Explain a GPS to me please

[gritsar]

I mean, I know how they work, but is there a subscription to a service you have to get after the initial purchase of the GPS?

I have given up on finding DH a extremely large Harley bar and shield for Christmas, so I was thinking about getting him a GPS unit instead. He's always wanted one, though Lord knows why. We never go anywhere to use one and he knows the streets he patrols like the back of his hand. I think he wants one because all the other boys have one.

Anyhow, we are trying to cut back on expenses as we make plans for his retirement. I'm not going to get him a GPS if it means subscribing to a service and having another bill each month.

Also, what would be a good one to get?

 

[texasgal]

We bought a Garmin handheld that came with a mapping CD .. no service. But, just like anything else, the maps are now obsolete in some areas .. so I would have to pay to download current mapping, if I wanted.

I'm sure you can buy them and subscribe to a service ... or not.

Google google google .. there are MANY different kinds..

~tg

 

[redhen]

No.. you usually dont have to subscribe to a service with a GPS unit. (just double check before you buy it though)
Good gift!

 

[Julie08]

I also have a garmin, the wide screen one much easier to see then the regular. You dont have to have a service but yes the maps do get obsolete, however, if you register your GPS then the downloads for updates are free.

Great gift idea.

 

[gritsar]

Thanks y'all. He'll be getting that, a boombox for his workshop and a collection of music CDs he's been wanting.

 

[mom'sfolly]

We have many GPSs here at home. Ones on watches for the running dh, handhelds for the geocachers and a portable one for dh's car. My car has one installed. Most come with a set of maps, and maps can be updated for a fee. I haven't updated the one for my car, but I probably will soon. I live in an area with lots of growth, and it is hard to keep up. I think the geocaching maps are easily updated, and don't really cost anything. Dh's car GPS has newer maps than mine, so sometimes we will take it in my car if we are going somewhere unfamilar.

 

[mandelyn]

It's free to use it. The catch is 4 years down the road when you need to update the maps. The one installed on our car will be $400 to update.

When you get a GPS, the worse thing you can do is roadtrip without an atlas! Always have a backup. I got a phonecall this last weekend from my inlaws who were lost in the mountains of West Virginia. There was a glitch, the satellite was having issues transmitting, and they didn't know where they were. LOL

Did you hear about the people who got stranded by their gps by winter conditions on the same road 3 SEPARATE times?

It's a handy tool and a great gift, just don't rely on it's every word. I had never had one before, but it came with the car we bought right into the dashboard, so I figured, I'll try it. I found myself talking back and arguing with the all-knowing lady talking through the speakers. I muted her half way across Maryland when she kept going on about a U turn for 20 miles when I was on a highway she didn't know about. Haven't listened to her since, kept her muted and use the map only. Follow the green line in peace and quiet until it does something that doesn't look right.

Like when we were leaving the smoky mountains, and were turning left onto a divided highway. She said to turn right, go down a ways, do a u turn. Guess she didn't see the opening in the wall for a left turn? Would have wasted 5 miles if I listened to her.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Okay, every post I have read is both correct and incorrect. THere ARE gps untis that require a subscription. Many, such as garmin, which is the leading gps manufacturer, do not. If you get a cell phone app, such as Verizon's Navigator, it requires a subscription. Depending on the manufacturer, the maps are updated periodically (Garmin does theirs yearly). You may or may not have free updates. Usually you must purchase them, although it is possible to purchase a lifetime free update; not sure if that works for any unit, or only a specific one.

Garmin makes gps units specifically for motorcycles; I assume, but do not know, that other manufactureers do also. Make sure you try out the units to see how ergonomic they are (and are not) before purchase.

 

[gritsar]

Thanks for the input. I'm looking at the Garmin with the 5" screen for him.

Finally a gift he doesn't have to worry about me borrowing. I love maps.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
Me too I love maps!!! Always have!

I have the GPS that came on my phone (blackberry) and it's quite funny to me when I drive into an area of recent construction that is totally NOT on the map on the screen.....it's like taking a trip to the great unknown! haha

Mostly for me, delivering pizza, I find it useful to snag a birdseye view of the neighborhood I'm in if say the side street that I need requires turning onto another street first to get there.
Generally I have all the main roads memorized, but sometimes you can get lost in those itty bitty neighborhood roads if you don't live there. Also sometimes on roadtrips it's nice to get a "where am I" view, just in case the "highway 29" you were supposed to be on suddenly turned into "main street" and you need to know if you should stick with it through town or try to get back to the highway.