I've stewed about this for two years now, and it finally boiled over.
I'm CCing Garmin too.

I was driving west on the Rim of the World Highway near Lake Arrowhead,
California. This road is on the edge of the south side of the San
Bernardino Mountains. There are occasional houses between the road and
the dropoff.

The thing repeatedly told me to make a left turn n hundred feet ahead.
To have followed the instructions would have meant driving through
somebody's house/garage and thence off the mountain. I can't imagine
what might cause such a strange error.

Today, instead of telling me to continue west on I-60 (the obvious thing
to do) it told me to head south on Highway 57 and then to head west on
60. Had I followed the instructions to the letter I would have gotten
off the freeway and then back on OR I would have been heading 90 degrees
from my intended direction.

It also told me to wend my way through the hills rather than getting
directly onto the freeway.

There have been other anomalies, but nothing so egregious as the Rim of
the World error. I no longer trust its istructions. Is there any point
in owning a GPS if you don't trust it? And would I be better off buying
a Magellan or TomTom next time?

--
Cheers, Bev
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"I read about this syndrome called hypochondria in a
magazine. I think I've got it." -- DA

On 01/04/2012 04:57 PM, The Real Bev wrote:

> I've stewed about this for two years now, and it finally boiled over.
> I'm CCing Garmin too.
>
> I was driving west on the Rim of the World Highway near Lake Arrowhead,
> California. This road is on the edge of the south side of the San
> Bernardino Mountains. There are occasional houses between the road and
> the dropoff.
>
> The thing repeatedly told me to make a left turn n hundred feet ahead.
> To have followed the instructions would have meant driving through
> somebody's house/garage and thence off the mountain. I can't imagine
> what might cause such a strange error.
>
> Today, instead of telling me to continue west on I-60 (the obvious thing
> to do) it told me to head south on Highway 57 and then to head west on
> 60. Had I followed the instructions to the letter I would have gotten
> off the freeway and then back on OR I would have been heading 90 degrees
> from my intended direction.
>
> It also told me to wend my way through the hills rather than getting
> directly onto the freeway.
>
> There have been other anomalies, but nothing so egregious as the Rim of
> the World error. I no longer trust its istructions. Is there any point
> in owning a GPS if you don't trust it? And would I be better off buying
> a Magellan or TomTom next time?

And on top of that, Garmin Support doesn't even offer a 255W choice (so
I picked something close) and then decided it can't send my email, I
should try again later.

Not happy. Magellan is looking better and better.

--
Cheers, Bev
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
If he had any brains, he'd take them out and play with them.

On 1/04/2012, The Real Bev posted:
> On 01/04/2012 04:57 PM, The Real Bev wrote:

>> I've stewed about this for two years now, and it finally boiled over.
>> I'm CCing Garmin too.
>>
>> I was driving west on the Rim of the World Highway near Lake Arrowhead,
>> California. This road is on the edge of the south side of the San
>> Bernardino Mountains. There are occasional houses between the road and
>> the dropoff.
>>
>> The thing repeatedly told me to make a left turn n hundred feet ahead.
>> To have followed the instructions would have meant driving through
>> somebody's house/garage and thence off the mountain. I can't imagine
>> what might cause such a strange error.
>>
>> Today, instead of telling me to continue west on I-60 (the obvious thing
>> to do) it told me to head south on Highway 57 and then to head west on
>> 60. Had I followed the instructions to the letter I would have gotten
>> off the freeway and then back on OR I would have been heading 90 degrees
>> from my intended direction.
>>
>> It also told me to wend my way through the hills rather than getting
>> directly onto the freeway.
>>
>> There have been other anomalies, but nothing so egregious as the Rim of
>> the World error. I no longer trust its istructions. Is there any point
>> in owning a GPS if you don't trust it? And would I be better off buying
>> a Magellan or TomTom next time?

> And on top of that, Garmin Support doesn't even offer a 255W choice (so I
> picked something close) and then decided it can't send my email, I should try
> again later.

> Not happy. Magellan is looking better and better.

The Magellan might drive you off of a boating ramp.

