Garmin Street Pilot 2720

[corkscrew]

This afternoon I drove to Pantip Plaza to pick up the Garmin Street Pilot 2720 that ordered yesterday. Though it is loaded with all the maps of Thailand I primarily wanted it to navigate through Bangkok. OK, it has only been out of the box for less that three hours but all the features that I have so far touched have been great. The default language is (written and spoken is English). [*] Though there is a Thai language option.

It come with a cigar lighter plug which is coupled to a voice box, a really clever dashboard mounting pad (rather like a wide and flat weighted bean bag) that keeps the monitor securely on my dashboard, a mains plug-in unit, a battery powered remote and a USB cable for connecting to a computer.

After driving it home (or, it driving me home) I played with most of its features on my porch (our car's garage is under many meters of concrete).

One feature that I particularly like is the ability to drag the arrow over to any point on the map of Bangkok and a little pop-up will tell me where I am. I can then click on it and it will route me there.

However, the estimated driving times were apparently calculated on making the trip at 3 am on a holiday Sunday.

Yes, I like it!

[*] One minor fault: Throughout the written directions it spells 'left' as 'list'. Like "List onto Sukhamvit Road in 100 meters".

[teej]

Nice piece of equipment corkscrew. I've been thinking about something of the sort. So I take it you recommend this unit? How much did you pay for it if you don't mind my asking? Easy to use? Can it be mounted somewhere other than on that bean-bag thing (I'm not sure it looks so great up there on the dash)? Thanks,

Teej

[corkscrew]

Nice piece of equipment corkscrew. I've been thinking about something of the sort. So I take it you recommend this unit? How much did you pay for it if you don't mind my asking? Easy to use? Can it be mounted somewhere other than on that bean-bag thing (I'm not sure it looks so great up there on the dash)? Thanks,

Teej

Yes, Teej, it comes with another mounting device that allows the unit to mount flush with the surface. I like the 'bean bag' one as we have 2 cars in BKK and this one is easier to move. To be honest the photo that I posted of the bean bag is not that flattering. I had rather hastily set it on the dash as I was in a hurry. In real life it looks much better....trust me.

So far I am very happy with it. It's satellite reception is excellent and it has a little gizmo that keeps you tracking even if you briefly lose contact with the birds in the sky...I am not sure how it does it but it does. I paid 42,000 baht for it. I am sure it is a bit cheaper in the USA but this one comes loaded with all the Thai maps. Also, there is a disc for all of North America.

On Sunday when the BKK traffic is light I am going to give it a serious road test. This afternoon it took me nearly an hour to go 9 k...I drove home in rush hour (well, in one of BKK's many rush hours).

As it has a touch screen and a remote it is very easy to use. For screen touching I suggest the eraser end of a pencil (cleaner and more reach).

Yes....so far I am happy.

The true test will come after many hours of road testing. I'll try to keep this thread up-to-date with my experiences.

[Lormaak]

Nice bit of kit. I want one. 42,000 doesn't seem too bad. Online prices vary from about $700-$1100, and you've got that thing in your hands, no messing about.

One question. How does it deal with the inconsistent romanicised spellings? (Chatuchak, Jatujak; Charan Sanitwong, Jarun Sanitwong; Phaholyothin, Phahon Yothin)

That gets me sometimes when I'm looking through a map index to find somewhere unfamiliar.Sometimes the spellings can be quite different.

[RAZZELL]

Nice bit of kit. I want one. 42,000 doesn't seem too bad. Online prices vary from about $700-$1100, and you've got that thing in your hands, no messing about.

One question. How does it deal with the inconsistent romanicised spellings? (Chatuchak, Jatujak; Charan Sanitwong, Jarun Sanitwong; Phaholyothin, Phahon Yothin)

That gets me sometimes when I'm looking through a map index to find somewhere unfamiliar.Sometimes the spellings can be quite different.

How often does the signal drop-out...the unit "freeze" or need resetting???

[teej]

Nice bit of kit. I want one. 42,000 doesn't seem too bad. Online prices vary from about $700-$1100, and you've got that thing in your hands, no messing about.

One question. How does it deal with the inconsistent romanicised spellings? (Chatuchak, Jatujak; Charan Sanitwong, Jarun Sanitwong; Phaholyothin, Phahon Yothin)

That gets me sometimes when I'm looking through a map index to find somewhere unfamiliar.Sometimes the spellings can be quite different.

was just going to ask this question as well.

Keep us updated when you give the thing a real test corkscrew. I'd like to know what you think after running it thru it's courses. Thanks,

Teej

p.s. North America was included or separate?

[corkscrew]

Nice bit of kit. I want one. 42,000 doesn't seem too bad. Online prices vary from about $700-$1100, and you've got that thing in your hands, no messing about.

