On Mon, 19 Jun 2006 Walt@Walt-n-Ingrid.Com wrote:
>
> Magellan and Garmin seem to be the two names that rise to the top of the
> recomended GPS lists. You really need to look at the features and how your
> going to use it to decide which model would suit you best.
>
and preferably go use each, since their interface quirks really are
totally opposite.
I've got a Garmin GPS-V (circa probably 2000-2001 as new model?), it has
quite good basemap coverage, its weakness is 19MB of internal memory.
The detail map coverage is impressive, but there are definitely some
weaknesses in the data (may have been fixed by now, I've never updated
City Select and I'm on version 4, 6 is current) as far as road naming and
routing. For example, driving along an interstate and when you come to an
angled overpass where the interstate is curving and sometimes it will tell
you to 'keep right to I-86' when doing anything else would be the
exception. The same is also true with naming conventions - I'd prefer to
always think of I-86/NY17 across the southern teir as either 17 or 86 -
but Garmin (in my version at least) prefers 'Southern Teir Expressway'
with no allusions to 17 or 86. It does the same thing with MANY other
roads which can make looking out for a turn exceedingly difficult when
it's signed as a state route number but the GPS is saying whatever the
street name or coloquial term is. That's really a bigger hurdle than
anything else for me.
In the software, being forced into using whatever their detail segments
are is frustrating (sounds like Magellin lets you chop it up yourself) but
seeing as you can route through the basemaps it's not a huge hurdle. The
only time I've needed to load maps on the road is when I needed two
segments of nothern PA, two of western VA, two of western NC and one of
eastern VA. On a 3000 mile trip, I can deal with having to swap up maps
once. It does take eons to transfer a full 19MB set of maps though....
> The one thing that pisses me off about Garmin is thier software licensing
> though,
At least they don't hard-lock the software to one workstation, just to one
GPS unit. I have to give them some props for that.
>
> I've also heard some very good things about some of the Magellan products but I
> don't have any first hand experience with them.
I don't really have anything to add on Magellins, but I'd certainly look
at both if I were new to the market. I'm used to Garmins now, and were i
to replace my GPS V I'd be looking REALLY hard at the C330.
-- +-- Mike Maskalans ---------------- Rochester, NY ----------+ | '98 Dakota CC, SAS on 40s '84 RamCharger 4x4, plow truck | | '02 Jetta TDI 5sp, daily '97 Intrepid, not on the road | +-------------------- <http://mike.tepidcola.com/trucks/> --+. . .------------------------------------------------------------------. | Make your plans NOW to attend the National DML Meet in Colorado! | | Date: July 15-23, 2006 - More info: http://meet.dakota-truck.net | `------------------------------------------------------------------'
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