Low cost GPS

got mine fimally

i just bought a Nuvi 1450 LMT for 160.00, figured i'd use it in the cage all winter then maybe adapt it over to the bike with a waterproof box in summer...

plugged it in and registered the product then found and installed one upgrade right away. well actually it found one upgrade but took forever to download and verify it, then on the heels of all that, it found ANOTHER upgrade and i downloaded and installed it successfully, i maybe 2/3 the time.

it's going to be fun using it, i'm certain. i KNOW this has been covered ad nauseum in other threads, one of which i started myself... but i know i'm going to have questions..... i guess Garmin's website has tutorials? do they also have user forums and such? ah sh*t, another time sucker!

here are initial questions about set-up and efficiency:

*should i turn off traffic updates?
*how about routing specifics like avoidances?
*routing preferences like shortest, most fuel efficient?
*how about audio? is there a way to turn off the annoying beeps every time you hit a button or touch the thing? or adjust the volume so it's not super loud?

and finally,
*how do i get a British woman's voice on the thing?

all's i does is this, thusly,

velcro.

one side to the bike,one side to the gps.

if good enough wasn't good enough, it wouldn't be good enough.

I've run it off power from the USB port while on long car trips. This is not recommended for the bike. apparently it's not a waterproof connection. There is a separate 4 pin power port for that, but it requires a separate cable (not too expensive) it's power hungry like any GPS, so not a small issue for a long trip.

It will do turn by turn directions, but not right out of the box. You need aftermarket maps. They can be purchased pretty-much plug and play from Garmin, or you can use public domain maps from GPS File Depot if you are willing to fuss with it a while.

As an added note........if anyone is interested and willing to take a chance.....there's a 2620 and 2730 Garmin combo up on flea bay right now


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Garmin-StreetPilot-2620-2730-Automotive-GPS-Receiver-s-/300649425676?pt=GPS_Devices&hash=item46001a2b0c

Just scored a Garmin 276C off of craigslist for $60, plus shipping

Good, free maps

Forgot the link last time.

www.gpsfiledepot.com
This site has a good selection of free maps and excellent tutorials on how to get them into Mapsource or Base Camp.

Garmin does not make this easy, but with some work, its do-able and will save you some serious coin.

bmwrider88 said:

i know i'm going to have questions..... i guess Garmin's website has tutorials? do they also have user forums and such? ah sh*t, another time sucker!

Click to expand...

I used this Nuvi forum for awhile when I bought my first Garmin Nuvi.


http://forums.gpsreview.net/viewforum.php?f=2

Lee said:

I used this Nuvi forum for awhile when I bought my first Garmin Nuvi.


http://forums.gpsreview.net/viewforum.php?f=2

Click to expand...

Thanks for that link