Garmin GPS Upgrade

[SPORT]

Just traded in my 3 year old C330 for the Nuvi780. Only cost me $100 too!

The Nuvi is MUCH faster and smoother running. More features, better clarity Bluetooth is a nice feature as well. MSNDirect is a slick feature and may be sump'n to consider after the 3 month subscription is up. Garmin is doing some other cool stuff such as incorporating MadMaps for scenic tours and the like. For a nominal fee you can download, say, the West Virgina tours through Skyline drive and the like, including scenic views, good places to eat and sleep. Haven't tried it yet, but will look into that next year.

I also ordered the RAM mount today and should be here soon.

Water proofing will be like the C330. A glad baggie and tie wraps. It's under extended warranty, so I'll just replace it if it dies.

 

[bramfrank]

I currently have a Zumo and a 760 with an MSN Direct receiver (which makes it a 780) - the 780 rides in the cage. I've had lots of other navigators in the past.

The MSN Direct sucks - the weather is downright always WRONG - I was driving in the cage in the rain during a very cloudy day today and it was telling me it was sunny!!. The gas prices are out of date and the traffic alerts seem to be 'off'. Driving down a freeway feeder, it tells me the road is blocked ahead. Well, the freeway has construction going on, but it certainly isn't 'blocked - and besides it KNOWS I'm on the collector - and the collector isn't affected!!

What I DO like is the active speed limit display - it would be nicer if you could program it to chime and change color if you were actually speeding.

The Bluetooth is nowhere near as good as the Bluetooth on the Zumo. And, at least with my Nokia 95-4/8G, it seems to want to limit my connect time.

I am not a fan of the lower resolution, rasterised graphic displays that Garmin uses on Nuvi and Zumo - I MUCH prefer the display on my old 276cs - that family of navigators does most everything well. It may not announce streets by name, then again given the mangling that the navigator does to them I can't tell what it's saying half the time anyway. However Nuvo and Zumo do pronounce "'bitch'" properly - I do get a little kick when pulling up to the ex's and the Garmin says 'arriving at "the bitch's" on right'.

I also like the fact that the 276c series offers user configurable parameter displays and shows the clock (with seconds, thank you) if you want. It also shows speed if you are riding a route. I also like that you can program a proximity point of interest into the 276c series from the unit - no PC required.

I am not a fan of the Zumo's display, which washes out in direct sunlight and I don't like touchscreens in the rain or when wearing full gloves.

Enjoy your 780, but in order of preference, I would personally have opted for the 478c, Quest (not the 2, it is slow), Zumo 550 and only then anything Nuvi. Had you opted for any of the first three, I could have sold my shares in the 'baggie company' and they are all waterproof.

 

[SPORT]

Bramfrank,

Your responses have always been helpful; and though I might agree with you on many of your points, I'm not as fickle as you (at least my pocketbook isn't ). Nevertheless, I opted for the Nuvi primarily on cost, then on features. I prefer touch screen and have 'never' had an issue wearing full finger heavy winter gloves. I would prefer the Zumo 550, but the price for me is just outrageous, and then hearing about some of the Zumo reviews only confirmed my decision. I have two years left on this exchange warranty and will upgrade again in November...2010. Hopefully by then Garmin will learn how to take the best of the 276c series and the Zumo series and create onehellofagood GPS.

Thanks for your insights.

 

[Rummy]

Just traded in my 3 year old C330 for the Nuvi780. Only cost me $100 too!
The Nuvi is MUCH faster and smoother running. More features, better clarity Bluetooth is a nice feature as well. MSNDirect is a slick feature and may be sump'n to consider after the 3 month subscription is up. Garmin is doing some other cool stuff such as incorporating MadMaps for scenic tours and the like. For a nominal fee you can download, say, the West Virgina tours through Skyline drive and the like, including scenic views, good places to eat and sleep. Haven't tried it yet, but will look into that next year.

I also ordered the RAM mount today and should be here soon.

Water proofing will be like the C330. A glad baggie and tie wraps. It's under extended warranty, so I'll just replace it if it dies.

How and to who did you trade-in your C330 then get the Nuvi. I would like to do the same. Please share...

