- This topic has 0 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 5 years, 10 months ago by
CLOC-Admin.
CLOC-Admin.- Topic
- CLOC-AdminBought a Good Sam Rand McNally 7735 and have been using it the last month on the road. It replaced a Garmin that I’ve been using the last 5 years and liked it, but it wasn’t designed for RVing. I’ve gone through the learning curve comparing it to the Garmin and studying, which screen to use, it always take me some time to learn something new.
Pros:
I like how I can set it up to the weight, height and length of our trailer.
I like that it tells me about steep grades and curves that are coming up.
I think I like it when it tells me I’m going over the speed limit.
I like the built in campground directory.
The Virtual Dashboard is a nice feature.
There are a number of RV checklists that are helpful.Cons:
The screen is hard to read in sunlight, and difficult if I wear sun glasses. Right now I’ve moved it from the windshield to the center console, helps. I’ve tried difference screens color combinations. I stopped by a Camping World and they suggested a special sun shade and anti glare film, again some help, but not as good as my old Garmin. CW was great and said that if I didn’t like it I could return it to any CW for a full refund.Posted: 7:20 PM – Dec 10, 2014Traveler,I have the previous Good Sam version (7725 I think) and a straight from Rand 7730 arriving tomorrow. They are offering a $100 credit if you return any gps, not just a prior Rand.
It takes a lot of time to figure out the rand versus Garmin. After 3 months I thought that I had it figured out, after 6 I knew how much I had not known. You need to download and print out and read the full owners manual. What comes in the box is CRAP.
The big negative on rand is very, very, very old maps. I hot one update of maps in 15 months of ownership. Yes there are updates for construction activity or new poi’s (campgrounds, Walmart, etc), but Garmin is MUCH better on keeping it’s maps up to date.
If you are a frequent visitor or user of poifactory, you see on discussion section that very few people that own rand ever post versus Garmin and Magellan owners. Also that the Rand format for poi’s is unique and thus problematic.
Why stick with rand? Yes it has shortcomings, but verbal warnings to upcoming lower speed limits, curves and step downgrades, reminder you are exceeding speed limit by x mph (you get to set the level of mph over the limit before it notifies you of excess!), far outweighs shortfalls IF new setup works better with wifi, faster processor allows faster recalc of route for accidents construction and missed turns, and screen changes in general, etc.
Yes, yes, yes a sun hood accessory is worth it’s weight in gold. I have one. I don’t have anti glare “screen saver,” but plan on getting one of those too.
The hood blocks a lot of direct sun, but in a big pickup you have a lot of reflected light coming from back and side windows, and bouncing around inside and I think you need the anti glare screen saver for that, albeit that I have heard that the screen saver makes the touch screen a bit slower/harder to recognize your touch. If your sunglasses are of Polaroid type, it is even more difficult to see any screen. I think this is the characteristics of a plasma versus lcd screen.
If you have not upgraded the gps firmware via the pc “Rand Dock” software, be sure to to do so- it helps with visibility.
I will be keeping my Good Sam 7725 for my car, and send in for my $100 credit my very old Garmin. Understand I can import the routes, address book etc from my 7725 to the 7730 (or good sam branded 7735). We shall see.
Existing good sam rand does some goofy directions -as with any gps a copilot with a map can save you a lot of grief. Sometime you need to add a city as a “via” so you are routed the way that you know is best. In unknown territory, this can be a crap shoot, but more often than not, a better route is obvious to the eye, and you can make the gps go that way by adding a via. Just delete the via as you approach that city in you get directed into the city (choose destination/multistop trips/current trip/delete stop by selecting”x”). I say crap shoot because in unknown territory you don’t know for sure if the rand route is goofy or because it “knows” your rig is 27k pounds and 55 feet long with two 40# propane tanks and it does not want to out you onto a specific road. Also, you should know that rand goes out of its way to save you from making left turns, sometimes WAY our of your way.
The basic traffic hardware is only good in 40 cities or sp. The annual subscription fir wifi base traffic is much more broadly available, skin to what a cellphone can see in real time. Being able to see wind speeds of precipitation impacting travel is also a plus, but you pay for the service and your cell data plan usage which I’d minimal.
Wishing you well.
