Inexpensive GPS

[Paul W. Abernathy]

I like my NavOne from Cobra....large 5.5" screen and it can go from the work van to the personal car and so on....and is loaded with features....

Ever since I got that speeding ticket...I set the speed alert option in it so it says " Speed Limit Warning" when I go over 25...lol......everything helps when I am in that freakin Maxima...

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

I guess I'm missing out on something. Each night when my scheduling service emails me my workorders, I pull the address up on Yahoo "maps" and simply write down the street instructions. Takes about 7 minutes for 3 workorders.

[wforsyth]

That is what I have been doing. Works fine for me. Just print out the instruction page.

[dchew]

The GPS does save me time getting ready for the inspection the next day. However, the final straw that got me to buy a GPS was when I got a call from a agent that uses me quite often. She had a immediate need for someone to drop by a house that her client was thinking of buying and was sitting on the fence trying to decide. There was a listing inspection that was done by someone else and the report wasn't making any sense to the client or the agent.

I was in the middle of nowhere at the time and trying to find my way to an house out in the boonies was problem enough. I got lucky and managed to get there to do a quick look at the house and the report.

With a GPS, everything would have been much easier to do. But, in the end, use the approach that suits you.

[biczkowski]

I use my Dell Axim. The GPS upgrade was about $150 or so and works great. It has the standard features others do: voice, automatic route recalculation is you miss a turn, est driving time, ETA, etc...

It has got me out of many traffic jams. Also, alot of times with printing off maps or travelling by atlas, you can't foresee construction - then you have to pull off and figure out the best way around. GPS does all that for you. So, in my opinion it is a very good investment.

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

Originally Posted by biczkowski

I use my Dell Axim. The GPS upgrade was about $150 or so and works great. It has the standard features others do: voice, automatic route recalculation is you miss a turn, est driving time, ETA, etc...

It has got me out of many traffic jams. Also, alot of times with printing off maps or travelling by atlas, you can't foresee construction - then you have to pull off and figure out the best way around. GPS does all that for you. So, in my opinion it is a very good investment.

What model Axim is it you have

What upgrade did you get Microsoft?

How hard was it to install .

do you have extra speakers for your dell or can you hear it while driving.

Do you have in car charger or does it work long from internal battery.

Is this the way you would go if doing it again

All info appreciated by many I guess
Roy Cooke

[mashburn]

Brian, I have the same, It works great.
Roy, I have the Dell Axim x51v, they send the software and receiver, the volume is pretty good, it comes with an a/c adapter kit that lets you charge the axim battery while in transit. Installation was simple, put a cd into labtop, it transfers to axim, and away you go. I paid about $162.00 for the GPS package, and I think you may have to have the dell axim to run software, not 100% on that.
Michael J. Ashburn

[Vern Mitchinson]

I have MS street and roads 2006.
Yesterday I had an inspection of a one year old house, end of warranty inspection, but the streets were not in the data base.
How and when does MS update the data.
Works great on older locations.

[Joe Lyvers, CMI]

I purchased this Garmin GPS software for use with my HP Pocket PC and Laptop for $209. I already owned the Pocket PC and the Laptop. No need to pay for another monitor device. Great system for use on both devices.

http://www.tigergps.com/gagps10de.html

[bdoles2]

Originally Posted by gbeaumont

Hi to all,

I'm with Dwight, I would be (and often am) lost without my GPS, I use Microsift streets and trips running on an older laptop in the car, I don't think I would get along with those real small screens that the Garmins and Tom Toms have.

The Streets and trips costs around $100 including the GPS reciever.

Regards

Gerry

I use Streets & Trips 2006 also. By far the best out there. It has paid for itself several times!

[Doug Edwards]

Like Joe Lyvers I went with a package that works with my PDA. Uses TomTom software which is upgradable for free whenever it becomes available. If you can get the "Spouse package". It says things like..."You were suppose to turn left back there!" "Ask this gang of guys on the corner where the on ramp for the expressway is" or my personal favorite..." I think we're lost" All joking aside. It works very well except whenever there is real new properties but then I use Google Map. It gives detailed directions along with a printable map and is free.
We (four inspectors) used mine to navigate to the convention last year and it took us right to the front door of the hotel. Unlike the MS maps and streets which is a piece of FOD!

[rwand1]

I just purchased Microsoft Streets and Trips 06 with GPS. I was running it on my Tablet PC in the car. Pretty amazing.

I also bought a Nextar from Cdn. Tire, it has less features software wise compared to Micrsoft Streets, but it has a bigger screen.

[Rick Oskirko]

Streets and Trips is not detailed for outside of major city use. You will get lost in the sticks!
Mapopolis is the "grandfather" of all the handheld GPS street-based software (www.mapopolis.com). Best of all, it's free to try. The maps are also free (on a time limited basis). The cost of buying maps across every square inch of North America is dirt cheap. Best of all, it works extremely well on both Microsoft and Palm based hand-helds.
If you want to go to a laptop software package, try Teletype (which also has handheld versions - www.Teletype.com). Again, country roads are well detailed.

[David Nice]

Originally Posted by rwand1

I just purchased Microsoft Streets and Trips 06 with GPS. I was running it on my Tablet PC in the car. Pretty amazing.

I also bought a Nextar from Cdn. Tire, it has less features software wise compared to Micrsoft Streets, but it has a bigger screen.

I did the same but I still print things out just in case there is a satelite problem or the system goes blewy.

As far as places in the sticks go, I still get directions and input those locations by hand on my desktop and transfer the file to my tablet via my wireless network.

I'm not looking so much to save time as I like to take a nap while on long trips and let the voice prompts wake me when it's time to turn off the highway.

[wforsyth]

*cough*