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tedd(at)vansairforce.org
Guest

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 10:13 am Post subject: Off Topic: GPS for Cars

Does anyone here have experience with portable GPS units for cars, such as the

Garmin Nuvi 660?  I used a built-in system in a rental car and was quite

impressed, but I don't know how close the portable systems are to what I used.

Recommendations?



Tedd McHenry

Surrey, BC, Canada

DO NOT ARCHIVE

dan(at)rvproject.com
Guest

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 11:12 am Post subject: Off Topic: GPS for Cars

Four people in my family (including my wife & me) use the Garmin C530 and we 

love it.  Good bang for the buck imho.  Would have bought a cheaper model 

(basically the same features) but the C530 has the type of screen that you 

can still see with polarized glasses...important to me.



do not archive

)_( Dan



---

billshook2000(at)yahoo.co
Guest

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 11:48 am Post subject: Off Topic: GPS for Cars

Garmin c340.....very nice unit.



Bill





--- Tedd McHenry <tedd(at)vansairforce.org> wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   

 

 Does anyone here have experience with portable GPS units for cars, such as the

 Garmin Nuvi 660?  I used a built-in system in a rental car and was quite

 impressed, but I don't know how close the portable systems are to what I used.

 Recommendations?

 

 Tedd McHenry

 Surrey, BC, Canada

 DO NOT ARCHIVE

 

 

 

 

 

 


	


 

Bored stiff? Loosen up... 

Download and play hundreds of games for free on Yahoo! Games.

http://games.yahoo.com/games/front

smittysrv

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 67

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 12:42 pm Post subject: Off Topic: GPS for Cars

Which brings up another question. Can you see the screens on newest

portable aviation Garmin GPS units with polarized sunglasses? I'm getting

to upgrade my old Garmin portable unit.



Smitty

http://SmittysRV.com

Original Message:

-----------------

From: Dan Checkoway dan(at)rvproject.com

Date: Mon, 5 Feb 2007 11:10:31 -0800

To: rv-list(at)matronics.com

Subject: Re: Off Topic:  GPS for Cars




Four people in my family (including my wife & me) use the Garmin C530 and

we 

love it.  Good bang for the buck imho.  Would have bought a cheaper model 

(basically the same features) but the C530 has the type of screen that you 

can still see with polarized glasses...important to me.



do not archive

)_( Dan



---

_________________
Smittys RV-9A
SmittysRV.com

william(at)gbta.net
Guest

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 1:37 pm Post subject: Off Topic: GPS for Cars

I was looking at Tom Tom's before Christmas for my wife. Compared them to 

the Garmin and several other units.  I ended up buying a cheapo setup from 

Sears.  They had it on sale at the time for much less than the others. 

Turns out it is a very nice little unit.  I've used the $3500 optional big 

screen navigation unit in my parents Tahoe and this thing does everything 

and more than it does.  I think I paid in the $250 - 300 range.  It's got a 

car charger and stick on window mount for it.  My only complaint is it does 

not have a home charger (120V).  The unit is called a Dual Navigation by 

Navatlas.



Features include:  3.5" LCD Touch Screen, 1GB SD card pre loaded with US Map 

Database, a reversi game (excellent to pass the time while waiting in the 

car while your wife blows your money at Wal-Mart), built-in MP3 player, 

approximately 2 million points of interest, 320 X 240 resolution, Windows CE 

NET 4.2 operating system, 400 MHz processor, SirRFIII GPS chip module, 

Bi-Color LED left/right turn indicators (lights flash when you need to turn 

either direction) compact size (5.25" X 3.13" X 1.25") turn by turn 

instructions with voice guidance, 2D/3D map views with day and night modes, 

9 level selectable zoom, multimedia player/image viewer (you can download 

pictures or video into this unit and play them back), internal speakers, and 

3.5mm audio output (for headphones if I remember right).  Also has a soft 

carry case and a downloadable DVD with Canada, Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto 

Rico maps.



I guess I do have one more thing to say about it.  It only has internal 

speakers for music playback.  I wish it had a built in RF modulator so music 

could be played back over your vehicles speaker system.



Very nice little unit for the money.  Others will tell you to buy something 

that can be used for flying also.  I figured for the price of this thing I 

would put it in my wife's van and I'd save up for a 496 or something else. 

Not sure about the polarized glasses thing.  For the price difference I'd 

take my glasses off for an instant to look at the unit.  I have had it in 

direct sunlight and it has a very readable screen in sunlight IMHO!!!



Good luck hunting,

Bill Britton

RV-10 Emp #40137

---

pitts_pilot(at)bellsouth.
Guest

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 1:58 pm Post subject: Off Topic: GPS for Cars

Bill & Tami Britton wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   



 I was looking at Tom Tom's before Christmas for my wife. Compared them 

 to the Garmin and several other units.  I ended up buying a cheapo 

 setup from Sears.  They had it on sale at the time for much less than 

 the others. Turns out it is a very nice little unit.  I've used the 

 $3500 optional big screen navigation unit in my parents Tahoe and this 

 thing does everything and more than it does.  I think I paid in the 

 $250 - 300 range.  It's got a car charger and stick on window mount 

 for it.  My only complaint is it does not have a home charger (120V).  

