Rv gps

[reviewcart]

I've seen the Copilot phone app recommended by a few people but have yet to use it myself. They're one of the original GPS directions companies.

[boyscout]

Since I bought the 770 there is now a new Garmin 890 with an eight-inch display, and a 785 that has camera and traffic features, but neither has "lifetime maps" mentioned on the Garmin web site so there may be costs to keeping them going down the road. The 770LMTS I have is still available on the site and might be a good bet, but no camera and no traffic capability.

@Bookjunkie I just thought of something else to add to the advice I posted above: when making your choice don't be swayed by boasts of wi-fi updating capability in a GPS.

You might imagine that it would be great to have the device update itself wherever you have wi-fi. I believe I've seen a Garmin advertisement suggesting that you can do an update while driving down the road.

The reality is that updates of software and (especially) maps on these things are HUGE files that take forever plus a day to download on wi-fi, even decent wi-fi. Further, if the wi-fi you use is on a cellular plan a single update could not only take all night but wipe out your monthly data allocation too.

So if you see "wi-fi updates" among the features of something you're looking at, just laugh at it.

[TheLexx]

We have the Garmin RV 770. It's been great for us. We don't use it for anything other than as a GPS that routes RV's safely. I have the red light camera database installed on it and it does a pretty good job of warning when there's a red light camera up ahead. It also tells me when I'm on a road with weight restrictions or other issues. I don't use it to find restaurants, gas stations or anything else. I use my cell phone for that.

What we do each day is to plan out our trip for the day. We make note of all the places we may want to stop at. Then we just enter the addresses into the GPS.

Typically I'll have both the Garmin and my truck's SatNav running at the same time. I have the Garmin zoomed in and the truck SatNav zoomed out. That way I have a good idea of where we are and where we're headed.

The other thing I like about the Garmin is it displays the local speed limit prominently. It warns me of a speed limit change. Also the moment we enter Canada, the speed reading changes to Km/hr.

I also have the trucker's atlas as a backup. But I've never had to use it.

[SteveTN]

We do the same with the 660, only used for navigation. Use the phone for the other stuff.

[jboleske]

I've seen the Copilot phone app recommended by a few people but have yet to use it myself. They're one of the original GPS directions companies.

Hey Reviewcart

Have you tried the Copilot app yet? Anyone else weigh in? I really don’t want to buy another device. I have a 2021 Ram with U Connect. Would like to take advantage of the truck’s built in capabilities

Thanks.


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[Wicked ace]

Hey Reviewcart

Have you tried the Copilot app yet? Anyone else weigh in? I really don’t want to buy another device. I have a 2021 Ram with U Connect. Would like to take advantage of the truck’s built in capabilities

Thanks.


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Because I've been there, done that. You might find the Nav feature of your truck to be disappointing as the maps are lacking functionality and outdated by the time they are installed. Updates to the maps are expensive and again outdated. The best and most comprehensive mapping/ directions I have found and use are Google maps which are constantly updated. With Android Auto / Apple Carplay that Uconnect supports, you could put the map on your phone also on the dash display. If you want a phone app that would give RV friendly directions try Sygic Truck Nav. It uses Google maps to give big rig specific directions to avoid things like low bridges and side streets.
Another note is the GPS on your phone should function independent of the map app. Boyscout was spot on in his explanation. So if you go into a place where cell data isn't reliable or available you can download directions and still have GPS track your progress.

[MooManChu]

Hey Reviewcart

Have you tried the Copilot app yet? Anyone else weigh in? I really don’t want to buy another device. I have a 2021 Ram with U Connect. Would like to take advantage of the truck’s built in capabilities

Thanks.


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Just to chime in I did quite a bit of trial and error with the GPS for our RV travel.

All things said here are spot on. Vehicle nav systems are convenient but slow and not updated often. We’ve had to deal with low bridges on on mapped routes with our new toy hauler. Real pain to have to last minute reroute..or worse.

