Cobra Electronics 7700 PRO GPS

Rest for Brian, but the device is extremely user friendly and has hit the mark alot more often than other units i have tried as well as pc software

 

Thanks. I ordered it off Ebay last night so I can have it for xmas. It has a 30 day return option, but i dont think I /he will be needing it. Thanks for this thread, it's what sealed my deal on the purchase.

 

Thanks Brian for taking the time to answer all of my questions. I must confess that I have come to the conclusion that the technology isn’t quite there yet. Thus, I think I will have to wait. If the truck routing isn’t perfect, then it can’t be relied upon and lets be honest anyone who does is playing reckless with his or her driving career.

Not to mention also that if it constantly reroutes you every time you deviate from your course and depending upon where you are relative to your destination the route could possibly change each and every time, means the unit will have that many more opportunities to get you into trouble, since as you admitted the truck routing has not been perfected yet and therefore can’t and shouldn’t be relied upon.

Also, on the rerouting issue while I have no doubt that the unit will do its job and get you to your destination, the problem I have is whether or not the newly recalculated routes will be legal for 18-wheelers, since as you said the truck routing at least right now hasn’t been perfected yet, and since the recalculated routes could be legal but then again it could also not be legal, then that means I would have to find a suitable place to pull over every time the GPS recalculated the routes, which inevitably would be several times each day, to review, verify, and confirm my newly recalculated routes are legal or otherwise take a chance, cross my fingers, and pray that the recalculated routes are legal. I’d probably end up becoming a nervous wreck if I did that and might even wind up with possibly having nightmares every night.


Hence, because of the aforementioned issues there is no way I can justify spending $500 on a GPS device at this time that I would have to use the same way as I would a car GPS. As a matter fact, all advertising claims aside, until the truck routing issue has been solved and perfected, and I’m not quite sure it ever will be because it sounds like the issues involved are beyond the limits and scope of technology, what you guys are actually marketing and selling, at least at this point, is a car GPS device with some enhanced truck features, and it is just not worth the exorbitant price you guys charge for what you are getting. Not only that, but it could even get drivers in very serious trouble and especially new green horn drivers.

Nevertheless, if it is any consolation I think the Cobra product beats the Rand McNally product hands down, as the Rand McNally product at least at this time seems to be plagued with a ton of issues. Not to mention also that you have to have access to a high speed Internet connection because of the size of the downloads and how many drivers on the road have access to that?


Most people who will spend $500 dollars after they get over the new toy affect and after they discover all the limitations over and over again in due time will end up in the long run being very disappointed and sorry they wasted their hard earned money.

Nevertheless, Brian thanks for all your generous help and you and your family have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 

I created a "custom" POI file for use by our drivers' to find our primary shippers/receivers. Most use either TomTom or Garmin Nuvi. One driver requested the POI file for a Cobra 7000, but I can not find any information anywhere (on Cobra website or GPS forums) for importing a custom POI file, like what format (XLS, CSV, etc) and the "instructions" to import.
This information was REAL easy to find for TomTom and Garmin.
Where can I find this info for Cobra?

 

Brian

Would you be willing to make a trade?

Ill send you the TND500 I have for one of the Cobra units

No, I am not joking.

 

I owned a TomTom GPS for the longest time and loved it...my only real problem with it was the size. 4x3 was still just to small.
So after seeing this monster of a GPS unit with a 7 inch screen made my Cobra....I jumped right at it. (Bought it at the 5th wheel on the QEW)
Well I do like it for it's size...but with that size comes the problem of it obstructing my view out of my lower right hand windsheild.
Another thing that pee's me off with this thing is if I leave Ottawa and set a destination of say Toronto, once I hit the 401, it keeps telling me how far I have to go to the next exit......and with many many exits between Ottawa and toronto...I turn down the volume or else am tempted to throw it out the window.
I also find it impossible to be able to read local street names as I drive by a street. It will let me know the street I am on but the upcoming street won't be marked...and good luck trying to set the downward view. Mine stays at 200 feet, no matter what I do.
To make a long story short, I pulled the unit, put it under my bunk ( too late to return it ) and reinstalled my old TomTom.
Do I like the unit? Yes I do...but in my opinion, it's just not ready for the real world.
Hopefully an update later down the way will fix these little quirps and I can use it again, but for now.....I'll still with my old TomTom

Michael

 

I joined this board for the single purpose of commenting on the cobra 7700. First of all I'm a 20 year driver, business owner and owner op. I'm a practical sort and wouldn't comment unless strongly motivated to do so. For my Christmas gift to myself I went with a gps system. I went first with the name I knew best which is garmin. I'm a pilot and am familiar with garmin mls and fligt systems in aircraft. Well, I was not happy with the nuvi 465. I took it back and went with the next name I trusted which was Rand Mcnally. I drove with each unit for two days. The difference in these two units is virtually nill. Both have irritating qualities when trying to zoom in or out, neither are helpful when trying to move around on the map and locate crossroads etc... I was about to get my money back but decided to try the 7700. As soon as I turned it on and checked a few items I was impressed. In defense of the others, The larger screen helps tremendously. But beyond the screen, the Cobra is just so much easier to work with and includes features and ease of use which I really appreciate.

I will simply say to anyone interested- people always have opinions of this or that, and so my opinion may not suit your taste. But I would strongly suggest to anyone before a final decision go and try out this 7700. I guarantee you it will be the preferred gps for the truck.

Thank you Cobra folks for getting this right!!!! It's awesome.