The above is an ironic way of stating that all GPS units make mistakes.

I have tried several brands and found that, overall, the Garmin gives
me the best routes...but it still makes mistakes.

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

"The Real Bev" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:je2sif$td3$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I've stewed about this for two years now, and it finally boiled over. I'm
> CCing Garmin too.
>
> I was driving west on the Rim of the World Highway near Lake Arrowhead,
> California. This road is on the edge of the south side of the San
> Bernardino Mountains. There are occasional houses between the road and
> the dropoff.
>
> The thing repeatedly told me to make a left turn n hundred feet ahead. To
> have followed the instructions would have meant driving through somebody's
> house/garage and thence off the mountain. I can't imagine what might
> cause such a strange error.
>
> Today, instead of telling me to continue west on I-60 (the obvious thing
> to do) it told me to head south on Highway 57 and then to head west on 60.
> Had I followed the instructions to the letter I would have gotten off the
> freeway and then back on OR I would have been heading 90 degrees from my
> intended direction.
>
> It also told me to wend my way through the hills rather than getting
> directly onto the freeway.
>
> There have been other anomalies, but nothing so egregious as the Rim of
> the World error. I no longer trust its istructions. Is there any point
> in owning a GPS if you don't trust it? And would I be better off buying a
> Magellan or TomTom next time?
>
> --
> Cheers, Bev
> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
I can't see 57 or I-60 on the map ,
http://g.co/maps/pr8kv
but, if it's telling you to drive THROUGH someone's house it probably wasn't
there when your map was drawn. ( New maps come out every quarter). Also,
I have a 265T and in the settings there are options for 'shortest distance',
fastest route etc (highway) . When I set it on shortest distance I've had it
tell me to take "paper streets", or take 20 backroads vs. the highway, or to
"turn left" on a secondary highway where a guardrail divide the lanes making
it impossible for me to do so. I've had to sometimes go a mile to make a U-
Turn. You might have heard me yelling at my 276T on those occasions.

On Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:03:12 -0800, The Real Bev
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>On 01/04/2012 04:57 PM, The Real Bev wrote:
>
>> I've stewed about this for two years now, and it finally boiled over.
>> I'm CCing Garmin too.

Not good for your blood pressure to stew for two years.

<snip>
>> There have been other anomalies, but nothing so egregious as the Rim of
>> the World error. I no longer trust its istructions. Is there any point
>> in owning a GPS if you don't trust it? And would I be better off buying
>> a Magellan or TomTom next time?
>
>And on top of that, Garmin Support doesn't even offer a 255W choice (so
>I picked something close) and then decided it can't send my email, I
>should try again later.
>
>Not happy. Magellan is looking better and better.

A GPS device is not a complete alternative to looking out the window.
You're still in charge of where you're going, like it or not.

If you think another brand is going to treat you better, you'll
probably be disappointed. They all have their shortcomings, limited by
the state of the current technology. It's not something to get upset
over, it's just something to be aware of.

On 01/04/2012 06:18 PM, - Bobb - wrote:

> "The Real Bev"<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:je2sif$td3$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> I've stewed about this for two years now, and it finally boiled over. I'm
>> CCing Garmin too.
>>
>> I was driving west on the Rim of the World Highway near Lake Arrowhead,
>> California. This road is on the edge of the south side of the San
>> Bernardino Mountains. There are occasional houses between the road and
>> the dropoff.
>>
>> The thing repeatedly told me to make a left turn n hundred feet ahead. To
>> have followed the instructions would have meant driving through somebody's
>> house/garage and thence off the mountain. I can't imagine what might
>> cause such a strange error.
>>
>> Today, instead of telling me to continue west on I-60 (the obvious thing
>> to do) it told me to head south on Highway 57 and then to head west on 60.
>> Had I followed the instructions to the letter I would have gotten off the
>> freeway and then back on OR I would have been heading 90 degrees from my
>> intended direction.
>>
>> It also told me to wend my way through the hills rather than getting
>> directly onto the freeway.
>>
>> There have been other anomalies, but nothing so egregious as the Rim of
>> the World error. I no longer trust its istructions. Is there any point
>> in owning a GPS if you don't trust it? And would I be better off buying a
>> Magellan or TomTom next time?
>>
> I can't see 57 or I-60 on the map ,

34.024444° -117.811170°

Also known as the Orange Freeway (57) and Pomona Freeway (60)

> http://g.co/maps/pr8kv
> but, if it's telling you to drive THROUGH someone's house it probably wasn't
> there when your map was drawn. ( New maps come out every quarter).

