Do people still use non phone GPS machines?

[123Saab]

Originally Posted By: thescreensavers
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Try to drive around the great smokey mountains with a phone based GPS. There are hundreds of square miles with no cell towers at all. You will have zero maps the entire time, and a functionally useless GPS. The old fashioned GPS will work fine. I have a prepared mindset, so I keep a spare in the glove box at all times. its a backup to the car GPS, which is a backup to the phone GPS.


When was the last time you drove with a phone? Back when I had my DroidX in 2010 I used google maps in Colorado going into the mountains, it would continue to function but, would not reroute.

Now within the last few years you can download offline maps of areas you'll be so it will reroute you. Obviously if you do not have cell reception it will not know traffic details but will still work just fine.



Pretty much how it works.

 

[01rangerxl]

I have an old TomTom in my '02 Ranger, but haven't used it in a while. The last time I used it was driving to a rural part of SC for the solar eclipse last year. My phone had signal, but Google maps was being extremely aggravating and the old TomTom was actually better.

 

[OneEyeJack]

I've tried the Garmin and my Pixel smartphone for in route directions. I'm keeping the Garmin.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

Hikers use them.

 

[mx5miata]

My Garmin literally went out my cars window years ago. I have unlimited data for $50 bucks per month taxes fees included besides most carriers done away with data overages they just throttle your speed. With that being said mobile phones are better than ever and maps can always be pre-downloaded the same way that you would save maps on a dedicated GPS. So chuck the old junk.

 

[deven]

Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Try to drive around the great smokey mountains with a phone based GPS. There are hundreds of square miles with no cell towers at all. You will have zero maps the entire time, and a functionally useless GPS. The old fashioned GPS will work fine. I have a prepared mindset, so I keep a spare in the glove box at all times. its a backup to the car GPS, which is a backup to the phone GPS.

Driven many times thru the great smokey mountains with my phone GPS and never ever lost signal.

 

[Stevie]

Don't get phone reception riding the Twisted Sisters roads in the middle of nowhere in Texas so use the Garmin. We pay for data, so we use in wife's car and my Mercedes. My Garmin has free map updates. The Mercedes charges me $100 to update so I only do that every other year.

 

[linkbelt]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
I've tried the Garmin and my Pixel smartphone for in route directions. I'm keeping the Garmin.


I am also keeping my Garmin!!

 

[EA82]

I still use my tom tom every day doing HVAC, it has a big screen, doesn't use internet and doesn't occupy my phone.

 

[tom slick]

I use an auto steer system on a tractor on occasion. It’s RTK and sub-inch accuracy. Pretty amazing.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

Absolutely. I have more than 1000 fishing waypoints of underwater (non-visible) structure on my 10-year old Garmin. And 1:50,000 maps installed of the entire Province (roughly the size of Texas) and 1:250,000 maps of the nation. I could sell it, even today, for real money, as the waypoints are super valuable themselves. But no dice.

Yes, I also have an iPhone. The GPS never is left behind, the phone ... there for emergency calls but sealed up in a dry case packed away in the boat otherwise.

 

[blupupher]

For local/short trips, I use Waze on my phone, but for long trips, I like using my Garmin. Just don't like how hot phones get using GPS and the screen constantly on for a 7 hour trip.

 

[55Test]

I still have a 4 year old Garmin in my car, and since I have a limited data cap and I'm on a network with very poor rural coverage, I use my 'old fashioned' GPS unit most of the time. Plus I'd rather not have give my data regarding my travels to Google anyway

 

[E150GT]

I love my oem gps. Not because I used it for navigation but because I can glance quickly at the Streets around me. It also displays the next street I’m coming up on. Very helpful. If I need directions I use google maps on my phone. It’s always up to date.

 

[DoubleWasp]

I do a lot of motorcycle riding where there is no cell network. So long as people travel off where there is no cell service, there will be a demand for standalone GPS.

 

[Lolvoguy]

Originally Posted By: linkbelt
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
I've tried the Garmin and my Pixel smartphone for in route directions. I'm keeping the Garmin.


I am also keeping my Garmin!!

+3
My Garmin is about 10 years old. I've updated the maps online using torrents.
Easier to use when driving, as it's only GPS. Most smartphones are too fussy and touch sensitive.
Also the data thing is an issue (I don't have unlim.)

One other thing I noticed is battery life is compromised when using it for GPS.
It also seems to get very hot to the touch (Samsung S8)

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: deven
Driven many times thru the great smokey mountains with my phone GPS and never ever lost signal.


Great Smokey Mountains national park is 817 square miles and has exactly ZERO cell phone towers in it. I've been in that park for days without any cell phone coverage at all. If your phone doesn't have maps downloaded to it, you are not using your phone to navigate in that park. I cant think of anywhere east of the Mississippi that has less cell phone coverage than maybe parts of the great northern forest (Maine?) or Everglades National Park.

 

[linkbelt]

Originally Posted By: Al
Stick a fork in them they are done. Some old geezers will continue to use them but not enough to support a market.


This "old geezer", (age= 78), will continue to use his flip phone and Garmin GPS!!

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
My best friend still uses a paper map haha

So do I.

As for the comments about cells working in the sticks because they have GPS, that's technically true, but I'd be concerned about two things, if it were me, especially on a hunting or fishing trip. My first concern would be battery life, especially for those not technically savvy enough to go to airplane mode or whatever it is that makes the phone stop seeking a signal. Second would be durability under harsher conditions.

 

[xBa380]

Yup, still use my GPS on road trips and stuff like that. Phone works fine, but don't have a mount or anything for it so it's more hassle to use since I have nowhere to put it.