 The unit is called a Dual Navigation by Navatlas. 


	


Bill ..... Check the wattage usage ...... but any wall charger for a 12V 

battery powered drill that's around 500 Ma (1/2 Amp) should work ...... 

just cut the plug off and add a cigarette lighter socket from Radio Shack.

Linn



[quote]



 Features include:  3.5" LCD Touch Screen, 1GB SD card pre loaded with 

 US Map Database, a reversi game (excellent to pass the time while 

 waiting in the car while your wife blows your money at Wal-Mart), 

 built-in MP3 player, approximately 2 million points of interest, 320 X 

 240 resolution, Windows CE NET 4.2 operating system, 400 MHz 

 processor, SirRFIII GPS chip module, Bi-Color LED left/right turn 

 indicators (lights flash when you need to turn either direction) 

 compact size (5.25" X 3.13" X 1.25") turn by turn instructions with 

 voice guidance, 2D/3D map views with day and night modes, 9 level 

 selectable zoom, multimedia player/image viewer (you can download 

 pictures or video into this unit and play them back), internal 

 speakers, and 3.5mm audio output (for headphones if I remember 

 right).  Also has a soft carry case and a downloadable DVD with 

 Canada, Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico maps.



 I guess I do have one more thing to say about it.  It only has 

 internal speakers for music playback.  I wish it had a built in RF 

 modulator so music could be played back over your vehicles speaker 

 system.



 Very nice little unit for the money.  Others will tell you to buy 

 something that can be used for flying also.  I figured for the price 

 of this thing I would put it in my wife's van and I'd save up for a 

 496 or something else. Not sure about the polarized glasses thing.  

 For the price difference I'd take my glasses off for an instant to 

 look at the unit.  I have had it in direct sunlight and it has a very 

 readable screen in sunlight IMHO!!!



 Good luck hunting,

 Bill Britton

 RV-10 Emp #40137

 ---

rv7(at)b4.ca
Guest

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:34 pm Post subject: Off Topic: GPS for Cars

On 14:01 2007-02-05 linn Walters <pitts_pilot(at)bellsouth.net> wrote:

 	  Quote: 	

 >  My only complaint is it

 >  does not have a home charger (120V).

 Bill ..... Check the wattage usage ...... but any wall charger for a

 12V battery powered drill that's around 500 Ma (1/2 Amp) should work

 ...... just cut the plug off and add a cigarette lighter socket from

 Radio Shack.

Caution!

Most car outlets are capable of putting out 8A, or higher.  Your GPS may be

designed to rapid charge by drawing a high current from your cigarette

lighter.  If that's the case, you would need an AC wall adapter capable of

putting out 8A at 12V, and that'll be both large and expensive.

Check the GPS itself, and see what the rating is for the DC input.  It

should be stamped on the unit somewhere, but if not it'll be in the manual.

 Look for the voltage and current ratings.  You need to buy a wall-wart

that matches the voltage exactly, and puts out at least that much current

(higher won't hurt, the unit will only draw what it needs).  For example,

if it says 12V/300mA, buying a 12V/500mA wall supply will work just fine

(and it may be hard to find a 300mA supply anyway).

Other than that, make sure you get + and - right.  You could destroy your

nice little GPS if you get it backwards and the GPS isn't designed to

handle it.

-Rob

truflite(at)yahoo.com
Guest

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 8:53 pm Post subject: Off Topic: GPS for Cars

I purchased a Garmin Ique 3600 from Ebay.  This unit

is a GPS and a PDA.  It is a great little unit.  You

can program what areas you want to cover.  I live in

Michigan and have all of Michigan and Ohio in the

database.  A 1gig memory card will give enough storage

for about half the country.  It uses Palm OS so there

are a lot of other programs available as well.



If you go this route, make sure you are buying a unit

that includes the car kit accessories.



I have taken this unit up in airplane and it cannot

keep up with straight line travel as it is designed to

follow roads.  Kind of comical watching it trying to

establish routes on roads while flying, but I would

not use this unit for AIRNAV.



Dave Nellis

N410DN (Res.)

RV7A Slider



--- Tedd McHenry <tedd(at)vansairforce.org> wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		   

 <tedd(at)vansairforce.org>

 

 Does anyone here have experience with portable GPS

 units for cars, such as the

 Garmin Nuvi 660?  I used a built-in system in a

 rental car and was quite

 impressed, but I don't know how close the portable

 systems are to what I used.

 Recommendations?

 

 Tedd McHenry

 Surrey, BC, Canada

 DO NOT ARCHIVE

 

 



 browse

 Subscriptions page,

 FAQ,



 Web Forums!



