Garmin nuvi 350 GPS

[Mike05]

Have pretty much narrowed the selection process for a GPS down to a Garmin Nuvi 350 . The Nuvi isn't waterproof but does have everything else I'm looking for.

 

NUVI QUESTION:

 

The Nuvi 350 comes with an outlet jack for headphones. Does anyone know if a wireless head set can be used with this unit? If so, which one(s)?

 

The answers at the various stores are all over the place. There seems to be consensus that you plug a "sending unit" into the Nuvi earphone outlet but nobody can recommend a specific product.

 

Any recommendations?

 

Mike05

[alanz]

The Nuvi 350 has a standard 3.5mm stereo headphone out. My guess is that any transmitter should work if it has the right size plug (cell phones use 2.5mm plugs)

 

You also might want to look into the Nuvi 360... it has some bluetooth features built in, but they might be limited to cell phone connectivity

 

http://www.garmin.com/products/nuvi360/

[ChrisA]

Have pretty much narrowed the selection process for a GPS down to a Garmin Nuvi 350 . The Nuvi isn't waterproof but does have everything else I'm looking for.

Mike05

 

You sure about that? The Nuvi will not allow you to load routes from your PC. If you plan on doing a trip with multiple waypoints the Nuvi is not the way to go. I know, I have one and the wife uses it and I'm shopping for a bargain 2720 or Quest 2.

[Mike05]

Chris,

 

No, I didn't realize the Nuvi wouldn't let me upload my own routes; thanks for the heads up.

 

I was pretty much sold on the original Garmin Quest but can't get past the limited memory issue. The Quest 2 addresses that subject and more but I'm told the routing and/or search capability is extremely slow, to the point of being unacceptable. Some very experienced riders at the UNRally told me they stayed with the Quest vs. the Quest 2 for that reason.

 

Mike05

[Mike O]

Have pretty much narrowed the selection process for a GPS down to a Garmin Nuvi 350 . The Nuvi isn't waterproof but does have everything else I'm looking for.

 

NUVI QUESTION:

 

The Nuvi 350 comes with an outlet jack for headphones. Does anyone know if a wireless head set can be used with this unit? If so, which one(s)?

 

The answers at the various stores are all over the place. There seems to be consensus that you plug a "sending unit" into the Nuvi earphone outlet but nobody can recommend a specific product.

 

Any recommendations?

 

Mike05

 

Mike,

 

I can't answer your specific question about headphone jack, but would recommend that it be run through an autocom (or the like). While the 360 has bluetooth, it reads as though it's really intended for phone use (I can't say I can see a real benefit here - and I routinely use bluetooth with my phone). The Nuvi line looks like a great product. It would be really neat for translation in Europe.

 

I would advise you, however, that if you're doing any trip planning, IMHO, it's far better to do that on the computer and THEN transfer it to the GPS. As for the Quest vs. Quest-2, the reason the Quest2 is slower is it has the entire US loaded on it and therefore searches are executed against a far larger database. For the Quest (which I own), I have NEVER found the memory to be a limitation. Remember, that the base map is completely loaded in ROM (the base map has all the major roads of the US - when you leave the detail area of the maps you've loaded, you're basically switching to the Quest's internal base maps - works quite well) and the remaining 100MB+ is for details of the specific areas you will be traveling in. Naturally, the more dense population areas (with more POI's etc.) will consume more memory, but I'm not looking to 'bike' in Manhattan anyway. I currently have several (Co, Wy, NM, AZ, UT, PA) states loaded with room left over. If you don't want to deal with the PC, then a preloaded Nuvi or Quest2 could be the ticket for you!

 

Good luck (and great meeting you at UN)

 

Mike O

[ChrisA]

Chris,

 

No, I didn't realize the Nuvi wouldn't let me upload my own routes; thanks for the heads up.

 

I was pretty much sold on the original Garmin Quest but can't get past the limited memory issue. The Quest 2 addresses that subject and more but I'm told the routing and/or search capability is extremely slow, to the point of being unacceptable. Some very experienced riders at the UNRally told me they stayed with the Quest vs. the Quest 2 for that reason.

Mike05

 

Glad I could help. I'm having a similar problem shopping myself. First I wanted the 2720, but too expensive. Then the Quest, but a friend has one and warned me of the memory issue. I live in NJ, so any of my routes will take me past Philly or NY and that consumes a lot of memory even though I won't need it. Next, onto the Quest 2, still fairly expensive, but cheaper than the 2720, smaller screen, no 3-D road view, does not speak street names. I've used the Nuvi on the bike and I like the screen size and the street names. The routing on the Nuvi is not an issue, but then it only does one point to another so it is quick. I've found the POI search to be annoyingly slow. So, bottom line, I've decided to bite the bullet and get the one I know I'll be happy with which is the 2720. Now I'm bargain shopping for refurbed or slightly used.

 

On another note, how long should I expect to be able to use this thing? 2 years? 5 years? I'm not one to have the latest and greatest, but what is the expected life of a GPS?

[Jerry Johnston]

On another note, how long should I expect to be able to use this thing? 2 years? 5 years? I'm not one to have the latest and greatest, but what is the expected life of a GPS?

Can't wait for answeres on this one. I'm betting that like computers your model is obsolete six months after you get one. That's the way of electronic gagets.

[Mike O]

...Then the Quest, but a friend has one and warned me of the memory issue. I live in NJ, so any of my routes will take me past Philly or NY and that consumes a lot of memory even though I won't need it.

 

Just so folks understand about the Quest (and any other Garmin GPS that has built in base maps) - from Garmin web site for Quest:

 

Basemap: Built-in 13 MB routable basemap (Americas) contains state and country boundaries, lakes, rivers, streams, airports, cities, towns, coastlines, state and interstate highways, local thorough fares and secondary roads within metro areas, federal interstate highway exit information for services such as food, lodging and truck, RV and automotive service stations

 

The GPS doesn't just go BLANK when it navigates through any area for which you don't have the detailed maps loaded. You are aware of this, right? Unless you NEED the detailed street level maps in Philly or NY, you DON'T have to load those into the GPS. The basemap is sufficient to route 'past Philly or NY'. This consumes NONE of the user memory.

 

Regards,

 

Mike O

[ChrisA]

Thanks. I understand about the base maps, but wasn't sure about how to route around cities and such with the detail. Boy, I wish I could have one for a couple weeks to play around with before buying it! I guess for me Philly would be the biggest issue since I often go through the city on route to better roads. On the other hand, since I know my way through the city, I suppose I could leave that out of the equation while routing?? Did I mention I wish I could have one to play with...