Best portable nav?

Trena · 08-09-2008, 07:14 PM

help! i am looking for a portable (read: inexpensive and easily replaceable) nav system. having a tough time sifting thru the garmin, tomtom and mio reviews/info on amazon.com. what are your pro's and cons of the different brands and/or models of these and other brands? also, i am reading about a terrible time lapse waiting for garmin to sync with satellites on start-up on some models. is there a relatively basic model that has a quick start-up?

ck_az · 08-09-2008, 07:18 PM

First go to places like Circuit City or Best Buy where they let you play with the devices. What I like is not necessarily what you like from an operating standpoint.

Second search all of the existing threads on this topic. There are plenty.

I own a TomTom 920 and I am happy with it. I think the POI database is a bit weak. The purpose of these devices is to be able to say Hey I want to go to X and have the device know where it is. Having to know the address of a particular POI (Point of Interest) kind of defeats the purpose. So make a list of a few places you might want to navigate to, head to Best Buy and see how the devices do.

Bum-bling-B · 08-09-2008, 08:18 PM

This has been discussed quite a bit here but searching it is like pulling teeth.

Not sure on the lower end models, my Garmin is a lower end model now it seems - Nuvi 350. As far as the start up. I suppose it does take a while to link up at times but I normally have an idea where I'm going the moment I start up the car and get going for the 2 minutes it takes sometimes on a really really cloudy day. Generally it links pretty quick.

I had an older Tom Tom I just gave to my parents - works great but was gargantuan. Between that and that stupid hockey puck on their windshield (comfort package) its a wonder how they can see out.

One option is there is some nice stuff to be found on Craigslist. I just did a quick search in my area and found a Tom Tom One still in package for $150. If you ever find some of the other threads here most of the people lean towards the Garmin. Entry level I'd go with Tom Tom or Garmin and stay away from the others - but honestly I haven't had any of those others so I have no right to badmouth them - just my opinion which counts as zip (Jensen, Mio, etc). Seems a lot of people do the same thing with our Smarts - they don't own one but have bad things to say about them all day long.

Trena · 08-09-2008, 08:30 PM

Thanks, and I agree about searching on here, which is why I posted the question. I just found this great review on Amazon.com for the Nuvi 350. I'll play with them at Best Buy or similar, but it looks like it's really the way to go. Something I can't figure out is why my xm radio, which has sat antenna mounted on my roof, always blanks out when there is any sort of structure South of me. The factory nav in the same car, however, which has the nav antenna mounted in the corner of the dash, never has had a single blip. (tho there are lots of things I hate about my factory unit (Toyota) and it's expensive and difficult to upgrade, so no more factory ones for me!

Garmin is the best for GPS, September 28, 2006
By Martin Anderson..."> <b><font color=

Martin Anderson..." />Martin Anderson... (Santa Ana, CA United States) - See all my reviews">See all my reviews" />See all my reviews
I spent a lot of time trying out GPS units, and have compared Garmin, Tom Tom, Magellan, and several factory GPS units. All of these GPS units tell you how to get somewhere and will re-route if you make a wrong turn. However, Garmin is my absolute favorite, and here's why:

1. The most important thing about Garmin units is the user interface. It is simple to understand and easy to use.

2. The Garmin unit uses a built in database of sunrise and sunset times (based upon your location) to automatically change from daylight mode to night-time mode. This is important because the daylight screen is much too bright for use at night. With the Tom Tom, you must make this change manually.

3. If you have the Garmin unit plugged into your car power, when you turn off the car (and the cigarette lighter power goes off), the Garmin unit will detect that and automatically turn itself off (it gives you 30 seconds to override and keep the unit on).

4. When you start your car again, the Garmin unit will detect that too and automatically power up. If you were in the middle of a trip, the Garmin unit will pick up where you left off, and you won't have to tell it where you were going again.

5. Unlike most factory GPS units, Garmin will allow you to select your route and make changes while you are moving.

6. The Garmin units have an extensive database of locations and the excellent interface makes it easy to search the database to find what you want. Do you want food or gas? Just click three buttons and a list of locations (sorted by distance) will appear. If you know the name of the place you want, you can type it in on the on-screen keypad and Garmin will find it for you. You can even add your own locations using the favorites feature. I first started using this when I was out of town, but its amazing what you'll find near you when you look.

7. While you are driving, the Garmin unit will both prompt you to turn and give you a written explanation of the turn (including the street or highway name and direction) at the top of the screen. The Garmin unit also shows an estimated arrival time (usually a few minutes earlier than you'll actually arrive) and the distance to your next turn. A separate screen gives you detailed trip information, including how far and how long you've been driving and your maximum speed. I used mine on an airplane once (yes, it is allowed - read the back of the airplane magazine), and it now says that by maximum speed was 590 miles per hour.

8. I often use the Garmin even when driving locally, becase it often finds better, faster ways to get there then the way that I usually use.

9. Garmin offers a variety of installation options and accessories. My favorite is the friction based dashboard mount (three weights connected to a center stand) which is much more convenient than the supplied mounting system.

