Garmin GPS

yvesm · 12-29-2010, 08:06 PM

About a week ago I finally bought a GPS. I got the Garmin 465T which is designed for truckers, Rv's and cars. It worked for 2 days and then it froze up, I reset the unit and it still froze up after a few seconds. I have returned the unit to Amazon for a replacement. After I get the new unit I will get back to this post and follow up. Must have been a bad day in the Chinese Garmin Factory!

Traveler II · 12-29-2010, 08:17 PM

Same thing happen to us last year. We bought it at Best Buy and they replaced it for us. Now the only problem I have is it will lock up when we travel through Chicago. But if I turn it off an back on it works.

My last Garmin lasted 8 years, its why I bought another one.

j2detroit · 12-29-2010, 08:24 PM

i have a tomtom1 that ive had for about 5 years now and it works great hope your garman squares tself away for you be sure and do your online updates every so often

whitebb · 12-29-2010, 10:12 PM

I have a Tom Tom 330 XL and it works great.

jimh · 12-30-2010, 12:09 AM

i have the garmin 465t as well. sometimes the audio wouldn't come on when i powered up. when i unpluged the power cable, powered up, then pluged the power cable back in, the problem would go away. the audio problem wasn't consistant but the cable trick would alway work. i believe there is some kind of confict between the traffic radio and the unit.
as far as operation, i believe u will be happy with it. it is designed for the trucks so if u try it on a road (while in truck mode) that doesn't allow commercial traffic (like the nathez trace) it will tell u u aren't allowed and tell u to get off. u will have to switch to automobile mode to navigate.
on truck, it will route u on the truck routes. overpass info works well as well.
I also have a garmin 760 and a tom tom one. In this area, garmin does a much better job of routing. fonts are also larger.
something that i found interesting on the 465t: if i tell it to go to lake charles from LA 17 as u enter La, it will take me to I-20 then to US 165. If i wait until i enter I-20 from La 17, it will have me exit on La133 bypassing monroe... a shorter, faster, route and a good road to take a trailer on.
if u can't get a good resolution with the 465t, i've read some good comments abt the cobra (7700 i think). the truck stops sells the cobra and it has a 7" screen and does the same thing as far as truck routing and overpass info. whatever the model #, it is the one made for truckers.

yvesm · 12-30-2010, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimh

i have the garmin 465t as well. sometimes the audio wouldn't come on when i powered up. when i unpluged the power cable, powered up, then pluged the power cable back in, the problem would go away. the audio problem wasn't consistant but the cable trick would alway work. i believe there is some kind of confict between the traffic radio and the unit.
as far as operation, i believe u will be happy with it. it is designed for the trucks so if u try it on a road (while in truck mode) that doesn't allow commercial traffic (like the nathez trace) it will tell u u aren't allowed and tell u to get off. u will have to switch to automobile mode to navigate.
on truck, it will route u on the truck routes. overpass info works well as well.
I also have a garmin 760 and a tom tom one. In this area, garmin does a much better job of routing. fonts are also larger.
something that i found interesting on the 465t: if i tell it to go to lake charles from LA 17 as u enter La, it will take me to I-20 then to US 165. If i wait until i enter I-20 from La 17, it will have me exit on La133 bypassing monroe... a shorter, faster, route and a good road to take a trailer on.
if u can't get a good resolution with the 465t, i've read some good comments abt the cobra (7700 i think). the truck stops sells the cobra and it has a 7" screen and does the same thing as far as truck routing and overpass info. whatever the model #, it is the one made for truckers.

The Cobra 7750 is there latest product, a bit pricey but looks nice. My replacement Garmin 465T should be in today. if it still gives me grief I will get something else.

ayotte · 12-30-2010, 08:17 AM

I bought a garmin 255w a week ago at canadian tire. Heard that garmin had the best maping. Took it back yesterday. Living in rural Sask. it was directing me down all the back roads, if you didn't know the country it would get you lost and stuck(possibly dead) so fast. No way to change priorties. Will stick with my sony-not real good but at least it keeps you on main highways!

rockwood06 · 12-30-2010, 08:35 AM

I have a Garmin 750 which i bought a few years ago and have had no problems with it, but it does need to be up dated. Is it cheaper to up date or buy a new one?

**Herk7769** · 12-30-2010, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockwood06

I have a Garmin 750 which i bought a few years ago and have had no problems with it, but it does need to be up dated. Is it cheaper to up date or buy a new one?

