My Navigator got some new gear for this trip ... the Garmin RV 760 MLT GPS.
Helen does everything from the truck cab while I J U S T drive ... my job is actually quite simple ... I keep us between the ditches, dirty side down, that's all of it! She researches our daily route, tracks fuel economy using Fuelly.com, monitors upcoming weather and road conditions, searches for the quietest and most economical camping spots and the best places to eat and is always on the lookout for any available wine tours.
Most of her time is spent deciphering the often, quite different results obtained from the various gadgets we have installed. For navigation, prior to purchasing this unit we had been using a combination of; the current Rand McNally road atlas, an IPhone5, a Garmin Montana 600 (for backcountry / urban) and the Ford's default, onboard system MyTouch all backed up with a Verizon WiFi Hotspot and a Microsoft Surface for internet access as we travel.
Most of her time is spent deciphering the often, quite different results obtained from the various gadgets we have installed. For navigation, prior to purchasing this unit we had been using a combination of; the current Rand McNally road atlas, an IPhone5, a Garmin Montana 600 (for backcountry / urban) and the Ford's default, onboard system MyTouch all backed up with a Verizon WiFi Hotspot and a Microsoft Surface for internet access as we travel.
Ford should be ashamed of themselves. Garmin provides their GPS system but Ford doesn't back it up with lifetime map upgrades. It's a couple of hundred bucks to purchase new data sets ... that's outrageous! So the MyTouch system is mostly useless after a year or so. We've already encountered a number of instances on previous road trips where roads or features were not where they were supposed to be or didn't exist at all. Map graphics aren't that well presented and voice recognition can be a problem with this unit.
The Garmin Montana, even though designed primarily for backcountry travel, is actually fairly useful for urban travel but unfortunately is not voice friendly which is important for hands free driving. Also, the screen is too small for safe driving. The Montana when used with an Iphone is often more helpful than the MyTouch system.
The Garmin Montana, even though designed primarily for backcountry travel, is actually fairly useful for urban travel but unfortunately is not voice friendly which is important for hands free driving. Also, the screen is too small for safe driving. The Montana when used with an Iphone is often more helpful than the MyTouch system.
The Garmin RV 760 MLT performs brilliantly ... a large 7 inch display features pleasant and intelligent graphics, is voice activated, includes lifetime data updates, detailed weather reporting, road conditions for construction and accidents and has bluetooth capability. The unit accepts vehicle dimension for height/length/width/weight and warns the driver of any low bridges, narrow tunnels, steep grades, sharp curves. Warning bells sound if the vehicle wanders from driving lanes, approaches speed limit changes or exceeds speed limits.
This was a smart purchase for us!
This was a smart purchase for us!
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