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corkscrew
Date registered: Dec 1899
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| Garmin GPS
This afternoon I drove to Pantip Plaza to pick up the Garmin Street Pilot 2720 that ordered yesterday. Though it is loaded with all the maps of Thailand I primarily wanted it to navigate through Bangkok. OK, it has only been out of the box for less that three hours but all the features that I have so far touched have been great. The default language is (written and spoken is English). [*] Though there is a Thai language option.
It come with a cigar lighter plug which is coupled to a voice box, a really clever dashboard mounting pad (rather like a wide and flat weighted bean bag) that keeps the monitor securely on my dashboard, a mains plug-in unit, a battery powered remote and a USB cable for connecting to a computer.
After driving it home (or, it driving me home) I played with most of its features on my porch (our car's garage is under many meters of concrete).
One feature that I particularly like is the ability to drag the arrow over to any point on the map of Bangkok and a little pop-up will tell me where I am. I can then click on it and it will route me there.
However, the estimated driving times were apparently calculated on making the trip at 3 am on a holiday Sunday.
Yes, I like it!
[*] One minor fault: Throughout the written directions it spells 'left' as 'list'. Like "List onto Sukhamvit Road in 100 meters".
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corkscrew
Date registered: Dec 1899
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| RE: Garmin GPS (Day #2)
I am very impressed with this Garmin Street Pilot. Around our apartment there are a number of tall buildings, narrow sois and overhanging trees. Within just a few minutes of leaving my garage the gadget's GPS had captured a sufficient number of satellites to give me my position. I then drove about two kilometers all the while making various turns onto different streets. The Garmin never once lost contact with the satellites. I then asked it to take me "Home". It calculated the course in a half dozen seconds. Twice I intentionally made a detour; both times the machine recalculated the new course. It took me right to my driveway.
All the while the bright color screen was showing where I was and where I was going. In print the screen told me when to turn and onto what street and how far away I was from that turn. A feminine voice (British) echoed what was written and diagramed on the screen.
So far I am very pleased with its (her?) performance.
Tomorrow, when the traffic is not so hellish I'll give it a longer drive. One of the most challenging tests will be how it handles roundabouts and motorway entrances and exits.
The Garmin comes with 3 ways to mount it on your dash. The one I use looks something like a square beanbag. It is filled with what feels like lead pellets and its bottom is clingy. In short, it will not slide around at all. Also, if you want to hide it after you have parked all you have to do is pick it up. The other two mounting thingys are sticky plates. One of them uses a very powerful glue...so you have to be careful when you position it. The other works with a reusable sticky disk. The Garmin itself can be removed from any of these mounts with just a click of a switch.
The remote is extremely handy especially if your passenger is doing the work. Since most of the commands are made on the touch screen I have found that the eraser end of a pencil does the work more safely if you are driving the car. You can keep your eyes on the road and poke the commands at the same time (but, in practice, you rarely have to do anything to the Garmin while you are driving. |
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ttaleric
Date registered: Dec 1899
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| Re: Garmin GPS
Sounds good. How much did it set you back? |
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AndrewAZ
Date registered: Dec 1899
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| Re: Garmin GPS
Costco has a bunch of good GPS systems you should check them out if you want one. The one that corkscrew got cost $750 at costco. |
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corkscrew
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
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| Re: Garmin GPS
If you drive a S model read this:
A “GPS Signal Radiator” solved my problem with the S windscreen. Recently I bought a Garmin Street Pilot loaded with Thailand maps for use in Bangkok. The machine worked beautifully with my SLK but it couldn’t capture any of the orbiting satellites through the windscreen of our S Mercedes.
Yesterday I went over to Pantip Plaza in search of an external antenna and I found something that may be even better: a signal radiator. It is a small (5 cm x 5 cm or 2’ by 2’) magnet based external antenna that sends its GPS signals by an attached wire NOT directly to the Garmin but to a small rebroadcast antenna located inside the car. Thus there are no extra wires connected to the Garmin.
I want to find a more elegant way of connecting the external antenna to the internal rebroadcaster. Today to test it I ran the wire through the rear window. Perhaps I can feed the wire into the boot (trunk) via the space occupied by the refrigerator…if there is enough wiggle room. Then I could set the external antenna on the lid. I am not sure how tightly the lid closes to the chassis; I don’t want to damage the wire.
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AndrewAZ
Date registered: Dec 1899
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| Re: Garmin GPS
You could put it behind the back seats... I think it was only the front windshield that has that strange UV coating on it that blocks junk. |
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thairish
Date registered: Jun 2006
Location: hk/th
Vehicle(s): 461: 230ge/swb & g300cdi/lwb
| Re: Garmin GPS
cool - i think i will try that in my g. need a gps to help find my way around.
how did it end up working out for you anyway?
cheers,
dd |
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DUTCH
Administrator Doppelgänger
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, GA, Atlanta
Vehicle(s): 2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI,2018 Sprinter
Posts: 9963
| Question
Do you get software for your computer so that you can do your routing on the computer and transfer it to the Garmin?
I have a StreetPilot III (discontinued). I find it is much easier to do the routing with a large computer screen and a full keyboard and mouse. Then transfer the route to the Garmin. Can you do this with the 2720? In reading the specifications, it doesn't look like you can; and that would be a "no deal" for me, if that's the case. |
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thairish
Date registered: Jun 2006
Location: hk/th
Vehicle(s): 461: 230ge/swb & g300cdi/lwb
| RE: Question
DUTCH - 7/25/2006 7:30 AM
Do you get software for your computer so that you can do your routing on the computer and transfer it to the Garmin?
I have a StreetPilot III (discontinued). I find it is much easier to do the routing with a large computer screen and a full keyboard and mouse. Then transfer the route to the Garmin. Can you do this with the 2720? In reading the specifications, it doesn't look like you can; and that would be a "no deal" for me, if that's the case.
hey dutch.
good question. not a deal breaker for me, as something is better than nothing for bangkok driving, but something to look into before purchasing now that you brought it up.
cheers,
dd |
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