Garmin c550 Automotive GPS

[Siskiyou]

A year or so ago I recommended the Garmin c550 to Graybeard based on the manufactures published information.  Now the c550 is in the pipeline to be discontinued.  Tigergps and Wal Mart were/are offering it for less the $200.  When it first came on the market the MRP was around $847.

I think back to the incident in Southern Oregon where a family became lost during the winter and the husband died.  I mention this because the c550 unit does not create a TRACK.  The ability to back track following a track is an important feature if you get off the pavement.  The c550 features match those of the newer Garmin Nuvi line in the upper third.  In my opinion Garmin took many of Street Pilot (c300-500 Series) features and transplanted them in the new Nuvi series.  This may have been the results of the Tom Tom lawsuit against Garmin.  A knowledgeable user can over come this by taking advantage of the Recently Found feature in the unit.  You can name a feature, as example the Forest Service and BLM post the number of a road system, and the spur roads receive a sub number.  Example the Route 10 road system main branch is numbered 10, and spur roads are number 10.1, 10.2, 10.3 until all the roads and spurs have been number.  The downside to the system is that the signs are commonly vandalized by the bottom feeders in our society.

As I recall my son was able to enter a Lat/Long on his Tom Tom.

Many Automotive gps units do not have a built-in power source.  The c550 has a built in lithium battery which is good for about 5.5 hours.  It also comes with a 12v power cord to operate from you vehicle assessory plug.  If one would have to abandon their vehicle the unit could still provide some guidance. 

I have taken advantage of the SD slot on the unit to install and fair number of waypoints that I have created over the years using my handheld gps units.  This should help on those dark, snowy mornings when I am headed for a parking spot.  I have created a number of parking waypoints in the past.  I have done this because things look different in the dark.  In fact using the pre-created information I could hand the unit to my brother to take in his vehicle and it could guide him to the correct location.

The unit functions far better as an automotive gps then a handheld unit program for trekking in the outdoors.  The unit shines as an automotive navigator.  It allows the user to adjust the audio to fit his needs.  Directions are clearly given, and the City Navigator software, which is pre-installed, displays the route clearly.  I found it interesting how it displayed a freeway on-ramp which I approach by first crossing over the freeway, and then the on-ramp takes me back under the over pass in a tight circle.  This is clearly displayed on the screen, along with verbal directions.

Recently a co-worker became very ill and has made a number of trips to the emergency room.  I along with other workers put our names in the hat for emergency transportation if needed.  At the time I entered the co-worker’s address in the favorites menu in my new c550.  When the call came early one morning that the co-worker needed a ride to the emergency room I was geared to go.  I selected his name in the Favorites Menu, and it showed his home was approximately 23-miles from my home.  I had never been to his home but the unit successful navigated me to his doorstep.  The trip to his home included two State highways, and a maze of surface streets in his sub division.  Once I picked him up I selected the Food, Hotels….otherwise miscellaneous menu.  The menu provides a number of options including Hospitals.  The drop down provides a list of hospitals starting at the nearest one, and expanding outwards.  In this case I select the nearest hospital and the unit selected what I believe to be the best route to the emergency room.

As far as I know one cannot enter a waypoint (Favorite) directly into the unit by imputing a Lat/Long, or UTM.  But if the location has a street address you can enter it and save in your favorites.  As I stated earlier I was able to enter waypoints created on my handheld gps units and storing them on a SD card.  When I inserted the SD card into the unit the waypoints transferred into the unit memory. 

In the case of the waypoints that were stored into the unit memory I should have done a little better housekeeping job.  These are the waypoints that are not near a road but out in the woods.  I have created some intersection waypoints where I launch off the State Highway or County road into the backcountry.  I have some Parking Areas that meet my needs when hunting certain locations that have been saved as waypoints, or now as favorites in my c550.  Some of these departure points are hard to find at 3:30 in the morning.  When fresh snow has covered the landscape it get tougher because the main road has been plowed and the entrance to the logging road is covered from a brim of snow.

I have been using this unit for a month or so now.  Reception is good with its high sensitivity receiver but it has lost contact with the satellites a couple times under a tight timber canopy.  This unit takes the same external antenna that I use on my Garmin 76C.  If I have the misfortune of having to visit the concrete jungle I will be sure and attach it.

I am a pessimistic sort who believes the world is full of bottom feeders, and opportunist.  During the 4th of July weekend there were news articles regarding vehicle smash and grabs at different boat ramps.  When parking hide the unit from prying eyes.

The dedicated Automotive gps does a far better job of providing navigational information then a hand held unit loaded with street auto routing software does on the road.  In the woods the handheld is more suitable for the job, offer appropriate options and better battery life.  Many Automotive units do not come with a built in battery.

