Garmin GPS

Personally I wonder whether Garmin will bother to incorporate any DeLorme data into their databases. I think they bought DeLorme just to get rid of the competition. Now the trend seems to be toward smart phones and away from stand-alone GPS units.

tatest wrote:
For any section of road there is usually one name in the map database,

So generally, there is not an option to change the names being used.

In my experience, this is just NOT true.

If you look at the display of the road you are on or the next turn coming up, you will probably see multiple names listed, sometimes up to 5 or more.

Sometimes one of my GPS units tries to read them ALL off.....but usually only the first one.

For any section of road there is usually one name in the map database, although it might carry several different numbered routes and one or more street names. The folks who work on the map database try to present a name you are likely to see on signage locally, but mappers are still well short of being complete on ground truth.

I find this annoying when trying to follow routes on Interstate and numbered U.S. Highways, when the route showing up on the GPS is different from the one I am following. And of course, in most urban areas, when numbered routes follow local expressways, what gets presented are the expressway names, if that is what is most used (and what is on the signage).

So generally, there is not an option to change the names being used. You might suggest changes to the company supplying the maps, but don't expect them to automatically substitute your naming preferences for names generally used locally. Most sat-nav assisted travel is local, and in many urban areas people prefer names they use locally.

It will be interesting to see how Garmin databases change as they begin to incorporate map data from the DeLorme acquisition, as DeLorme used some different naming conventions.

That has been a pet peeve of mine with Garmin for years. In NY, most areas have switched road signs to the "official" 911 names for roads. My Garmin still used the older street names. While I'm familiar with the roads, if someone from out of the area hears Maple Avenue from the Garmin, but the sign says County Route 7, it is a bit confusing.

When I was working with the Red Cross Disaster Service, this was a real problem when trying to find an address at 4:00AM in parts of the county I was not familiar with. Since they update maps at least 4 times a year, seems like they could update to the current names. I've talked with them a couple of times about this & they don't seem to be interested in a solution.

fj12ryder wrote:
One Garmin I had would not do street names if you used certain voices instead of the default one.

Now that's interesting.

Your probably stuck though if your model doesn't come with alternate voices.....of have some easily downloadable.

Maybe it would be worth contacting Garmin.

I agree with the original poster. Anyone communicated with Garmin?

One Garmin I had would not do street names if you used certain voices instead of the default one.

Imagine the difficulty it has finding the street I live on. It's spelled two different ways. On one end the street sign spells it the way I've always known it since I was 5 years old. The street sign installed about 15 years ago at the other end spells it a different way. It's not just Garmin though. UPS, FedEx, Apple Maps, Google Maps, and a whole host of other mapping softwares and websites all use different methods to locate my address. I'm constantly entering my address and then being told it's wrong or can't be found so I have to enter it with the other spelling.

Kountryguy wrote:
I have a Garmin Dezl 760 GPS. One of my issues is that when providing directions, many times it will give road names instead of numbers.

I have had that complaint with EVERY GPS I've ever had and there have been a LOT of them. Currently 4 different ones all do that. It's maddening.

Complain to Garmin.....for all the good it will do.

I'm pretty sure that there is no user changeable parameter to change the behavior.

Sometime I'd prefer just the number. A few highways around here have several names attached, and Garmin feels the need to recite all the names along with the number whenever the road is mentioned.