Compass

Adventurous · 08-09-2007, 05:49 PM

Our new toad, the Honda CR-V does not have a compass and I really miss it. The question is..Do any of the portable GPS such as Magellan or Garmin have a setting that only indicates the compass direction without having to put in a route?? I have read a lot of descriptions of all the "fancy" stuff they can do but I'm looking for a simple function!!!
I will buy one if it does that. I know we will use it in the motorhome too..

I figure there must be enough RVers that have one of those GPS to give me advise!!

Yes I know I can get a rearview mirror from Honda installed with compass for over $500. For that money I rather have the GPS!!
The little compasses you can buy for under $20 only want to go between N and E. Must be something about the car!!

Adventurous · 08-09-2007, 05:49 PM

Our new toad, the Honda CR-V does not have a compass and I really miss it. The question is..Do any of the portable GPS such as Magellan or Garmin have a setting that only indicates the compass direction without having to put in a route?? I have read a lot of descriptions of all the "fancy" stuff they can do but I'm looking for a simple function!!!
I will buy one if it does that. I know we will use it in the motorhome too..

I figure there must be enough RVers that have one of those GPS to give me advise!!

Yes I know I can get a rearview mirror from Honda installed with compass for over $500. For that money I rather have the GPS!!
The little compasses you can buy for under $20 only want to go between N and E. Must be something about the car!!

LK23 · 08-09-2007, 06:07 PM

Ellen,

Yes, I have the Garmin 660 and one of the screens has the compass direction as well as MPH and other settings. More importantly, this GPS cam be used in both our Honda CRV and our motor home. With trip directions it has saved me many a wrong turn.

Indy Itasca · 08-09-2007, 06:09 PM

The short answer is yes. I have the Garmin C330 and it has a display that tells you direction. You can also get actual speed, total time traveling, time stopped, etc. It does seem like over kill for someone wanting to just know the direction but I do understand that for the cost of a build in you can get the whole ball of wax.

C Zimm · 08-09-2007, 06:51 PM

The answer is "yes". Every GPS I've seen will give you the compass heading. You normally have to scroll to a specific page but I've never seen one that didn't include it.
I have the portable Garmin 7200 for the toad and a built in Alpine on the coach. I've also owned a great Magellan that was stollen from the toad.
Best regards...

tomsm · 08-10-2007, 02:38 AM

Ellen - Yes, I think any GPS will give you a "compass" heading. One thing to understand though - the GPS does not sense the magnetic lines of flux like a compass, it gives you direction by sensing your movement. If you're sitting still when you turn on the GPS, it has no idea which way you're facing but as soon as you move a few feet it will give an accurate reading.

The good news is that it is more accurate than a magnetic compass since it is not subject to the errors that affect a mag compass.

What I find more useful than just looking at raw numbers is to orient the map to "north up" which keeps north at the top of the screen no matter which way you're going. The little position symbol then indicates which way you're moving so you're seeing not only direction but also your relationship to the surrounding streets. No need to load a route unless you want to.

I haven't mentioned my model because it's so old you couldn't buy it anyway, but it's a Garmin and it still works great. Go for it! The GPS will give you what you want for now and tons more as you learn to use it.

lthrnk · 08-10-2007, 04:26 AM

I have been using a Garmin C 340 in my auto for about 2 years and, like all technology, sometime depend on it too much. It now lives in the Toad but can easily, and sometimes does, move to the MH. Gives you all the info you really need and then some. It is a great entry level unit, I think I saw it recently for about $260.00. I also have a Delorme LT20 for the laptop in the MH.

Harry B · 08-10-2007, 05:39 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The question is..Do any of the portable GPS such as Magellan or Garmin have a setting that only indicates the compass direction without having to put in a route?? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ellen,

The Lowrance Iway-500C and the Iway-600C are able to display your compas heading permanently on the navigation screen (no changing of screens). They also have several functions specific to RVs under POI buttons, which is realy nice.

John_Canfield · 08-10-2007, 06:09 AM

Some will only provide a heading while moving, some actually have a compass built-in (probably only the more expensive units.) My Garmin 60CS has a compass that will indicate true or magnetic heading while the unit is still. Once velocity reaches 3mph or whatever, heading information is then based on GPS calculations.

Our Garmin also has a barometer that is independent of GPS-derived altitude.

Make life simple - go to Wally-World and buy a little compass for the car.

Adventurous · 08-10-2007, 08:17 AM

I did buy 3 different compasses at wally world...
Every one ONLY moved between N and E no matter where I drove!! Maybe a nautical one from Western Marine might have worked.

Thanks everyone for the quick response. I'm looking at buying the Garmin 350. Need to check which update they have with the maps. I understand there are still some 07 maps out when 08 is in the pipeline.

BTW way back in '98 we had the Delorme streetatlas GPS that connected to the laptop. That worked too but was so much more cumbersome with the little pod in the window and wires everywhere.

Thanks again... happy driving