GPS Suggestions

Not particularly please with the Pioneer, should have followed my old sailing philosophy to not have multiple screens in  one instrument. So I am considering adding a Garmin or perhaps something else as a dedicated GPS.  Have been reading reviews of the Garmin 770 and 660,  Mixed on the 770, actually some quite harsh, a bit more middle of the road on 660.  Would welcome advice.

Many thanks,

Mike

Very happy with our 770.  I believe there were a few 'quirks' on release fixed within a month or so with a firmware update.  

Both 660 and 770 have a newer much better screen than the older 760 model.  I went with the 770 primarily because of the larger screen and I am happy I did.  In the big 450 cab it is easier to read (for me).  We have it mounted on a ball swivel in the dash so the navigator can access it just as easy as the driver.

Being on a swivel means you can adjust it for glare or comfort, which was the main reason I skipped the Pioneer.  That and the Garmin can be programmed while driving by the navigator.

I have a post on here someplace about how I mounted it in the dash.  I'll see if I can find that.

Here is the mount I used: https://forum.phoenixusarv.com/index.php?topic=2713.0

Magellan Roadmate 7 " screen with  junction view and lane assist.

One other thing about the 770 I like is that the large screen allows configurable readouts on top and side.  You can select what to put in those boxes.  I have speed, altitude, distance to destination and something else set in them.  I really like having the altitude show all the time.

Your comment about poor reviews got me wondering so I looked at the Amazon reviews for the 770.  I've used ours on a cross country trip and many trips here in the northwest and never saw any of the issues those folks complain about.  I suspect however they did not read the manual or bother to set up the GPS correctly.  The GPS (any GPS) only routes you based on the parameters the operator sets. And the 770 RV has additional parameters that control the routing for an RV.  If you eliminate the reviews that start with "this stupid gps routed me................", the rest are pretty good.

I used to get upset about folks that complain about their GPS navigating them on a route they did not want.  To some the old adage "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" applies.  They want the 'magic' box to take them someplace without any thought or effort.  And no amount of explaining that they need to read the manual or properly setup the device makes any difference.  It's magic, it should just work.

I just looked up the Garmin 770, it looks perfect. I have an old Garmin Nuvi 2797 which has been discontinued. It is great and I'm sure the 770 has the same features. You can read the screen in bright sunlight, very important. It is not poloroid in the wrong direction. I had one that when I put on my polaroid sunglasses the screen went black for me.
It has lifetime maps,& traffic. And the biggest feature for me is I can upload GPX map files, so it goes where I want it to.

Never follow a GPS unless you look at the whole route, this is hard to do with the GPS unit.
Garmin gives you a free map program for your computer that you can download to your computer called Base Camp. If you plug the Garmin in and do a map update, you can select update maps for Base Camp at the same time. The maps on Garmin & computer are the same.

Now program your trip on your computer, make sure it goes where you want and save it. Then just click  upload to Garmin and the track will be the same. Basecamp is not the easiest to use and it takes some learning and practise, but after that I program all my trips this way. If you still have MS Streets 2013, you can program and save a GPX file and copy it to the Garmin.