Best Navigation unit

yes, and my personal preference is to read the signs rather than place too much faith in what the GPS says. stories abound of people following their GPS and coming out worse off.
as an aid they're great but I'd only have myself to blame if it made a fool out of me.

So, as far as propane in tunnels and bridges....doesn't the DOT give warnings in advance along the highway?

jpfx wrote:
if you're willing to pay premium prices then get a premium gps.
these RV models are two years behind the times.
I have a garmin 3597LMTHD and very nice it is too. a 7" low res screen might be okay in an A class but being able to move this 5" high res GPS around gives it far more value (to me) than the $20-$30 premium cost over RV units. If I wanted all the campsites, goodsams & CWs (which I don't) I can install the POI files for them.
just the screen clarity and ease of use was enough, the rest is a bonus.

A car GPS has no routing for height restrictions and a height clearance POI will tell you much too late that you are about to hit the overpass you are approaching with no exit before it. The campgrounds, etc. are just frills on RV GPS units - the height, weight, propane, etc. profile is what is important on them so that they route your RV accordingly.

if you're willing to pay premium prices then get a premium gps.
these RV models are two years behind the times.
I have a garmin 3597LMTHD and very nice it is too. a 7" low res screen might be okay in an A class but being able to move this 5" high res GPS around gives it far more value (to me) than the $20-$30 premium cost over RV units. If I wanted all the campsites, goodsams & CWs (which I don't) I can install the POI files for them.
just the screen clarity and ease of use was enough, the rest is a bonus.

GlennLever wrote:
Well just got back from a 3,000 mile trip and I hate the Garmin RV 760.

Even with the detail turned to high, it does not show some interchanges on the high way, sitting in a Pilot it did not show it as a gas station, I had the height of the RV set to 14 feet and it took me on a road that had a height restriction of 13.5, stopped at a camping world super store and it did not show it as a POI at all. I'm selling it and will try the TomTom VIA 1605 M RV

I have been riding around with both the garim and the TomTom side by side. TomTom shows much more detail, Garmim has better warnings of sharp curves and grades, TomTom speaker volume is not as loud but is loud enough, Garmin interface is better.

I am selling the Garmin and keeping the TomTom because it shows all the roads and fuel points where the Garmin does not.

Well just got back from a 3,000 mile trip and I hate the Garmin RV 760.

Even with the detail turned to high, it does not show some interchanges on the high way, sitting in a Pilot it did not show it as a gas station, I had the height of the RV set to 14 feet and it took me on a road that had a height restriction of 13.5, stopped at a camping world super store and it did not show it as a POI at all. I'm selling it and will try the TomTom VIA 1605 M RV

GlennLever wrote:
So how do you plan a trip to avoid bridges and tunnels that do not allow LP?

You could do this manually with a free program called Tyre which will let you great a route that will download to any Garmin or TomTom GPS. But if you are going through this you don't need anything more than a car GPS. You would first need to put the destination and start point into Tyre and let it route you. Follow the line of the route and look for bridges and tunnels, and then go to each location's website (usually the State DOT) and check the list of prohibitions on the bridges and tunnels you are routed through. Then set waypoints around those bridges and tunnels so that the route cannot go through or on them. I do this also with height restrictions for my in-dash Tom Tom regular GPS in my RV - but any change in route along the way becomes a problem with a new routing that cannot be checked on the fly. This is why no propane setting in the new Garmin RV GPS is a big problem.

Other RV GPS units have this setting. Also the Garmin Dezi Truck GPS has this setting. Garmin dropped the ball with this new RV GPS.

So how do you plan a trip to avoid bridges and tunnels that do not allow LP?

Ads with Garmin Traffic are few and far between and I have not seen any show up on my Garmin for about two years. They were there to supplement the cost of traffic updates and all that showed was a single line about a Best Western or whoever and then it was gone.

It is really too bad that the Garmin RV760 does not have a propane setting. I am not sure what they are thinking as routing into tunnels, etc that do not allow propane can get you into big trouble.

The Dezi760 truck GPS in truck mode does have the propane setting and it looks like I will go with that - unless Garmin does a firmware update to add the propane when they get reactions from RVers that this is a bad thing to be missing. The Dezi also comes in a 5" screen for a hundred bucks less with all of the same features as the 7" screen model.

GlennLever wrote:

mikestock wrote:
I have two Garmin units. I also have Streets and Trips 2011 with GPS sensor. Besides this I have an Ipad with GPS and also apps on mine and my wife's Verizon smart phones. None of the above, with the exception of Streets and Trips, have any warning about overhead clearance.

After three years of comparing routes calculated by the different devices I have learned to rely most on the routes calculated by Verizon. It does not always give the shortest route, but when I have depended on Garmin rather than a different route calculated by Verizon, it was a mistake. The Garmin has put me on mountainous routes such as one just north of Santa Rosa, CA that limit speed to 25 mph for miles, when the alternate Verizon calculated route, although longer, would have been much safer and faster. The only drawback with the phone is that it must have a signal to calculate.

Which Garmin units do you have, the was under the impression that the Garmin RV670 did do height?

"Alerts you to upcoming road conditions
Such as sharp curves, bridge heights, weight limits, high-wind areas, descents, ascents and more to help keep you informed. Also shows trucking speed limits and mile marker information."

I have also read in PC reviews that Garmin shows ads?

I have the RV760 yes it DOES do height. Also can link to the smartphone and use the Android traffic, much better than the included traffic, as well as show most road cameras and weather. Haven't done the update with new FW yet, but as shipped true, no propane.

Very good on showing curves, steep roads, etc. in RV mode. Turn by turn directions so far are fantastic. For example it will tell you the road to turn on, followed by local landmarks in most cases, along with light or not. For example, In on case said (paraphasing) " Turn left on 185th Ave at the stoplight just after the US bank on the right"

Also, unlike past Garmins, if you miss a turn it then figures the next route, rather than getting you back on the initial route. I often know some shortcuts and now when I pass the GPS turn, it just picks up the alternate route, no "recalculating, make a legal u turn bit".

And finally you can create a route using Basecamp and import it into the Garmin as the route. I'm guessing you can do the same with a Streets and Trip route if you create a GPX file.

RV related ammenities seem extensive. List of nearby RV parks, dealers, service, etc. was very comprehensive. Listing of local RV parks, campgrounds that I initally looked at were accurate and up to date with lots of info on the park, sites, phone #s etc.

With the big screen lots of info without clutter, including at the bottom showing the next intersection coming up, with the top showing distance to next turn and turn info.

So far, I'm glad I waited for the RV760 and would recomend it in a heartbeat based on my first trips experience. Will be getting a real workout next month on our trip through idaho and montana.

On route selection, a "prefer not freeways" would be nice for us. In the avoid section it has a avoid unpaved roads, which is nice to make sure the route isn't going to send you off to never never land.

so, far, the only good news/bad news is the screen size. yes, the big screen is great, BUT without proper placement it can obstruct your view. Placed mine on passenger side far right. DW has close up view, but with big screen I can also see it.

So far, no Ads.