 

 

 

 


	


 

Any questions? Get answers on any topic at www.Answers.yahoo.com.  Try it now.

dan(at)rvproject.com
Guest

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 7:18 am Post subject: Off Topic: GPS for Cars

 	  Quote: 	
		   Which brings up another question. Can you see the screens on newest

 portable aviation Garmin GPS units with polarized sunglasses? I'm getting

 to upgrade my old Garmin portable unit.


	


Don't think I saw a reply to this yet.  The 396/496 have been no problem 

with polarized sunglasses.



FWIW, the only thing I have real trouble with when wearing polarized lenses 

is my old ipod.  And my Dynon EFIS-D10 washes out a little if you tilt your 

head way over...but when my head is "straight & level" it's no problem. 

Everything else in my panel is unaffected, including the AF-2500 engine 

monitor.



My steam gauges are also unaffected!  



)_( Dan

RV-7 N714D

www.rvproject.com

www.weathermeister.com

jack.lockamy(at)navy.mil
Guest

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 7:25 am Post subject: Off Topic: GPS for Cars

I just purchased and installed a Garmin 7200 in my Titan P/U.  Was using the Garmin 196 until now.  The -7200 is expensive but worth every penny I paid for it!  

Jack     [quote][b]

Dale Ensing

Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 571
Location: Aero Plantation Weddington NC

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:20 am Post subject: Off Topic: GPS for Cars

FWIW, the only thing I have real trouble with when wearing polarized lenses 

is my old ipod. 



.....and the self serve gas pumps.

 do not archive

_________________
Dale Ensing
RV-6A
Aero Plantation
Weddington NC

Terry Watson

Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 290
Location: Seattle, WA USA

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 9:15 am Post subject: Off Topic: GPS for Cars

Somewhere over the years I was convinced by someone that polarized glasses

were not to be used in the cockpit. The theory was that under certain

orientations the canopy and the polarization of the glasses could block all

or too much light and therefore vision. 



Was that all wrong?



Terry

--

ronlee(at)pcisys.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 10:54 am Post subject: Off Topic: GPS for Cars

 	  Quote: 	
		  Somewhere over the years I was convinced by someone that polarized glasses

were not to be used in the cockpit. The theory was that under certain

orientations the canopy and the polarization of the glasses could block all

or too much light and therefore vision.



Was that all wrong?



Terry


	


I can't say that it is wrong but I have never experienced an issue

so the probability must be exceedingly small that it would happen.



I would put bird strikes and flat tires as higher probability events.



Ron Lee

tedd(at)vansairforce.org
Guest

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:11 pm Post subject: Off Topic: GPS for Cars

 	  Quote: 	
		   Somewhere over the years I was convinced by someone that polarized glasses

 were not to be used in the cockpit. The theory was that under certain

 orientations the canopy and the polarization of the glasses could block all

 or too much light and therefore vision.


	


Terry:



I think it's not so much blocking light in general as creating blind spots.

The sunglasses and visors we were issued in the Canadian air force were not

polarized, and I was told that was the reason.



But I've used polarized sunglasses while flying RVs and other civilian

airplanes and haven't found it to be a problem.



Tedd McHenry

Surrey, BC, Canada

dbris200(at)sbcglobal.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 6:37 pm Post subject: Off Topic: GPS for Cars

Occasionally you'll find an ique 3600A on EBAY, that's the aviation 

version of the 3600 and has the aviation database and better display. I 

use mine in the car and the airplane and I love it.

Dave B

Dave Nellis wrote:

 	  Quote: 	

 I purchased a Garmin Ique 3600 from Ebay.  This unit

 is a GPS and a PDA.  It is a great little unit.  You

 can program what areas you want to cover.  I live in

 Michigan and have all of Michigan and Ohio in the

 database.  A 1gig memory card will give enough storage

 for about half the country.  It uses Palm OS so there

 are a lot of other programs available as well.

 If you go this route, make sure you are buying a unit

 that includes the car kit accessories.

 I have taken this unit up in airplane and it cannot

 keep up with straight line travel as it is designed to

 follow roads.  Kind of comical watching it trying to

 establish routes on roads while flying, but I would

 not use this unit for AIRNAV.

 Dave Nellis

 N410DN (Res.)

 RV7A Slider

 --- Tedd McHenry <tedd(at)vansairforce.org> wrote:

> 

> <tedd(at)vansairforce.org>

>

> Does anyone here have experience with portable GPS

> units for cars, such as the

> Garmin Nuvi 660?  I used a built-in system in a

> rental car and was quite

> impressed, but I don't know how close the portable

> systems are to what I used.

> Recommendations?

>

> Tedd McHenry

> Surrey, BC, Canada

> DO NOT ARCHIVE

>

> browse

> Subscriptions page,

> FAQ,

>

> Web Forums!

>

>     

 Any questions? Get answers on any topic at www.Answers.yahoo.com.  Try it now.

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