We first bought a Garmin 785 RV specific nav unit. It was top-of-the line at the time.

Had all the features including obstacle avoidance (low bridge, road hazards, heights warnings/routing). You essentially input your RV and tow vehicle dimensions and it will route you away from low bridges, narrow roads, traffic and supposedly tight turns and dead ends.

Problem was, It worked slower than my free phone GPS.

What I found was these units are essentially older Android tablets running even older android operating systems. Like more than 2-3 years behind. Also the database for low clearance did not have most of the train trestles near my home. For $700, that’s not acceptable to me. I work in technology and I can’t justify that kind of money for what is essentially a 5 year old android tablet. Lifetime maps or not. So sent it back and did more research. I ended up buying a cheap $125 Samsung android tablet that would be dedicated only to be my RV GPS unit and a Co-Pilot subscription. It works flawlessly. I also like that I can upload your points of interest. Their low clearance database also was spotty. That said I also bought a lifetime subscription to lowclearances.com. With that I can download their database and load it into Copilot as points of interest in the app. Most of the GPS apps do not have adequate coverage for low bridges. I found that to be true as neither copilot nor Garmin had the train trestles on my work commute when I tried them out.

So basically I spent $125 for the tablet. It connects to my truck system like a phone. I can upgrade that in a few years and not have to buy an entire gps package rather I spend $30 on an annual subscription for CoPilot that I can put on my tablet and all our phones, and $75 for the lifetime low clearance subscription (US and Canada).


All said you should be able to use your smart phone connected to the UConnect system and use either Copilot or any one of the apps out there. I have the Ford system and it will announce your turns and warnings over the sound system when my tablet is connected. Someone can chime in in how well Uconnect is integrated with phones. Also the POI upload feature is only available on the Android version of Copilot.


Hope that helps.


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[Wicked ace]

All said you should be able to use your smart phone connected to the UConnect system and use either Copilot or any one of the apps out there. I have the Ford system and it will announce your turns and warnings over the sound system when my tablet is connected. Someone can chime in in how well Uconnect is integrated with phones. Also the POI upload feature is only available on the Android version of Copilot

To your last point that I quoted: As a comparison the Uconnect 8.4a interface in my 2019 Grand Cherokee is miles ahead of the SYNC 3.3 that I installed in my F150 TV. I found and installed an 8" screen rather than the 4" it came with and an APIM to support it. In the Jeep Uconnect Android Auto works seamlessly yet in Ford's Sync it is far from smooth locking up and/dropping out especially if I use the screen to access other vehicle functions. I haven't tried to update the Sync system but understand ver. 3.4 addresses these issues. Of course new 2021 models have the latest firmware version Sync 4.

[MooManChu]

To your last point that I quoted: As a comparison the Uconnect 8.4a interface in my 2019 Grand Cherokee is miles ahead of the SYNC 3.3 that I installed in my F150 TV. I found and installed an 8" screen rather than the 4" it came with and an APIM to support it. In the Jeep Uconnect Android Auto works seamlessly yet in Ford's Sync it is far from smooth locking up and/dropping out especially if I use the screen to access other vehicle functions. I haven't tried to update the Sync system but understand ver. 3.4 addresses these issues. Of course new 2021 models have the latest firmware version Sync 4.

It’s a game of cat and mouse. When I was in the market for a truck (2016), all the forum posts were screaming about how poor the first few iterations UConnect was buggy and Sync was better. Sync in my 17 F350 is. Ok. My 15’ Edge Sync is now almost unusable.

Eventually all the systems in the vehicle regardless of brand stop receiving updates even though we keep upgrading the “things” we connect to those systems. I guess it it to incentivize us to trade in sooner.

Separate GPS was the answer for us. I’d rather upgrade my tablet than buy a new truck every 4 years, but that’s just me.


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[MoonShadow_1911]

Okay, I'll chime in on this. In order to evaluate several phone GPS apps specifically for RV or big rig, we tried the two that I narrowed things down to.

