Support Thread for the TND 500, TND 700 or future Rand McNally products. (part two)

Yeah I know. I hope the powers that be realize that being so slow with the map updates is one of the largest detriments they have. The software is better suited to trucking compared to garmins. But garmin's nab a map update every quarter, and garmin has made their dezl software a little better with the latest iteration.

It was easy to suggest the rand before the dezl software got the route adjustment tool(I forget what they call it, but you can basically click on the map, and the software will route you using the place you clicked). It was the one large thing the garmins were lacking. And actually now, with that feature in place, it's actually easier than the rand mcnally to force the GPS to go where you want. Rand you have to use the prefer freeways, and avoid small roads, or use a via point. It's actually less easy on the rand now.

 

I totally agree with your post. Routing on the Rand has always been my major beef with the product. I really like the layout so have never gone to the Garmin but it should be easier to plot your own route so you don't get sent on a sightseeing trip wasting precious time and miles thereby running down your HOS hours eg: the other day Redmond OR to Lebanon OR, the TND 730 wanted to go 126 to 20 to 22 to 226 and back to the 20 which was 123 mi and 2 hrs 43 min, whereas going 126 to 20 was 107 mi. and 2 hrs 17 min, wacky routing. Anyone who would blindly follow their GPS without double checking their route on their Atlas would be wasting precious time.
What I would like to see is that they scrap the " compare route function " as in the past it has given me some pretty outrageous routes and replace it with an options function whereby when you plot a route it will bring up alternate roads you can use to get to your destination depending on the preferences you have set on the unit then you wouldn't need to set up a bunch of Via's, which in my mind is a lot of waste of time.
Prefer Freeways may work back east but out here in the west it can add hundreds of miles to a trip and for any new drivers or those too lazy to compare routes to their atlas it can send them on a real sightseeing trip.
So Rand: stop adding useless bells and whistles and concentrate on routing.
Just my 2 cents worth.

 

We have the TND 730 and are pretty happy with it. One really annoying thing is every time it starts up it tells us that The map database is over one year old and we dock it and update it every time we go home. I've searched the Dock website and pressed every button on there thinking I missing someThing. Also do you know if there any plans to get more voices on to give directions? Samantha sounds like my ex-wife and I hate her and the guy that's on there it sounds like he is from Scotland. Claudia barely gives you any details at all. We would like To be able to download celebrity voice is like Arnold Schwarzenegger. They could charge for this service and we would pay!

 

When the destination was changed to the Pioneer Truck Plaza on the 228 near Brownsville OR the unit correctly routed 126 to 20 to 228.

 

OK, if this is correct then why would it route that stretch to get to the Pioneer Truck Plaza but not to Lebanon. Just seems a little confusing.