I want a gps that i can use to navigate off road, something that has a bradcrumb type feature, the ability to save off road routes, as well as on road capabilities. I spoke to garmin and they told me that the only gps they offer that does what i want is the nuvi 500. There has to be others out there. Anyone know of any? I got a macked out nuvi 3790 for christmas, but i returned it becuase it didnt have off road capbilties.
Whats the best OFF ROAD GPS?
STUPIDFACE
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I want a gps that i can use to navigate off road, something that has a bradcrumb type feature, the ability to save off road routes, as well as on road capabilities. I spoke to garmin and they told me that the only gps they offer that does what i want is the nuvi 500. There has to be others out there. Anyone know of any? I got a macked out nuvi 3790 for christmas, but i returned it becuase it didnt have off road capbilties.
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MyGiG does the bread crumb and save trails.
I have a Keenwood DNX9140 that uses Garmin, supposedly I can load topo maps on it, but I havent tried it yet. I don't think it can do bread crumb though.
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I see stuff about mygig all the time, but never bothered to read anything about it. As a matter of fact, i dont even know what it is. Im not much of an electronics buff. I can install lift kits, but i cant twist wires.
What does mygig cost?
Any stick to the windshield gps's that you know of?
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I had one of the Lowrance Baja units in my FJ Cruiser...it was nice but real bulky and real expensive.
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There really is a big void in the market for a jack of all trades unit...
If you want the best off road unit look at the Lowrance Baja 540c/HDS-5 and then use any run of the mill stick on the windshield GPS for on road navigation.
http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Automotive/GlobalMap-Baja-540C/
EDIT:
The 540c is discontinued and replaced with the HDS-5 Baja GPS
http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Outdoors/HDS-5-Baja/
If you want the best off road unit look at the Lowrance Baja 540c/HDS-5 and then use any run of the mill stick on the windshield GPS for on road navigation.
http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Automotive/GlobalMap-Baja-540C/
EDIT:
The 540c is discontinued and replaced with the HDS-5 Baja GPS
http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Outdoors/HDS-5-Baja/
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Yup, that's the exact one I had. Mounted it where the rear view mirror was (who needs those anyways?) and had a Tom-Tom on the dash.
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It might sound stupid but we use our Droid X in a car dock and like it. It runs on Google maps and shows most trails in Wharton and Forked river areas in NJ you can star areas and nav from star to star. Also there are a shit load of apps for nav avalible. It takes still picks and good vids, any length. Incoming phone calls are routed through the stereo speakers, can run tunes and nav at the same time. Tons of apps talored to jeeps, incline meter etc. Imo garmin is a thing of the past, glad I dont have there stock.
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I wish you were right... I have a droid X as well. 2 things... a lot of places in the desert or high mountains dont get service. And the GPS is not EXACT. If your in the desert at night with no real trail in sight... or on mountain roads with many interecting trails... you might want your EXACT location.It might sound stupid but we use our Droid X in a car dock and like it. It runs on Google maps and shows most trails in Wharton and Forked river areas in NJ you can star areas and nav from star to star. Also there are a shit load of apps for nav avalible. It takes still picks and good vids, any length. Incoming phone calls are routed through the stereo speakers, can run tunes and nav at the same time. Tons of apps talored to jeeps, incline meter etc. Imo garmin is a thing of the past, glad I dont have there stock.
This is why I recommend the Garmin 60CS. You can basically zoom in on the GPS and stare at it and not look at the road at all and you'll know exactly were your going and exactly were the next turn is without seeing the road. It's saved me a few times already... were I know my Droid X would have gotten me either lost or in a ditch.
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Cool guess its got to do with where you play, thanks for the insite.
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If you are new to GPS, I would recommend the Garmin Oregon series. They do eveyrthing the 60 series does, but are easier to use. They work great for all the offroad stuff you could imagine. Add the City Navigator software (which also includes most trails) and you're golden. I go back and forth with topo and the City Navigator stuff and it's super easy to compare with maps and such. Even the super crappy ones the state puts out with state trails...
As for the Droid, no. I have an X and it's a nice phone. It's not a GPS or a camera. Get the right tool for the job. It could get you to a grocery store in a new town, but that's about it. I even sometimes use the google maps to look at the satellite images, but rarely. However, a gps is much more accurate and easier to use. Not to mention with the MapSource software on your computer you can modify tracks and such all day long. Things the phone won't do easily.
If you are serious about doing mapping of trails, get a real GPS! I like Garmin as they are fairly inexpensive, easy to use, and have loads of software available.
As for the Droid, no. I have an X and it's a nice phone. It's not a GPS or a camera. Get the right tool for the job. It could get you to a grocery store in a new town, but that's about it. I even sometimes use the google maps to look at the satellite images, but rarely. However, a gps is much more accurate and easier to use. Not to mention with the MapSource software on your computer you can modify tracks and such all day long. Things the phone won't do easily.
If you are serious about doing mapping of trails, get a real GPS! I like Garmin as they are fairly inexpensive, easy to use, and have loads of software available.
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Can you plug it in, or does it run only on batteries?
