I just bought a refurbished Garmin RV890 for an upcoming 4500 mile trip. I tried it out on a short trip and compared it to using the route provided by my iPhone and Apple CarPlay. The major difference on a short 90 mile trip is Garmin seems to take a hint whereas the Apple Maps won't. Both provided the same route to my destination, but the Garmin adjusted almost instantly when I deviated from the route to avoid a chronically congested intersection (neither warned me of congestion, but I know not to go that way). The Garmin almost instantly adjusted by changing the route to the one that I was taking while Apple kept insisting that I make U-turns to return to the original route.
Basecamp has proved a little quirky with things like you have to show no propane cylinders onboard in order to transfer your trip from Basecamp to the RV890. There is also a 30 point limit on any trip on the RV890. Garmin Customer Service has been very helpful in working around the quirks and even discussing something about their future.
They said that Garmin is going to transition away from Basecamp in its present form probably in favor of an online system. No idea when, just that they are planning changes. Also, they recommended planning trips using only the GPS unit instead of Basecamp. Having tried both, I think that was good advice for me as a new user. It's easier to work with a computer screen, but using just the GPS unit lets me avoid the Basecamp quirks in communicating with the unit.
A lot about the RV890 and Basecamp doesn't seem to be particularly intuitive or user-friendly. For example, when planning a route and you want to find fuel, the device defaults to your current location and not to the point on your route where you need a fuel stop. There is probably a shorter way, but I have to zoom into the area with the map to search for fuel.
Hopefully, I'll have it all figured out by the end of the trip - or it will be in the glovebox and I'm back to using my highway maps.
Basecamp has proved a little quirky with things like you have to show no propane cylinders onboard in order to transfer your trip from Basecamp to the RV890. There is also a 30 point limit on any trip on the RV890. Garmin Customer Service has been very helpful in working around the quirks and even discussing something about their future.
They said that Garmin is going to transition away from Basecamp in its present form probably in favor of an online system. No idea when, just that they are planning changes. Also, they recommended planning trips using only the GPS unit instead of Basecamp. Having tried both, I think that was good advice for me as a new user. It's easier to work with a computer screen, but using just the GPS unit lets me avoid the Basecamp quirks in communicating with the unit.
A lot about the RV890 and Basecamp doesn't seem to be particularly intuitive or user-friendly. For example, when planning a route and you want to find fuel, the device defaults to your current location and not to the point on your route where you need a fuel stop. There is probably a shorter way, but I have to zoom into the area with the map to search for fuel.
Hopefully, I'll have it all figured out by the end of the trip - or it will be in the glovebox and I'm back to using my highway maps.
Comment