Yes, but if the houses weren't there you'd be at the edge of the
mountain and would simply drive off into space. They don't call it the
Rim of the World highway for nothing. I'd like to take that road with
somebody else driving.

34.233236° -117.161934° roughly.

Does google map maker give coordinates? I didn't know until 30 seconds
ago that it even existed :-(

> Also,
> I have a 265T and in the settings there are options for 'shortest distance',
> fastest route etc (highway) . When I set it on shortest distance I've had it
> tell me to take "paper streets", or take 20 backroads vs. the highway, or to
> "turn left" on a secondary highway where a guardrail divide the lanes making
> it impossible for me to do so. I've had to sometimes go a mile to make a U-
> Turn. You might have heard me yelling at my 276T on those occasions.

It would be nice if you could save routes, or at least save a
destination with a waypoint. Suitable for complicated places you go to
perhaps once a year.

--
Cheers, Bev
================================================== =================
Giving advice likely to kill the stupid is called passive eugenics.

On Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:57:48 -0800, The Real Bev
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:



>The thing repeatedly told me to make a left turn n hundred feet ahead.
>To have followed the instructions would have meant driving through
>somebody's house/garage and thence off the mountain. I can't imagine
>what might cause such a strange error.
>
>Today, instead of telling me to continue west on I-60 (the obvious thing
>to do) it told me to head south on Highway 57 and then to head west on
>60. Had I followed the instructions to the letter I would have gotten
>off the freeway and then back on OR I would have been heading 90 degrees
>from my intended direction.


As you see, GPS is not perfect. I've had a couple of similar issues
with my old Garmin and also using Map Quest. They used the same
mapping company and had the same errors.

One thing that may cure the problem is updating the maps. The quirks
that I had disappeared with a newer version.

When you look at a map, some things are very obvious. Computers use a
programmed logic. As you saw by the off and on again of the highway,
the program selected that route for what seems strange to you and I,
but it may be 10 yards shorter in distance so the computer figured it
is the best route.

When traveling in unfamiliar places, it is a handy gadget, but you do
run into oddities. I know a couple of routes that are best traveled
say X distance and make a left on to the new route. The GPS will
sometimes have you make a left sooner, then a right, then a left, then
a right following like a series of steps. Again, on paper it may show
shorter, but it is not always the "best" route.

Don't toss those paper maps. They keep the brain functioning with
better logic than any computer. OTOH, traveling through some small
towns and narrow roads in Italy, it got me through every time, better
than I'd have done.

The Real Bev wrote on Jan 5, 2012:

> I've stewed about this for two years now, and it finally boiled over.
> I'm CCing Garmin too.
>
> I was driving west on the Rim of the World Highway near Lake Arrowhead,
> California. This road is on the edge of the south side of the San
> Bernardino Mountains. There are occasional houses between the road and
> the dropoff.
>
> The thing repeatedly told me to make a left turn n hundred feet ahead.
> To have followed the instructions would have meant driving through
> somebody's house/garage and thence off the mountain. I can't imagine
> what might cause such a strange error.
>
> Today, instead of telling me to continue west on I-60 (the obvious thing
> to do) it told me to head south on Highway 57 and then to head west on
> 60. Had I followed the instructions to the letter I would have gotten
> off the freeway and then back on OR I would have been heading 90 degrees
> from my intended direction.
>
> It also told me to wend my way through the hills rather than getting
> directly onto the freeway.
>
> There have been other anomalies, but nothing so egregious as the Rim of
> the World error. I no longer trust its istructions. Is there any point
> in owning a GPS if you don't trust it? And would I be better off buying
> a Magellan or TomTom next time?
>
>