The RV Life app with RV Trip Wizard and Sygic Truck app, both for Android.

The reason I chose to evaluate both of them is they both supposedly take your rig height into consideration. Both are subscription based apps. RV Life is $50.00/year and Sygic Truck is $100.00/year for the 18 wheeler subscription. They do have an RV subscription and is $70.00/ year, but, according to someone in this forum (I don't remember who) it's not as refined. Here is what I found:



RV Life app using Trip Wizard:

First, you get access to a whole host of applications and websites with the membership.

The Trip Wizard interface is clunky and cumbersome to plan a trip on a phone. It was much easier to do a desktop or tablet, and internet access is required. However, if you know your destinations, you can enter everything in beforehand. It shows a nice, overall, map of your route when you first open the trip in the app.

You do have the option of downloading all the states in your planned for, for offline navigation, which is really nice. (Truth be told, I downloaded every state and Canadian territory so I would have to do it again, unless there is an update to the maps of a state.) Then, it gives you the option of RV safe directions or regular directions. If you choose RV safe directions, you stay within the app, if you choose regular directions, it will either launch your default mapping app, such as Google Maps on Android, or Apple maps on iOS. (Unless you have a different mapping app as a default.) I have to warn y'all that Google Maps shows a much faster ETA than RV Life, due to the fact it used regular car speeds instead of a programmed average speed (both apps have a setting for top average speed; I have mine set to 70 MPH). The other thing that Google Maps and Apple Maps does not take into account is bridge height. Which could mean that you are replacing a lot on your roof if you scrape it off on a low bridge or overpass.

The voice navigation could use improvement. For example, if you are routing on US Highway 550, it says it in a very mechanical voice, "US highway five hundred fifty." If you are routing on a state highway, say NM-60, it will say (in the same mechanical voice), "N M minus sixty." Wait, what? What is N M minus 60??? It took me looking (okay glancing) at the screen to decipher that one). At first, it was a source of amusement between my wife and I, then just became annoying.

The routing was good and I didn't have any issues with it, it does a good job of calculating travel time and actual arrival time.

The presentation of the map directions screen is good, I like that it shows turn lanes as you approach them. (Kinda hard to explain here and I don't have a screenshot of it.)

Verdict on RV Life with Trip Wizard: 7 out of 10. Would be my absolutely go to app due to all the extra you get with the RV Life subscription, except the voice navigation could be better and using the Trip Wizard planning piece was easier to use on a phone



Sygic Truck app:

Is expensive and, the subscription that someone on this forum recommends is really for 18 wheelers, but you definitely know that it will only route you when you can fit. A good example of this is here in New Mexico, up north, Google maps can route you over a small dam. (Ask me how I know this!) It's a tight fit as it is only 9' wide, and has two, sharp, 90° turns, one at the beginning of the dam, and one at the end. For my, much smaller, hybrid camper and shorter F-150, it wasn't so bad, I would have been in a world of hurt if I was in my current rig because I would not have been able to make the sharp 90° turns, and would have had to back up almost half a mile to a point where I could turn around.

You can plan your route directly within the app by looking up addresses, and in some cases business names, and setting them as your destination. I didn't try a multi-waypoint route just a point-to-point route.

The problem here is you have to know your destination address. Finding campgrounds was a no go, but finding RV parks was good.

The map is not quite on par with Google Maps in presentation while driving but still very usable. It does give speed and time remaining (both of which you can customize to see other data points). The voice navigation was much better than the RV Life app, pronouncing most roads and correctly, and without the "minus" nomenclature. It was clear and more natural sounding as well.

It also includes offline maps which you have to download as well.

Verdict on the Sygic Truck app: 8 out of 10. The fact that you need to know the address of your destination is what brought this one down a little. Overall, the app was solid.



Final thoughts:

When we go full-time, I will probably use the RV Life app, even with the issues I have with the voice navigation. You do get a lot more with the subscription than you do with the Sygic Truck subscription, but with Sygic Truck, you do get the more polished voice navigation.

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