Get the lifetime map update plan. New maps and features (restaurants and stuff) are updated quarterly. WELL worth the money. My Garmin is 4 years old and works wonderfully.

rockwood06 · 12-30-2010, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by herk7769

Get the lifetime map update plan. New maps and features (restaurants and stuff) are updated quarterly. WELL worth the money. My Garmin is 4 years old and works wonderfully.

Thanks Lou, i will check into it........

wnytaxman · 12-30-2010, 08:52 AM

We have the Garmin 465T also and it is a good unit. One caution though...make sure you know where you should be going before you head out. Don't think that any GPS is perfect because they all seem to come up with squirrelly routes sometimes. We were heading from Buffalo to Boston and it insisted we get off the Thruway (I-90) and take US 20. That would be fine if I'd like to take a week to make the 500 mile trip but I'll settle for the boring, but fast Thruway. Still the Garmin is way better than the in dash GPS that I had on my Chevy Avalanche or that I have on my F-150. Both of those GPS are absolutely terrible. If I'm going from Buffalo to Altoona, PA, the in dash units try to route me through Pittsburgh. I can drive directly to Altoona in less time than it takes me to drive to Pittsburgh.

MtnGuy · 12-30-2010, 09:04 AM

I think with any GPS unit, you still have to refer to maps and road signs to plot the best route. Our Tom Tom 130 is great, but sometimes it gets a bit confused, and I have to force the issue by going my own way. The Tom Tom will eventually come around and agree with. I hate fighting with a machine.

That little puppy really pays off getting me to an exact spot that the maps or signs won't show.

jimh · 12-30-2010, 09:18 AM

the other garmin that i have may be the 750. updated it last year and was suprised that speed limits had made it down to state hwys.
the hwy info on the 465t reminds me of those early days of including speed limits on screen; good on interstates but limited on other roads. it will warn u of incomplete data areas.
there needs to be something between the auto and truck model specificly for rvs. the truck model is a compromise...but more useful (for me) than the standard gps.
hopefully, the data base for the truck model will continue to improve.
one overpass keeps coming to mind going under the Natez Trace near a 1000 trails (owned) campground. when u approach that overpass, u get at least 1/2 mile warning of an 11' overpass. if u have it in auto mode and exit the trace, u have to read the signs...overpass warning not active in auto mode.

**Herk7769** · 12-30-2010, 09:28 AM

To err is human;
To REALLY get lost requires a GPS!

MuzzledRooster · 12-30-2010, 09:52 AM

I bought a Magellan RoadMate 1700. My favorite feature is the 7" screen. I waited to get a GPS because the thought of looking at a tiny 3" or 3.5" screen didn't appeal to me. The one feature I wish it had...and it really doesn't matter that the feature is absent...is multiple voices from which to choose.

jimh · 12-30-2010, 01:17 PM

the screen size can fool u. u have to make a direct comparison; the font size makes the difference. we have a 7" built into our car and the font size is small.

jimh · 12-30-2010, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by herk7769

To err is human;
To REALLY get lost requires a GPS!

very true

jimh · 12-30-2010, 03:52 PM

these pictures are compairsons between the 7" GPS in a 2010 Ford SUV and a Garmin 465T. what i'm wanting to show is that the print is slightly larger on the garmin. the garmin is showing more road detail here because i am stopped. the font size doesn't change on either when going 55. the garmin will zoom out with speed. both show the same intersections coming into view at hwy speeds. both loose all detail from the side at hwy speed.
the cross streets are named on the garmin in town. it is a toss up on street names vs st hwy names.
Zoom and distance is the same for the individial pictures.

jimh · 12-30-2010, 03:59 PM

the individual pictures from off road so the print is sideways on the ford. not a good example. here are the correct ones.

dimurrrw · 12-30-2010, 05:15 PM

Several folks have mentioned experiencing occasional unacceptable routing. This can be downright dangerous, especially when towing.

Every GPS I have ever owned, including the Garmin 3750 I now have, sometimes wants to take me to my destination via a less than stellar route. My workaround is to use waypoints to set up my own route, before the trip. I then save the route for later use. Yes it does take a bit of time to do this and you do have to refer to other maps to decide on a "best" route. OTOH - I seldom find myself climbing a 20% grade up the side of a mountain or towing 30 odd feet of trailer through downtown Podunk. Besides, setting everything up in advance is kind of fun.

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