 

[SPORT]

Just traded in my 3 year old C330 for the Nuvi780. Only cost me $100 too!
The Nuvi is MUCH faster and smoother running. More features, better clarity Bluetooth is a nice feature as well. MSNDirect is a slick feature and may be sump'n to consider after the 3 month subscription is up. Garmin is doing some other cool stuff such as incorporating MadMaps for scenic tours and the like. For a nominal fee you can download, say, the West Virgina tours through Skyline drive and the like, including scenic views, good places to eat and sleep. Haven't tried it yet, but will look into that next year.

I also ordered the RAM mount today and should be here soon.

Water proofing will be like the C330. A glad baggie and tie wraps. It's under extended warranty, so I'll just replace it if it dies.

How and to who did you trade-in your C330 then get the Nuvi. I would like to do the same. Please share...

I bought the Garmin C330 from Circuit City in 2006 and paid the extra $100 for a 4 year warranty. In addition to replacing deffective equipment, their warranty allows you to upgrade at anytime and as often as you would like and will give you full purchase price of the original GPS towards an upgraded model. I paid $350 for the C330 and the Nuvi780 was on sale for $450.

 

[Rummy]

Just traded in my 3 year old C330 for the Nuvi780. Only cost me $100 too!
The Nuvi is MUCH faster and smoother running. More features, better clarity Bluetooth is a nice feature as well. MSNDirect is a slick feature and may be sump'n to consider after the 3 month subscription is up. Garmin is doing some other cool stuff such as incorporating MadMaps for scenic tours and the like. For a nominal fee you can download, say, the West Virgina tours through Skyline drive and the like, including scenic views, good places to eat and sleep. Haven't tried it yet, but will look into that next year.

I also ordered the RAM mount today and should be here soon.

Water proofing will be like the C330. A glad baggie and tie wraps. It's under extended warranty, so I'll just replace it if it dies.

How and to who did you trade-in your C330 then get the Nuvi. I would like to do the same. Please share...

I bought the Garmin C330 from Circuit City in 2006 and paid the extra $100 for a 4 year warranty. In addition to replacing deffective equipment, their warranty allows you to upgrade at anytime and as often as you would like and will give you full purchase price of the original GPS towards an upgraded model. I paid $350 for the C330 and the Nuvi780 was on sale for $450.

OK, I got it now. I wish I could do that. Oh well... Anyone want to buy my C330?

 

[ShawnKing]

Garmin is doing some other cool stuff such as incorporating MadMaps for scenic tours and the like. For a nominal fee you can download, say, the West Virgina tours through Skyline drive and the like, including scenic views, good places to eat and sleep. Haven't tried it yet, but will look into that next year.

I bought some of those maps this weekend. Overall, I'm disappointed in them.

Garmin/MadMaps have taken this really cool technology and crippled it. You can't see the MadMaps using the Garmin computer software. So you can't plan routes around the MadMaps easily. The MadMaps have no way of getting you to the starting point - you have to find your own way there. The MadMaps are uni-directional - for example, I wanted to go to Sleepy Hollow, NY and do that route. But I wanted to do the route clockwise and it was only set up to go counterclockwise. There's no way of editing the MadMaps to add your own routes or segments. The great Points of Interests that are found on the paper MadMaps aren't available on the Garmin maps. Etc., etc., etc.

This could have been a wonderful, useful addition to the Garmin but instead, it ends up being only marginally useful and not at all worth the money.

 

[SPORT]

This could have been a wonderful, useful addition to the Garmin but instead, it ends up being only marginally useful and not at all worth the money.

Wow...That is dissapointing. I hope Garming reads your response. It would seem so natural (and not that difficult) to make MadMaps as user friendly as you say it should. Thanks for the quick review.

 

[ShawnKing]

This could have been a wonderful, useful addition to the Garmin but instead, it ends up being only marginally useful and not at all worth the money.

Wow...That is dissapointing. I hope Garming reads your response.

They will - I have friends there I've sent a detailed review to.

It would seem so natural (and not that difficult) to make MadMaps as user friendly as you say it should.

Yeah - that's what is so frustrating. It's *so* easy to do this stuff right and yet, they still get it wrong.

Thanks for the quick review.

To be clear, I didn't and won't ask for my money back. For someone new to the area, the MadMaps are a nice resource to help me find some interesting areas to ride in. I wish I had known more about their limitations ahead of time but I'm still using the maps I've got.

