In my 56 and in my 40 I am running Kenwood NAV stereo setups. They are Garmin based. Having a 7 inch screen is nice...

 

That's probably going to be a great set-up--all fancy and built in too. I worry a little that my GPS might be stolen as my truck doesn't lock at this point. No stereo needed for me. My fancy Garmin can't "hear" even shouted voice commands at highway speeds. My roof and floors are bare metal and the huge open cargo area (also bare metal and wood) behind the seats seems to amplify all the squeaks, rattles, wind, and road noise. And did i mention that none of my doors have the rubber seals installed yet? So, at least for now, I'll be tooling down the highway hour after hour listening to the "music" old trucks make.

Jim

 

Never thought I would even think of putting GPS in my truck, but never say never.

I had a Garmin Nuvi 265 from years ago that I decided to make use of. I installed a 12 VDC plug located under the dash where the cigarette lighter would have gone. I use the windshield bracket to mount the screen on and can remove when not I use.

Will you have it installed before the big road trip ? Safe travels. Is it worth hanging a blanket of similar behind the seats to temporarily lessen some of the road noise for now; or would that further reduce your visibility ?

 

As an alternative or augmentation to GPS also consider the Manual Analog Positioning system, it isn't nearly as expensive and has proven to be extremely reliable.

 

Tom--My GPS unit is installed and ready to go for the big trip. See post #15. The only problem is communicating with it. The noise is such at highway speeds that I can't hear the GPS and the GPS can't hear me. At slower speeds it works great, and I really appreciate that I don't have to manually punch in data.

Visibility is definitely a problem for panel trucks. I would hate to loose my rear view mirror. I may look into a rear view camera in the future, however. I'm traveling with my son right now and he has such a device for his motor home. It seems to work very well. I believe my GPS unit is compatible with a rear view camera--it may even be blue tooth wireless.

I'm not familiar with manual analog positioning. I'll have to look into that. I have maps and will be using GPS mainly to get through and around big cities.

Jim

 

Is that otherwise known as a road map?

 

Yes, they used to give them away at gas stations.

Modern tech is great, I use it, but ya gotta have a backup, and know how to use that too. I read a story recently about a rockslide closure of a road, and some young kid showed up at a nearby gas station crying, because she couldn't get to where she was going. GPS ya know. Maybe they are better now. But, she had no idea even what a roadmap was, or how to read it or use one. Yikes. Amazing how fast people forget stuff as technology rolls along.

 

When in trailer truck driving school 3 years ago they had a 3 day class on map reading. I missed the first 2 days being on vacation and teacher did not want to go back over everything just for me. He gave the class work but left me out for the first 15 minutes then said give it a try.
I was done before everyone and only had 1 thing wrong, finding the golf course on the map.
Truckers road atlas shows a lot more things than normal maps.

Part of that class was to put the names in each state. I could not believe how many did not know their home state! Pretty sad of today's kids, I am 57 now.
Dave - - - -

 

Most public schools don't teach geography anymore since many states do not have a standardized test on geography. Teachers teach to the test so that their students do well on the state exams and therefore do not get into trouble with their state.

In PA there are Keystone Exams in algebra, English, reading, writing, and biology. There are none at this time for any social studies subjects like history, civics, geography. PA has recently moved to eliminate fulltime vocational students from taking these tests.

 

GPS is nice though because it quickly answers the first question that you ask when you pick up a map: Where am I? It is particularly valuable off-road. But you are right abe, most people these days would not know what to do with a paper map. Of course the hard part was folding it back up correctly.

 

We still carry hard-copy map in all the cars and trucks, but what GPS is really good for is navigating the last mile in cities you don't know. That's where so much goes wrong, and when I'm flying to some strange city, which happens several times a year, GPS is huge advantage. And, it takes away those "I know where I'm going" arguments that occasionally spoiled a nice drive. Not that it ever happened to me, of course.

 

Jim,
Sounds like a great trip. We will see you at Truckstock.
brian...

 

I was a teacher and principal in Lutheran schools, and believe me, we always taught Geography and History--especially American History and Geography. When it came to computers and technology, we were maybe at a little disadvantage compared to better funded public schools. That's my excuse for falling so easily into Tedster9's "Manual Analog Positioning System" trap. I'm old and technologically ignorant. I do read maps, however. LOL.

Jim

 

I agree that GPS is handy when travelling to find gas, accomodation, points of interest. It has made holidays much more enjoyable.

I've used to find parts stores in LA and Phoenix, it saved me a lot of time.

The problem is when the GPS gets disoriented and makes the wrong suggetions. I have had a few "arguments" with mine when I use it locally.

"Recalculating"

 

When driving to Phoenix, a GPS is invaluable for me. Being in the right lane at the right time reduces the stress of driving with maniacs on the interstate. On the intercity roads, I can find specialty store addresses without having to take my eyes off the road. When I saw my navigator wife looking at the map upside down, I knew I needed help. My new unit includes traffic alerts and ways to circumvent congestion.

I have a Camaro SS and it is difficult to view the instrument panel due to the steering wheel. With the GPS on top of the dash I can see my speed more easily; plus it changes colors if I exceed the speed limit. They also have Heads-Up-Display that can project the map on the lower portion of your windshield.

A GPS is a very easy device to learn. You can buy refurbished units well below $100. The safety aspects alone make it a great tool.