GPS Navigation Systems

[unisys12]

Just wondering how many of you guys have and use one of these systems. A few of the guys at our shop have recently purchused TomTom One's, which I know is more of a low-end model, but still a great little unit. Anyway, I have borrowed one from a fellow tech two times in the past two weeks and it has really saved my tail. I had to make a service call in Memphis, TN and not being overly familiar with the area I was going, I asked and it really came through. This week I had to make a delivery to Memphis again and it save azz big time. Mapquest had me going everywhere!! But the TomTom took me right there. Well, within 80 yards anyway. Since it was not a very populated around, that was ok.

Well, the two times I have used it though, I have noticed a few funny things and since I am thinking of purchasing one I decided to do some research on these things. I've found www.gpsmagizine.com very helpful and their buyers guide is awesome!! GPSmagazine's GPS Buyer's Guide

I know I want decent looking maps and voice quality. But more than anything, I know I want one that uses the Navteq mapping system since it is more complete for the USA. Unlike the Tele Atlas system, which TomTom uses, is fair more accurate and compete for Europe than the US. I don't need to be able to watch videos or listen to MP3's, I just want to get to where I need to go as accurately as possible. I also don't want to pay over $200 bucks for one either! I know, it sounds cheap, but that's the wifes limit, so... (daddy ain't happy if momma ain't happy either).

Anyway, I want to know what others out there have and what you think of your units.

[lkrsardis]

lost in Memphis

You are a very brave man. I was born and raised in Memphis and believe me that is no place to get lost. I have an old magellon I use to find my fishing spots with.

[unisys12]

You are a very brave man. I was born and raised in Memphis and believe me that is no place to get lost. I have an old magellon I use to find my fishing spots with.

I worked there a lot before I got laid off from Xerox and found Memphis to be very... well... interesting. I found myself looking over my shoulder a lot!

As for the Magellon... yeah, I seem to be leaning more towards the that manufacture myself giving all the info I have read.

And fishing... did you say fishing? Nawh! You didn't! Man I love fishing more than just about anything. Even though I am only a few miles away from Pickwick Lake, there is no where to fish around here. Big Largemouth fan myself in my early teen years, but now it's more like anything I can get to hit a hook in the water... other than catfish. I am so tired of catfish! Growing up in the Mississippi Delta does that to a man you know.

[blackcat4866]

Maps for me, please.

I don't trust those direction finder things very much. One of my techs carrys one everywhere. When he showed up 1/2 hour late for an appointment at a customer location with me, he explained that the device directed him down a cowpath through a gravel pit. He had to turn around and find his way around (all by himself).

I'll stick with maps. It's hard to miss the gravel pit. You know, the big open area with no roads.

[pepper38_cnd]

I think this Gps technology is both fantastic and scarey! I got myself a cheap store brand GPS for Christmas, it seams to work great always pointed me in the right direction so far. On the other hand there's a small devise called a TrackStick when installed in your service vehicle, a manager can retrieve it once a month and see every stop that vehicle has made and how long, every movement recorded and mapped. And very inexpensive at that. All those driving company vehicles, might think about where they go during the day, after hours, and on weekends...!

[CMB]

my company just gave us new laptops. they're pretty nice. panasonic toughbooks with builtin wireless. 10 hour battery life, and lots of other nice stuff we need to use for our job - including the capability of gps. they just haven't turned them on yet. if they did, boss can track us whereever and whenever he wants. honestly, i don't care if he does or not. i not trying to hide anything. some of my co workers think otherwise. one has even quit already. he has caught others cheating the company - being somewhere else like home when clocked to a call. cheaters never win. i wish he would turn them on all our laptops. i would like to have gps on my laptop for my own personal use. the antenna cost about 50 bucks and sticks to the top of you vehicle. the mapping program very detailed. the owner uses it when he travels cross country and says it works great. i do not remember the name of the mapping program, but when i have it loaded, i will post the name.

[wagon]

What next, a barcode on your neck and a microchip under your skin? Mark on the hand, mark on the forehead. Be careful.

[CMB]

whether you believe it or not. big brother is already watching you .

it was brought to my attention that ALL cell phones can be tracked by GPS.

[Ollie1981]

I used a Navman GPS for a while, but at the rate that new roads and Business Parks spring up round this part of the UK most of the maps are hopelessly out of date within a few months.

The POI (Point Of Interest) function is also completely useless, it supposedly directs you to the nearest car park, petrol station, public toilet etc but again the information is hopelessly out of date.

I find it most useful when trying to navigate city centres as unlike most US cities that are arranged in a grid pattern of city blocks. British cities look like they were planned by a five year old child scribbling on the wall in crayon.

Then you have one-way streets that aren't always marked on maps.

Then you have whole areas designated as "pedestrianised" so if you are attending a call to a company in that area you have to park miles away and walk on foot with all your tools and parts.

Then you have the idiots who drive in cities. People in enormous great 4 x 4s who don't know what their indicators/turn signals are for.

It's just handy to have something that tells you the way, but in the rural areas I've had problems where the daft thing doesn't know the difference between a road and a bridleway, tries to get me to turn off the motorway where a road intersects it under a bridge - GAH! And when it incessantly tells me to perform a U turn when following a diversion I just want to throw the thing out of the window.

[lkrsardis]

gps

I got my old magellon out yesterday and guess what? They don't float!!! I guess the crappie in Sardis Lake won't get lost now.

[joelio18]

It's one of those things where you get what you pay for. My guess is that you've already picked a GPS system by now but for those of you who are looking at this for the first time I suggest a TomTom. If you look at all the features with compairable models such as with Garmin you get more bang for your buck.

Also, I wouldn't underestimate the need for an internal MP3 player. It is less a luxery than you'd think. The TomTom stops the music and tells you the directions where as you are likly to miss directions with the radio turned up.

You can look at all the features for yourself but the TomTom Go720 is what I use ($285 off ebay new). It's never steared me wrong and I traval about 20% of the time, mostly in MPLS.

[unisys12]

Well, you know... that's the whole thing about shopping for these things. Just the two times that I used the TomTom, I really liked it. Even though it was off a little in the sparsely populated areas. I really like the display, but mostly because of the amount of info it gives. The timer info seems really accurate, for such a low cost system.

It makes it hard for me because I like numerous things about each and at the same time I dislike other things. I guess I just need to get off my axx and make time to go to a Best Buy or something so that I might get a closer look at the different models. Maybe then it will make it a little easier to make a decision.

lkrsardis =

[lkrsardis]

lost

Yea it was a sad day on the lake. I had my gps for about ten trouble free years. Oh well I guess it's time to go shopping.