New GPS for old View.

[Katy2]

I have been using an old Magellan gps since I bought my 2009 Winnebago View in 2018. Am thinking of buying a new Garmin 795 before this Camping season. My question is, do I really need to spend the extra $200 for the RV version? I am not great with technology and need something very simple to operate. I do need something which will allow hands free calling, but am not interested in a dash cam. I am unlikely to travel far beyond Eastern Canada this summer, may not even leave Ontario. I usually drive on main roads, and am very comfortable turning my RV around if I need to. I shall be 80 in July, so not sure how much longer I am going to be camping by myself. Also the reason I don’t want to spend more than I really need to!
Any advice appreciated.
Katy2

[Morich]

WE had an old Garmin that just got TOO old for practical as it was small.
But our search for a new one was a reall letdown as none seemed to do what we wanted. We did not want an Rv specifc one as we stay on highways or at least know before we go off the main.
We tried several newer Garmin and found most were not what we wanted until we got to a Drive Smart 65.
It has a large enough screen and mostly does okay with what we use. It also has connection for cell but we have that on the car, so do not use that feature.
I tend to like simple stand alone if we can get it. Certainly not build in the dash as electronics change way faster than we change cars!

But once we got the bugs figured out, it works for what we want but with complaints!
One is they do not update maps as fast as they used to on older Garming. Whether that is reduced work force or just new cutbacks, we wish for better/quicker updates to maps.
We love the lane guidance but it's not worth a flip if they rebuilt the intersection or highway!
Mostly I drive by watching where I'm going, road signs and lanes and don't use a lot of the "gimmicks". Traffic data is there but a total bust for us as we find it is way stupid!
When it is 5 o'clock rush and the highway is full there is no logic in taking the exit, going through stoplights and then trying to get back on the interstate that is still full 5 blocks down the road, but Garmin loves that trick.

Voice navigation is nice----if it doesn't drive you insane trying to get it to understand you!
Example:
Me: find place. IHOP
Response: Did you mean Oriely's in Hanover?

It needs work but pushing buttons on the screen works better!

Kind of a half hearted recommendation that you might try as we've not found the GOOD one!

[Eagle5]

Hi Katy,
I use a Garmin Nuvi 1450 and it still works well. I believe with the smaller Class Cs such as your View or my Minnie Winnie 22M, the Garmin 795 is overkill. Our rigs can simply be driven pretty much anywhere a car can be driven. Looking what is available now on Amazon, I see this:
Garmin Drive 61 USA+CAN LM GPS Navigator System with Lifetime Maps, Spoken Turn-by-Turn Directions, Direct Access, Driver Alerts, TripAdvisor and Foursquare Data (Renewed)
With Lifetime Maps of both USA and Canada and with a 6" screen, it should fit on your dash well, and is only $140.

Also, I do not recommend that you try to tie your phone into a GPS, but rather, use a visor-mounted dedicated blue-tooth speaker, such as this one:
Besign BK06 Bluetooth 5.0 in Car Speakerphone with Visor Clip
With this $26 device, I can keep the speaker & its microphone close to my head where it works very clearly. Also, I can clip it to my shirt while driving, if I need to keep it even closer.
Thanks, Eagle5.

[Katy2]

Thank you. My sons had been telling me I did not need an RV specific unit, but it is good to get feedback from people who actually use the gps while driving an RV.

[Katy2]

I had to laugh at your comments about voice activation. Despite living in Canada for over 50 years, I still have a North of England accent. Dread to think where I might end up!

[Morich]

When I go someplace, I almost always use the GPS in the car as we swapped it around. One reason for doing that is it helps keep me clued in on how to do the things I might want. Learning experience every trip?

And that seems to lead to it being able to figure my voice prompts better over time. I have a Home Depot nearby and go there at least once a week and it now can be depended on to understand "Home Depot" quite well.
But when I need to go a bit further out to a Lowe's, it is a total joke for what it may find! It almost seems like it has an Irish background and possibly East Coast as it doesn't find things anywhere close to me here in Central Texas but often comes up with funny things that have nothing in common with what I want.
Asking for Lowe's, I may get " the Irish Inn Boston" ?

Good for a laugh but not much help for navigation.

[ldfeat]

Google maps works great and it's free. Continuous updates, traffic reports, speed trap warnings , fuel locations, rest stops, campground locations, etc, etc. Try it, you'll like it... Larry 2014 Reyo P

[dkoldman]

I have been using Waze since it 1st became available, cars, suvs and RV. I am a Waze nut it is a Social App but the Safety warnings on road hazards is outstanding. I bought the Garmin RV890 a few months ago because I just wanted to know for myself. I think Garmin is great, but over complicated with features unless you are using every day. I always get attacked for saying this but the feature to reroute you based on size of your RV while it may work is useless to me , I don't trust the Garmin RV890 navigation the other 99% of the time to actually follow some diverted route from Garmin due to some low bridge that may actually be ahead. My Garmin is always getting lost or taking me on some non optimum route. I know because I use both Waze & Garmin. I trust Waze every time it has the shorter or faster route. When Garmin and Waze have the same route, I really love to follow the Garmin screen 10", that is wonderful.

