Rand McNally GPS RVND 7725-LM
In the latest Good Sam Highways magazine, May-July 2013 a new GPS is reviewed. It is produced by Rand McNally for Camper World. I was wondering if anyone has one and their comments on it.
Forum Discussion
I said I would follow up after taking with Rand Mc Technical support. I did and here it is.
I talked at length with two different folks on the tech staff at Rnd Mc -- both were courteous and fairly knowledgeable about the RVND 7725 LM but neither had much of a clue as to what the driver of a 12 ton, 55-ft long vehicle might want to have or need on the road. Pity.
I learned a few things about the options and got a few suggestions from them as to how to fine tune it to my needs/desires.
Yesterday, I drove around the I-275 beltway with the unit in my Jeep but on "RV" mode. I tried all their suggestions and the bottom line is minimal improvement and I have decided it is a "no go". I've given the unit more than a fair test and I'm sending it back for a refund as I am within the 30-day period.
Bottom-line is for this kind of money you should NOT have have to work so hard for such spotty or mediocre roadway guidance.
In talking to the techs I started to get an inkling of the basic problem with the RVND 7725-LM -- it was designed by a committee! For example, you will notice if you are on "RV" mode (and I presume that is why most of us would buy it right?) that the unit displays ALL the animal hospitals, veterinary clinics and dog parks! These icons are hard programmed into the "RV" mode and the only way you can shut them off is to go to "Car" mode. But do are not driving automobiles are we?
Why are these animal care icons not optional? Because it seems a user group panel supposedly RV'ers (I guess most of whom had pets?) decided that this was information that all RV'ers needed without question.
But, I don't need it. Furthermore, the 25 (or more) "pet POI's" that pop up and take up a good percentage of the screen when I'm near the Cincinnati metro area are not appreciated. Doubly so when no matter what I do the RVND 7725-LM (regardless of what scale or which POI settings or filters I pick) it will NOT reliably display icons/locations for all gas stations, truck stops or diesel fuel outlets -- something I really need.
When I mentioned the fact that the unit warned of small insignificant curves and then totally missed some serious ones the tech thought I should be grateful for the warnings I got. I really did not agree.
The RVND 7725 LM (and other related versions) are marginal GPS devices in my opinion and not worth the considerably greater amount of money charged. Yes it could work for some and maybe I am too picky about the unreliability and questionable layout/options but they are deal breakers for me.
I've read and watched a lot of videos on the Garmin RV 760LMT and it seems to address some of my issues with the Rand Mc unit but it is hard to evaluate properly from canned videos and it has its share of negative comments out there too.
I talked at length with two different folks on the tech staff at Rnd Mc -- both were courteous and fairly knowledgeable about the RVND 7725 LM but neither had much of a clue as to what the driver of a 12 ton, 55-ft long vehicle might want to have or need on the road. Pity.
I learned a few things about the options and got a few suggestions from them as to how to fine tune it to my needs/desires.
Yesterday, I drove around the I-275 beltway with the unit in my Jeep but on "RV" mode. I tried all their suggestions and the bottom line is minimal improvement and I have decided it is a "no go". I've given the unit more than a fair test and I'm sending it back for a refund as I am within the 30-day period.
Bottom-line is for this kind of money you should NOT have have to work so hard for such spotty or mediocre roadway guidance.
In talking to the techs I started to get an inkling of the basic problem with the RVND 7725-LM -- it was designed by a committee! For example, you will notice if you are on "RV" mode (and I presume that is why most of us would buy it right?) that the unit displays ALL the animal hospitals, veterinary clinics and dog parks! These icons are hard programmed into the "RV" mode and the only way you can shut them off is to go to "Car" mode. But do are not driving automobiles are we?
Why are these animal care icons not optional? Because it seems a user group panel supposedly RV'ers (I guess most of whom had pets?) decided that this was information that all RV'ers needed without question.
But, I don't need it. Furthermore, the 25 (or more) "pet POI's" that pop up and take up a good percentage of the screen when I'm near the Cincinnati metro area are not appreciated. Doubly so when no matter what I do the RVND 7725-LM (regardless of what scale or which POI settings or filters I pick) it will NOT reliably display icons/locations for all gas stations, truck stops or diesel fuel outlets -- something I really need.
When I mentioned the fact that the unit warned of small insignificant curves and then totally missed some serious ones the tech thought I should be grateful for the warnings I got. I really did not agree.
The RVND 7725 LM (and other related versions) are marginal GPS devices in my opinion and not worth the considerably greater amount of money charged. Yes it could work for some and maybe I am too picky about the unreliability and questionable layout/options but they are deal breakers for me.
I've read and watched a lot of videos on the Garmin RV 760LMT and it seems to address some of my issues with the Rand Mc unit but it is hard to evaluate properly from canned videos and it has its share of negative comments out there too.
