no turns, no sale part 2
Some new information has come about concerning the new ultrawide models from Garmin.
I said prior that I might be mistaken and that on-map turns is actually there.
Good news: I was mistaken, and on-map turns is there.
Bad news: It was implemented in the worst possible way.
The new models I'm talking about are the Drive 7.1 and 8.8.
This is what happened:
From the introduction of the Drive/DriveSmart line in 2016 all the way to 2023, every Garmin screen had two ways of showing a turns list. While on a route, you either a) tapped the top text bar for a list of directions, or b) you tapped the bottom right and then selected Turns. Earlier Drive/DriveSmart models 5, 50, 51, 6, 60, 61, 70, 71 required you to add the Turns button to a pop-up layer from a configurable menu (you only had to do it once). Later models 52, 53, 55, 65, 66, 76, 86 had that layer changed to a separate menu with Turns always present as a selection. Regardless of how you got it, Turns was there.
The primary difference between the text bar way and the Turns way is that the text bar method was a full screen list of turns with no map. To see the map again, you had to tap a back button. With the Turns way, you had a turns list and the map at the same time, and the current street being driven on is still shown along with speedometer and additional configurable data field. Very convenient.
With the 7.1 and 8.8, that's changed. For the worse. Much worse.
There is only one way to get a list of turns now. Tap the text bar. Sounds convenient at first until you see what happens afterward.
When that list is up, 3/4 of the map is blocked, effectively making it useless. Also, the speedometer, speed limit, and current street being driven on is hidden. And the extra data field is gone too.
Now let's talk about the font size.
On the DriveSmart 76, the font in the text bar is large and legible. On the 7.1, the text bar font is now also the turns list font, and has been shrunken down almost to that of a Drive 52, a previous 5" screen model. Yes, that literally means Garmin reverted back to a font size for a 5" screen and slapped it on a 7" screen.
There is a "Large Navigation Text" setting, but the manual states:
Increases the navigation text size.
And that's it. Navigation text for what, specifically? Is that in reference to the turns list? That question goes unanswered.
But let's stay positive here and say it does make the turns list actually legible. That still doesn't bring back the speedometer, speed limit, and current street. It also doesn't change the fact the list blocks 3/4 of the map.
That's... bad.
Again, I'm better off just staying with what I have.
i ordered a stupid cable
Tech crap comes and goes. It's really annoying when you have a whole ton of a specific type of tech crap that either stops being made, or is really expensive to keep working. This one falls into the latter category.
I have a bunch of old Garmin GPS screens. I also have some newer models. The older stuff all uses mini USB, and the newer USB-C.
A problem I encountered is with a very specific charger cord, the Garmin GTM60. The GTM60 is a power cord with FM antenna for HD traffic reporting for Garmin screens that support it. Actually, I have two of those cords, both technically acquired "free". Over the years through buying Garmin screens, two came in at separate times with GTM60 cords. That in itself is kind of funny because in both instances, the cord was literally worth more than the screen itself.
To get full over-the-air HD traffic reporting, the screen either has to have a built-in antenna for it, or if it doesn't, you use the GTM60.
I have the DriveSmart 76, a newer model that uses USB-C. It does have a built-in traffic receiver, but only for the "lesser" RDS traffic reporting with no HD included. How to add in HD? Use the GTM60 cable, except there's a problem. The GTM60 uses mini USB and not USB-C...
...and this is where I had to make a stupid cable purchase just to get that HD traffic reporting back.
I had to buy a little USB-C male to mini USB female adapter cable. The damned thing was 20 bucks. It's Garmin part number 010-13199-01. If you look that up, I guarantee you'll say, "15 to 20 bucks for that?" Yeah, for that.
Could I have gotten away with the generic $7 version? Probably, but I went ahead and acquired the ridiculous $20 Garmin version just to play it safe. That itty bitty cable allows the GTM60 to power the DS76 along with providing it HD traffic reporting data.
What's the advantage of HD traffic reporting over regular RDS? It's basically the closest you can get to the info the Garmin Drive app provides without use of the phone if in an area that has HD coverage. With that adapter and GTM60 connected, now I have full HD traffic reporting receiving ability on the DS76 screen.
Getting HD back was the first reason I got the adapter cable. The second was so I could swap between my mini USB and USB-C screens without swapping charger cords. It's basically the same as using one charger cord for two phones, one with USB-C and the other with older micro USB. Add a small adapter so you get both connector types, and one charger cord can be used instead of two. Better to use a small adapter on a single charger cord instead of fumbling about with two full length cords, right? Right. That's basically what the adapter I bought does for my Garmin screens. For my Garmins, the adapter allows one charger cord to power and charge all the screens I have.
