jthorpe

OK,

So now that I'm out of school and about to go on the road, I need a GPS unit for my patrol car. Espeically since I'm going to be learning a new county. I was looking at the Lowrance Iway 350C, the Iway 500C and the Garmin Nuvi650. All of these seem to be pretty nice but I'm not sure which one I want. I need something where I can type in an address quickly from where I'm at, and get immediate directions. I'm not going to have time to sit there and select letters of the alphabet one by one. I'm not sure which one of these will put up an on screen keyboard but that's the only way to go.

Anyone have any experience with these units? I need to be spending about $500.00 or less. Thanks folks. Preciate it!

rustyshakelford

youll dont have mdt's up there?

brett

jthorpe

yeah we do, but i don't get one until FTO is over.

TonyB

Over the years I've found garmin to be the easiest models to use.

http://www.gpscity.com/ usually has the best prices on GPS and accessories.

HTH

Tony

CalDodge

If you have a laptop, Delorme has software and a GPS unit for under $70.
http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELi...?section=10091

dssimecek

I have used ALK technology's laptop software for years. It works great on a laptop, cell phone or handheld pc. http://www.alk.com/
I also have a Magellen roadmate. Works well but have to type in the address on a touch screen keyboard. It can be awkward at times. The unit out there now all work well, look them over and find the one that fits your needs.
The GPS store website also has a lot of information on GPS.
If there is a big sporting goods store or eletronics store close by, go in and look at the different units.

tmleadr03

I have been using Garmin Mobile 10 for about 5 months now and love it. Its very user friendly. It has to be mated to a Pocket PC or a Laptop though, its not stand alone. With a laptop it should be quick to type in address, with the PPC it is a bit longer but not to bad. With a Bluetooth keyboard it would go faster.

herb

i started with a Tom Tom (junk) moved to the Garmin and love it.

Hondo

I use Delorme Software on my laptop and have a RAM laptop mount in my truck. It is a little bulky, but it is very detailed. I have the plus version and can look up phone numbers as well as millions of Points of Interest, like resturants, hotels etc. I think that might serve more purposes than a dedicated gps unit.

Hondo

Boz007

ptgarcia has the iway 500c and likes it alot. I plan on getting that one or the 600c when i get the funds. The thing i like about them is the screen is pretty big so being able to see the map wont be an issue.

jthorpe

Thanks for the information, guys. I went ahead and purchased the Garmin Nuvi 650. I don't need the FM transmitter or anything like that, so it should be good. Big enough to see, small enough for my patrol car and seems that you can easily enter addresses, which I need.

I also like the Delorme product, but I can't have my laptop in the car for now so I had to go with something else. Thanks again for the feedback everyone.

PaulDaisy

I would like to second the Delorme, even if for personal use. The software is really weird, the controls are nothing like you have ever seen before and I hate them, but once it is working it is simple and accurate. I usually use its Palm counterpart but the PC screen is so much better.
-P

CalDodge

I also have the the Microsoft Streets and Trips. But it's a little pricey at about $130, the Microsoft version seems real easy to use, and I like the night vision of the maps real easy on the eyes.