got a chance to get a street pilot III, don't really need the fanciness of a 2610 or 2720, but i'm nervous to buy something thats "on the way out" technology wise. at the same time 6-800 bucks is a bit steep for something i dont' REALLY need, but 300 or so isn't i've heard the screen washes out pretty bad, but other than that nothing any experiences?
I had one and liked it, but it did have it's downsides. Big, and pretty heavy, you have to be careful how you mount it if you are going to keep the batteries in it. I removed them to help with the shock load from hitting bumps and shit. Garmin memory cartridge, they have now come out with bigger ones, but it sucks. Serial interface, you have to use a separate USB card programmer for map data if you want to do it quickly and use the serial side for routes, waypoints and tracks. And my biggest peave, brutally slow to auto route. If you want to follow your nose and then get back on track, you almost have to stop and wait. I remember riding around a rain storm in Arkansas, trying to get the GPS to come up with a new route for me. Everytime it came up with a route, I had already passed the turn.
and all this is correct.....but for most use, it is just fine.....heck, a few years ago it was the best that was available....how quickly we forget.... but be warned, once hooked....you will die for just the accurate speedo.....
Bubba, if you give it a little effort you can get a 2610 from ebay (new) for around 450. A buddy used his SPIII until it wore his patience (and mine). Routing was slow and as I recall the screen painting (moving from one area to the next) was painfully slow as well, at least while travelling (I may be thinking of the SPV though). If you're going to spend 300 I would recommend going the note or two extra to get something like the 2610 or the quest series. Niceties compared to older technology/standards but it's like going to cable or dsl from dial up.
thanks guys, you're echoing the same sentiment i'm hearing elsewhere, time to start looking at the 2610.................
I've been using the Streetpilot III since June 2002, over 80,000 miles on motorcycles. A few months ago I thought about upgrading to a 276c ot 376c, I used the 276c in my car for 2 weeks and decided not to go for the upgrade. I have learned to deal with the slow speed of the SP3, also used to the way it operates within its limits. I have my SP3 unit set up just the way I want it so it does not re-calculate each time I veer off it calculated route, the auto-zooming function turned off so it would give me only the details that I want to see. SP3 does everything I want it to do, it may take a while for someone to learn all the little tricks that I have in the last 3 years of operating the SP3. I have yet to feel that Garmin has stopped supporting my unit, so I'm keeping it until it fails on me. My SP3 has been dropped from 40+mph, submerged in water for a few seconds, yet never failed to operate. I wouldn't mind getting a few spare SP3 at below $300 when others consider them "obsolete".
but be warned, once hooked....you will die for just the accurate speedo.....[/quote] No kidding. I feel neekid if I have to look at anything else now, if I don't have the GPS with me, I get that "hmmm...I wonder how fast I'm really going" feeling.
Yeah what Cat said and about the Speedo part also. I sent mine to Garmin for repair, started to leak on the road. I took it apart in the motel and dried it out then sealed up the leak. It was the seal around the screen. I used that non drying electronic type silicone and finished my trip to Prudhoe Bay and back in the cold and rain. No more probs. Garmin repalced all the inards and outards for 250. Now I have a new old one. But I am very happy with it. Curtis
I like the SPIII. I've had it since 2002, and have learned to live with the quirks. Slow re-calc etc. has never been much of a problem for me. One of the things I don't like about the new units (2610, 2620) is the lack of buttons for operation. The touch-screen and/or remote would be very difficult to operate with gloves on while riding a bike. I bought another one for $200 on eBay to have a backup in case the original fails me.
I felt the same way at first, but jumped for the extra storage. Basically, you're wrong. With my medium weight Gortex gloves I have no problem driving the touch screen and I find that it's faster to move around than the buttons. When I wear my heavy gloves (Gerbings heated gloves), I put a fingertip stylus on my left index finger and it works like a champ. The finger tip stylus's are made for plant floor operation of PDA's in "hostile" environments wearing gloves and shit and are dirt cheap. Once I got used to it, the 2720 is even faster since rather than using the page button you simply tap on the area of the screen related to the page and it takes you there, no scrolling through them, they renamed the page button to so no matter where you are you head straight back to the map.
