Can Anyone Recommend a Good GPS?

[RobertInOntario]

My family and I are planning a trip to Canada’s east coast this summer. Most of the driving should be easy, rural driving. However, we will be navigating around a couple cities. For example, there’s a railway museum near Montreal (<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.exporail.org">www.exporail.org</a><!-- w -->) that we hope to visit. We don’t really know Montreal at all so a GPS would be great.

Can anyone recommend a low-cost GPS? I’m hoping to spend no more that $200 at the most. In addition to price, we’d want one that is fairly simple and easy to use.

Thanks in advance!

Rob

[MasonJar]

Rob,

I broke down recently and replaced two low-end cellphones with an iPhone on Virgin Mobile. Built in maps function is great, and you can add a free Google Earth app. Neat thing about that is once you find a destination on the map, you can get the street view by tapping the right icon on the map. Street view is obviously limited to urban areas, but it was very helpful in London, UK!

Drawback to the cell-based maps is that you have to have cellular coverage to get the maps and your location.

A friend who is into jeeping (cross country driving) has had a series of Garmin GPS units, each more sophisticated than the last. The one he showed me last weekend has the ability to georeference custom maps so that you can use those to navigate. For example - we had a pdf Ministry of Natural Resources map that he converted and uploaded (simple, according to him) and then our position was plotted on the custom map instead of the built-in set.

A lot of the set-up is done on his Windows-based machine, and is relatively simple according to him. In the field, the interface was pretty straightforward and easy to use. The screen was a little small for my liking, but other than that, no complaints.

Good luck!

Andrew

[RobertInOntario]

Rob,

I broke down recently and replaced two low-end cellphones with an iPhone on Virgin Mobile. Built in maps function is great, and you can add a free Google Earth app. Neat thing about that is once you find a destination on the map, you can get the street view by tapping the right icon on the map. Street view is obviously limited to urban areas, but it was very helpful in London, UK!

Drawback to the cell-based maps is that you have to have cellular coverage to get the maps and your location.

A friend who is into jeeping (cross country driving) has had a series of Garmin GPS units, each more sophisticated than the last. The one he showed me last weekend has the ability to georeference custom maps so that you can use those to navigate. For example - we had a pdf Ministry of Natural Resources map that he converted and uploaded (simple, according to him) and then our position was plotted on the custom map instead of the built-in set.

A lot of the set-up is done on his Windows-based machine, and is relatively simple according to him. In the field, the interface was pretty straightforward and easy to use. The screen was a little small for my liking, but other than that, no complaints.

Good luck!

Andrew

Thanks, Andrew. My wife and I recently bought ourselves two iPod Touches, so I don't think we can afford to go the iPhone route! Our iPod Touches have a good Map Ap but their downside (of the iPod Touches) is that they're not connected to a cell phone network -- you can only use them when your logged into a WiFi connection.

I've heard from others that Garmin GPS units are good. This is coming back to me now as I do recognize this name now, so I might head off to Future Shop or Best Buy to see what they have.

Cheers,
Rob

[nachoman]

I used a rather sophisticated GPS and computer system for my last job. Of course, we were out in the middle of nowhere traveling on roads that were almost less primitive than dirt roads . But, my experience is we were often better off navigating by dead reckoning. I've never tried using one in a city, though. The small all-in-one type units available today should work pretty well as long as you use the maps and imagery that they are designed to work with.

[MountainMan]

Or, you can use a good topo map and compass and accomplish the same thing, without all the electronic gizmos. 8-)

The problem here is that in order to be safe in unknown ares, you must know the basics of land navigation without electronic aids before you move up to GPS, built-in maps and so forth. Think of it as using a calculator without bothering to learn basic math - not a good idea.

[tomustang]

We have a Garmin don't know what model, and must have used it a hundred times out on the road, the only thing you have to worry about is to keep it updated (every year)

There's many options out there that start around $100 to $200.

[RobertInOntario]

Or, you can use a good topo map and compass and accomplish the same thing, without all the electronic gizmos. 8-)

The problem here is that in order to be safe in unknown ares, you must know the basics of land navigation without electronic aids before you move up to GPS, built-in maps and so forth. Think of it as using a calculator without bothering to learn basic math - not a good idea.

