jleamont Report post Posted March 30, 2015 Anyone operating with this GPS? We have one and attempted to use it once, let's just say cutting through mall parking lots driving the wrong way down a one way road, turning around at a low bridge and taking dirt roads is not my idea of the "best route" especially in a motorhome.I just updated it and I am going to try it for a few days in the car to see if it's better. Anyone have any ideas, experiences with this GPS? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted March 30, 2015 I have a Magellan, and I learned on the first trip not to tell it the shortest distance, it did the same thing in that setting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lenp Report post Posted March 30, 2015 Not sure about the Rand McNally but my Garmin allows me to select the type of vehicle I am using - all the way from hiking, bicycle, to RV. That makes a BIG difference. Additionally, Garmin has a PC based mapping program that allows you to plan your route in great detail (and then download it to the device) thus avoiding those parking lots and dirt roads. I also use "Low Clearance" GPS add-on data that alerts me if I am near a low clearance. Lenp Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lmsooter Report post Posted March 30, 2015 Looked at the Rand McNally and the Garmin RV 760LMT. After reading various reviews, we decided on the Garmin - we love it so far. Our experience has been limited to use in our toad but will be using it next week in the motorhome. I have the DeLorme Street program on my computer and a trip we are planning took us across a bridge in New Hampshire which is around 12'6" according to a low clearance file I have added. Our motorhome is 13'1'. I entered the same route into the Garmin after entering the motorhome data - it routed us around the low clearance. The Good Sam trip routing service will show a route into the Niagara Falls area on a freeway which does not allow RVs although they do flag it as RVs prohibited and tell you that you need to change your route. The Garmin will route you around that freeway. Also note that you can select Auto or RV mode on the Garmin. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted March 30, 2015 I was so disappointed with the performance of this unit I contacted Rand McNally to ask if it could be returned, of course the answer was no, we had purchased it for a long trip that was planned months before and we had the unit too long at that point in time, I struggle with throwing it out since it cost so much money to purchase and I can’t help but think there is something just needs to be fixed with my unit. Since it is designed for an RV one would assume there is logic programmed into it for an RV. Apparently not or this one is just defective. The unit does require that you enter detailed size and weight of the RV into the unit but it didn’t seem to matter or use that information when route planning. We have an old Garmin that you can select the size of the vehicle from a menu that works well but like I said it’s very old and the screen is extremely small. I was hoping someone out there can provide me with their experience with this GPS and maybe they too experienced a problem like ours and found a solution? Thank you for the information above, if i decide to replace it I now know where to look for a better GPS. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
royclem Report post Posted March 30, 2015 We use a TOMTOM VIA 1605M RV you put in size weight and height you can select car, truck or RV it came with lifetime updates I've used it several times and it's good it routed me past a no truck route that all my other ones sent me on. It has a 6" screen and when you come to a split in a road or highway it gives a large screen display and detail view of route .I'm very happy with it. so much so I purchased a back-up one. they are very inexpensive to purchase on Best Buys Website. Good Luck and Safe Trails Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted March 31, 2015 I used it yesterday and it appears to be better, the nuisance is you have to have the zip code to get to the address where you want to travel to. I also turned around at one point and went back to where I started and it sent me on a different route the 2nd time after I pulled the previous address from the history folder...I thought that was strange. Seems like the only logic is there is no logic . I think I will continue to test it with my co-pilot (wife) operating the other GPS we keep for the car and monitor this one before it becomes the only one in the coach. Good thing my wife loves maps. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted March 31, 2015 Joe, Went to a wedding in FL a few years ago, and every time we started the GPS it would calculate a different Route. So, between the rehearsal, setting up the reception, going to the wedding and on to the reception we got to see a different part of the county on each trip. LOL It kept things from getting boring !!! Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skippertom Report post Posted March 31, 2015 We have the Rand McNally and like everyone else on here are extremely disappointed. Our last trip to Yuma AZ was the last draw. I am actively researching a new one. Not only did it try and. Send us way out of our way, because we chose a route from a map that looked shorter, instead of recalculate ng it insisted that we go back to the beginning. It finally stopped rerouting us when we were 15 miles outside of Yuma. I called the company and they refused to even discuss it. They said there was nothing they could do and closed the ticket. I'm not sure what their defend tion of customer service is. is there anyone who has experience with the new Magellan Road mate RV9490T-LM? Tom Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkhartjim Report post Posted April 1, 2015 If you read the Garmin and/or the Rand McNally Yahoo user groups, you will find there are inherent flaws in both systems. I have the Garmin RV760 and unless you set it to either car mode or set the height, weight,etc limits low it will route you on some extremely interesting routes. It may route you a 100 miles further just to keep you on a major highway. I have used my Truckers Atlas and my smartphone maps much more since purchasing the Garmin. Verify, verify and then verify. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted April 1, 2015 We have the Rand McNally and like everyone else on here are extremely disappointed. Our last trip to Yuma AZ was the last draw. I am actively researching a new one. Not only did it try and. Send us way out of our way, because we chose a route from a map that looked shorter, instead of recalculate ng it insisted that we go back to the beginning. It finally stopped rerouting us when we were 15 miles outside of Yuma. I called the company and they refused to even discuss it. They said there was nothing they could do and closed the ticket. I'm not sure what their defend tion of customer service is. is there anyone who has experience with the new Magellan Road mate RV9490T-LM? Tom Tom, funny....I called them and they were very abrasive on the phone and the response was "did you update it" I told them I just pulled it from the box and saw your company has a sticker on the screen and it tells me I do not have to, (we purchased it for a cross country trip that was two months away) "well you need to do an update if that doesn’t fix it I do not know what to tell you, your warranty has already expired". Which was frustrating since It was the first trip with it and I had only owned it for 3 months. Immediately I thought of Bill Engvall "here’s your sign" What a bad company and the worst part is the owner is one of us with a Motorhome according to the video that they use to sell these, I figured how could I go wrong he should understand exactly what we look for in a GPS. I recently purchased a new Garmin for my company car, it too had problems, (oddly enough very similar, but much more user friendly) I emailed Garmin they asked me to update it, so I did, when it didn’t fix it they told me to send it back there is something wrong with the unit, I received a replacement immediately that works great...for a car unit that is. I am also interested in hearing about the Magellan unit, that was my second choice when I bought this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alamolady Report post Posted May 5, 2015 I was one of the first users of Garmin for public use, Street Pilot III, now many units later, none of the GPS systems are perfect. Humans have loaded the government system before it became public and changing or updating info by the public due to errors of the system are nearly impossible. We have three GPS systems, one smaller one for the car and two RV systems for the bus. One is on the left for my driver to view and one is on the right for the passenger to view. One is a the new Garmin RV unit and the other if the Rand McNally. Each one will take you on a different route so I review the old map to see where and how we need to go and work between the three for our route. I am now having trouble with the audio on Rand McNally that was purchased last year at camping world. We purchased the extended warranty so as soon as we cross into the sight of a Camping World it will be exchanged. I like some features of the Rand McNally and other features of the Garmin. One is two different routes are given when you ask for a route to a place. You can review and than choose. The Garmin does not have this feature. Also you can add more memory and download different areas of interest of review. I am not sure about the Garmin. Just remember a GPS unit is not going to be a perfect solution for complete easy road travel. Shelia Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted May 6, 2015 Thanks Shelia. We are also using two now and my wife has a map collection and it seems to be working to see which route is the one to take. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted May 6, 2015 Have several Garmin GPS units. Car, Truck and MH, two have lifetime updates. Each time I update one it takes from 2 to 3 hours. On each I had to purchase 8GB memory cards. After each update I find no changes other then where the speed limit is 75 MPH it will still show 70 and where the limit is 70 it may show 75. I always drive using the MPH on the GPS rather then the speedo. It is more accurate and I can, if I wish, reset it to show miles traveled for checking my MPG. I will always check routes and roads on paper maps, computer satellite and the GPS. What a world of difference. So "I'm making a list and checking it twice to see which is wrong or nice." Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted May 6, 2015 Herman, I like your quote "I'm making a list and checking it twice to see which is wrong or nice". Thats how we roll from now on! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimandpat Report post Posted May 7, 2015 Bottom Line, if you were going to buy a GPS today like we are, which would you buy the Garmin or Rand McNally Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alamolady Report post Posted May 7, 2015 Garmin seems better for Motorhome users. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted May 7, 2015 Honestly I would look at a Magellan and Garmin. I have a Garmin in my co car, it also had some serious problems. I called them and together we went through a reset process and updated it, still not working properly, I sent it back and they swapped it out, the replacement works great. After their customer service experience at Rand McNally I'm not sure I would by a paper map if they printed it. Joe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gbrinck Report post Posted May 11, 2015 The digital maps are as much a problem as the GPS itself - sometimes they are just flat wrong, or incomplete, or not adequately described for optimal routing. Speed limit data is often out of date as well. I've been directed down roads that were closed 20 years previously, or are merely "goat tracks", never having been "improved". I know of three places where the routing takes you behind somebody's house on an out-of-date right-of-way (the real highway was moved years ago). At least TomTom makes it relatively easy to submit corrections (the GPS captures the data for upload) and each update gives the option of picking up corrections submitted by other users. I am always skeptical of a GPS generated route and try to at least familiarize myself with the main highways/streets in an area so I can tell if I'm being sent out of my way, and also to have alternatives in case the GPS nav gets me in trouble. Obsolete POI data is another peeve - far too often the Nav system either doesn't reconnize a place name or directs me to a defunct location. I have a TomTom XXL and two Garmins, a GVN 53 and a Nuvi 2595. Also a GM/Buick proprietary system in one of the cars. The Buick Nav system is pretty but not very capable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted June 7, 2015 If I am going on an uncharted route "to me", I print out a map from mapquest, and also from google maps. I have the Magellan 7720 on the dash and plug in the destination, then check against the printed routes, if there is too much variation, I then change to another mode on the gps "there are four different modes", when I find the one that I like best, I will use that one. Only time disappointed was the first trip out, I had chosen fastest time, "boy was that a mistake", poor Toby, that was my Yorkie sidemate of those days, he was as scared as I was, we went down dirt roads, back allies, and as Andy Griffeth said in the football story "I DON'T WHAT ALL". Toby was so glad to see mama when we got to where she met us, he wouldn't come to me for two days. Happier trails to all, Kay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jana0623 Report post Posted June 7, 2015 Last few trips we’ve used the maps app on my iPad. The only bad thing is the lack of an RV setting, so it doesn’t warn of low clearance, weight limits, etc., but for travelling it’s been pretty accurate. That with the Pilot and Love’s apps for fuel stops, and we’ve been good. I looked at the Rand McNally RV app, but it’s $100 and only 2.5 stars. Also saw Trucker Path Pro (Free download). Aimed at over the road truckers, but may be useful for big rigs as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wayne77590 Report post Posted June 8, 2015 Take a look at the Garmin RV 760 LMT. I got what I paid for and like it very much for the RV. Nice 7" screen. Edited: p.s., I do not rely on any one item for directions. We use the 760, and the iPad when on the road. DW navigates with the iPad and I Navigate with the 760. When there is a conflict we discuss it and then I make the driving decisions based on the discussion. So far, so good. we have not hit an overpass, yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bandorr2000 Report post Posted June 17, 2015 We use a Garmin RV 760LMT, no problems. Warns me of unknown routes, easy to use. Recommend it highly. It also has Bluetooth built in. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted July 6, 2015 Just returned from a week trip to Myrtle Beach, with all of the updates it could not locate Myrtle Beach SC, good thing I mapped my path directly to the campground from home prior to leaving. Very sad, pathetic to put it nicely! It will be retired at this point and something else will be sought out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bthomforde Report post Posted July 20, 2015 Just returned from a week trip to Myrtle Beach, with all of the updates it could not locate Myrtle Beach SC, good thing I mapped my path directly to the campground from home prior to leaving. Very sad, pathetic to put it nicely! It will be retired at this point and something else will be sought out. Are you saying the 7720 couldn't find Myrtle Beach, SC? I have a 7720 works great, I just plugged in Myrtle Beach SC and it found it just fine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