Posted: 10:04 AM – Dec 12, 2014Thanks for your posts. We purchased this last summer hand have used it extensively since then. Find that it does not have the POIs that the built in one in our ’13 Chevy Silverado does, at least here in Mesa. Also we have not found out how to cancel a route. Picking a POI with several possibilities we choose on and find it is not the one we want. Can’t cancel that trip without turning the whole thing off. Sun shade would be very helpful. But, using it on the trip west it is far better than the built in one.
RayPosted: 11:24 AM – Dec 12, 2014Yes, as I say the thing is complicated.To cancel a trip, tap the lower left corner of the main map. By the way, just about everything on that main map has a drop down menu or optional screens.
Anyway, to cancel trip, touch the rotary in the lower left corner – one opens the dashboard showing elevation etc. The other has the red cancel route button.
Regarding poi’s, there is a second page that you need to scroll down to to see “all”. And if by accident or design you selected a filter or a distance, you must info the distance is filter in order for them to show. I,e. 3 miles means no poi’s further than 3 moles, and filter fir only Texaco fuel, and none other show regardless if distance.
Also, any destination poi etc can be “looked for” in proximity to your current location (my rv), along “my route to next destination (only the next via if on multi stop trip), or your next destination (the “via” if on a multi stop trip). The default is destination not where you are!
Showing poi’s on the map makes the map impossible to read unless you put some serious filters on.
You can also pick as destination any town (town center), when map pops us, set to “my location” (a button on the lower right) and find things close to that town or distances from that town to another destination, and you can then ask about poi’s between those two locations.
All if this is relatively fast on the old model (mine is only 2 years old), but faster processor and more on board memory promises instant screen changes.
Posted: 8:25 AM – Dec 14, 2014nhcowan wrote:But, using it on the trip west it is far better than the built in one.Agree with portable GPS’ being better than built-ins. The DVD-driven nav on my 2011 GMC is crap. If I can help it, I will NEVER buy a bundled GPS in a vehicle again. IMO they are overpriced and under useful.
Posted: 3:07 PM – Jan 07, 2015I have the Rand McNally RV7725. it continues to route me way out of the way, whether it’s on RV or car mode. anywhere from 7 to over 500 miles compared to the Good Sam trip planner or even Rand McNally’s web site. My old TomTom routed the same as Good Sam trip planner. I shopping for anothere GPS, that has the same features as the Good Sam GPS’s, but the routing is accurate.Any sugestion.
Thanks
LillyputzPosted: 5:16 PM – Jan 07, 2015Lillyputz: I have the same unit and have not had that problem. Mine will route me out of the way if it detects anything that it thinks will be a problem in towing the 5th. I have entered the 5th’s information and selected the type of route I wish to take. I did have a route selected by the Rand McNally when we left Denver and traveled west on I-70. It did not want me to haul through the Eisenhower tunnel. But, I went that way anyway and it caught up with me after we exited the tunnel. If I have an idea of where I want to go I will go my way and it will catch up. All I can say is check your settings, they might make a difference with the choices the R-M gives you.
RayPosted: 6:21 PM – Jan 07, 2015I have had several crazy routes from Rand. Shortest will often send you via a 25 mph road with a stop light every block versus a 50 mph bypass with no lights. Fastest on highways works fine but makes no sense at all with so many (but unfortunately not all) great US and state routes. Latest software nite says try fastest, but avoid small roads. Maybe this will keep you off the stoplight roads and the US and state routes that aren’t free glowing.These things are way more complicated than the cheap starter manual provided in the box. The full download manual is 80 pages, and you really need it to figure out how to set it up.
You can do the web planning on a pc and import routes and then use or modify those with the gps.
All of the above said, their maps are lifetime free updates, but HORRIBLY Out of date and updates have been more than 16 months apart the last two updates. They do update construction every 3-5 weeks, and poi’s every quarter or do, but maps are horrible near airport access routes and any major intersections that seem to have major work every year or so.
Even that said, I just traded in my old model for Rand’s latest faster processor and map presentation. Still old maps!!!
Posted: 10:34 PM – Jan 07, 2015I have the commercial truck version of the Rand McNally. (I don’t remember which model, it’s either the 510 or 520.)It has occasionally taken me the long (or wrong) way around. I usually preview the route with Google maps so I have an overview of where I want to go.
I agree that the maps need updating desperately, but the vast majority of the time it gets me where I need to go without issue.
Cliff
B.W.Gentry
Owner/Admin
2007 Carri-Lite XTRM5
Breckenridge, TX
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.