Suppport Thread for the TND 500, TND 700 or future Rand McNally products.

I would like to give a update. since keeping my tnd 700 on the fastest setting, changing the weight to 80000, and making sure its updated at least once a day it has proven flawless on its directions. The weight thing still has me confused because it will tell me to turn down a road then 3 seconds later say that my weight exceeds the legal limit for the road. not sure if its a software error or what but i was not above the limit as it was a truck route. maybe setting it to 79000 will fix the error i will have to try that since i remember someone saying that 80000 caused a error on one. other then that it got me from california to Illinois back to Iowa with no problems. im very happy with it and will continue to give updates if i find something that doesn't seem right. i will try and throw in some good remarks too so its not all negative

one thing i was wondering about is the arrival time setting in the upper right corner. does that calculate the remaining time on your current speed or the posted speed limit? the trucks i drive are limited to 64 mph. so will it adjust the remaining time when i start driving according to how my speed changes or if the posted speed limit is 75 will it calculate it off that? also what display do you guys recommend? 3d,north up, or heading up? i had it on 3d but always like to get others view point. Is there a performance boost using north up vs 3d?

 

Mine changes to the 3d mode every week or so, and I just have to cycle thru all the options and it will go back to the one i want.

I am glad to hear that the initial map update will be free. That is all I am really looking for. i probably will not have much interest in many more add on's.
Though I will just have to wait and see what is available.

I have not tried changing the weight to 79,000. May be a good idea, since it is rare that I am over that.
I do not believe that I have ever had my unit route me onto a restricted route that the unit knew about. I have been on quite a few that it did not. Mostly local restrictions put out by the county or town.
Many places I need to go I have to revert to my local directions from the shipper/ receiver. Since the unit will tell me I cannot use the road, if it will even show up as an optional address.
Quite often an address I have to go to cannot be found due to it not being on an approved route.
When that happens I will go to the area and using my local directions find the location on the map. Then have it route me to it.
When this does not work I will have it route me as close as it can, even if it is just the exit. Then follow my notes to get to the location.
None of that really bothers me. Since I would do the same thing if I had a car GPS. Plus many times the loading location is not really on the road that the address is on.

A big issue for me is still the time to get to the location. When I am in the east or at least in areas with speed limits of 65 or less for cars and trucks it is pretty close when I set it to add the most time to the route. When I go to areas with 70 mile an hour limits or areas with truck speed limits lower than the car limits then I need to add a good bit of time to it's guess for arrival time.
Just going across US 30 from I-71 in OH to I-65 in Indiana I will loose an hour or more. Since it is a 55 zone for trucks in OH, and there are allot of lights and 60 for trucks in Indiana.

I would LOVE to have a good final map database and overlay. That is accurate as of the production date.

 

I use north up so it's like looking at my location on a paper map. The other setting to turn with the truck makes me lose my sense of direction and 3D is just too confusing for me.

 

I would suggest that if the restriction is past the point that the routing turns you off of that road, the unit should not warn you since you aren't going that way. The 465t won't warn that there's restrictions past the turn until you get to it. Then it tells you that it's turning to avoid a restriction and it has little restricted signs stuck in the map where you can see it for yourself. When it turns you onto a road and then warnings start going off, it's pretty confusing.

 

Mark, today I noticed a solid white line appeared on the screen today. I have shut down the TND but it seems to be a permanent line that is visible on all pages viewed. I bought it last October.

Chris