The automotive gps tells me on what side of the street the address I am looking for, >Mike is .6 miles on the right.  The handheld unit with auto routing software sounds a tone before I get to the location and another tone when I get close to it, letting me guess if it is on the right or left.

My wife gets after me because I have it operating even when we are heading to a location we have been to many times.  The reason is that I want know how the unit operates indifferent environments.  She was making a point to me the other day when she was visiting one of her favorite websites after reading a woman’s post.  The woman and her husband had purchased an automotive gps unit because they were moving and traveling a long distance.  She claimed the unit led them in circles.
A few months back some friends traveled to Southern California using a Magellan 4350.  They gave it high marks.  My son has a Tom Tom and is very pleased with it. 


My experience with the c550 is that it operates on the KISS principal, KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID.  Now most gps manuals I have read are written in a manner that many users have a hard time following them, admittedly they have improved.  But by reading the manual and a little practice ahead of time the c550 has found a place in my travel kit.

[Siskiyou]

I suspect I will be repeating myself in my response to Sweetwater.

Recently Sweetwater ask the following on August 15th:

“Your opinion solicitated:
                               1/  replacement model for my Magellan Meridian Gold? One of the 60 series? Or which one?
                               2/ Onboard GPS (a) stationary or movable between vehicles? (b) Which one?”

I answer question (1/) on the current topic and I will take on question (2/) as part of this topic on the Garmin c550 automotive gps.

I was dreaming about a built-in automotive gps unit for a while.  But I am backing off from that unless I win the lotto.  The real discouraging event was viewing the dash of a car that had had a built in gps unit.  The damage to the vehicle the thieves had done was major.  I bet the price tag to repair it is many thousand dollars. Gps units are target by thieves who wonder parking lots, garages, and where ever we may park our vehicle. 

I had an opportunity to ride with some friends that have a built in unit.  We made a round trip up into Oregon and back.  I was seated in the back seat looking at the unit and comparing it with my handheld Garmin 76Cx load with City Navigator.  Both screens were duplicating our location, but from a drivers stand point the advantage has to go to the built in automotive gps with it’s much larger screen.

 I favor a moveable unit designed for automotive use.  It is a different animal then a handheld.  I think it would be tough to go wrong with a unit that has a high sensitivity receiver.  Tom Tom, Magellan, and Garmin make a number of different models.  My son’s Tom Tom goes from his work vehicle, to his fun vehicle, to his wife’s car and the grandson barrows it when he takes a road trip. 

A friend’s husband was using a Magellan automotive unit that impressed her enough to buy one for her pickup.

I have no regrets on purchasing the soon to be discontinued Garmin c550. I purchased mine from Tigergps.  This unit at one time was the top of the Garmin line, and it shares the features of the up third of the line now.  The price is a bargain.  I selected a mounting location on the dash that does not block my view.  It is against the law in some states to mount a gps on the windshield.  Extra dashboard mounts can be purchased in a number of configurations to fit the users need.

The portability comes in handy if you fly to a location and rent a vehicle.  My wife is an outstanding navigator, but a portable unit would have been handy when we flew cross-country and rented a vehicle.  It is handy when I go from my pickup to the wife’s car, or to the father-in-law’s pickup.  For a lot of years my wife has had an AAA map out tracking our progress when we travel strange roads or streets into a city.  The 76C and 76Cx with City Navigator has been helpful, and hopefully the c550 we allow her to relax a little more and enjoy the trip.  It is nice to plug in an address and have the unit guide you to the location.  On some of my trips I like to take a side trip to a local gunshop.  In the past I went to the Yellow Pages and found an address, and consulted the AAA map.  I might still consult a paper map, but I will plug the address into my gps and let it guide me.  On a trip to Southern California the 76Cx did a good job of guiding me to our motel.  I needed to fuel-up, and selected the Fuel Services Icon and hit enter, I was given a number of stations starting at the nearest and going out.  I selected the brand I prefer, and hit enter and the unit guided me to the station.

When it came time for dinner we decided that we want Mexican food.  I went to the Food Icon, hit enter, and we were given a selection of restaurant.  One was about half mile from the motel, and we chose to walk.  We had spent to many hours driving.

On another emergency trip we traveled with in-laws to close down a gravely ill family members home, and move her belongings North.  The 76Cx guided us around town without a hitch.  My father-in-law had made arrangements for a U-Haul truck.  U-Haul was located across the city, and the gps guide us there.  My father-in-law did not have a clue to the location when he made arrangements.  Typical of many cities that have been chopped up by freeways, the return route was different then the way we found the business.  The gps guided us to the freeway, and our return back to the residence was quick and uncomplicated.


