# GPS in car devices



## fredtgreco (Jun 14, 2006)

As a new pastor going into the 4th largest metro area in the country, where traffic is bad - and being directionally challenged, I am strongly considering buying a GPS unit for the car. Not an in-dash, but a "portable." I do not want or need something that can come out of the car for hiking, etc.

I've tried MS Streets and Trips with the GPS accessory, and it is frankly bad. The volume is almost inaudible, the screen hard to navigate, and worst of all, it requires the laptop to be on.

Does anyone here use a GPS? I'm curious what the better models would be in the $300, $500 and $700 ranges.


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## jfschultz (Jun 14, 2006)

I understand your concern. I debated about the $ for the Navigation option on the car I bought a couple of years ago. (I was on the wait list for 3 months, it would have been longer if I did not opt for GPS.) But it proved its worth on trips or even locally in unfamiliar sections of town or to find a way around a traffic jam.

There are a number of portable systems, such as Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom. One factor to consider is getting navigation database updates. An ideal would be to be able to get them directly from the data provider, Navtech and/or TeleAtlas. I got an update last year from Toyota. The DVD noted 2003 copyrights for the navigation data providers. So out of the box, the data was 2 years old.


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## Puritanhead (Jun 14, 2006)

Given, that I have been around a marina since I was a kid, I am mildly familiar with boat electronics, and since my father is keen to make the same GPS recommendation, I would recommend looking into GPS products made by Garmin International.

Garmin just came out with the nÃ¼vi 350, which is very portable.

Though, there are universal GPS systems, you probably need one made especially for car navigation. Interestingly, only a few years ago, for reasons of military security, the feds had a law in effect, to skew the accuracy of the commercial GPS systems available to civilians, which meant they were not pinpoint accurate but only accurate to 100 yards or so. That has since changed now. They are very accurate.


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## Craig (Jun 14, 2006)

My father bought a TomTom a year or so ago...absolutely loved it...loved it so much his new car has gps built into it. The funny thing is, he says he thought the TomTom was easier to use than the one built into his Caddy. 

He's used the TomTom a number of times with me in the car...easy to hear. It will prepare you for a turn, and if you miss a turn somehow, it automatically starts redirecting you to get you back on track.

I think he said it was about $500.00


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## alwaysreforming (Jun 15, 2006)

Fred,
I use GPS software called "Destinator" for my PDA and it works great. I researched all of them before making my purchase, and I'm glad I went with Destinator.
All you need is a GPS antenna which slides into your CF port on the pda, and the software.
I've used it all over the country for the last few years and could not be more pleased with it!
Assuming you already have a pda, this should definitely be the way you go, believe me!
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.


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