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GPS receivers for RV Campers

By: Ben Watson

Whether you are towing a travel trailer or driving a motorhome, knowing where you are going is vital. It can be hard at times to be relaxed with a forty foot RV. In recent years trip routing got a whole lot more fun with
Computerized street atlases and GPS receivers. The happy-go-lucky RV lifestyle was better than ever if you were ready to plunk down a few hundred dollars.

Now prices begin much lower. GPS manufacturers have low-end receivers beginning at around $200. Despite the low price, most of these receivers still manage to boast a lot of the most practical features. Every gps receiver that I looked at had spoken directions. Although the low-end models use terms like turn right, instead of turn right on elm st. Almost all the receivers have features like rerouting. Higher priced receivers add other options such as bluetooth support and up-to-date traffic conditions. But the most important item for many campers is a POI database that includes RV Parks and Campgrounds and other RV services.

Any GPS receiver can get you to a RV Park if you know where you are going. Just type in the address and listen to the instructions. That is great if you have a planned itinerary. But what about those days when your plans change unexpectedly? The pizza you had for lunch isn’t sitting well, the motorhome seems to be running a little hot or you just spent four hours browsing through an antique store that wasn’t on your itinerary. You could pull out the RV Park directory, figure out where you are and look for a new place to spend the night. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just ask your gps receiver to find the nearest RV Park? Although improving, vehicle GPS manufacturers haven't fully embraced this idea.

One of the biggest names in GPS receivers is Garmin. I looked at every GPS they offered and not one that I saw had any categories in their POI database
related to RV Parks or Campgrounds. I was unable to try out a Cobra Nav One GPS, but their 4500 model does have categories for camping, propane and RV services. The low-end receivers from Cobra do not.Basic vehicle GPS receivers from Magellan lack a RV Park category and listings in their POI database. These choices were present in their more advanced receivers. However, I tried the Magellan 4240 and though it had RV Park listings they were incomplete, missing several campgrounds in my area. Tom Tom GPS devices had the most complete line of receiverswith RV Park databases already installed and ready to go. The Tom Tom one 3rd edition ($149) had campgrounds as a POI category and listed all the campgrounds in my area. Their more advanced receivers boast the same RV Park data.

There is an fascinating option for GPS owners -- Update the POI database yourself. Most GPS manufacturers have software on their website that will allow you do this. The software will permit you to keep your POI data up to date as well as add new POI databases. There are many databases available, some are free. Traffic cameras,
school zones, stores and restaurants are available individually or as bundles. For example there is a database of all the Dunkin Donuts stores in the US! There are also a couple RV Park databases available ($35-$45) .

Article Source: http://www.articleblender.com

Ben Watson is a lifelong camper and RV enthusiast He is currently the editor of The Webs Best Camping Guide

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