When driving I like the c550 because of the larger screen, and how it displays the City Navigator software over my Garmin 76Cx which has US Topo and City Navigator.  The disadvantage when switching vehicles is the lack of additional mounting bases if you are in a “not on the windshield state.”    My handheld 76Cx gets good reception inside a vehicle, and when the City Navigator software is selected it does a good job.  Two issues come up, it is preferred that a passenger watch the small screen, and navigational directions are given by tone rather then voice directions.

The advantage goes to the handheld because you can carry it with more easily on a hike.

http://www.tigergps.com/garminstreetpilotc550.html

[Sweetwater]

THANK YOU!!!  The only auto unit I'd ever used was a Magellan in a Hertz Rental Car.  We were just pricing newer vehicles and the onboard navigation system, to us, was incredibly expensive. Over 2 grand. So we opted for an '07 Explorer Eddie Bauer with 11,000 miles and no navigation system. Saved half off a new '08 model and for sure enough to grab on to a c550 from TigerGPS!

Surely appreciate your informed responses!

Regards,
Sweetwater

[Siskiyou]

C550 Road Trip

I have had the c550 for about two months but have not had a real chance to try it out.  The chance came yesterday when the wife and I put a few hundred miles on the pickup.  One of my Midwest cousins is currently staying in another part of California and we decided to get together for brunch and a visit.

My wife got a recommendation on a small restaurant that shovels out good food at a reasonable price near the half waypoint.  We had split up the miles traveled.  I went into the menu of the c550 in the restaurant section and keyed in the Creekside Café.  I was surprised at the number of Creekside Café’s popped up.  The first one I check was not correct but the second one was corrected and I selected it.

I have been known to create some of my own gps problems.  For the last two months I have not had to travel on a freeway.  In the avoidance option I had checked the high traffic box.  High traffic in this case equals freeway.  For most of the trip the unit wanted to put us off on nearby streets and county roads.  On the Where to screen you get the map, along with a couple of boxes that shows your estimated time to the destination, and the mileage to the destination. I was not concerned because these boxes kept showing decreasing time and mileage.  I knew from the earlier planning the café was about a mile from the freeway in a farming community.

When we were about six miles from the café I took an off-ramp and the unit started doing a real job for us.  For the first time my wife was impressed with it.  The voice on the unit gave use the name of the next street we were to turn on, whether it was a right or left turn, and the distance to that street. If it was a far stretch between streets it would give us a second remind about half way, and then a final reminder when just before the intersection.  The screen displays the right or left turn, and the name of the street in a header.

I was impressed when we approached a “Y” Intersection.  Suddenly I was face at taking the right or left branch of the “Y”.  The c550 made it easy, it told me to bear left. 

Once we had left the freeway my wife became enthused about the c550 for the first time.  For over 40+ years she has been the navigation system, reading maps street by street when we were traveling.  She reached down in the storage area next to her seat for a map, but for some reason there was not a good map there.  She relaxed some, and the unit was turned a little so she could watch the screen. 

The surface street route selected by the unit was very direct and we were pleased with it.

About the only thing it did not do was park the pickup.  My cousin and her husband arrived about a half later.  They used the more traditional AAA map to get there.

We had a good meal and spent about two hours visiting.  I told them that we were only about ten to fifteen miles from the famous Jelly Belly factory, and it offered free tours.  Would they be interested?  There is also a connection with Illinois from where they live.
We quickly looked at the AAA map and decided on going back to the freeway and taking a certain off ramp.  They decided to follow me because I had the gps.  In about two blocks the c550 took us away from the freeway but in the right direction.  The time and distance box number kept decreasing, and they kept following us.

We soon intersected with the same street we were going to exit on from the freeway.  Again the c550 kept feeding me information in a timely manner and I was able to setup in the right or left lanes early enough that the cousin was able to safely make the needed lane change.  About the last mile I was dependent on the c550 because the route made a number of turns to get into the factory.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jelly_Belly

We had a good tour, bought some Belly Flops, and headed home.

Once we were back at the freeway I had the wife pull the c550 off the mount and enter the menu.  She selected the Avoidance menu and unchecked the traffic box (freeway).  We were no longer in the mode of avoiding freeways.  There are a number of options in the avoidance menu.  The one I had her leaved checked was the “U” turn box.

I have played with a number of options in the c550 and if I had left it alone the freeway travel would not have been an issue.  That was my doing.

My only regret is that I did not have the unit years ago when I was traveling thousand of miles a year on the job.  While I do pretty well out in the country, I have become disorientated in the cities at times.  Normally this happens in heavy traffic, when I am by myself and I cannot look at a map and drive.  The c550 would have been great.  A friend of mind just purchased a new Magellan   I believe it is a Magellan Maestro 4250 North America I impressed with it.  His cost a lot more then my unit, but it does a couple more things.

I learn a lot on those short trips which made the longer trip more enjoyable.