I label this as "really expensive" because 20 bucks paid for an adapter cord so small (it's literally just slightly longer than my index finger) is ridiculous. Even so, I bought it, own it, I got my HD traffic reporting back, and now I have an easy way to swap from older to newer screens and vice versa.
things i've learned about food recently
Break-and-bake cookies taste better than any cookie for sale in the grocery store, even if the break-and-bake is just plain chocolate chip.
Pre-cut paper for baking sheets is more expensive than the tear-off kind, but I gotta admit it's mighty convenient.
Knockoff Oreo cookies never taste correct. Only the ones by Nabisco get it right. I recently tried a knockoff Oreo and it tore up the roof of my mouth. Not terribly, but still, annoying.
Conversely, Nabisco Fig Newtons still suck. However, fig bars made by just about anybody else taste way better.
For salad dressing, combining Thousand Island dressing with something else, like, say, peanut sauce, actually tastes pretty good.
Jasmine rice, red kidney beans and sauteed onions mixed together spiced with salt, black pepper and paprika is still just as awesome as ever.
no turns, no sale
Funny enough that after I make a post about old nav screens, Garmin releases two new ones, the Drive 7.1" and 8.8" ultrawide.
At the time I write this, it's not available in the US market until September 14, so all I could do is look up info. Found a few official videos, watched them, then read over the PDF manual.
It was what I didn't find in the manual nor the videos that makes it a no-sale for me. No on-map turns list, which is a feature that's been around since the DriveSmart 50.
This is what on-map turns looks like using a Drive 53:
This is also available on the DriveSmart 66, 76, and 86.
The way on-map turns works is you start a route first, press the hamburger icon at bottom right, press Turns, and there it is. The hamburger icon at bottom right then changes to an X in case you want it removed to see more map.
Only Garmin has on-map turns with their navigators. It's the only navigation system where you get a map with visual and voice guidance and a list of multiple turns all at the same time. Brilliant setup.
Where does this come in useful the most? Upcoming close tight turns, that's where.
The above screenshot is a great example of this. Exit right in .4 miles (top text bar), then right after another mile, then right after another 7 miles, but directly after that an immediate left just two tenths of a mile after that, which by the way is less than 1,100 feet. I know that's coming up way in advance just with a quick glance and to prepare for it. Brilliant.
With map alone and only a singular instance of next turn info in the top text bar, I'm not made aware of that close tight turn until I'm basically on top of it. Not cool.
If all I did was only drive on highways with nice long exit ramps with no complicated connectors, then I wouldn't need on-map turns. But that's not how roads work where I am. I absolutely need that on-map turns list. And not just for highways, but anywhere I drive. There's bullshit aplenty with navigation in suburbia and in the sticks just like there is on the highway.
It is possible I've made a mistake and on-map turns is in the new Drive ultrawide models. But if it is, it's very well hidden. I saw it absolutely nowhere in the official manual nor in any of the videos showing the menus for the new models.
Until I actually see on-map turns either in video form or in a revision of the official manual, nope, not buying it. I'll stick with the models I have.
i might be done buying vintage garmin screens
I got my first Garmin screen in 2005, a StreetPilot i3. After that, a c340, then later on a c580. After that, a nuvi 270, then 255W. Then from 2012 all the way to 2018 I used a nuvi 40 and then a 50, which are both the same model (the only difference is the 50 is a 5" screen while the 40 is a 4.3"). 2018 is when I began using a DriveSmart full time.
It wasn't until about 2020 when I started buying all the Garmin screens I ever wanted. During this time, a ton of those screens were available in near-mint condition for very cheap. As in the $15 to $35 range cheap. Nobody wanted them, so I jumped on that and bought a bunch over the years.
What's funny is that screens that were worthless now aren't, and it's for one reason. Both smartphone and infotainment navigation has gotten so bad that it actually increased the value of old Garmin screens. Another additional cost is the increase for flash memory. It used to be that 5-packs of 32GB microSD cards (the most a Garmin screen will support) were cheap, but now the 8GB and 16GB microSD is what to get. Thankfully, that's enough space for map data with room to spare since the entire US+Canada+Mexico maps from Garmin clocks in at just under 5.2GB.
I did not buy every Garmin car model ever made because that wasn't necessary, and because some will have future problems that cannot be fixed. The Garmin nuvi 3597 for example uses a stupid proprietary powered mount. When that goes, and it will, the screen is totally unusable, so I never bought that screen in the first place.
