Posted by HisHughness on 7/2/06 4:30am
Msg #130310

The Garmin ain't all that charmin'

I have finally gotten up the nerve to try to program and use my new Garmin GPS. It is not going well.

I’m not sure where this report of my first GPS venture is coming from. The language sounds like it might be either Navaho or Albanian, but I don’t see any pueblos and all the women seem to have chest hair. The men are even less attractive than the women, to state it charitably.

The thing seems to be quite confused over what is left and what is right; either that, or I am having one helluva senior moment, directionwise. I am getting very tired of the constant repetition of “Exit right in Point 3 miles… Exit right… Exit right NOW!... Recalculating.”

Reply by LydiaFL on 7/2/06 4:44am
Msg #130313

do u have an external antennae

Reply by HisHughness on 7/2/06 5:48am
Msg #130314

No external antenna. Nor an internal antenna. Neither was included in the kit. No mention was made of either in the directions. To which I am sure my Garmin would say, very drily, "Recalculating."

It does seem to receive the satellite signals okay, however, except when I am on the lower deck of a double-deck freeway. Then it just shuts up until it gets the signal back (an approach I fervently wish my Beautiful and Talented Ex-Wife had adopted). It will even indicate when my car is pointed in a direction other than the proposed direction of travel.

I have not yet determined what to name my Garmin. That must await a determination of its gender. The aforesaid tendency to keep its mouth shut when not receiving useful information would, of course, indicate that it is male. On the other hand, the insistent failure to distinguish between left and right is clearly female. If it ever calls me "Dumbass," that will unequivocably establish that it is female -- and probably related to my B&TEW.

Reply by LkArrowhd/CA on 7/2/06 9:48am
Msg #130328

Re: The Garmin ain't all that charmin'-This is too funny! n/m

Reply by Becca_FL on 7/2/06 7:19am
Msg #130316

It would seem to me that the real problem is the insane freeway system in and around Austin. Who that heck designed that mess. Ever heard of a cloverleaf?

Reply by LkArrowhd/CA on 7/2/06 9:51am
Msg #130329

Re: The Garmin ain't all that charmin' Becca is our freeway

system a big mess also. I never have a problem getting anywhere in Southern CA but sure get my behind lost in OR with all the one way streets....

Reply by Becca_FL on 7/2/06 12:01pm
Msg #130355

Re: The Garmin ain't all that charmin' Becca is our freeway

Driving in Texas is one of my least favorite things to do. Texas does not use cloverleafs, but a system of one way access roads on either side if the freeway. I'm serious when I tell you that when you drive around Texas---YOU DRIVE AROUND TEXAS!

Reply by BrendaTx on 7/2/06 12:18pm
Msg #130362

Becca - Austin is a delightful city full of one way streets and ambience. This is because all roads once led to the Armadillo Headquarters. It's no longer there. May there please be a moment of silence.

Reply by Marlene/USNA on 7/3/06 10:10am
Msg #130515

Where have all the Armadillos gone?! n/m

Reply by LynnNC on 7/2/06 11:08am
Msg #130339

Mine isn't either

I will set mine for a destination, and it will have me go the wrong way for parts of the trip that I am certain of. One error it makes time an again, is when the part of the trip I am certain of is 2 miles south, 2 miles E and 1 mile S, it sends me in the wrong direction to go 1 mile N, 3 miles NE, and 2 miles S, which is 3 miles out out of my way.

Recently my Garmin had me go @ 25 miles out of my way. My sense of direction told me to head NW about 8 miles to my next appointment, but it didn't give me directions that way. Instead, it me go 12 miles SW, 4 miles E, back 12 miles NE and 5 miles E.

Another problem around the Raleigh area is that there is exploding growth and developments that have been in existance for 1 yr or less do not show up on the Garmin or any maps from the computer. There have been times when I could not reach the borrower to confirm, but left a message, so I couldn't ask directions. I then could not reach them before I needed to leave for the appointment. and I would go as far as I knew the directions, then would look for someone walking or in their driveway to ask directions.

Once, I had an even bigger problem when I didn't know where I was going and my cell phone lost a signal. I had to back-track @ 5 miles to a 7-11 to use their phone to call the borrower. In that case, my Garmin would not pick up the area, the road stopped and took a right on a road with another name, when my Mapquest directions told me to continue another 2 miles on the road I was on. It turned out that when the road turned right, it had another name for 1/8 mi (Wilson Mill Road as the road went by an old mill), then picked up the name of the road that I had been on again.

Reply by Danny_FL on 7/2/06 11:20am
Msg #130345

I have the Nuvi 350 and have had no real problems with it. You can select the voice-overs as you want. Remember that you need to update the software on it as needed. You can go to Garmin's web-site to see what the latest version is and then download to your computer then upload to the GPS unit.

New construction will always be a problem and you will have to deal with it accordingly, heck even mapquest and google are correct about 95% of the time.

Danny

Reply by DellaCa on 7/2/06 1:36pm
Msg #130374

Re: I love mine 2620 no real problems did have to update n/m

Reply by BarbaraL_CA on 7/2/06 3:49pm
Msg #130390

You don't say what model, but...

I have the 2620 and LOVE it! The only glitch I get once in a while is when I've shut it off once I know where I am and no longer need it. When I turn it on again it probably thinks it's still where I shut it off. When I enter a new destination and it comes up with a route, then I hit "route" and "recalculate" and it comes out just fine!