Who has a StreetPilot III?

[2GREENCARS]

Who out there has a Garmin StreetPilot III?

What do you use it for?

How reliable is it?

How happy are you with it?

Have you had any problems with it?

Any tips you'd like to pass on?

How long have you had it?

****
We just got ours before Memorial day and find her generally very good. We tried to use her to get us to a forestry road south of Tucson but as soon as we got to it she decided to try to send us back on 83 and back to Tucson. She doesn't like being in the middle of nowhere!

We're just using her around town to get the feel of how she works. Sometimes she gives us "silly" directions and we continue on our merry way and then she says, very patiently, "off-route. recalculating." again and again and again.

Overall, she's a lot of fun, but I'm not sure I trust her directions. My other 1/2 trusts her implicitly!

I find it's a bit time-consuming to enter the address of where we're going.

One tip I can offer - you can change the colour/contrast by pressing the power button once the unit is on. I learned this the hard way by pressing it by mistake and then suddenly I couldn't see the screen! A call to Garmin solved that one. They have great customer service!

[colorider]

But I want one REAL bad!!! I all ready have the GPS V which is a smaller, non-color, version. Love it, but wish I had the larger screen of the SPIII (plus a few more goodies it offers).

[bret11]

The problem, 2GreenCars, is that you apparently bought the female StreetPilot when you should have bought the male version. Only kidding...so please don't me.

Seriously, my wife bought me one last week for my birthday, and then had me use it to find our way to a lodge in the Adirondack Mountains. It did pretty well, but didn't have all of the back roads in it. Interestingly, the software on the computer could find the address perfectly, but the unit itself couldn't. So, I downloaded the maps to the unit, and then created the routes on the PC and then downloaded the route to the unit. Worked like a charm. I called Garmin and they couldn't explain the fact that it was on the computer and not the unit, so they suggetsed I try it again. Haven't had a chance to do that yet, but will try something else soon. We did have it find restaurants in a town that we have never visited. It made a number of suggestions, and got us to a good one, then got us back.

The only "problem" I see is that its algorithims for computing routes sometimes uses major roads when a side road it better. It just reinforces the notion that a good map is still handy...and to keep your eyes on the road and not just on it.

--Bret

[2GREENCARS]

Originally posted by bret11
The problem, 2GreenCars, is that you apparently bought the female StreetPilot when you should have bought the male version. Only kidding...so please don't me.

Seriously, my wife bought me one last week for my birthday, and then had me use it to find our way to a lodge in the Adirondack Mountains. It did pretty well, but didn't have all of the back roads in it. Interestingly, the software on the computer could find the address perfectly, but the unit itself couldn't. So, I downloaded the maps to the unit, and then created the routes on the PC and then downloaded the route to the unit. Worked like a charm. I called Garmin and they couldn't explain the fact that it was on the computer and not the unit, so they suggetsed I try it again. Haven't had a chance to do that yet, but will try something else soon. We did have it find restaurants in a town that we have never visited. It made a number of suggestions, and got us to a good one, then got us back.

The only "problem" I see is that its algorithims for computing routes sometimes uses major roads when a side road it better. It just reinforces the notion that a good map is still handy...and to keep your eyes on the road and not just on it.

--Bret

You asked for it!

Apparently the Navman, I believe, has a choice of male or female voice - there are many discussion threads on the MDX.org site.

I agree, she likes to stick to the main roads or the interstate when there's a better more local route. Sometimes just changing her setting from fastest to shortest and vice versa will help.

Where did you go in the Adirondacks? I spent a lot of my childhood at a hunting lodge near Sarinac Lake.

[bret11]

Originally posted by 2GREENCARS
Where did you go in the Adirondacks? I spent a lot of my childhood at a hunting lodge near Sarinac Lake.

We went to a place called Garnet Hill on 13th Lake. It's about an hour from where we live (in Gansevoort, a town next door to Saratoga Springs). The Garmin worked well, and the weather cooperated. However, the black flies were absolutely terrible. They swarmed us wherever we went (on the lake, on the bike trails, etc.) (us swatting at flies). Ended up hanging around inside the lodge...which was fine with me (and my 5 year old loved palying pool and ping-pong).

I'll have to try switching the Garmin back and forth from distance to time to see what it does. One suggestion I have for them is a "learn" feature: The unit keeps insisting it knows the shortest and fastest way to get to the Northway, but it is wrong. So every time I leave home I go thorugh multiple "re-calculating" messages. Be nice if I could tell it "honestly...this way really is faster."

--Bret

[2GREENCARS]

Originally posted by bret11

One suggestion I have for them is a "learn" feature: The unit keeps insisting it knows the shortest and fastest way to get to the Northway, but it is wrong. So every time I leave home I go thorugh multiple "re-calculating" messages. Be nice if I could tell it "honestly...this way really is faster."

--Bret

Yes, that's exactly what we thought - it should learn that we "prefer" certain routes/roads and incorporate them into her directions!

[desipilot]

I should be getting my Garmin SPIII deluxe tomorrow ....

<Wishful thinking>
I will never have to look at maps again, never get lost, never stop to ask directions !

