Finally Used The GPS

[mark4Jesus]

Got my RTL last September and finally got the GPS out. Updated it yesterday and used it for a short trip to get my hair cut. Worked great. Easy to hear and understand. I turned the GPS volume up all the way. It is, as an active thread states, difficult to see in the sun at times. I am going to look at the Robinhood for that. When it interrupts the music to give a direction, it is quick and returns to the music right away. I am very happy with it's performance thus far.

[Chupaca]

Now you probably will never put it back.... lots of pros and cons but good you have found the good aspects of the unit. Never used one on the spyder " I may not know where I am but I'm not lost"...

[oldguyinTX]

I use mine a lot for long trips. I also did a one time purchase of $89.00 for lifetime maps, money well spent. The one bugaboo is that Basecamp - according to Garmin - is not compatible with Windows 7, so I cant do real route planning. It looks pretty complicated anyway. That's why I carry a good old fashioned Road Atlas for when I want to take a little side trip on the way to a set destination. I just turn the GPS off so I don't have to hear "Recalibrating" every two minutes, then switch it back on when I'm ready to resume heading to my programmed destination.

Oh, and I have a Glarestomper shield which helps some, but with the GPS mounted so low there is always some glare on the screen.

[JayBros]

...The one bugaboo is that Basecamp - according to Garmin - is not compatible with Windows 7, so I cant do real route planning. It looks pretty complicated anyway...

Wrong!!! BaseCamp is fully compatible with Windows 7. I've done many routes with two Windows 7 computers as have a number of guys I ride with. No, the program is not user friendly and the instructions are poor IMO. If you want to get proficient with it start at this link and use the very good tutorial: http://www.newenglandriders.org/GPS/GPS.htm.

[oldguyinTX]

Wrong!!! BaseCamp is fully compatible with Windows 7. I've done many routes with two Windows 7 computers as have a number of guys I ride with. No, the program is not user friendly and the instructions are poor IMO. If you want to get proficient with it start at this link and use the very good tutorial: http://www.newenglandriders.org/GPS/GPS.htm.

Thanks for the tip!! I'll give it another shot.

[mark4Jesus]

Now you probably will never put it back.... lots of pros and cons but good you have found the good aspects of the unit. Never used one on the spyder " I may not know where I am but I'm not lost"...

That reminds me of a line by Brian Keith in "Mountain Men." He is giving a "greenhorn" a hard time about being lost and the greenhorn asks him if he has ever been lost. Brian Keith stops, thinks for a moment, and says something like, "I've been a might bit confused for two or three months, but I've never been lost." One of my favorite movie lines.

[Bfromla]

Now you probably will never put it back.... lots of pros and cons but good you have found the good aspects of the unit. Never used one on the spyder " I may not know where I am but I'm not lost"...

There are some good features & farkles to help you enjoy the most out of it.
It took some investigating to learn my 660 & know I still have more to go, but have found the features that help me most for now. #1 fuel tracker. Set a predetermined mileage & warning range, when you get there a red fuel pump will show on screen, touch it & it will provide a list of various stations & how far off they are pick one & it will show you the way. (Sometimes the information is wrong station closed or burnt down just pick another on the list)#2 doing poker runs or the passport at Spyderfest you can pre program a custom route of all the addresses & it will give you options on how to complete , fastest time or shortest route, you can arrange & edit the order of locations, takes lot of slow typing but does work.#3
been looking at getting the kradlelock for security
https://robertbeckerdesign.com/
the unit does offer a 4 digit pin code, if fails the unit will not unlock unless it is at preset unlock location. #4 Adding a memory card allows me to back up & add files easily from pictures, locations, & MP3's. Actually had a update almost lost my saved data thankfully that recovered & is saved in several spots now . Good luck & enjoy

[JayBros]

[QUOTE=Bfromla;1363274]...#2 doing poker runs or the passport at Spyderfest you can pre program a custom route of all the addresses & it will give you options on how to complete , fastest time or shortest route, you can arrange & edit the order of locations, takes lot of slow typing but does work.#3 been looking at getting the kradlelock for security
https://robertbeckerdesign.com/.../QUOTE]

#2 make each stop on poker run or passport a waypoint and then create route(s) using the waypoints; quick and easy.

#3 Kradellock is great! I leave GPS on all the time except overnights in motel lots.

[Saluda]

Love our GPS.

[DGoebel]

Another option for easier route planning on a computer, then transferring that route to the Garmin GPS is a web (and phone) based app called MyRoute-App You can sign up for a free account. You can plan routes with Google Maps, Garmin Maps or Tom Tom Maps (or a blend). You can have more waypoints than Google Maps allows. And if you really like it, you can upgrade to their paid versions which allows many other features including selecting waypoints, then have it use more hilliness or windiness (their words) and optimize a trip using the points.
all your results can be then uploaded to your GPS. (or you can just use the phone app to have it navigate the routes you "built" on your computer.
You can share routes, and have it track free rides then create a route from that for future use or sharing.
It also has video tutorials and an extensive help file.

[mark4Jesus]

Bfromla, JayBros, and DGoebel thanks for all the info. Can't wait to play with it!

[oldgoat]

There are some good features & farkles to help you enjoy the most out of it.
It took some investigating to learn my 660 & know I still have more to go, but have found the features that help me most for now. #1 fuel tracker. Set a predetermined mileage & warning range, when you get there a red fuel pump will show on screen, touch it & it will provide a list of various stations & how far off they are pick one & it will show you the way. (Sometimes the information is wrong station closed or burnt down just pick another on the list)#2 doing poker runs or the passport at Spyderfest you can pre program a custom route of all the addresses & it will give you options on how to complete , fastest time or shortest route, you can arrange & edit the order of locations, takes lot of slow typing but does work.#3
been looking at getting the kradlelock for security
https://robertbeckerdesign.com/
the unit does offer a 4 digit pin code, if fails the unit will not unlock unless it is at preset unlock location. #4 Adding a memory card allows me to back up & add files easily from pictures, locations, & MP3's. Actually had a update almost lost my saved data thankfully that recovered & is saved in several spots now . Good luck & enjoy

I finally found a used 660 at a price I was willing to pay. Knuckled down & learned how to use it as you did.
Also spent a very long time on BaseCamp plotting a 7 day trip (with help from the NewEnlandRiders website) & moving each day over to the Zumo.

Hope it works ok when I take the trip. It is a novelty really as I know where I am going. Useful to find my hotel each evening & then a restaurant though.