GPS system? Fathers DAY? have no idea?

Question

my dad wants this GPS system for his truck b/c he works in construction and he's always driving to different places diff sites. but the one he want sis from Costco Magellan RM 1412. it says no monthly GPS service fees, so does that mean he wont have a bill like a phone bill every month will he? i dotn know how these things work. will it come with direction that i will prob understand?

Answer 1

i use a tom, tom gps and it works really well,they all have flaws in them and are constantly updating them,but for the cost of a tom, tom and the service you get from them and compared to price ranges of other ones tom tom is a good one,there certain areas that none of them will work in,i experience this with mine,and some people that have other brands also have the same problem,for the dollar though a tom tom is a good one to own,and very easy to update,i haven't been lost yet with mine,good luck.

Answer 2

All GPS are free of monthly bills.

BUT some GPS incorporates additional service (like traffic report) that requires monthly payment.  But my wife's iPhone gets that for free, so you may not want to pay for that kind of service.

I've owned 3 GPS (only one is nav system). I've compared few and here what I found:

(1) the map database is MORE important than the GPS machine. If the map is NOT accurate the GPS is useless. Get a GPS with well know database(ex:navtec).

(2) if your car interior is light colored, then make sure the GPS is bright enough to over come the glare

(3) if your eyes are not all that good (old people) then get a large screen - at least 4 inches big

(4) if your hearing is not so good, make sure the volume is loud enough.

Also ANY gps left turned off lose sat tracking. The long it is left off the longer it takes to resync sat. Sometimes as long as 1/2 hours. So before a long trip, leave you GPS on by a window with good sky view.

Test your GPS for few week to months locally when you know your roads BEFORE using it on long trips. Get to know your GPS quirks before you really need it.

Also whenever possible double check your GPS findings with either PAPER map or Google map. They can all be wrong at times. Or at least carry a paper map. Electronics have a nasty habit of dying at the worst time.

GPS maps go out of date so it is best to make sure the database company are around to sell you updates.

GPS maps are ALWAYS out of dates in cities with lots of new developments. I found that in old cities (Boston, NYC, Los Angeles) it is fairly accurate as they haven't created new towns / roads in ages. In cities like NJ I found most GPS will NOT be very useful.

Test the GPS to find your favorite retail stores. You may ONLY like Pizza HUT and HATE Domino but the database may have it what you want.

Also test it to find Radio Shack because when you are traveling, Radio Shack can just about sell you any electronic device you are missing (adapter, wires, extension, plugs, batteries, etc.). I found at least one major GPS brand does not have RS in the database.

Good Luck...