Table of Contents

1. About This Review
2. Specifications
3. Meet the New RoadMate Models
4. What's in the Box
5. Installing the RoadMate 1430 in the Car
6. Navigating with the RoadMate 1430
7. Avoiding A Specific Road or Highway
8. Using the Detour Function
9. Canceling the Route
10. Finding an Address
11. Finding A Restaurant
12. Using the Exit POI Feature
13. Where Am I?
14. Setting the HOME Address
15. Using the Trip Planner
16. Routing Engine Performance
17. Traffic
18. GPS Signal Strength
19. Screen Brightness
20. Speaker Loudness
21. Pros
22. Cons
23. Conclusion

1. About This Review

This review was conducted using a production Magellan RoadMate 1430, running firmware 1.34 and Basemap NavStreets version 31.

Unless otherwise stated, all preferences were left on their default setting. Routing tests were performed both on and off the road, including an 800+ mile road trip from New York City to Raleigh and back. Screen brightness was measured using a Mastech Digital 4-range luxmeter (LX1330B). Speaker loudness was measured using an Extech Type 2 digital sound level meter (rated accuracy of ±1.5dB).

2. Specifications

3. Meet the New RoadMate Models

Magellan's RoadMate GPS units are aimed at price-concious customers who want the same navigation capabilities found in Magellan's higher-end Maestro models, but don't want or need all the other bells and whistles that come with the Maestro models. Specifically, the RoadMate GPS models don't have Bluetooth, voice recognition, or AAA TourBook data.

The RoadMate 1430 is currently the most expensive RoadMate, with 6 million Points of Interest (POIs), text-to-speech (speaks actual street names), and live traffic. The RoadMate 1430 retails for $399, but can be found online for considerably less.

4. What's in the Box

Figure 1: What's in the Box

The RoadMate 1430 includes the following items in the box:

• RoadMate 1430 GPS Unit
• Receiver Cradle
• Windshield Mount
• Cigarette Lighter Adapter (12V DC) with built-in traffic
• Dash Adhesive Disk
• Quick Start Guide
• Manual on CD-ROM

Figure 2: Magellan RoadMate 1430, Front

The RoadMate 1430 sports a plain, all-black design. The 4.3-inch color touchscreen display is framed by a matt-black plastic case that doesn't easily pickup fingerprints.

Note that except for the power button on the top of the unit, there are no physical controls on the RoadMate; all functions are performed via the touchscreen interface.

Figure 3: Magellan RoadMate 1430, Rear

A single speaker is located on the back of the unit.

Figure 4: Magellan RoadMate 1430, Right Side

The reset button, traffic antenna connector, and USB connector are located on the right side of the RoadMate:

1. Reset button
2. Traffic antenna connector
3. USB connector

Measuring 0.73-inches thick, the RoadMate 1430 is about the same thickness as Magellan's Maestro GPS units, and slightly thinner than Garmin's nuvi 2xx and 7xx models.