Garmin 780 Camper announced

[LesW]

Available now for 350 of your pounds, lots of features including loaded with Campercontact sites..

Form an orderly queue...

(may be old news)

 

[Crazylegs]

Whilst people keep queuing up to buy overpriced gps devices that fail to up date in a couple of years time, the manufacturers will keep making them.
A way smarter approach is to buy a car gps for less than a hundred quid and download a couple of campsite apps.

 

[Bolti]

My new van came with built in Garmin satnav. Updated maps last July and despite checking every couple of months have never received another update. My old Tom Tom received new maps 4 times a year, until they deemed they couldn't be bothered supporting it any more. Anyone know how often Garmin maps are updated?

 

[Greenway]

Wondered why Halfords had the 770 on offer at £256 today.

 

[LesW]

My new van came with built in Garmin satnav. Updated maps last July and despite checking every couple of months have never received another update. My old Tom Tom received new maps 4 times a year, until they deemed they couldn't be bothered supporting it any more. Anyone know how often Garmin maps are updated?

I think it's about four times a year.

If you have Garmin Express installed, you can check for updates with that.

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[Camper634]

Available now for 350 of your pounds, lots of features including loaded with Campercontact sites..

Form an orderly queue...

(may be old news)

I didn’t see any new features from the old 760,apart from a couple of poi datasets which you can load yourself anyway.The days of stand alone devices are a thing of the past,especially at nearly £400.

 

[LesW]

The days of stand alone devices are a thing of the past,especially at nearly £400.

Well perhaps for you, I wouldn't dream of paying for an integrated device.

 

[iandsm]

There are some improvements I should think. There I are 3D displays for buildings and landsapes which might be useful but it does not appear to have a trip planner which is a feature I would miss, also the MHD database of tops is gone. I think I would take a careful look at the differences between the 770 and this before upgrading, if indeed it is an upgrade. I expect the map will be the same but perhaps the software is tweaked.

 

[Bolti]

I think it's about four times a year.

If you have Garmin Express installed, you can check for updates with that.

Yes I check for maps every couple of months, just keeps saying my satnav is up to date.

 

[Camper634]

Well perhaps for you, I wouldn't dream of paying for an integrated device.

No neither would I.I use sygic truck on an Android tablet

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[DJA]

Hi @Ovalball

Did not know there is a Sygic Truck version.

I have just loaded it and set to RV and Bus. The vehicle dimensions and weight do not seem to differ if I set it as a Truck.

I set it to do a Short local route and it takes me down an unadopted road half of which is not made up and is full of big potholes. What am I doing wrong. Is it because I have not paid yet.

 

[Camper634]

I’ve got sygic truck from the Android store and it is also available for IOS.I can’t see why having the free version would take you down unsuitable roads,but you never know.I have found the truck version as good as Garmin or Tomtom up to now.In fact the graphics are IMO superior to both.The traffic system on the sygic is from tomtom which I think is superb.Its just cost me £52 for a further 3 years of map updates which isn’t too bad I don’t think.Also you can set roads which you believe are unsuitable to always avoid which I have done,although admittedly you shouldn’t really have to do it if the mapping is correct.

 

[DJA]

Hi @Ovalball

This is the route it suggested. Between the red sign and the wall. Honest there is a road there. Actually Google Earth have not been down it to take any pictures so it is the only road! around which you cannot see in full detail.

I only mentioned the not paid yet in fun.

I have come across other GPS versions that have suggested the same route. You mentioned that Sygic uses Tomtom mapping well a Tomtom nor a Gamin suggest that route. Someone was mentioning another system the other day. The Recommended route to the same destination I am using was okay but the 3 minute longer alternative that happens to be more scenic went via a Route that would scrap both sides of a van, over a weak 3T limit bridge and through a 6' 6" width restriction. Believe me your route down that unadopted road would have been better.

 

[TheAleMan]

My new van came with built in Garmin satnav. Updated maps last July and despite checking every couple of months have never received another update. My old Tom Tom received new maps 4 times a year, until they deemed they couldn't be bothered supporting it any more. Anyone know how often Garmin maps are updated?

Garmin used to be 4, but now three times a year I believe.

 

[Camper634]

Hi @Ovalball

This is the route it suggested. Between the red sign and the wall. Honest there is a road there. Actually Google Earth have not been down it to take any pictures so it is the only road! around which you cannot see in full detail.

View attachment 296251

I only mentioned the not paid yet in fun.

I have come across other GPS versions that have suggested the same route. You mentioned that Sygic uses Tomtom mapping well a Tomtom nor a Gamin suggest that route. Someone was mentioning another system the other day. The Recommended route to the same destination I am using was okay but the 3 minute longer alternative that happens to be more scenic went via a Route that would scrap both sides of a van, over a weak 3T limit bridge and through a 6' 6" width restriction. Believe me your route down that unadopted road would have been better.

It's TomTom traffic which is used by sygic,not TomTom mapping.

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[Bolti]

Garmin used to be 4, but now three times a year I believe.

Well after a lengthy phone call to Garmin my Satnav Kenwood DNX450TR as fitted by Rapido comes with 3 years map updates but you only get one new map per year.