This isn't to say I haven't made a few goofs with some screens I've bought. The nuvi 2455, while nice and works just fine, does have a bespoke-to-screen mounting clip. That clip thankfully isn't a stupid powered thing like the 3597 has, but if that clip ever breaks, there are no new reproductions available. I'd have to use a car phone mount. Yeah, that's at least something, but still, I always prefer to use the original mount whenever possible.
At this point I have bought all the old screens that were worth buying. I learned which are the good ones and the not-so good. I also learned which have the best legibility, the brightest daylight readable screens, the ones that can handle scorching summer heat and freezing winter cold best, the proper alternative power cable to get that works with a standard USB-A port and so on. All of that is info I know now.
What will I do with all the old screens I have?
I have a selection of them that will serve as backup screens.
I'm currently using a Drive 52 (which does need an 8, 16 or 32GB microSD card) because it can handle the blazing summer heat, and it's still summer right now. When the heat is over, I'll switch back to the DS66 or DS76 (neither of which need the additional memory card). I have both, but I'll probably go back to the 76.
With the older screens I have, I go by portability, legibility and ruggedness.
The nuvi 1350, 2455, and 40 are good. All of those are 4.3" matte screens, but are legible and daylight readable.
For 5" matte screens, the nuvi 50, 55, 56 and 58 are good, along with the Drive 52 I'm using now.
For 5" capacitive, this is where things go into not-as-rugged territory. These screens still work fine but can't take as much of a knock. The nuvi 2539, 2599 and Drive 53 are decent.
The only 6" capacitive I trust is the DriveSmart 66. I have other 6" models both for matte and capacitive, but the DS66 is the only one that cuts the mustard.
For 7" capacitive, DriveSmart 65 with Alexa and DriveSmart 76. The non-Alexa DriveSmart 65 is a no-go. I have both the DS65+Alexa and DS65 without Alexa, and the no-Alexa variant is the only Garmin capacitive screen model I've ever owned that exhibited screen burn-in. The burn-in is very small and almost unnoticeable, but it's there. The no-Alexa version is also slightly less bright compared to the one with Alexa. I don't use the Alexa feature at all but that's the defining feature between the DS65 models.
Also in the 7" realm, I do have a DriveSmart 70, but that's a no-go for a different reason. Bright screen? Absolutely. Legible? Absolutely. The problem with that one is the bezel, making it too big for use in my car. That bezel makes the entire thing 7.44" wide by 4.38" tall. The DS65 and DS76 with the edge-to-edge screen is also a 7", but with total dimensions of 6.8" x 3.9". I can just fit that in my car. The extra physical bigness of the DS70 makes it a no-go for me.
What about traffic reporting?
Traffic reports are submitted by humans and/or automated systems. If a human submitted the report, I have to trust that the report was accurate, which I don't. If an automated system submitted the report, I have to trust it's not a "ghost report", which I don't.
No matter the traffic reporting source, that's how traffic reporting works. At best, it's only reliable somewhat of the time, regardless of what system it is. Could be Garmin over FM, Garmin using Drive app, Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, whatever.
I have a bunch of Garmin screens with the traffic reporting feature, and run with reporting on but auto-rerouting off. When I receive a traffic alert, I decide for myself whether to take an alternate route instead of letting the computer do it for me.
What about routing?
The two best practices for routing is to either a) know when to ignore certain instructions, or b) make a custom route from saved favorites. All DriveSmart models have a little Route Planner (formerly Trip Planner) built-in app.
When I want the best custom routing, the DriveSmart 76 is best at that, no question. The 7" screen in combination with custom route shaping makes it real easy to shape a route without doing the saved favorites thing first. The 66 and Drive 53 has this same custom routing, but the 7" screen makes a difference in getting it done quicker.
However, knowing when to ignore certain instructions is just as effective, and in fact easier since no custom routing needs to be done.
Oldest model I could use comfortably?
Comfortably is the keyword here.
I can't use 3.5" screens comfortably, but I can with 4.3". I mentioned the 1350, 2455 and 40 above, but of those 3, the 1350 and 40 have the legibility advantage even though not as feature-rich. And of those 2, the 40 is slightly faster, so at the end of it all, the nuvi 40 is the oldest model I could run with comfortably.
The 40 is very basic and has almost no features, but it would get the job done.
I bought 'em all!
All the screens I cared to buy, anyway.
Took some years, but I finally reached the point where yep, there is nothing left to buy. Not unless Garmin releases a new fancy dan model that sparks my interest.