Thanks, I agree with that and have wondered the same thing myself (that people will lose their sense of direction). One of my other main pursuits is hiking, so I'm often reading maps and plotting routes. I don't want to lose my ability to navigate! It's just that, when your driving through unfamiliar territory in a large city, you need all the help you can get. So I plan to use both -- maps/navigation and electronic gizmos (when necessary!). Cheers, Rob

[TrainNut]

I'm probably one of the last people in the world that needs one as I've got a very good sense of direction and I love my maps (I've got a pretty extensive collection). However, with that said, I also love my toys and use mine even when I know where I'm going... just 'cause. Between my wife and I, we now have four. All of them are Magellans (just different versions). Love'em!

[BR60103]

Rob:
we bought a Garmin 255W. They seem to be on sale in the 150 range. With it we managed to get to California and back and get all around Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Antonio. We call her Hilda or She Who Must Be Obeyed.

You should have a set of maps to go with it. It is not totally infallible. We have been going along following her directions and suddenly she'll say, "Recalculating", which is GPS for "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear." We were crossing one bridge, looking at the arch in St Louis, passing a long line of cars in the right lane when she said "Take the ramp to the right", far too late. There was another route a few miles down the road -- just before the road construction. We got caught in a 2 hour traffic jam in LA -- eventually we moved to a different expressway which was moving, because i had the maps. If you want to use it near cities, you should look for one with traffic features.
She lost satellite contact in New Mexico for a long time -- fortunately we just had to stay on the Interstate.
And she doesn't know about the extension to Hwy 410 that opened 2 months after we bought her.
She takes a camera memory card, but I don't know what for; she won't read maps from Trips & Streets.
Suggest that you buy the sandbag mounting that can be slung on the dash to replace the suction cup. Also store it out of sight when you park.

[RobertInOntario]

Rob:
we bought a Garmin 255W. They seem to be on sale in the 150 range. With it we managed to get to California and back and get all around Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Antonio. We call her Hilda or She Who Must Be Obeyed.

You should have a set of maps to go with it. It is not totally infallible. We have been going along following her directions and suddenly she'll say, "Recalculating", which is GPS for "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear." We were crossing one bridge, looking at the arch in St Louis, passing a long line of cars in the right lane when she said "Take the ramp to the right", far too late. There was another route a few miles down the road -- just before the road construction. We got caught in a 2 hour traffic jam in LA -- eventually we moved to a different expressway which was moving, because i had the maps. If you want to use it near cities, you should look for one with traffic features.
She lost satellite contact in New Mexico for a long time -- fortunately we just had to stay on the Interstate.
And she doesn't know about the extension to Hwy 410 that opened 2 months after we bought her.
She takes a camera memory card, but I don't know what for; she won't read maps from Trips & Streets.
Suggest that you buy the sandbag mounting that can be slung on the dash to replace the suction cup. Also store it out of sight when you park.

Thanks, David. These are all great points, especially about the traffic features. I didn't think of that but, living in Toronto, I should have! We have some Quebec and New Brunswick road maps but now I need to get one of the Montreal area. Cheers, Rob

[TrainNut]

Make sure you get one with the "regions" you will be visiting (now and in the future). Also, these things don't pick up satellite signals real well in places like... downtown Chicago. One of my main grumps is that when I ask it to calculate by shortest time, it does not understand that the shortest time during 1 oclock traffic is NOT the same as during 5 oclock rush hour traffic. Don't blindly trust the thing 'cause as soon as you do, it'll have you do something really assenine. It also has no idea what roads and hiways have changed in the year since it was last updated. Sometimes that's major (on the way to Disneyland!)
Overall, they do a great job but be ready for the hiccups!

[boppa]

I have been using a Tomtom (the old mk1 version) for a couple of years now (was working as a courier driver before moving into the mining game)
IMHO they are the best thing ever for driving in unfamiliar cities, even if they do sometimes take a slightly different route to one I would if I were a local (but then if I was a local I wouldn't be using it then would I???)
Best thing is the advance warning about lane changes and turnoffs without you having to take your eyes off the road- as an ex courier I can tell you there is nothing worse than having the map propped on the steering wheel, trying to spot street signs with one eye and read the map with the second- with the occasional glance ahead with my (third???) eye to see what the traffic is DOING!! (scream of brakes...)
My work one was was a Garmin- I bought the TomTom mostly due its larger (at the time) screen and simpler operating menu- it doesn't have as many features as the Garmin, but I found that most of them you never use and made setting it up on the move more error prone (try hitting the right spot bouncing over the potholes in a 6 tonne truck)