Now having said that, I don't drive my RV without my Garmin RV890. I love the big screen and the graphics. I am techie so I manage to get through the features, but it drives my wife nuts. Example, the Garmin can help you find the the prices of gas in your area or some other area we traveling too. We thought how great, but it is not something you do every day and everytime we need; my wife has to look up the owners manual, or fiddle fardle with it until she says oh yeah here is, by that time I am already at a Loves

One other thing, unless your RV is quiet, no radio or music, you can't hear the Garmin very well. My Waze is bluetooth so the audio plays on my RV sound system.

If it were me, I would suggest you do what I did, check with Techno RV and ask when they may have Certfied Refurbished Garmin RV890. It is about $200 less. Buy one but only use the basic functions, at the same time learn to use Waze, it is free. You can make your phone calls and listen to music. If you RV does not have Bluetooth, you can buy a bluetooth device to connect to your radio for real cheap and it will be as if you have bluetooth, your audio from phone will go through your sound system via a FM frequency.

[akeagle]

Originally Posted by Katy2

Thank you. My sons had been telling me I did not need an RV specific unit, but it is good to get feedback from people who actually use the gps while driving an RV.

We had a Magellan RV GPS for several years and it functioned well until a trip to Indiana via the Alaska Highway in 2018 when there were frequent dropouts that had never happened on previous trips. Before the return trip we got a Garmin RV GPS (don't remember the model #, but it had a 7" screen).

The Garmin has a host of RV functions (some of which we haven't used yet) such as trip data storage, trip planning, fuel management, gas station and campground locations, and many others. We really like it!

To be sure, it's not cheap, but we found the best price was on Amazon (this was about 3 years ago). Techno RV also sells them, and their customer service is outstanding.

[AusieTX]

I upgraded the stereo in Class C to a new BOSS with a 10 inch screen and Apple Car play. Got the better sounding tunes and a lovely big screen that with Apple Car Play we project Waze onto.
Also takes calls very well and projects texts onto the screen if needed. Best upgrade I have done for years. Had a Tom Tom years ago but found that Google maps had better updates and traffic and then after we found Waze a few years ago have never gone back.

[cthiggy]

FWIW, We have been looking for a new car recently and discovered that one model of the Lexus does not offer GPS, but uses one's cell phone for maps and guidance. Years ago, many plane owners used LORAN for navigation which was replaced by GPS. Might just be that use of GPS is beginning to decrease.

However, I recently purchased a Garmin RV 1090 GPS which my wife (the Navigator) loves. Has a very large easy to read screen and can be programmed to show routes specific for the owner's RV. Tons of other RV features too.

We also have and use a Garmin NUVI 1450 in our autos which I like very much due to reliability and free map updates.

Regards,
cthiggy
2020 Navion

[Eagle5]

Originally Posted by ldfeat

Google maps works great and it's free. Continuous updates, traffic reports, speed trap warnings , fuel locations, rest stops, campground locations, etc, etc. Try it, you'll like it... Larry 2014 Reyo P

Another great feature of a basic Garmin GPS is that it will provide the phone number for a business when you look it up by name. Since I use a flip-phone for voice-only communication, this is my work-around for not being on-line when I'm traveling.
Eagle5

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by dkoldman

My Garmin is always getting lost or taking me on some non optimum route. I know because I use both Waze & Garmin. I trust Waze every time it has the shorter or faster route. When Garmin and Waze have the same route, I really love to follow the Garmin screen 10", that is wonderful.

Now having said that, I don't drive my RV without my Garmin RV890. I love the big screen and the graphics. .

Correction, my RV890 has a 8" screen. It is hugemongus compared to my Android Phone. I can read it without leaning over and it is in center of cabin so my wife can see too. Does not block my view.

Originally Posted by AusieTX

I upgraded the stereo in Class C to a new BOSS with a 10 inch screen and Apple Car play. Got the better sounding tunes and a lovely big screen that with Apple Car Play we project Waze onto.
Also takes calls very well and projects texts onto the screen if needed. Best upgrade I have done for years. Had a Tom Tom years ago but found that Google maps had better updates and traffic and then after we found Waze a few years ago have never gone back.

I did some research between Waze and Garmin RV890 on another forum. I was really surprised as to how many RV owners do not use or had even heard of Waze Waze is incredible like you I will NEVER EVER give it up. Google may take it away but it is by far the single most powerful all around GPS and it is free. Waze has feature for Motorcycles but they would not answer my question if they would add a feature for RVs.

I use the RV890 on all the trips but basically the volume is down, we just use for graphics to show the route. As a time waster, I watch it at times to see how long it takes to agree with the Waze route. Waze has faster route with fewer miles every time. On some known trips, I followed the RV890 for kicks and it takes you off the highway at times for no apparent reason. I can think of one time Waze would have me get off the freeway cut across downtown Dallas in RV to get off I -45 where the RV890 said to stay on I-45. I followed the Garmin RV890 and 45 mins later I was cussing. I have the Garmin Connect so the 890 knew about the traffic but apparently did not want to send the RV across a few downtown streets. To save and hour I would have got off the freeway.

