Another thumbs up for Garmin!

[robD]

Well... My refurbed SPIII from gps warehouse went tits up

I'm not sure it ever worked properly....

It froze.....
It forgot where it was.... <- Not good for a gps!
It shutdown randomly....

At the time of the problem, gpsw didn't have any more to swap it out for. I rang Garmin, OK so I was on hold for a while, but they really do know about the products that they sell/have sold. I was taken through a detailed reset procedure, but all to no avail - it was knackered, kaput.

They gave me an RMA number to return it, I sent it back.

Six days later, minus two days travelling there and back, and minus two days for the weekend, I received a brand spanking new unit. (Total time @ Garmin > 2 days)

***Thankyou Garmin!***

There's alot of computer hardware companies I wish were as handy at sorting out their products.

Having now got a properly functioning SPIII (!) I can only think of two real drawbacks with the gps.

1. Pricey proprietory memory cards (a function of it's vintage really...)
2. Route recalc is a bit on the slow side in congested urban areas.

For £150 with all the bits necessary to fit it to my Dakar, an unqualified bargain

-Rob

 

[chasr]

Turn off the auto-recalculation.
Do a search on e-bay for garmin memory cards.

 

[robD]

Turn off the auto-recalculation.
Do a search on e-bay for garmin memory cards.

Done, and done.

256mb card 39.50 from Germany - Still much more pricey than all the compactflash cards I've got lying around here....

 

[shedracer]

Done, and done.

256mb card 39.50 from Germany - Still much more pricey than all the compactflash cards I've got lying around here....

robD, hope you don`t mind me asking, where in Germany did you get the 256mb card from (what web site)?

 

[robD]

robD, hope you don`t mind me asking, where in Germany did you get the 256mb card from (what web site)?

ebay strikes again!

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/GPS-Network-Memory-Accessories

It's a generic card, but so far, with the replacement SPIII it's working well

-Rob

 

[Nick Marshall]

credit

where credit due. Just recieved a brand new i3 after i had a small problem with the battery cover anyone had this level of service with tomtom?

 

[shedracer]

Brother and I can vouch for their customer service. We were having problems with aftermarket external Ariel for our 276c`s. We went down to Romsey, so they could take a look at it, as it turned out the 276c needs a specific voltage antenna, so the ones we had would not work properly. The great guys at Garmin, gave us 2 Garmin ex-demo external antennas FOC. They work perfectly.

That's what you call customer service.

 

[HMR]

Turn off the auto-recalculation.
Do a search on e-bay for garmin memory cards.

Auto-recalculation should always be turned off on all units, not only on the SP3!

If you want to recalculate you can initiate that by pressing a button twice so it's not a limitation in any way. It's just an issue of who decides when a recalculation is needed. You or a stupid computer?

 

[PanEuropean]

Auto-recalculation should always be turned off on all units, not only on the SP3!

Geez, I'm getting a bit tired of reading pompous proclamations that have no basis in fact.

If you have a SP III, it is to your advantage to turn auto-recalculation off because the SP III can take quite a while to recalculate a route if you are using contemporary (v6, 7, or 8) cartography. Plus, it's pretty easy to manually invoke a recalculation on a SP III, due to the way the user interface (UI) is set up.

However, if you are using a more up to date GPSR such as a 376, 26xx, 27xx or 28xx, or a Quest or similar, recalculation is very fast. On the latest model GPSRs, such as the 27xx, 7xxx and newer, recalculation of a complex route in dense urban conditions is virtually instantaneous. You can make a sudden turn off the existing roadway, and before you have accelerated up to normal riding speed on the road you just turned onto, the GPSR will be displaying a new, recalculated route to your destination. This is a heck of a valuable feature - if you divert off your route by accident (confusion), or intentionally (because you see a traffic jam or accident ahead), the GPSR has a fresh set of instructions available for you in less than 2 or 3 seconds.

For Pete's sake, HMR, don't make bumptious statements unless you know what you are talking about.

Michael

 

[Deleted account 220427002]

That's him told

 

[Fanum]

Auto-recalculation should always be turned off on all units, not only on the SP3!

Arse!!!!

I agree with Michael.....I use my Quest every day to find three to five different locations anywhere in the S/E....by car or bike, in normal working hours, and around country roads, inner London, suburbs and everything inbetween.

I leave my autorecalc on, and it works very well......I don't like doing 'u' turns so I've got that off (comes from seeing too many w@nkers pulling hueys across a main road I guess..what a crock off poo, just drive round the block and chill out FFS!!!!)


Betty's plenty quick enough to keep up, and although I overule her and follow my nose, she guides me in nicely.......and that's what she is to me, a guide.....

If you're 'pushing buttons twice' and fussing around what she does, you're being ruled by her...you're not using your brain......let her jabber away, but 'use' her rather than 'following' her......

PS 81k miles on my first Quest, 45k miles on my second.......get half way to that then you can presume to say things like

Auto-recalculation should always be turned off on all units, not only on the SP3!

PPS I'd agree with you on having it turned off on an SPIII......purely because Betty Mk1 was sooo slow in her recalks......I regularly had to pull over and have a fag while she decided what we were going to do if I had it turned on

 

[Deleted account 220427002]

That's him told again

 

[fcasado]

If you only want to get to a destination - Auto recalculation ON

If you have spent your time creating a route on the mapsource and want to navigate said route - Auto recalculation OFF

Is it difficult? Can't really understand all the fuss about it...