 

[Robert Clark]

A way smarter approach is to buy a car gps for less than a hundred quid and download a couple of campsite apps.

Or an even smarter approach which is totally FREE is to use Google Maps
Works with Campercontact
Continuously updated
Live traffic updates
Warns of speed cameras in the UK

Why waste your money on a sat nav?

 

[LesW]

Or an even smarter approach which is totally FREE is to use Google Maps
Works with Campercontact
Continuously updated
Live traffic updates
Warns of speed cameras in the UK

Why waste your money on a sat nav?

Because I don't like using Google Maps for navigation, to restrictive... nowhere near as versatile as a proper satnav.

Live traffic available on my Garmin Camper don't need speed camera notifications (I disable them).

Great for finding places though.

 

[Robert Clark]

I don't like using Google Maps for navigation, to restrictive... nowhere near as versatile as a proper satnav.

Great for finding places though.

Maybe you need to try the latest version
No restrictions that I can see
Add multiple stops en route
Search en route for anything you like
Voice activated if needed
Numerous route options depending on how you like to drive (with/without tolls or motorways)

 

[LesW]

Maybe you need to try the latest version
No restrictions that I can see
Add multiple stops en route
Search en route for anything you like
Voice activated if needed
Numerous route options depending on how you like to drive (with/without tolls or motorways)

Most if not all of these functions are available on my stand alone satnavs (2).

I don't want to buy a bigger phone or tablet just to use a Web based mapping system.

I also like plotting routes in Mapsource and loading them into my unit as and when I might want to use them. No Internet required either.

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[Robert Clark]

Most if not all of these functions are available on my stand alone satnavs (2).

I don't want to buy a bigger phone or tablet just to use a Web based mapping system.

I also like plotting routes in Mapsource and loading them into my unit as and when I might want to use them. No Internet required either.

Many modern car radios come with Apple Car Play which means that their large screen acts as your sat nav so no extra screen required

Google maps does not require an internet connection - if you wish you can download free maps to use offline

I was sceptical about using Google Maps but having used it would never return to a sat nav again

 

[DJA]

My car has Apple Car Play and I have Google maps on my Phone.

I went to have a look at a Campsite the other day using Google maps and it got me there no problem. When I had finished I then started to ask it to calculate a new route and whatever I tried it would not work because there was no internet connection. I had to drive about a mile then it worked.!!!!! You are able to download Offline Maps but they appear to be in small areas not the whole map. So hen you are travelling around I assume you are using data to download the map as you pass through the areas.

Am I right?

 

[TheAleMan]

Or an even smarter approach which is totally FREE is to use Google Maps
Works with Campercontact
Continuously updated
Live traffic updates
Warns of speed cameras in the UK

Why waste your money on a sat nav?

Well all I know is I take three map updates a year via Garmin Express prompts.

 

[Two on Tour]

Google maps does not require an internet connection - if you wish you can download free maps to use offline

The downside is that downloaded offline maps expire after 30 day so you have to keep updating each area map you have download within the 30 day limit to keep them usable offline.

 

[iandsm]

I am quite keen on the latest technology so I studied the 780 against the 770 on the Garmin website, I was not very impressed.

The only difference I can see is that the 780 had 3D terrain and buildings, that's pretty much it. However it does not appear have features I regularly use on the 770, Trip planner and Trip Log are missing. Not the end of the world but I cannot see much advantage, if any over the770. I see that Motorhome Facts POI have been removed and replaced with something called RV Parks and Services Directory but until I can see a unit in the flesh or get some more information from Garmin's website such as a user manual I don't know what this will contain, it could be good but at the moment its a mystery.

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[Robert Clark]

My car has Apple Car Play and I have Google maps on my Phone.

I went to have a look at a Campsite the other day using Google maps and it got me there no problem. When I had finished I then started to ask it to calculate a new route and whatever I tried it would not work because there was no internet connection. I had to drive about a mile then it worked.!!!!! You are able to download Offline Maps but they appear to be in small areas not the whole map. So hen you are travelling around I assume you are using data to download the map as you pass through the areas.

Am I right?

The area of a map can be quite large
I downloaded the whole of Portugal in two sections.
I’m not sure how much data Google Maps uses on the go, though it must use some as our map never stopped working when driving, even when we had no phone signal.
We’ve driven almost every day for the past month, maybe a couple of hours a day. We used google maps every day and Spotify for music and didn’t use our 12gig allowance

 

[Robert Clark]

The downside is that downloaded offline maps expire after 30 day so you have to keep updating each area map you have download within the 30 day limit to keep them usable offline.

Not sure if updating a map uses as much data as downloading

 

[Camper634]

The last map I downloaded says it will expire in 360 days,not 30.(Google maps)

 

[Robert Clark]

Just checked and Google Maps used 4gb of data in the last month, being used almost daily

Campercontact used a similar amount

 

[RioRob]

Just checked and Google Maps used 4gb of data in the last month, being used almost daily

Campercontact used a similar amount

As a matter of interest would you mind saying how much you pay for your data usage and the cost of the phone/contract?
Thanks

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