</Wishful thinking>

[FLPilot]

Originally posted by 2GREENCARS
Who out there has a Garmin StreetPilot III?

What do you use it for?

How reliable is it?

How happy are you with it?

Have you had any problems with it?

Any tips you'd like to pass on?

How long have you had it?

1) I mainly use it to find points of interest around town right now. I will be using it for my trip to Ohio in August though.

2) Very reliable, actually I have confirmed all of its directions and as stated before, there usually a different route that can be taken, but it always gets me where I want to go.

3) Very happy with the unit and the software that came with it.

4) I have had the same problem with trying to find addresses once in a while. I have learned that it has a problem with trying to find the exact address, but if I am more general about what I am looking for it usually finds it. For instance if I am looking for 123 NE 99 Street, I now look up 123 99 Street and let it tell me there is a NE SE NW SW. Then choose from what's available.

5) Tips: Be patient with the unit. Load all your waypoints from the computer so that you don't have to look them up on the Unit. Don't spill orange juice on it. Yep, I sure did. It got in the buttons and they were all sticking. Since it is water proof I was able to rinse it all out.

6) I have had it now for about 2 months.

[kemosabe]

Originally posted by 2GREENCARS
Who out there has a Garmin StreetPilot III?

What do you use it for?

How reliable is it?

How happy are you with it?

Have you had any problems with it?

Any tips you'd like to pass on?

How long have you had it?

[ S N I P P E D ]

I have the Garmin SPIII -- it's been over a month now, and I'm pretty pleased with it. I plan on using it for family vacations later on, but right now, I'm using it for local travel, too, to get used to it and boost my confidence in it!!!! So far, no problems to report.

For reliability, sometimes it doesn't choose the same route that I would -- but on those occasions, I just "blindly" let the SPIII guide me and it eventually gets me to my destination (albeit locally).

The only tip I have right now is that when a scrolling list appears, instead of using the UP/DOWN rocker panel buttons to scroll one item at a time, use the LEFT/RIGHT rocker panel buttons to scroll a page at a time!!

[FLPilot]

Thanks for the scrolling info kemo. I didn't know you could scroll by page. And here I was pushing the down button this entire time.

[HDTVEE]

I HAVE THE GPS V AND AM THINKING OF UPGRADING TO THE STREETPILOT. DOES EVERYTHING WORK IN THE SAME MANOR? DOES IT AUTOROUTE FROM THE UNIT OR DO YOU HAVE TO DO THAT FROM A PC? I HAVE HAD SOME ISSUES WITH GARMIN REGARDING DIFF SOFTWARE AND WHAT IT DOES PER A PARTICUALR UNIT BUT THEY HAVE BEEN VERY COOPERATIVE IN TRYING TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES. THANKS.

[FLPilot]

Originally posted by HDTVEE
I HAVE THE GPS V AND AM THINKING OF UPGRADING TO THE STREETPILOT. DOES EVERYTHING WORK IN THE SAME MANOR? DOES IT AUTOROUTE FROM THE UNIT OR DO YOU HAVE TO DO THAT FROM A PC? I HAVE HAD SOME ISSUES WITH GARMIN REGARDING DIFF SOFTWARE AND WHAT IT DOES PER A PARTICUALR UNIT BUT THEY HAVE BEEN VERY COOPERATIVE IN TRYING TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES. THANKS.

I don't know how the "V" works, but my SPIII can do everything from the unit itself. The only thing I like doing on my PC is to setup waypoints as it is a lot easier to find addresses. See what you can get for your unit on ebay and then upgrade, I love my unit and I am sure many others on here will agree. When you are ready to buy the SPIII let me know and I will forward you info from a guy in California that sells them for (last time I checked) $744. The only problem is that they longer have the $100 rebate.

There are others on ebay selling it with the $100 rebate (I am sure they will just back date your invoice for you).

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4668

[kemosabe]

Originally posted by FLPilot


[ S N I P P E D ]

There are others on ebay selling it with the $100 rebate (I am sure they will just back date your invoice for you).

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4668

Just keep in mind (if the seller back dates your invoice for you) that you still need to have your rebate postmarked by August 6, 2003 in order to qualify...

[2GREENCARS]

Originally posted by kemosabe


IThe only tip I have right now is that when a scrolling list appears, instead of using the UP/DOWN rocker panel buttons to scroll one item at a time, use the LEFT/RIGHT rocker panel buttons to scroll a page at a time!!

Kemo,
Not sure I follow you - do you mean when you are putting in an address and it guesses the closest street names that you then scroll by page rather than down the page?

[bret11]

Anybody notice on the SPIII that it sometimes is off by a block or two on addresses? I live in a relatively new neighborhood, and the SPIII is always wrong by a block or 2 once I enter the neighborhood. That is, the location that the SPIII thinks I am at is actually a block or two off from where I actually am.

I was just putting in some waypoints for a trip tomorrow to Montreal, Canada. I noticed that although it has the hotel we are staying in, it does not have it in the same location as the actual street intersection for the hotel.



Any thoughts?

--Bret