I haven't found anywhere that it wont pick up sats (except in underground loading docks for some strange reason) but on the street it always picks up within 10 seconds or so, no matter how crowded the skyline is with buildings.
I also found it useful for travelling out in the country since I started working in the mines, altho some of the roads arent `quite' where they should be and some dont exist at all (I suspect that many of the maps were made from old survey maps)
This is in country Qld in Australia tho mind you

[RobertInOntario]

I have been using a Tomtom (the old mk1 version) for a couple of years now (was working as a courier driver before moving into the mining game)
IMHO they are the best thing ever for driving in unfamiliar cities, even if they do sometimes take a slightly different route to one I would if I were a local (but then if I was a local I wouldn't be using it then would I???)
Best thing is the advance warning about lane changes and turnoffs without you having to take your eyes off the road- as an ex courier I can tell you there is nothing worse than having the map propped on the steering wheel, trying to spot street signs with one eye and read the map with the second- with the occasional glance ahead with my (third???) eye to see what the traffic is DOING!! (scream of brakes...)
My work one was was a Garmin- I bought the TomTom mostly due its larger (at the time) screen and simpler operating menu- it doesn't have as many features as the Garmin, but I found that most of them you never use and made setting it up on the move more error prone (try hitting the right spot bouncing over the potholes in a 6 tonne truck)

I haven't found anywhere that it wont pick up sats (except in underground loading docks for some strange reason) but on the street it always picks up within 10 seconds or so, no matter how crowded the skyline is with buildings.
I also found it useful for travelling out in the country since I started working in the mines, altho some of the roads arent `quite' where they should be and some dont exist at all (I suspect that many of the maps were made from old survey maps)
This is in country Qld in Australia tho mind you

Thanks, Boppa. Both my wife & I have now heard good things about the Tomtom as well. I don't think we'd end up using the GPS a lot, just for really unfamiliar places or ultra-busy ones, like Montreal.

Although I currently live in a big city (Toronto) I do have a pretty good sense of direction here. But, no matter what city you're visiting, I find drivers in large urban areas to be aggressive and impatient -- so a good GPS should really pay off. There's nothing worse than trying to navigate through a busy city with local drivers tail-gating & honking.

I certainly agree that Toronto drivers are notorious tail-gaiters. But I've also heard that Montreal drivers are "darters," suddenly darting in and out of lanes! Plus, Montreal is arguably a bit like Europe with narrower downtown streets, its own Quebec traffic laws and French road signs -- lots of fun!

Thanks,
Rob

[Russ Bellinis]

My sister discovered something funny about the Garmin, I don't know if it is also true of the Tom Tom. Our typical annual rainfall in So. Cal. is 13 inches per year. This year we are at 15 so far, but for the last two or three years we have averaged less than 2 inches. The rest f the state has also been below normal so that when we went to the Oregon Coast on vacation a couple of years ago, Lake Shasta in the extreme North of the state was very low.

Anyway, my sister lives in Sacramento, and they have a boat that they usually use on Folsom Lake, but for the last few years the lake has been almost a mud puddle! They went to the lake and started driving toward the boat ramp with their Garman turned on. They passed the first boat ramp and were approaching a second ramp farther into the lake that is used for low water conditions. Suddenly the Garman started warning them to turn around immediately. As they kept driving the warnings seemed to get more frantic until the screen started turning blue until eventually the screen was entirely blue. The Garman didn't know how low the water level was, and was presuming that they had just driven under water!

[RobertInOntario]

My sister discovered something funny about the Garmin, I don't know if it is also true of the Tom Tom. Our typical annual rainfall in So. Cal. is 13 inches per year. This year we are at 15 so far, but for the last two or three years we have averaged less than 2 inches. The rest f the state has also been below normal so that when we went to the Oregon Coast on vacation a couple of years ago, Lake Shasta in the extreme North of the state was very low.

Anyway, my sister lives in Sacramento, and they have a boat that they usually use on Folsom Lake, but for the last few years the lake has been almost a mud puddle! They went to the lake and started driving toward the boat ramp with their Garman turned on. They passed the first boat ramp and were approaching a second ramp farther into the lake that is used for low water conditions. Suddenly the Garman started warning them to turn around immediately. As they kept driving the warnings seemed to get more frantic until the screen started turning blue until eventually the screen was entirely blue. The Garman didn't know how low the water level was, and was presuming that they had just driven under water!

Wow, the GPS's can obviously only take in so much! So obviously they can't keep up to date in terms of traffic and geography, but I'm sure they'll invent some really smart ones in the future that can. Rob