The sensible thing to do first would be to find the cause of the error -
which shouldn't be too difficult. At the point when you get a wrong
instruction ("through somebody's house"), does the unit show a road where
none actually exists? If so, there's really only two possibilities, the first
is an error in the position the gps unit is reporting. This is unlikely, but
it can happen if the satellite signals are being blocked by something and the
unit is mostly picking up reflections rather than the direct satellite
signals. You can check on the strength of signals you are receiving by
touching the top left corner of the menu page on your unit

The more likely cause is an error in the map you have installed in the unit.
Have you looked at the map of the area in question displayed on your unit?
How does it compare with a paper map? Are all the roads correctly displayed?
Have you got the latest map installed?

There are only two companies supplying maps for gps units. Garmin use NavTeq,
and you can check on their latest maps at the website <www.naveteq.com>. If
these are correct then do they correspond with what you have on your unit?.
If they're not correct then you might do better with Magellan et al. which
(think) all use the other company Tele Atlas. They also have a map viewer on
their website which you can check on.

--
Mike Lane
UK North Yorkshire
mike_lane at mac dot com

"The Real Bev" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:je32qv$osf$(E-Mail Removed)...
> It would be nice if you could save routes, or at least save a destination
> with a waypoint. Suitable for complicated places you go to perhaps once a
> year.
> Cheers, Bev


I take a lot of trips and save waypoints so I can go "my way" rather than ..
thru the city ... I thought 255 was like 265T but no traffic option. If so,
when you have a spot, choose " Where am I " and SAVE - give it a name that
you'll remember. So, if going to Mary's and you know the way you like and
want to specify waypoints, after you turn onto the road you like save it
with a name like Mary1S, then Mary2S to get there and Mary1N, Mary2N for
route home.
So you'd click Go Home, or Favorites - Mary, then choose Mary1 'add as a
waypoint', then go Mary2 etc. Tedious but it works for me. I drive from NH
to FLA a few times per year and sometimes I drive straight up/down but
usually I vary, so for example : Where to ?
Favorites
WDW
( it calculates ITS route) I then choose
Where to ?
WDW S1 ( Nyack Ny - to use TappanZee bridge not GW Bridge)
New Destination or Waypoint - Waypoint
( it calculates ITS route) I then choose
Where to ?
WDW S2 ( last stop on NJT for gas)
New Destination or Waypoint - Waypoint
( it calculates ITS route) I then choose
WDW S3 ( Hotel in Woodbridge VA)
That's my day 1 interaction with GPS.
If you haven't been there yet, "go to " intersections" and Save as. Or if a
business choose it and 'save as' in advance.

go online to Google maps drag the route to your liking before you start

The Real Bev <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:je2sif$td3$(E-Mail Removed):

> I've stewed about this for two years now, and it finally boiled over.
> I'm CCing Garmin too.
>
> I was driving west on the Rim of the World Highway near Lake
> Arrowhead, California. This road is on the edge of the south side of
> the San Bernardino Mountains. There are occasional houses between the
> road and the dropoff.
>
> The thing repeatedly told me to make a left turn n hundred feet ahead.
> To have followed the instructions would have meant driving through
> somebody's house/garage and thence off the mountain. I can't imagine
> what might cause such a strange error.
>
> Today, instead of telling me to continue west on I-60 (the obvious
> thing to do) it told me to head south on Highway 57 and then to head
> west on 60. Had I followed the instructions to the letter I would
> have gotten off the freeway and then back on OR I would have been
> heading 90 degrees from my intended direction.
>
> It also told me to wend my way through the hills rather than getting
> directly onto the freeway.
>
> There have been other anomalies, but nothing so egregious as the Rim
> of the World error. I no longer trust its istructions. Is there any
> point in owning a GPS if you don't trust it? And would I be better
> off buying a Magellan or TomTom next time?

My complaint with the 255W is that turn here often comes right AFTER I
passed the point where I should have turned. Luckily for me, the
utterances of my high value co-pilot usually save my bacon.

--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid