Fletch
Every company is trying to have a low end solution that may function marginally at a $99 price point. Is to bad so many consumers demand junks.
Like a portable $10 camera, it maybe be good enough but it sure can't do what it should do and nobody will use it for a special days like a wedding or birthday.
Why would anyone trust their life to a $99 GPS unit? This is so ridiculous is not funny

Fletch...not to nitpick, but...

Is it really true that Garmin uses the STAR III chipset in all their models, as you state? What about the Streetpilots up to C340, and the larger Streetpilot (2820, 7200, 7500)?

I think the entire NUVI line uses the SiRF STRA III chipset, but not the entire Garmin line.

GPS4ME: I disagree that a $99 GPS unit will be unreliable, or comparable to a throwaway camera...especially if it's backed by Garmin. In fact, I think that the $99 GPS will hit the sweet spot, where they'll go flying off the shelves for Christmas 2008.

Most electronics follow the same trend...the $1,500 LCD television available today cost $6,000 three years ago, and had inferior technology.

The day of the bare-boned, but reliable $99 GPS is months away.

Fletch...not to nitpick, but...

Is it really true that Garmin uses the STAR III chipset in all their models, as you state? What about the Streetpilots up to C340, and the larger Streetpilot (2820, 7200, 7500)?

I think the entire NUVI line uses the SiRF STRA III chipset, but not the entire Garmin line.

GPS4ME: I disagree that a $99 GPS unit will be unreliable, or comparable to a throwaway camera...especially if it's backed by Garmin. In fact, I think that the $99 GPS will hit the sweet spot, where they'll go flying off the shelves for Christmas 2008.

Most electronics follow the same trend...the $1,500 LCD television available today cost $6,000 three years ago, and had inferior technology when compared to today's models.

The day of the entry-level, but reliable $99 GPS is months away.

Actually, that's not right.

Garmin uses a variety of receiver circuits in current products.

Nuvi 3xx and 6xx use Sirf III as do the 60C[S]x and the 76C[S]X and the sporting units with model numbers that that end in "5".

The new H series uses the Mediatek chips. The Etrexen that aren't "H" models aren't yet officially discintuied. They use Garmin's own receiver, but since the "H" units were introduced at the same price as the H-nots, I wouldn't place money on the longevity of the H-nots in the product line.

Several of the older products that are still technically current (as mentioned above) including the i series, the sporting u nits with model numbers that end in "1" and the three and four digit Streetpilot products use Garmin's own receiver.

The low-end Nuvi's have been spotted with at least three different receiver chips installed: http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=91508

Yes, keeping abreast of Garmin's product line is just crazy hard.

I can't imagine buying something else than a GPSr with a SIRF-III-chipset.

I am about to buy a Garmin 7200 GPS for my motor home. Would some one give me some advice on how to make sure I am getting the latest version. I plan to order on line as prices seem lower than Circuit city, Best buy ETC.

Thanks for any help you can give

The HCX models already use the MTK chipset, not SIRF.
So what is the sensation here ?

Thanks Herman. I am really ignorant in this area. HCX? Should it say that on the box? I am assuming from your reply that MTK is the lastest chipset. I have purchased electronics in the past that turned out to be older tecknology. All because I did not ask questions and did not do the research.

David,

I am a fulltime RVer (yea, that means I live in it year round, guys). I hope you realize that the Garmin Streetpilot 7200 does NOT have the latest SiRF star III chipset. Plus, the lowest price I find is around $700 for the 7200.

I wanted a solution for both the motorhome and the toad, an I thought I'd go with one unit and carry it between the two...it didn't work out that way.

I use a Magellan Maestro 3140 in the toad. I like it because it has multi-destination routing with route optimization, the newer SiRF star III chipset, and text-to-speech. The multidestination/optimization is VERY useful...let's say you're in a new city, and you need to stop at a Walmart, Home Depot, Post Office, and then back to the RV park. You find the locations in the POI database, add them to your trip, and the GPS automatically determines the most efficient route from stop to stop to stop.

Text-to-speech is different from what some manufacturers market as "speech capable". Text-to-speech will announce the street name i.e. "Turn right on Main Street in 400 feet" instead of just "Turn right in 400 feet".

The SiRF star III chipset is relatively new and much more sensitive than the older WAAS technology. My 3140 is able to pick up the satellites even when I'm inside a house...WAAS almost always requires a line-of-sight to pick up the satellites. I would be VERY wary of buying a non-SiRF star III GPS today...it's much better technology!

For some crazy reason, it's impossible to get all three of these features in ANY Garmin, including the top-of-the-line nuvi 680. The larger, RV-oriented Streetpilot (2820, 7200, 7800) have multi-destination routing, but they have the older chipset.

As for the coach, I'm planning on upgrading to the CoPilot Live 10 for my laptop. I don't mind opening the laptop in the coach, but it's too bulky for the toad. One big plus with CoPilot Live 10...it allows you to set a minimum clearance height so you don't lose your air-conditioner to a low-ceilinged tunnel. I really like the option of setting a 12'6 or 13'0 low clearance height, but I would never rely solely on the program to guide me without double checking my low clearance highway guide.

Be aware that ALK offers a number of different versions of the Live 10 for Laptop. You can buy the software only (and use your own receiver) for $149, the software plus the Philips 2.0 USB for $199 (this receiver is NOT the SiRF star III chipset), or either the USB Global (wired receiver) or Bluetooth receiver for $249 (the last two have the SiRF star III chipset). The Bluetooth receiver establishes a connection wirelessly, so that there's no cable connected to your laptop, but MAKE SURE your laptop is Bluetooth enabled or it won't work. The Bluetooth receiver will occassionally need to be plugged into your USB port anyway to charge the battery.

IF you have either an earlier version of CoPilot, including CoPilot Navigator, OR a 2004 or newer competitor's product, you qualify for a "Switch to CoPilot" promotion if you send in your older software as described in this link. . If that's the case, I would buy the software upgrade only for $79, and then purchase a separate GPS receiver with SiRF star III capabilities for around $50 like this one.

The link shows a wired gps receiver similar to what ALK sells as "USB Global". IF your laptop is Bluetooth enabled, you can instead buy a Bluetooth GPS receiver that does not require a cable to your laptop like the one in this link.

If you click on the links on the left of the webpages, you can look at other manufacturers' offerings. BuyGPSnow.com has a great reputation for customer service, and you can speak with them online in a chat box if you have any questions.

Sooooo...if you qualify for an upgrade, you could have the entire program plus receiver for around $130, much less than ALK's upgrade promotion price of $199 if you buy the SiRF star III offering directly from ALK.

Peter W
Great a fellow RVer. How could we be so lucky. I envy your full time status. My wife Terri and I spend about 7 months on the road or holed up somewhere in FL, AZ et al.
I so appreciate your advice esp. since it comes from a fellow RVer who is really doing it. I printed out your note for time to absorb. If you would give me your e-mail you could teach me a lot.

Recently purchased a nuvi 350 w/SiRF lll chipset.First time I'd ever been on a long trip w/o a paper road map. Kind of scary at first, but that unit was flawless! You will find it hard to beat a SiRF equipped unit! Even picked up a signal in our hotel room.I don't believe I'd buy a unit w/o it just to save a few bucks! It might just come back to bite you.