Garmin GPS 18 Deluxe

[Jim Boyd]

With the new job comes trying to find homes in the boonies I was searching reviews on gps units and came across the Garmin GPS 18 Deluxe that uses your laptop as the interface. Anyone have experience with this device. Looking at the example maps it looks good for rural areas. Looks like I might be covering a 12 county area

[Sam Conder]

For car navigation, I would recommend a good basic GPS receiver and a laptop. On the laptop, I use Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006. You can get it for ~ $20 at Sam's Club.

I'm not sure about the GPS 18 specifically, but I have a Garmin GPS Map 76 and it works perfectly for this setup. Get a good dashboard mount for the unit and you should be fine.

[LCHIEN]

The GPS 18 is an OEM unit which means it communicates over a cable and does not have any buttons or display itself.

Usually these are used for standalone instruments that need to know the time and location but can also be used for portable PCs or mobile equipment.

For personal use, unless you have a dedicated setup I don't think its very practical. A laptop in the car is not useful for a single driver because of the space it takes ((can't have a passenger) and the attention/difficulty of using the keyboard mouse interface. I tried it once and looking at the laptop sitting in the empty passgnger seat was bad. Certainly not up to typing anything. Maybe a copilot could use it but even then he has no place to put it (I tried that, too as a copilot).

A handheld unit with a dashmount and a cable to go to a PC when used at home is probably a better bet. Or if not a handheld then one of the dashboard units (with bigger displays). Both with displays and controls can be used standalone or with a PC.

I use these OEM-style units at work for unattended accurate time logging but for personal use I would think a Garmin eTrex unit would be cheaper and give you a lot more functionality.

a GPS 18 alone is around $180 and a GPS18 deluxe with PC software is around $400+
An eTrex (Garmin) is around $100 (no maps) and a TomTOm (not Garmin) is around $500 and offers maps and a host of features in a personal and car-friendly form factor and will also interface to your PC. I think Garmin has osmething that competes with the TomTom but I don't recall the model.

I personally have Garmin GPS12Map and Garmin GPS60CS receivers and I think they work well.

[dick541]

I have Delome Street Atlas 2005, Have used street atlas for about 8 years. You can get the 2007 version with GPS for $99.99 at Best buy or Comp USA or on line. It is a good setup that will work with a laptop anywhere. I use it when we go out of town. You can plan a trip at home, and it will plot the route for you. If you get lost it will replot and get you back on track.
dick

[JTimmons]

With the new job comes trying to find homes in the boonies I was searching reviews on gps units and came across the Garmin GPS 18 Deluxe that uses your laptop as the interface. Anyone have experience with this device. Looking at the example maps it looks good for rural areas. Looks like I might be covering a 12 county area

Jim I have actually been using it very frequently since moving to Denver last month and I couldn't be happier with it, it's like having your own personal guide next to you the whole time. I have a buddy that has a dashmount and likes the laptop version much better, 15" screen and keyboard is kind of hard to compete with. Route to an address and go, it tells you where to turn, how far the next turn is and shows your location at all times during the route. Not sure what Loring is referring to, I got mine at Bass Pro and paid $130 and the software was included.
Myself I just route to the address and stick it in the passenger seat and listen for the voice prompt. I absolutely love it. If you get off route, it tells you how to get back on it.
It does a lot more than just route too, average speed, time of arrival, you can set favorite locations, it shows nearest gas stations, restaurants, amusement parks, hospitals, police stations. It's very cool.

Edit:
If your concerned with the laptop sliding out of the passenger seat, you can find a slew of laptop mounts for cars that hold it to front/right side of you for $35 and up. Most of them connect to two of the bolts under the passenger seat mount of your vehicle.

[Jim Boyd]

Jim I have actually been using it very frequently since moving to Denver last month and I couldn't be happier with it, it's like having your own personal guide next to you the whole time. I have a buddy that has a dashmount and likes the laptop version much better, 15" screen and keyboard is kind of hard to compete with. Route to an address and go, it tells you where to turn, how far the next turn is and shows your location at all times during the route. Not sure what Loring is referring to, I got mine at Bass Pro and paid $130 and the software was included.
Myself I just route to the address and stick it in the passenger seat and listen for the voice prompt. I absolutely love it. If you get off route, it tells you how to get back on it.
It does a lot more than just route too, average speed, time of arrival, you can set favorite locations, it shows nearest gas stations, restaurants, amusement parks, hospitals, police stations. It's very cool.

Edit:
If your concerned with the laptop sliding out of the passenger seat, you can find a slew of laptop mounts for cars that hold it to front/right side of you for $35 and up. Most of them connect to two of the bolts under the passenger seat mount of your vehicle.

That is pretty much what I have found in research but needed a more personal nod The average price I've found is around $125 and includes software and receiver. There are 3 models of receivers, OEM, serial and usb. I'll get the usb I know most GPS units can do routes between cities but I really need one that will do rural areas. After I run the route for a month or so I'll only need it for new accounts.

[JTimmons]

My understanding also is that people who have the handhelds have to purchase the updates, going this way you can download them for free.

I went with the USB model myself as well.

[JimD]

I have microsoft streets - a version that does not give voice prompts - and I have used it in my SUV with the magellan GPS that normally resides on my boat. My GPS is a simple hand-held with no maps and is at least 5 years old. I had to get a cable with some software to convert the cable I had for the GPS with a serial interface to use with my laptop which has only a USB port available. I mapped the route in advance and printed out the directions and looked at them before I left. Having the laptop in the passengers seat was handy to show me how close to a turn I was and remind me which way I needed to turn. I found I could get the information with only a glance but that required having the highlighted route already displayed - if I had to study the map, I would not have had time.

Bottom line is I think it is a cheap way to get this functionality if you only need it for a while as you indicate. If you were going to use it a lot, I think you would want one of the dedicated units. Slickest are the single or double DIN units from Pioneer that replace your radio. Nice but they should be for $1000.

Jim

[Jeffrey Schronce]

While I often have my laptop in my car at the same time I went with a stand alone unit. I purchased the Garmin Street Pilot i2 for less than $200 from Amazon. I have been to incredibly rural areas of PA with no problems. I have not used any of the features such as finding gas stations, etc as that was not the point of my GPS. I usually mapquest where I am going, then use the GPS in case of problems or need for clarification. In the last 3-4 months I have traveled to well over 100 different locations, mostly residential and have had no problems. Occasionally the unit will tell you to turn left into a wall, but other than that no problems! LOL!. The wall thing came up in Reading PA where they had re-worked some major roads and the GPS thought I was on the old road that had the former exits. The amazing thing to me was that these things are so accurate that they can tell you how fast you are going!
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Garmi...oductDetail.do

[Jim Boyd]

Ordered from Amazon, $107.79 shipped.

[JTimmons]

Ordered from Amazon, $107.79 shipped.

The GPS 18? If so, u suck!