Just Bought a Nuvi 660

[campdaddy]

Just bought a Nuvi 660. Bought it for the Navigation it provides but then I discovered just how cool the mp3 player and bluetooth features are. I have ordered a bluetooth enable cell phone and it looks like I'll need to buy a 16gb SD memory card to get all (or most) of my music on it. The cool part is that I have it setup to broadcast to an unused FM channel on my radio to play music. Although I'm going to wire it to the stereo real soon. Then when ever it give a voice command to turn or something, it interrupts the music and gives the direction then returns to the music. I've not used the bluetooth enabled cell-phone connection yet, but I understand it works very much the same way.  I'll still use my Rino-110 for geocaching, but the 660 is still pretty cool. One of the things I

[dthurk]

We recently bought the Nuvi 200 barebones model ourselves.  It does everything we want in a navigating unit.  We've got XM satellite radio, so have no need for mp3 capacity in a GPS.  We've got the Magellan eXplorist 500 for GeoCaching.  For $250, the 200 is a respectible unit.

[OC Campers]

We got the 650 for Christmas from my mom and dad.  My dh is severly handicapped when it comes to directions.   We haven't used anything on it but the navigation but dh already took it to Phoenix with him last week and he didn't get lost once.:p .  
 
Jacqui

[tlhdoc]

A friend of mine has a Nuvi and I agree about the tone of voice you get when she has to recalculate.  She gets really ticked off.

[oreo57]

Have to agree on the voice, we just got a 360w. Our cell phones are bluetooth so I have a BT headset and use an Ipod for music.

[campdaddy]

I've been playing with my NUVI for a couple of weeks now and have discovered a few important things about it. I originally set the vehicle type to "truck" thinking that this most closely emulates towing a camper. This however is not the case! We have a campgrounds near here -Morgans- that we camp at a couple of times a year that is along the Little Miami River. There are a few different routes to get there with one -SR350 near Fort Ancient- being virtually impassable while towing because of the steep grade and sharp curves. :yikes: There are even signs before entering this part of the road warning trucks not enter because of the steep grades and sharp curves.  I finally found that if I changed the vehicle type in the NUVI to "buss" that, while it still doesn't take me the best route, it will take me on a route that avoids this impassable road. I think this is important because if a person did not know this area and just followed the NUVI - and missed or ignored the warning signs- they could wind up in big big trouble. I've driven this part of SR350 without towing the camper and I guarantee that if your TV capabilities to camper weight/size is marginal, you'll be in for a pucker producing trip!!!:eyecrazy:

I just thought this might be important information for those of you are using your NUVI as a navigation aid for your towing. I am going to e-mail Garmin now and tell them about his and recommend that they should in a future software upgrade offer a "Towing Trailer" option for vehicle type. this could actually be a selling point; and I would encourage each of you with NUVI's to do the same. After all - I bought the thing to aid me in making my trip as pleasant as possible, not to raise my heart rate!!!!!
Yikes

[campdaddy]

well, I just received a reply from Garmin about this and it was the typical form e-letter reply telling me that when in truck mode it does not route you around low clearances (who said anything about clearances?) and that if there is only one route to your desired destination it will take you that route regardless if trucks are allowed or not. I don't think they really understood what I was trying to convey to them because there are multiple routes in this test case I am concerned with. Going by the NUVI it chose the WORST of the 4 routes available! So I am replying with clarification of my concerns and asking for more details on why it seems to route one way for a bus but a different route for a truck. I want to know if whatever criteria or algorithms they use for those vehicles could also be modified for towing. The fact that it plotted a route that is virtually impassable when towing does not give me a warm and fuzzy about following this this thing in areas I'm not familiar with.

Mod, I just realized that this topic is really not strictly goecaching related and you may want to move it to Product Reviews.

[haroldPE]

i have been wondering what the differences would be between truck, bus and car mode.  guess it may be best to leave it where it is.  bus may be an option, too.  

anyway, the only thing worse than the aggravating 'recalculating' voice is when you turn on the 'allow u-turn' mode.  that is scary.

[tlhdoc]

Keep us updated on the replies.  I haven't purchased a navigation system yet, but when I do I want a company that tries to do its best at providing a competent product.

[campdaddy]

Keep us updated on the replies........

Well, I just received another reply from  Garmin and they said that there is no difference between the Truck and Bus mode!?!?! So I've written them back and asked why, then have a bus mode and a truck mode if there is no difference? Also, if there is no difference, then why am I seeing a different route suggestion when I use the different modes? I'm thinking I haven't got far enough up the food chain yet to be communicating with someone who actually has knowledge of how this thing works.

[Shepherd]

Just got the Nuvi 760 to go with our new pop up and have loved it while just riding around locally.  Haven't towed with it yet.  Was wondering when you say you've switched the vehicle from truck to bus, is that switching the type of vehicle under the "Map" menu choice which changes the type of vehicle picture?

Tools>Settings>Map>vehicle?

Or is it in another of the settings?  It would be a nice feature if it understood what your actual vehicle was when setting the route.

Tools>Setting>System>Usage Mode only gives me choices for automobile, bicycle, or pedestrian.