OT-GPS Devises

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: OT-GPS Devises
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Terry Woods, Katy, Texas on Saturday, May 05, 2012 - 09:56 pm:

I'm looking for advice on buying another GPS (Some thug wanted it worse than I did). I'll be more protective next time. Criteria include: as large a screen as reasonable; ease of operation; and definitely about to calculate and display MPH. Lifetime updates would be nice. What do you guys have and like?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dick Lodge - St Louis MO on Saturday, May 05, 2012 - 10:03 pm:

I have a Garmin Nuvi 760. I bought it in 2009 on amazon.com when it was a just-discontinued model, which meant that (a) it was discounted and (b) Garmin still supported it. I have liked it, so I guess that boils down to a favorable comment for Garmin.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 12:10 am:

Bought my first Garmin (nuvi 760, 4.3") in 2007 for $700 from WorstBuy. Bought second one for younger son for Xmas that year for $300 from Costco.

Last summer I bought two 5" Garmin 1490T (T for traffic, not T.) It shows traffic delays on your route and gives detours. Had bid on an almost new one on tbay, and found a used one on Craigslist. Won the tbay one, too. New price for 1490T was less than $200 last I looked. Not only does it show speed in large numbers, but elevation, which is very accurate.

I took a lot of time to wire in a lighter socket that is powered with key ON, laid it in behind the dash, with the GPS power cord running up to a little glove box on the top of the dash of the 2004 Mercury Monterey.

Whenever I leave the car, the glove box lid is shut, and the gps is totally hidden. In fact, I have the stock Ford radio, too, making the car much less of a target.

I mute the audio on GPSy, because she rudely interrupts whatever conversation or radio info is happening.

The bluetooth for handsfree fone is a waste. The noise of the car, and my hearing, make it useless. I have a Parrot MK3000 enroute from tbay. It wires into the radio to mute the radio and play through the speakers. I will hide that little bugger, too.

Electronics is the only thing in life where you get more for your money every year.

rdr


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Doug - Braidwood (glow in the dark), IL on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 07:19 am:

I use an Apple iPhone 4. It has a speedometer application that also calculates distance and a GPS map application. No updates required and seems to work fine everytime I used it. I ran the speedo app against my modern car and it was within 1.5 mph.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike D, Williamsburg VA on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 08:18 am:

I use my Verizon Razar Max phone as a gps. It works better than the system that came with my truck.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Cassara Long Island, NY on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 09:58 am:

I use the Google Navigator on my Droid. Works better than any of the Nuvi's I have owned and it's free! on a Droid. If you already have smart phone it's probably your best option. It will have numerous dash board apps for speed and distance. Free updates and traffic. You can get the windshield mount and a power cord. You never have to leave it in the car, just pop it on your hip, store the mount and cord in the glove box.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kirk Peterson on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 10:21 am:

I have a Garmin Foretrex 101. Model number now 301?
Costs a little over a 100 bucks. It is a basic model used by hikers. This may be too simple for your application, But. Runs on AAA batteries. Calcs speed and mileage. I hang it from the mirror. It is not noticeable and does the job for me. "I may not know where I am, but I am never lost."


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Stitt-Southern Oregon on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 11:26 am:

'Scout' on IPhone. Free. $9.99 a year with voice.
The speedometer app is killer with very large easy to see numbers while driving.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 11:44 am:

Calif and Minn. laws prohibit attaching anything to the mirror or windshield that is in view.

Whatever you do, make sure GPSy is within your primary field of view. Taking your eyes away from the road to focus on GPSy is just as dangerous as dialing or texting.

rdr


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By bill harris on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 01:14 pm:

Don't buy a Magellan! I have been going round & round with those clowns and cannot get satisfaction. My wife purchased a Magellan RoadMate 3045-LM for me as a Christmas gift. The unit has left me stranded twice. It just stops navigating without notice. I drive for a living and often have to punch in an address and hit the road while in the field... Can't have something that fails. I have been unable to return it... They want to send me another one (no thanks). The problem is with the free updates. Apparently, it needs to be updated weekly (it took an overnight download to update it the first time). They just send me to India when I try to talk to the company. I have sent THREE(3) email complaints without a reply.
Once again. DON'T BUY A MAGELLAN!!!
Ok, I have vented & feel much better now :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Erich Bruckner, Vancouver, WA on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 01:40 pm:

So, for us dumb phone folks, the Garmin Nuvi series is winning? Do they need to be plugged in (I'm 6 volt) or can they run on battery?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By George Harrison,Norco Ca on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 02:23 pm:

I have for the road a TomTom 720.It is easy to use has a large screen and shows mph among other things. I also have a handheld Garmin 76csx I use mostly on the water,in addition to other features it also has a compass and altimeter,it is not as easy to use as the TomTom and other road type GPS devices


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Stitt-Southern Oregon on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 02:28 pm:

I never ever look at the GPS. In the T I use a bluetooth. In the modern car I just put it on the seat and listen.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Coiro on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 03:53 pm:

I have a Garmin Nuvi 1300. Don't remember what I paid for it, but I doubt it was much more than $100. It came with the usual suction-cup mount which works very well on a flat, plate windshield. This unit isn't much more than a basic setup, but besides the usual GPS map-following function with progressive vocal directions, it'll give you a visual compass direction, trip mileage, arrival time and even elevation. The digital speedometer is certainly large enough for our purposes.



Oh. And besides giving me a speed read-out, the Garmin keeps me from getting lost. Imagine that.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Craig Anderson, central Wisconsin on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 04:10 pm:

The GPS devices are great but can they keep track of mileage?
I finally got the bicycle speedometer in my touring set CORRECTLY as it was always reading slow.
I had calculated the tire circumference from the diameter and was a tad off so I actually measured the circumference.
Now I know what kind of mileage the '19 gets.......slightly over 20 MPG... :-) ...I thought it would have been less than that.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 05:46 pm:

Due to tire deflection, Craig, you need to roll the car up to 3 revolutions on the driveway, then measure the distance and do the math.

Yes, the 1490T calculates mileage if you input the gas you put in. I don't bother, as the car does all that for me.

Bill, you'll be thrilled to know Magellan is owned by the same French co. that owns Scarebus. As soon as I read that, I vowed never to buy one. Last I knew, they had a large facility in Irvine. You might do a driveby. If you had bought it at Costco, you could take it back any time within a year, I've been told.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dick Lodge - St Louis MO on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 07:49 pm:

Craig, it's not really possible to generalize about "GPS devices" as a whole. Mine does keep track of mileage. Here is a picture of the screen results after my trip to Columbia recently.



As you can see, it shows direction, miles per hour, miles driven, overall average speed, average speed while moving, maximum speed (okay, I had to get out and ahead of some slowpokes), total elapsed time, total moving time and total stopped time.

There are other screens that show other stuff, but I rarely use them.

My Garmin Nuvi has other features that have been very useful. Example: when Anja and I were on our way to the MTFCA national tour in Kanab UT in 2009, we were approaching Denver on I-70 and realized that we had run out of lens wipes for our glasses. We use a brand that Walmart Vision Centers carry. I told the GPS to find a Walmart. It gave me a list of possibles, one of which was about 1.5 miles off of the Interstate. I added it as an intermediate destination, and the GPS took us through a Denver suburb to the store. After we had our lens wipes, it took us back to I-70 and continued the trip.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Coiro on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 07:52 pm:

Craig,

My Garmin Nuvi 1300 has a trip-odometer feature so, yes, it can record how many miles you've traveled on a given trip. If you mean gas mileage; no, it can't do that by itself. Here's how I did it:

Fill your gas tank, reset the trip-odometer to zero and take a nice long drive so you run out most of your fuel tank. The more fuel you consume from the tank, the more accurate your final fuel-burn calculation will be. After you do that, go back to the gas station and fill your tank, making a note of how many gallons it takes to refill. Read the number of miles you traveled according to the GPS. Divide the number of miles by the number of gallons you replaced. If, for instance, it turns out you traveled 146 miles and replaced 7.4 gallons, then your gas mileage was 19.7 miles per gallon.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rick Goelz-Knoxville,TN on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 07:52 pm:

Can the Garmin units be operated on six volts?, the manual doesn't mention voltage variables.just wondering.
Rick


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JohnH on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 07:55 pm:

I use paper maps and a street directory.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mahlon hawker on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 08:38 pm:

Modern GPS units can be recharged from a wall wart or your computer USB ports. These are in the 5 volt range, so I suspect converting a charge cable with the proper USB connector to your 6 volt system should work just fine. Be sure not to put 12-15 volts into the unit... They don't work worth a darn when all the smoke is let out!

I haven't tried attaching a 12 volt input mobile charger cable to 6 volts. There is probably a zener diode or IC voltage reducing circuit that may quit working at 6 volts. I'll try to look into this tomorrow and see what my cables do.

Based on my experiences with Magellan while working with the Gov't I stay away from them. I have had good luck with Tom Tom, but keep in mind the different brands use different operating systems and map products, so moving back and forth can lead to momentary confusion.

All my aviation GPS units are Garmin, as are all but two of my many road units. Yes, I am a gadget freak!

