Buglist for Garmin Dezl 770

I've had a number of curious navigation failures with my Dezl 770; I would use the Garmin form for communicating each failure, as it occurs, but the form doesn't play well with an iphone 6s. If Garmin wants to check this thread for my experiences (and any other's experiences), that's okay with me.

Let's follow Garmin's rules for logging a bug:

The model
The software installed, which you can find at Settings/Device/About
This screenshot shows the various fields, and take note of the complete lack of links to assist you in finding the information requested.



Garmin also has a Suggestions form, and it has its own shortcomings.
I would suggest:
How about actually offering optional routes, guided by user preferences, such as least turns, fastest, shortest, Interstates only, no Interstates, toll roads, no toll roads, at the time of requesting a route, not so much as global settings, but as on-the-fly options?

There are two ways to find a Point of Interest, perhaps three ways, and you get different results from each. What's that about?

And why NOT a pickup truck icon? Yes, only Americans (and terrorist militias) are in love with pickup trucks, and many of your H1B programmers associate them with terrorist militias, but trust me, many of your customers would be delighted to have a pallette of pickups to choose from, and many of your customers have nothing to do with terrorist militias.

 

I just loaded the 2018.10 maps, I look forward to less routing glitches.

In broad strokes, I have encountered, in the past:

Being routed past an on-ramp for I-70 West, to travel US40 (business) a few miles, in order to access I-70 West. That was Vandalia Ohio, near the airport. Once I turned onto the on-ramp, the GPS "found" it, and 5 minutes was removed from my arrival time.

Starting from Casa Grande Arizona, enroute to Claypool Arizona, being directed to Tucson, where the GPS then recalculates and tells me I'm 335 miles from my destination. The tunnel on US 60 is incorrectly listed as 13ft 2in, which causes the GPS to avoid directing a 13ft 6in truck into it. I was 20 miles from Claypool, on US 60, and the GPS was still telling me I was 100 miles away (that detour, you see....) My dispatcher told me the company's software has the same issues, showing 130 miles between Casa Grande and Claypool.
Google says 85 miles, and that's about right, unless your vehicle won't fit inside a 13ft 6in tunnel.

On the way to Superior Roll Forming, 5535 Wegman Dr, Valley City, OH 44280, the unit scrupulously avoided routing me on Marks Road, opting instead for Substation Road and a housing addition, that were well marked with No Through Truck signs. The receiving clerk told me he has heard this story many, many times, and I suspect it's not exactly a Garmin problem, but a problem with the GIS data being supplied to Garmin, and other GPS Vendors.

I repeat, the data supplied to Garmin may be the culprit. The data may not tolerate an 80,000 pound truck, but a 79,999 pound truck is acceptable (those pesky Boolean operators!).

In the future, when the unit is acting up, and I'm not worried about the low bridges of Chicago, or the tollways of Oklahoma, I'll configure as an automobile and see if that helps.

Garmin Customer Service did suggest configuring the generic tractor-trailer as 79,000 pounds, not 80,000 pounds, in case the data prohibits trucks equalling or exceeding 80,000 pounds.

 

A few more suggestions:

The update process is tricky; start with a new USB "A" to "mini" power & data cable. (I think it's "A") if you are using a laptop or desktop connection.

It'd be nice if the update program would self-test the Internet connection speed and pass judgement on it. Customer service will blame the speed of your connection, but won't suggest how fast is adequate.

Also, the program continues to "update", and show a countdown, when connection between your computer and your unit is lost. Start with a new or "known good" data & power USB cable.


I have used Flying J's free inside WiFi to update the unit. Just use a known good cable, and ensure the update program shows a connection (top left of window), and have a micro SD CARD installed.

The update program would repeatedly crash without any helpful error message, until a micro SD card was installed.

 

To determine Latitude and Longitude, tap the vehicle icon to open a dialog box with that information. In that dialog, you can Save the coordinates.

I used the feature to accurately record Tenneco's truck gate, Jeffersonville Indiana. The official Trey Street address may have you struggling to make a U-turn in the dark.

Salem Road has no street numbering, according to my Dezl, so I resorted to Long & Lat to record the Tenneco Jeffersonville truck entrance on Salem Road.

 

I have found that the unit isn't very helpful when you stop at a truckstop, take a sleeper break, and are hoping for a "turn left" or "turn right" as you exit the truck stop.

You won't get any help, unless "continue on Interstate 70" is adequate.....

The unit has a Trip Logging feature that lays down a line of your past travel. It's not the default, you have to turn it on.

For the Dezl 770:
Touch Settings
Touch Map & Vehicle
Touch Map Layers
Touch the down arrow
Touch the box next to Trip Log to hide or display the log on the map screen
Touch Save

When you get turned around in the parking lot, that "snail trail" comes in handy.

It may be that stopping the trip and restarting the trip may put the unit in a more helpful mood . I haven't tried that, yet.

 

I have also found that my Honda's USB ports are both data and power, and the unit insists on the update mode when all you wanted to do is use a USB cable to power the unit, instead of undoing your truck installation, or buying another lighter adapter, or keeping track of a Charge Only cable and a Charge & Data cable.

Can't the unit ASK the user to choose between Power Only or Update?

 

It may be that Garmin needs to replace the project manager responsible for the Dezl's software.


An optimist says the glass is half full.
A pessimist says the glass is half empty.
An engineer says the glass is the wrong size.


http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarg...g-less-with-less-the-glass-is-the-wrong-size/

 

Note To Self:

Explain the different and distinct ways to enter:
Address as destination
Which is different from
Intersection as destination (doesn't work)
Both are different from entering
City as destination

That's right, if all you want is quickee directions to a city, it's not a matter of omitting street and street number; it's a whole 'nother entry routine.

And you better know how to spell apalachicola, bacause zip codes aren't acceptable, and the unit can't guess what you are attempting to spell.

 

I am convinced the unit had lost the ability to save a location, but can't repeat the problem. Was just now able to save a location.