One question. How does it deal with the inconsistent romanicised spellings? (Chatuchak, Jatujak; Charan Sanitwong, Jarun Sanitwong; Phaholyothin, Phahon Yothin)

That gets me sometimes when I'm looking through a map index to find somewhere unfamiliar.Sometimes the spellings can be quite different.

As to the spellings I just type in the first few letters and it comes up with a list of possibilities....so far the one I wanted was on the list.

But, the coolest part is the dragged arrow. I drag it to a part of BKK where I want to go and the little pop-up tells me the location. If it looks like that's the spot where I want to go I just click and hit the "go there" button. Right away it makes a driving map and gives me a list of turns. Then when I start my drive it verbally and textually tells me every turn to make.

The first thing I did when I got to my home was list my "home." in a favorite spot file..that way if I get into some hopelessly remote area of the city I can always find my way back home. Also, the machines library has pre-stored lots of BKK's favorite places.

The colour screen is very clear and bright.

I bought my machine at Platinium....it is on the 3rd floor of Pantip. They take credit cards...but bring a passport or Thai driver's license if you plan to use an international credit card. Thei English is limited. I brought a Thai friend to translate.

[corkscrew]

Nice bit of kit. I want one. 42,000 doesn't seem too bad. Online prices vary from about $700-$1100, and you've got that thing in your hands, no messing about.

One question. How does it deal with the inconsistent romanicised spellings? (Chatuchak, Jatujak; Charan Sanitwong, Jarun Sanitwong; Phaholyothin, Phahon Yothin)

That gets me sometimes when I'm looking through a map index to find somewhere unfamiliar.Sometimes the spellings can be quite different.

was just going to ask this question as well.

Keep us updated when you give the thing a real test corkscrew. I'd like to know what you think after running it thru it's courses. Thanks,

Teej

p.s. North America was included or separate?

The North American disc came with the package...free.

Tomorrow my wife is going to take our MB S car on a shopping route. Maybe, I'll play the passenger so that I can work the Garmin. The last time I tried to use a GPS (an old Garmin) in the S the windscreen did not allow it. But, this one works fine in our MB SLK. Maybe the newer Garmin's are more sophisticated when it comes to windscreen penetration. Or maybe Mercedes has changed the chemical composition of its glass during the last couple of years.

Anyway, I shall try to keep this string up to date.

[HDRIDER]

Thanks for the info, just what i want, allways get lost when i am out

how big is the screen, please.

D

Phuket

[corkscrew]

Nice bit of kit. I want one. 42,000 doesn't seem too bad. Online prices vary from about $700-$1100, and you've got that thing in your hands, no messing about.

One question. How does it deal with the inconsistent romanicised spellings? (Chatuchak, Jatujak; Charan Sanitwong, Jarun Sanitwong; Phaholyothin, Phahon Yothin)

That gets me sometimes when I'm looking through a map index to find somewhere unfamiliar.Sometimes the spellings can be quite different.

How often does the signal drop-out...the unit "freeze" or need resetting???

Not often....and it comes back quickly by itself. Amazing.

[corkscrew]

Thanks for the info, just what i want, allways get lost when i am out

how big is the screen, please.

D

Phuket

It is pretty BIG. It is very easy to see from the driver's seat. And you can position the screen for your convenience.

[teej]

Yeah I'd like to know bout the windscreen issue too... My tollway card doesn't scan properly in my BMW, don't know if it's the windscreen or the V-Kool... either way, having to pay at the toll cuz my card won't scan really sucks.

[corkscrew]

Yeah I'd like to know bout the windscreen issue too... My tollway card doesn't scan properly in my BMW, don't know if it's the windscreen or the V-Kool... either way, having to pay at the toll cuz my card won't scan really sucks.

On Sunday I am going to do a run test between the machine and myself. I know a few fast routes between A and B in Bangkok....but I'll ask the Garmin to challenge me. I'll post the results. I am sure that over my chosen routes I'll win...but, with any other road challenge it will win. Hey, that is why I bought it. Secretly, I hope it also beats me on my own turf...then I will have to stop thinking behind the wheel.

BTW, I think your windscreen might be the issue with the toll card.

[corkscrew]

The screen is also very clean.

[davethailand]

On our recent bike trip to Phuket from Pattaya two of the riders had the Garmins on thier bikes, good on the routes, landmarks and info but not too good in BKK with small soi's.

One of the guys recently used it in the USA and he said it was accurate to every single street and landmark.

LOS has'nt been programmed and loaded fully so its not 100% yet but it worked great.

[corkscrew]

On our recent bike trip to Phuket from Pattaya two of the riders had the Garmins on thier bikes, good on the routes, landmarks and info but not too good in BKK with small soi's.

One of the guys recently used it in the USA and he said it was accurate to every single street and landmark.

LOS has'nt been programmed and loaded fully so its not 100% yet but it worked great.

I am going to try it on the small Bangkok sois on Sunday. Nana 4. (Ha Ha).

[corkscrew]

On our recent bike trip to Phuket from Pattaya two of the riders had the Garmins on thier bikes, good on the routes, landmarks and info but not too good in BKK with small soi's.

One of the guys recently used it in the USA and he said it was accurate to every single street and landmark.

LOS has'nt been programmed and loaded fully so its not 100% yet but it worked great.

I am going to try it on the small Bangkok sois on Sunday. Nana 4. (Ha Ha).

Or Patpong 1

[skippybangkok]

Was in Oz Christmas time. Brother in-law insisted we take his GPS to navigate home from a camping site ( 4 hour drive ). Well, it wanted to go off the main road....so thought it was smart and new the way better than I did.

Road got smaller , and then smaller, and then changed from paved to gravel, and then even smaller, until we were in the middle of the forest ona one car wide road and no possibility to turn around........ and then....... ( roll the drums ).... came across a long across the road. Since it was a low ride sports car, no chance of clearing the hurdle.... so it was 3 km in reverse......

Fun things, not sure how believable they are though.

2005.Dec.Oz.bmp

[corkscrew]

Was in Oz Christmas time. Brother in-law insisted we take his GPS to navigate home from a camping site ( 4 hour drive ). Well, it wanted to go off the main road....so thought it was smart and new the way better than I did.

Road got smaller , and then smaller, and then changed from paved to gravel, and then even smaller, until we were in the middle of the forest ona one car wide road and no possibility to turn around........ and then....... ( roll the drums ).... came across a long across the road. Since it was a low ride sports car, no chance of clearing the hurdle.... so it was 3 km in reverse......

Fun things, not sure how believable they are though.

That is very funny. As you know, the main roads here in Thailand can be sort of like off-roads elsewhere. My favorite bumpy BKK road is Rhom Rudi....it jars my teeth when I drive it. But it is quicker than Wireless.

[corkscrew]

OK...enough of roads..lets have a little R&R.

[corkscrew]

OK...enough of roads..lets have a little R&R.

Back to roads and local wires.

[corkscrew]

OK...enough of roads..lets have a little R&R.

Back to roads and local wires.

'night

[RAZZELL]

OK...enough of roads..lets have a little R&R.

You should buy a new sat-nav every week....

[corkscrew]

I am very impressed with this Garmin Street Pilot. Around our apartment there are a number of tall buildings, narrow sois and overhanging trees. Within just a few minutes of leaving my garage the gadget's GPS had captured a sufficient number of satellites to give me my position. I then drove about two kilometers all the while making various turns onto different streets. The Garmin never once lost contact with the satellites. I then asked it to take me "Home". It calculated the course in a half dozen seconds. Twice I intentionally made a detour; both times the machine recalculated the new course. It took me right to my driveway.

All the while the bright color screen was showing where I was and where I was going. In print the screen told me when to turn and onto what street and how far away I was from that turn. A feminine voice (British) echoed what was written and diagramed on the screen.

So far I am very pleased with its (her?) performance.

Tomorrow, when the traffic is not so hellish I'll give it a longer drive. One of the most challenging tests will be how it handles roundabouts and motorway entrances and exits.

The Garmin comes with 3 ways to mount it on your dash. The one I use looks something like a square beanbag. It is filled with what feels like lead pellets and its bottom is clingy. In short, it will not slide around at all. Also, if you want to hide it after you have parked all you have to do is pick it up. The other two mounting thingys are sticky plates. One of them uses a very powerful glue...so you have to be careful when you position it. The other works with a reusable sticky disk. The Garmin itself can be removed from any of these mounts with just a click of a switch.

The remote is extremely handy especially if your passenger is doing the work. Since most of the commands are made on the touch screen I have found that the eraser end of a pencil does the work more safely if you are driving the car. You can keep your eyes on the road and poke the commands at the same time (but, in practice, you rarely have to do anything to the Garmin while you are driving.

[corkscrew]

Was in Oz Christmas time. Brother in-law insisted we take his GPS to navigate home from a camping site ( 4 hour drive ). Well, it wanted to go off the main road....so thought it was smart and new the way better than I did.

Road got smaller , and then smaller, and then changed from paved to gravel, and then even smaller, until we were in the middle of the forest ona one car wide road and no possibility to turn around........ and then....... ( roll the drums ).... came across a long across the road. Since it was a low ride sports car, no chance of clearing the hurdle.... so it was 3 km in reverse......

Fun things, not sure how believable they are though.

You can click on an option that will only take you on main roads. In fact, it asks you what type of vehicle you are driving. The suggested route will probably be different if you are driving a Porsche rather than an 18 wheeler. Also, you can select out of toll roads. The Garmin allows you to really customize your route. You can also choose "shortest" or "fastess"...fastess is better as shortest usually takes you on small roads.

Of course the very best navigating system in Bangkok is to have a Thai friend who sits in the passenger seat (assuming she knows the city).

[Thairish]

You can click on an option that will only take you on main roads. In fact, it asks you what type of vehicle you are driving. The suggested route will probably be different if you are driving a Porsche rather than an 18 wheeler. Also, you can select out of toll roads. The Garmin allows you to really customize your route. You can also choose "shortest" or "fastess"...fastess is better as shortest usually takes you on small roads.

Of course the very best navigating system in Bangkok is to have a Thai friend who sits in the passenger seat (assuming she knows the city).

I have the smaller Streetpilot c320, I recently got to give it a decent enough run out of Bangkok, went Kachanaburi, with the family 2 separate cars. I had the Garmin, my brother in law used his knowledge, and I managed to get there 30 mins before him.

But I have had auto-routing problems around the At Narong - Ram Intra Expressway, it freezes everytime I use the auto-route feature around there. Just viewing the map as you drive theres no problems! So it would be interesting to know if anyone has problems with the auto-routing freezing too.

Are you a Benz dealer corkscrew? Or just really into your MBs?

[corkscrew]

You can click on an option that will only take you on main roads. In fact, it asks you what type of vehicle you are driving. The suggested route will probably be different if you are driving a Porsche rather than an 18 wheeler. Also, you can select out of toll roads. The Garmin allows you to really customize your route. You can also choose "shortest" or "fastess"...fastess is better as shortest usually takes you on small roads.

Of course the very best navigating system in Bangkok is to have a Thai friend who sits in the passenger seat (assuming she knows the city).

I have the smaller Streetpilot c320, I recently got to give it a decent enough run out of Bangkok, went Kachanaburi, with the family 2 separate cars. I had the Garmin, my brother in law used his knowledge, and I managed to get there 30 mins before him.

But I have had auto-routing problems around the At Narong - Ram Intra Expressway, it freezes everytime I use the auto-route feature around there. Just viewing the map as you drive theres no problems! So it would be interesting to know if anyone has problems with the auto-routing freezing too.

Are you a Benz dealer corkscrew? Or just really into your MBs?

No, I am not a MB dealer...though I probably sound like one...I just love the cars.

Since this weekend is a long one I'll have an opportunity to fully test the Garmin without all the traffic mess. I am also not a Garmin dealer so I'll post the faults as well as the praise. (Frankly, just having the "go Home" feature is nice when I drift into unknown regions of BKK).

I'll probably take my Thai wife along as a back-up.

Time for dinner.

[Thairish]

No, I am not a MB dealer...though I probably sound like one...I just love the cars.

Since this weekend is a long one I'll have an opportunity to fully test the Garmin without all the traffic mess. I am also not a Garmin dealer so I'll post the faults as well as the praise. (Frankly, just having the "go Home" feature is nice when I drift into unknown regions of BKK).

I'll probably take my Thai wife along as a back-up.

Time for dinner.

Your dinner pics have just pushed me over the edge, time for me to get some too!

You also must have your camera attached to you 24-7! I recommend if you are not yet on flickr you should probably join!

Enjoy..

[corkscrew]

Today I spent about four hours testing the Street Pilot. I have to give it a grade of 'A'. It would have received an 'A+' but for one error (I first thought it was a goof but now I am not so sure). The Gallery restaurant is on Soi 30 Charoen Krung. I have always thought of it as a one-way street heading west because I have never seen any traffic going east. When leaving the parking lot of the Gallery the Garmin told me to turn east. I refused. Later in the day I visually checked the street to see if there were any road signs that indicated the street was for one-way traffic only. There were none. Perhaps it is defacto one-way but not so dejure.

Tomorrow I am going to test its skills on the motorways. Perhaps I'll drive out to the site of the new Bangkok airport (about a 35 minute hike on several different motorways) and then push the "HOME" button.

[RAZZELL]

Today I spent about four hours testing the Street Pilot. I have to give it a grade of 'A'. It would have received an 'A+' but for one error (I first thought it was a goof but now I am not so sure). The Gallery restaurant is on Soi 30 Charoen Krung. I have always thought of it as a one-way street heading west because I have never seen any traffic going east. When leaving the parking lot of the Gallery the Garmin told me to turn east. I refused. Later in the day I visually checked the street to see if there were any road signs that indicated the street was for one-way traffic only. There were none. Perhaps it is defacto one-way but not so dejure.

Tomorrow I am going to test its skills on the motorways. Perhaps I'll drive out to the site of the new Bangkok airport (about a 35 minute hike on several different motorways) and then push the "HOME" button.

No satnav as standard in the Benz???