Another thing we try to like about the RV890 is the ease to take it on/off Pedestal. If my wife ever embraces, she can pull it off and play with finding things in the area and then insert a new destination, set it back on the Pedestal, then I follow the Garmin ignoring the Waze.

If forced to only have one, I would return my RV890.

[Eagle5]

Originally Posted by dkoldman

I can think of one time Waze would have me get off the freeway cut across downtown Dallas in RV to get off I -45 where the RV890 said to stay on I-45. I followed the Garmin RV890 and 45 mins later I was cussing. I have the Garmin Connect so the 890 knew about the traffic but apparently did not want to send the RV across a few downtown streets. To save and hour I would have got off the freeway.

If you were to change the dimensions of your motorhome in the RV890 to the size of a small car, would it then have altered your route to cut through town and save that hour?
Thanks, Eagle5

[Scotty B]

First of all, though I don't know you, I would like to say how inspirational you are!
Second, we always used Google when we had our trailer. The thing with Google is that it will take you on roads you don't want to be on. We did get a Garmin, but honestly it will occasionally tell you to take routes you don't want to take and will not recognize all campgrounds. Still happy we have it.
My wife tells me we ask for advice when we already know what we want to do! Think you'll be good with whatever you decide.
God bless you and safe travels! Keep on rocking!

[Eagle5]

Hi Scott & Phyllis,
I now keep paper maps in the Eagle5 for reference. My wife & I ended-up on a way-too-narrow logging road on one of our trips using a 25' Cruise America Class C. When we finally did get back to Highway 1 on the coast of California, I just about got out and kissed the ground!
It is nice of you to say that I am inspirational. I don't know why, but I thought of this scene from Star Trek for the ultimate inspiration!
Ha-ha-ha
Thanks, Eagle5
P.S. Just to avoid any confusion, I am still married to my first wife, and we keep driving out into space together!

Stella

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Eagle5

If you were to change the dimensions of your motorhome in the RV890 to the size of a small car, would it then have altered your route to cut through town and save that hour?
Thanks, Eagle5

I did not try that

I have had it set for car as I used everyday when commuting to work just to learn how it worked.

I think for Garmin to get around my concern, they need a button or pop up to tell you what it is doing differently from normal car based on your RV / Motorhome specifications so you can decide to apply or not.

Last Saturday, I went to a Cat Scale that I have used several times about 30 minutes away. The RV890 did not know the exit was closed due to construction. So I take the next exit to U turn. As I got over the freeway ready to make a left thinking I would just take the service road up, I saw I would have to get back on freeway and pass up the Cat Scale. I looked at my Garmin RV890 and it had crazy directions so it did not know what to do I go ahead and get back on the freeway and it finally told me to take the next exit beyond the Travel Center I was going to. I made another U turn and stayed on the Service Road to loop back under the freeway to the Travel Service. I lost 25 minutes

My RV890 is here to stay, but it has navigation issues. I am content to use both, but I didn't have my Waze on last Sat because how hard could a local 30 minute trip be (took me an hour to get there)

[dkoldman]

Just to clarify that Google, Waze, and Garmin RV890 are 3 different Navigation systems even though Google owns Google Maps & Waze.

I only use Waze & RV890 in vehicles, but use Google Maps when on the PC trying to find where something is. The big thing about Waze is the Road Hazard warnings live. It is also more accurate because Users are able to update maps or send in change recommendations. Waze tells me about every railroad track, I wonder why it could not also report and bridge height that is under say 15 feet?

[liveaboard74]

Let me show Yall a dash.
Garmin 65 with traffic on the left. 80 dollars of market place. 7 inch screen.
Heads up GPS so I don't have to look down. There about 40 dollars.
Scangauge between the stearing wheel. Found out about them on here. 4 camera DVR monitor system on the sunvisor.
Old black and whilte monitor still works use that for hooking up watching chains while riding. Rear view on the 4 camera monitor system is for watching behind the 24 foot toy hauler. Added XM, for the tunes.
I have three garmina 65s. One on the caddy one I use for work in the 18 wheeler and that one in the RV. Its all you will need to get anywhere in this country. The traffic part of it is nice. Alerts you to redlight cameras, traffic jams, if you use wise on your phone while riding and the Garmin you can learn how to get around any issue. Wheel and deal , shoot them a offer for 75 on the garmin . Check it out make sure it locks in when you pick it up. If it locks in it works.

[Katy2]

Thank you to everyone who replied. Most helpful. I decided on a Garmin DriveSmart 65. It seems to be easy to use, and acting on the suggestion that I use it in my car, I am getting comfortable with it. May not use the voice prompts though! Two more weeks before my RV comes out of storage, then I shall really try it out.
Thanks again.
Katy2