Can you give me a link to what youre talking about? Im looking at the garmin site now, but im not sure if im looking at the right thing.... Garmin GPSMAP 62?
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What specifically do you mean by "off road capabilities"?
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Basically i want it to have bread crumbs, the ability to save off road trails, and maybe some other features that i wouldnt know how to use.
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Get a MyGiG if you can find a good deal, sounds like it will do everything you need.
There is plenty of info on JKO about which one to get and how to retrofit it in to your rig.
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Breadcrumbs pretty much are available on all newer mapping GPS receivers but may go by different names like "trip log" or "track" and your Nuvi37XX should have had this as well.
Saving those trip logs are another story, Nuvi units as such don't allow you to save the running trip log separately but you can retrieve the existing running trip log from the unit onto your PC after the trip and reset the trip log on the unit once done. On the PC you then can view, edit the trip log via Garmins Mapsource or other software that can import GPX files.
As for GPS unit recommendations, well I can recommend the Garmin Zumo6XX series which are water proof, rugged, bigger screen than Handhelds (e.g. oregon, GPSMap) and have import export features for routes/tracks the Nuvi units don't have but they are darn expensive.
To be honest you may have gotten rid of your Nuvi3790 too early as it is still a relatively new unit and Garmin may add features via Firmware updates later, however even without these updates it could have worked for off road navigation by creating routes via Waypoints.
Saving those trip logs are another story, Nuvi units as such don't allow you to save the running trip log separately but you can retrieve the existing running trip log from the unit onto your PC after the trip and reset the trip log on the unit once done. On the PC you then can view, edit the trip log via Garmins Mapsource or other software that can import GPX files.
As for GPS unit recommendations, well I can recommend the Garmin Zumo6XX series which are water proof, rugged, bigger screen than Handhelds (e.g. oregon, GPSMap) and have import export features for routes/tracks the Nuvi units don't have but they are darn expensive.
To be honest you may have gotten rid of your Nuvi3790 too early as it is still a relatively new unit and Garmin may add features via Firmware updates later, however even without these updates it could have worked for off road navigation by creating routes via Waypoints.
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I keep my Garmin GPSMAP76 (handheld unit I use on the boat). It has major highways but is primarily designed for hiking and boating. Leaves/saves the breadcrumb trails and you can save waypoints for entrances to favorite spots. Comes in monocrome for under $200 and in color for like $40/$50 more....just a thought!
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You can do both. It'll run on two AA batteries, or you can plug it in. I purchased the "car kit" which has a mount and a cig lighter mini usb cable. However, the cable has a 90 degree usb end that just fits weird. Garmin dropped the ball there. I now just use a universal one with a straight usb end and it fits better. I don't know if Garmin changed it or not as I purchased mine when the Oregons first came out.
The Oregons are here: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&fKeys=FILTER_SERIES_OREGON
The 62 is the updated 60 series which is a nice unit as well. But as I stated in an earlier post, the Oregons are easier to use with the touchscreen.
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Someone also mentioned some of the other Garmins such as the Nuvis. To my knowledge, some do tracks and some do not. The lower end ones are generally in my experiance for the road only. They may do some tracking, or "breakcrumbs", but are limited in how many and how long the tracks can be.
The MyGig was also mentioned. I have no experiance with it so I guess this is more of a question. Can you link it to your computer to further modify your tracks? This is a feature that I have found a necessity. After a short while, you'll have so many tracks and waypoints on your unit that having a way to organize them is a requirement. I wheel in quite a few areas. I map all my trips, and then save them on to my computer. I can then change names, cut sections up into smaller sections, etc. to label things that need it and even mark sections of trails that are easy, tight, fun, hilly, rocky, etc.
I'm a bit anal with my mapping. It is very helpful though when I go back to an area that I haven't been to in a long time. With just a basic track on a GPS, I wouldn't know where a specific section was I wanted to hit, or a section I wanted to avoid is. Also, when I go back to an area I've been before, I have all the info from previous trips, with none of the info from other areas. That way if I'm looking through my saved waypoints, or saved tracks, I'm only looking through ones from that area, instead of looking through a list with 500 different areas.
The MyGig was also mentioned. I have no experiance with it so I guess this is more of a question. Can you link it to your computer to further modify your tracks? This is a feature that I have found a necessity. After a short while, you'll have so many tracks and waypoints on your unit that having a way to organize them is a requirement. I wheel in quite a few areas. I map all my trips, and then save them on to my computer. I can then change names, cut sections up into smaller sections, etc. to label things that need it and even mark sections of trails that are easy, tight, fun, hilly, rocky, etc.
I'm a bit anal with my mapping. It is very helpful though when I go back to an area that I haven't been to in a long time. With just a basic track on a GPS, I wouldn't know where a specific section was I wanted to hit, or a section I wanted to avoid is. Also, when I go back to an area I've been before, I have all the info from previous trips, with none of the info from other areas. That way if I'm looking through my saved waypoints, or saved tracks, I'm only looking through ones from that area, instead of looking through a list with 500 different areas.
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