 

[SPORT]

ShawnKing,

Have you discovered whether the Nuvi780 will play WMA files or is it only MP3's?

 

[ShawnKing]

Have you discovered whether the Nuvi780 will play WMA files or is it only MP3's?

Garmin's web site says:

Currently all Garmin Automotive devices with MP3 players play only MP3 files. If a file has an extension of the following, .wav, .wma, .aac, or any other that is not .mp3 it will not play. The file will need to be converted to .mp3 format. This can be done using free programs such as Apple iTunes. Garmin cannot support the use of these products.

 

[SPORT]

I's afraid you'd say that. I just converted ALL (many DVD's worth) of my music to wma. Now I guess I'll be changing them back to mp3. What a pain inthe royal arse!

 

[FJRScorpion]

I's afraid you'd say that. I just converted ALL (many DVD's worth) of my music to wma. Now I guess I'll be changing them back to mp3. What a pain inthe royal arse!

Sport- What software are you using for your conversions, both to DVD and to MP3s? :blink:

 

[SPORT]

I use Blaze Media Pro. But when I have as many songs as I do, I don't have an office large enough to store 200+ CD's, so I burn them to DVD. At present I have over 20 DVD's of audio. Most are 5meg or larger in size. I'll usually limit the size below 7megs (or roughly 256 bitrate). Some are 320 bitrate, but will more than likely cut them down to 256 for convenience sake.

So, to answer your question. DVD is the hardware I'm burning my MP3's to.

 

[RenoJohn]

Currently all Garmin Automotive devices with MP3 players play only MP3 files.

Just a note that I can't validate as "truth" but in my mind it is an issue:
My garmin froze during a rally -while playing a large (aprox 12meg) mp3 file. The unit was wothless, everytime I turned it on, it would boot up, then at the instant where the map would come up and the music start, it would re-boot itself.

When I got home, connected the unit to the computer, deleted all the mp3's ...including the large one it was playing -everything went back to normal. Since I"v played a zillion (average size) mp3's with no problem ...but I will not go back to large mp3's -at least while in rally mode or on an extended trip where I'll need the GPS as in my mind it can create issues.

Just thought/warning and or good/bad advice .....

 

[SPORT]

...but I will not go back to large mp3's -at least while in rally mode or on an extended trip where I'll need the GPS as in my mind it can create issues.
Just thought/warning and or good/bad advice .....

Good to know. I will only put music on the removable disc anyway. So if that becomes an issue with mine, I'll remove the disc...which should resolve that problem.

 

[SPORT]

I think Bramfrank stumbled upon something.

Bramfrank claims that MSN Direct has an extreme delay with regards to weather, fue prices and the like. I have found the same thing when I do NOT use the supplied car power adapter. The supplied power adapter has a built-in MSN-Direct Antenna and is required for continuous updates. Mine seems to update fairly quickly when I use it. Otherwise, it takes several hours!

So then, if this IS the case, how does one find an aftermarket power supply with the MSN Direct Antenna that I can butcher and hardwire onto my bike?

 

[bramfrank]

I think Bramfrank stumbled upon something.
Bramfrank claims that MSN Direct has an extreme delay with regards to weather, fue prices and the like. I have found the same thing when I do NOT use the supplied car power adapter. The supplied power adapter has a built-in MSN-Direct Antenna and is required for continuous updates. Mine seems to update fairly quickly when I use it. Otherwise, it takes several hours!

So then, if this IS the case, how does one find an aftermarket power supply with the MSN Direct Antenna that I can butcher and hardwire onto my bike?

NO, I did not say updates were slow. I said the weather was WRONG. Today I was driving and it told me the temps were 34 degrees (f) when the reality was +17 (close to 60). Yesterday, while driving in the listed city it was saying conditions were 'sunny' when it was pouring and had been for several hours.

Interesting enough the local weather display has an alternate city that abuts the closer one and it usually has a different weather icon and different forecast - now we're discussing 2 miles apart here.

And the lighter plug is not only the antenna, it is the whole MSN Direct receiver. If you don't use it you get NO updates.

 

[bramfrank]

Bramfrank,
Your responses have always been helpful; and though I might agree with you on many of your points, I'm not as fickle as you (at least my pocketbook isn't ).

I suspect you meant 'picky' rather than fickle.