Tony


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Paul Kennedy on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 09:33 pm:

When we did the two day T trip, I pulled a fully charged 12V battery from one of my other cars and nestled it on the back floor I picked up two battery terminals with wing nut extensions and wired a cigar cord extension and plugged a USB charger into that. Had both IPhones plugged and charging the whole trip, both days. GPS uses a lot of battery power on an IPhone.
The GPS app I use is MotionX and it will run in the background so you can use other apps as well I also have a weather radar application that may not be needed in So Cal very often, but I when I drive coast to coast, it's always on.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kirk Peterson on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 09:50 pm:

Aux 12V M/C battery in an improved touring.
Please ignore ground strap routing.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kirk Peterson on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 09:56 pm:

No holes were drilled the frame for battery box installation.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Colin Comollatti - Queensland, Australia on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 10:03 pm:

If you are only after a GPS to monitor SPEED I have been looking at the following device.

I have NOT tried or tested this unit or know the price, I am still researching the unit.

There may be a USA (Miles) version, but here is the Australian website.

http://www.bogaard.com.au


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chris Bamford, Edmonton AB on Sunday, May 06, 2012 - 10:06 pm:

I use a hand-held Garmin GPS — don't know the model# but it is several years old and doubtless obsolete by now.

My Garmin has been completely trouble free. I've affixed several rare earth magnets to the back and use it with all my old cars as a speedometer and odometer.

There is some navigation capability with this unit but I have never used it as we are real men and only use paper maps, intuition, solar position and turkey entrails for guidance.

Photo below shows the Garmin on my '24 speedster — There is a 1/8"x1" strap iron tongue affixed to the mirror mount that holds the GPS magnets securely. When we stop and leave the car unattended, the magnets make it real easy to stow the unit safely out of sight under the cowl.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 08:12 am:

Amazing, Chris, thanks. Magnets near modern electronic devices have generally been a no-no.

You must have turkeys in Alberta? I recently received a high tech glamorous video put out by some Alberta govt agency. They didn't show either turkeys or mining, for some reason....

rdr


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Aldrich Orting Wa on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 11:00 am:

I have the nuvi 1390T and it seems to have all the features you want although it also has Bluetooth which I do use in the truck.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chris Bamford, Edmonton AB on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 11:48 am:

Ralph, our Provincial Legislature is crawling with turkeys.

As for those magnets, I've checked the GPS speed and distance against our modern cars and it is spot on, although the altitude is occasionally confused. Whatever old car I'm driving there is always something steel handy to stick the GPS for easy viewing.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By J Berch on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 12:10 pm:

My little handheld GPS came with a Velcro strip on it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John P. Steele Rusty, Montana on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 12:44 pm:

Bob C, is that picture of your whole screen or just corner of it? I have two GPSs but the mph readout is to small to read without my reading glasses, it's a wreck waiting to happen when driving.
Dick you have a really fast T!!!!!!!:-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kirk Peterson on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 01:38 pm:

The nice thing about a handheld/hikers GPS, they can be attached anywhere including your wrist.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Frank Harris from Long Beach & Big Bear on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 01:45 pm:

I put an outlet plug in our 12 volt Speedster and we generate electricity with a Ford Mustang generator adapted to our T block. Anyway the three way vibrating regulator spikes up to 18 volts from time to time and it fried the G P S but it was under warrantee and they replaced it.

Now we charge the G P S when the engine is not running and simply run the G P S off of its internal battery which lasts over five hours.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry Ostbye on Monday, May 07, 2012 - 02:29 pm:

I am wondering why nobody has mentioned speedometers for bicycles to be used if you are only wanting speed and distance ??
They used to have those for bikes and you just glue a magnet somewhere on the wheel mount the pickup and key in the tire diameter. They usually had a small display and worked fine.

They also only cost 20-30 bucks new.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Battell (south of Fond du Lac, Wis) on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 11:51 am:

John S-
I assume that when you say the mph readout is too small you are referring to the map view in the first picture:
map view

On my Garmin, to get the large speedometer shown below press the mph reading (Speed) in the map view:
large mph view
And no, I haven't been driving my Model T's at 142 mph! I took the GPS with me when flying in a small airplane.
By pressing the Reset button I get the option to reset the mileage to zero, and to reset the maximum speed to zero.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Terry Woods, Katy, Texas on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 12:38 pm:

Shucks, John, If I thought my T would run 140 MPH with a Garmin, I'd buy one, Heck, even half that fast would do.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John P. Steele Rusty, Montana on Tuesday, May 08, 2012 - 02:52 pm:

John B, thank you. I will try that out when I get home. My primary use for a GPS has always been to mark ice fishing holes. Learn something new every day!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Michael Deichmann, Blistrup, Denmark on Wednesday, May 09, 2012 - 06:17 am:

That large Garmin speedometer view is just what I miss on my (now) old Tom-Tom for Windows Mobile on my (also) old now HP iPaq 6915 cellphone.
As long as it works - it will be used - but there may come a day and I will consider to look at Garmin.
My Dad have one (Nüvi 250) but I must say that Garmin update function sucks compared to Tom-Tom.


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