed. I never get an answer back from them.

[Poppo]

Hi Newbie, ... I feel your pain. I had the same problem with 2 7710's. I was able to reach RM customer service but the problem did not get resolved. I ended up bringing the unit back to CW and they gave me a new 7720. In the meantime, I received a cigerette lighter USB adaptor in my Christmas stocking. It was purchased at Walmart. It fixed all the charging and locking up issues I had with the 7710. You would think the RM engineers could have figured it out.

FYI, I run the 7720 with the USB adaptor from Walmart and it is great ... I love it! I'm afraid to use the power cord it came with. I don't have a model number for the USB adaptor but it is blue. Good Luck!

[Adventurers2]

We have the RVND 7710. We've had issues with the car charger. Replaced it 3 times. Does not charge the unit, making it not usable after a couple of hours. Rand McNally customer support nonexistent. Very disappointed. Many other problems too numerous to list using a phone keypad.

[rickman]

Find mine quite untrustworthy. No matter what settings I use it sends me down wrong streets, stupid routes-- looks good though. Supposed to have lifetime maps, but doesn't. It as a waste of money. Used it for a 7000 mile trip worked for about 100 miles of the trip.

[jarak123]

We have the RVND 7710. We've had issues with the car charger. Replaced it 3 times. Does not charge the unit, making it not usable after a couple of hours. Rand McNally customer support nonexistent. Very disappointed. Many other problems too numerous to list using a phone keypad.

We can relate to "many" isuses with the 7710. We bought ours new in Feb 2012 via RM internet site. Probably have about 5 hours total on our unit. Quit charging totally. Sent GPS back to RM after many phone calls/emails and they said they replaced USB port. Again, it's not working. This is sooo ridiculous. Anyone have recommendation on "reliable" RV GPS? Thought about purchasing a truck GPS but might not have info for campgrounds, RV services, etc. Other than power issue, really liked the user-friendly features of this GPS. What a disappointment!!!! Especially Rand McNally's lack of support for this product.

[bizsmith@yahoo.com]

Giving the Garmin RV 760LMT a try after all the negatives on RM products. Not enough experience with it to say it is the best but I like it so far. It is new to the RV GPS market.

[jarak123]

Giving the Garmin RV 760LMT a try after all the negatives on RM products. Not enough experience with it to say it is the best but I like it so far. It is new to the RV GPS market.

Is it user friendly? How long have you had it?

[bizsmith@yahoo.com]

I have only had the Garmin two months and have yet to make an RV trip. I just wanted GPS users to know it is one of the newer ones. Using it in the car is promising and I really like the lane display as you approach an interchange. Right now I would rate it at about C+ for user friendly but it is growing on me.

[chargash]

I have had the 7710 for a few years now. Love it when it works. The mini USB port on the side had to be replaced once as it would not charge from the 12 volt car charger, the USB cable from the computer and the 110 electric plug cable.

On the last trip it again stopped charging again and I used my smartphone GPS app to get me through the trip.

As it is out of warranty, it costs $100 up front to get it fixed.

When Camping World had the Good Sam RNVD 7735 on sale for $249 I bought it. The new plug and cradle now has a right angle plug with a clip on the cradle to prevent the cable from hanging on the device.

Now I have been looking to see how I can replace the mini USB port and getting it to work.