Garmin RV GPS

Which model are you looking at? None of my 760s or 770s need my phone for traffic up dates.

Bill

Seem's like Waze, Google Maps and Garmin all use the EXACT SAME sources.

The RV890 uses cell phone data for Traffic and weather and for map and software upgrades. And it must be connected to the power supply that magnetically holds the unit. A USB cable will not do the job.
I mainly stay out of cities and so we do not especially worry about traffic updates, and I would connect to my phone hotspot for brief periods if I was.
Otherwise for 90% of its functions it does not need the phone.
I was a long time GPS resister preferring software on a notebook, but the RV890 has me converted so far.

philh wrote:
I was all set to buy one to replace my older Garmin, right up until I read that traffic data comes from your phone. I really really don't want to link my phone to the Garmin. While my old garmin doesn't have lifetime maps, it does have traffic. I actually used it today when WAZE was advising me to get off the freeway, I pulled the Garmin out, and put it up. Garmin agreed, so alt route it was.

My new 5th wheel is tall, legal max height tall! Do I need or want the RV GPS?

I have a Garmin 780 and I do link it to my phone for traffic, but I've found that its traffic reports are not nearly as good as what I see in Google Maps. But I do like the routing and UI of the 780, especially for searching to see what services are at upcoming exits.

So I use both my phone and the Garmin while driving, I primarily use the Garmin for navigation, but refer to my phone when it reports traffic or when I'm nearing a city and looking for the best way to avoid traffic.

If I had to decide again whether or not to buy the Garmin even though I have navigation on my phone, I probably would - the other advantage of the Garmin is that it works anywhere, even when I have no cell service.

I just purchased and received the new Garmin 785. I've been setting it up and putting addresses in, but haven't used it for travel yet. I really prefer the Rand McNally RV GPS, but I've had 3 and they all have failed. When you are on the road and it says "No GPS" you are screwed. One I sent back and received a replacement and it works "most" of the time, but I guess I have to say they are unreliable. I've had a Garmin fail as well, but it was years. . . and I mean many years old.

This Garmin has a dash cam and traffic as well. My DH recently passed away and I wanted a unit that multitasked, since I don't have my navigator with me anymore. Gone are the days when he would sit in the passenger seat and have a split screen on his laptop showing GPS and weather/traffic, etc.

Dale

Scottiemom wrote:
I just purchased and received the new Garmin 785.

Dale

The new Garmin for RVs is the RV890

Both the 8" 890 & the 10" 1090 are Android tablets modified by Garmin. They have a built in browser, and can be updated over WiFi (you do not need a computer to update software or maps). I agree with agesilaus - the 890 is the best Garmin I've had. The large screen shows far more off track information than the typical Garmin - reminds me of the old Street Atlas.

After spending a small fortune on Garmin GPS's over the years and looking at a new Garmin for RV's I decided to try the Copilot RV APP. You can input the ht of your RV and it will also avoid propane restricted tunnels. It came with active traffic for 3 mos or so. I paid $6.99 on sale about 10 years ago and still use it. Maps are automatically up dated unlike my old Garmin's. There may be better APP's for RV travel now, but bottom line I would not go back to a dedicated GPS like Garmin. I have an old I pad with a much bigger screen than my I Phone that I have used several times but I like the phone better.

agesilaus wrote:

Scottiemom wrote:
I just purchased and received the new Garmin 785.

Dale

The new Garmin for RVs is the RV890

Well, I got a new Garmin 785. . . perhaps not the latest, but it was the size I wanted and it has all the features of the 890.


Dale

"has all the features of the 890."

If you say so