10. If you turn off the GPS receiver (see settings) and then look up another location, you will get the option to set this new location as your present location. This will allow you to use search Garmin's points of interest for the new location. This is a great feature when planning trips, because Garmin's points of interest database is quite extensive and includes all of the typical tourist attractions, plus food, shopping, gas, banking, etc.

11. Be sure to check for the latest map and firmware updates at Garmin's web-site.

Bum-bling-B · 08-09-2008, 08:45 PM

Remember that review is a bit old. LOT of new stuff has come out since. I bought my Nuvi 350 right around the time this review was written and it was $800!!!!! NOW you can get it CHEAP! It's obsolete....like lots of other electronics. Still, the system is easy to update and I keep mine updated regularly. You can do neat little things to it like add little cars as your pointer (mine has a red 3dr compact).

I forgot to mention. I bought the Tom Tom at the same time. Barely ever used it. Loaned it to most members of the family at least once and it's been all over the country but I MUCH prefer the Garmin. That being said - I like that Tom Tom 920 ck az mentioned. It has been in my sweaty palms at the store more than once.

krsmart · 08-09-2008, 10:17 PM

I posted this thread in another section a while back but you may be interested in what I did to get a navigation system. I have a yellow cabri and privately purchased a Kenwood 8210 navigation/bluetooth/DVD, etc., system and had Al & Ed's Autosound install it for $250. It fits perfectly, looks great, and works great. The cost for the system ran about $1100. I am going to have another one fitted in my wife's white passion coupe very soon. I love the bluetooth system and it pairs with my cellphone as soon as I start the car. The Kenwood operates the Garmin navigation system which I have found to be very good. Kenwood also has a couple of less expensive systems, the Kenwood 5120 and the Kenwood 7120. These units run from $600 to $1100. I spend a lot of time in my car and use the phone extensively, and also use the navigation system a lot. So for me, the top of the line system was the pick of the litter.

Trena · 08-09-2008, 10:41 PM

thanks for the replies. i don't want to spend all the money for the kenwood. i also hate my toyota bluetooth--works like crap, huge lag when trying to answer the phone. i use a $50 motorola earpiece instead that works much better. so this is why i want to stay simple and cheap this time. and i don't need a kenwood. whatever the factory has for the radio will be fine this time around, i'm sure. ditto on using phone and nav (and car) a lot, tho. i do like the fact that you can play dvds etc in some of the kenwood units, but again i doubt i'd end up using it...

geosynch · 08-09-2008, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trena

Something I can't figure out is why my xm radio, which has sat antenna mounted on my roof, always blanks out when there is any sort of structure South of me. The factory nav in the same car, however, which has the nav antenna mounted in the corner of the dash, never has had a single blip. (tho there are lots of things I hate about my factory unit (Toyota) and it's expensive and difficult to upgrade, so no more factory ones for me!

I was drawn to this thread because I love my Magellan Maestro 4250. But, it is top of the line, so I suspect it is beyond what you are looking for.

That said, I can help you with your satellite reception question. The XM satellites are in geostationary orbit above the equator. That makes the satellies south of you, your location being in the USA. The "look angle" to the satellites is fixed by geometry of the satellie location and your location in the US, but it is probably about 35°, which is pretty shallow. If you were on the equator, the look angle would be 90° (straight up) and at the north pole, it would be 0° (parallel to the horizon). Never mind that the XM satellites have no coverage at those locations.

Why is this important? Because the lower the look angle, the higher the probability that a building, a hill, a tree, or whatever will be in the way. This is why XM radio has like 1500 terrestrial repeaters scattered over the US.

Sirius satellite radio, by the way, is not in a geostationary orbit (although it is in a geosynchronous orbit). Sirius' orbit is highly inclined so that when the satellites are over the US, the look angle is much higher. Which is why Sirius' terrestrial repeater network is like a 1/10 of XM's.

Now the GPS satellites, which your nav systems use, are in an altogether different orbit, plus there are 31 of them. Suffice it to say that unless you are in a cave, you have several GPS satellites in view (indeed, the GPS constellation was designed such because you must have a minimum of three satellites in view in order to get a position fix).

That's a long answer to a question that I'm not sure you really wanted answered, but satellites are my thing.

geosynch (as in geosynchronous orbit)

mkradin · 08-09-2008, 11:40 PM

I tried 3 or 4 different and find this Tom Tom 130S is the best fit for those wanting ease of use, accurate directions and fair price. I just purchased mine at Radioshack for $199 on sale. It fits really well in the Smart.

ck_az · 08-10-2008, 07:44 AM

FYI - I searched for Garmin and came up with these two threads. I know search isn't perfect but having dozens of threads with the same information also weakens the information on here. More threads, more searches, harder to find info... etc.

Good luck with your decision. Once you pick the one you want find the online fan site for it. TomTom has several (http://www.tomtomforums.com/index.php)and you can then learn even more about the device you purchased.

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