Thoughts on Garmin Nuvi 550

[zcoyote12]

I am looking for something to use off road on my Bike and ATV as well as double duty for on road navigation. The NUVI 550- while an older moodel really seems to hit the mark for what I do. It really looks like a good deal at todays prices of around $250.00. It says I can add maps with the mico SD card which would work well when I go off road in out of state areas. Lookig for thoughts and pros and cons.

Edited August 1, 2012 by zcoyote12

[+BAMBOOZLE]

I think you would like the unit....I have a 500 ( has Topo, no Canada ), the 550 has Canada and no Topo.

Really slick unit designed with Geocaching in mind and is TOTALLY paperless including uploading of finds.

Its portable, water proof, and can be taken on the trail. Has points of interest, restaurants, hotels, etc.

[+gnjeepn]

I have had ours for about 5yrs. Works great however the only issues I have with it is the automatic zoom can't be shut off. Once in a while it's nice to be able to control that. I have contacted Garmin about this and have been told there is nothing they can do unless they get enough people complaining about it. Also you can save tracks but if you download them to your computer and want to reload them to the 550 you have to convert them to a route. Which if you do a lot of off roading can be a pain. We do a lot of mapping for our 4x4 club and use both the nuvi and our Dakota 20. I tend to rely on the Dakota more. They both work great for caching.

[+StarBrand]

I am looking for something to use off road on my Bike and ATV as well as double duty for on road navigation. The NUVI 550- while an older moodel really seems to hit the mark for what I do. It really looks like a good deal at todays prices of around $250.00. It says I can add maps with the mico SD card which would work well when I go off road in out of state areas. Lookig for thoughts and pros and cons.

Somewhat nice unit but I have seen them priced as low as $170 so your price seems a bit high.

[zcoyote12]

Great feedback. Thanks a bunch. If only this unit supported Birdseye. It there a way to download a Sat or Google map to the 550.

Edited August 2, 2012 by zcoyote12

[zcoyote12]

Great feedback. Thanks a bunch. If only this unit supported Birdseye. It there a way to download a Sat or Google map to the 550.

 

Anyone have the answer to being able to download SAT Maps this unit. I suspect I wouild donwload the maps to a SD card and it would work.

[+Styk]

Don\t know about the sat, google or custom maps but i suspect not. I have had one for 4 yrs, tomorrow I'm trading it for a legend HCx, while not paperless, i think it has better sensitivity then the nuvi 550

 

But I will tell you this, it sucks for ATVing, that's why I went with it, I was looking for a bigger screen for the ATV. but it's biggest flaw is the inability to load tracks. You have to convert tracks to routes and then load the routes. Routes can have a maximum of 200 points so the tracks must be small else then accuracy will be severely compromise, not something you want off road.

 

plus the route info will be constantly tell you you off the road. very very annoying.

 

bottom line if you want a great all around unit with a large screen, go for the Montana, it's features and abilities blow the nuvi out of the water. Just compare teh two units and you will see that the Nuvi is a poor investment.

 

Benefits of the Montana versus the Nuvi 550

 

- larger screen 4"

- accepts tracks (200 with up to 10,000 points0

- accepts custom maps

- holds 12,000 geocaches

- battery options include bith a lithum ion pack or 3 AA cells

- 3D compass

- option to have model with 5M camera

- customizable screens

- wireless transfer of waypoints, tracks and geocaches with other supporting models (oregon, dakota, new etrex 30, gpsmap 62 and 78 series

 

but bottom line, it is a really poor unit for atving!!

[zcoyote12]

Not sure that the Montana is a good choice for ATV riding. Garmin is pushing the Zumo line for that. Right now I have a Vista HCX. The screen on it is just so small that my older eyes are having a hards time seeing the details. No way I can use it on a ride.

 

quote name='Styk' timestamp='1343930011' post='5090963']

Don\t know about the sat, google or custom maps but i suspect not. I have had one for 4 yrs, tomorrow I'm trading it for a legend HCx, while not paperless, i think it has better sensitivity then the nuvi 550

 

But I will tell you this, it sucks for ATVing, that's why I went with it, I was looking for a bigger screen for the ATV. but it's biggest flaw is the inability to load tracks. You have to convert tracks to routes and then load the routes. Routes can have a maximum of 200 points so the tracks must be small else then accuracy will be severely compromise, not something you want off road.

 

plus the route info will be constantly tell you you off the road. very very annoying.

 

bottom line if you want a great all around unit with a large screen, go for the Montana, it's features and abilities blow the nuvi out of the water. Just compare teh two units and you will see that the Nuvi is a poor investment.

 

Benefits of the Montana versus the Nuvi 550

 

- larger screen 4"

- accepts tracks (200 with up to 10,000 points0

- accepts custom maps

- holds 12,000 geocaches

- battery options include bith a lithum ion pack or 3 AA cells

- 3D compass

- option to have model with 5M camera

- customizable screens

- wireless transfer of waypoints, tracks and geocaches with other supporting models (oregon, dakota, new etrex 30, gpsmap 62 and 78 series

 

but bottom line, it is a really poor unit for atving!!

[+Styk]

Well, I have both the Montana and the Nuvi 550. There is no comparison between the two. The off road capabilities of the Montana, the 4" screen and wireless transfer all make it an ideal choice and at a lower cost then the Zumo lineup for ATVing. While the Nuvi 550 can still be bought, at any price it's a waste of money. The inability of the Nuvi 550 and the zumo line to accept track is a big problem for offroad adventures. The only workaround is building your own maps from tracks which takes longer then simply transferring tracks to a GPS.

[+PeoriaBill]

Looks like the Nuvi 550 is IPX7 water resistant. I would not have guessed that, but its in the specs. The only other caveat is a statement by garmin concerning vibration:

Your Nuvi contains sensitive electronic components that can be permanently damaged if exposed to excessive shock or vibration. To minimize the risk of damage to your nuvi, avoid dropping your unit and operating it in high-shock and high-vibration environments.

Riding down the trail on an ATV or bike may be considered a high vibration environment if you affix it to the bike or ATV. I guess it would be OK it you were holding it or it was on a holster of some type.

[+Styk]

low pressure tires, and shock absorbers, full independant suspension makes todays ATV ride pretty smooth. using RAm mounts wiuth the rubber coated balls adds more shoch protection. I have run the GPSMAP 60Cx, Nuvi 550, Oregon 450 and my al;l time favorite, the Montana with no ill effects as have thousands of other ATV owners.

[zcoyote12]

I rode with a guy that has 4800 miles on his ATV using a Garmin 550 or 500 with no ill effects.

 

low pressure tires, and shock absorbers, full independant suspension makes todays ATV ride pretty smooth. using RAm mounts wiuth the rubber coated balls adds more shoch protection. I have run the GPSMAP 60Cx, Nuvi 550, Oregon 450 and my al;l time favorite, the Montana with no ill effects as have thousands of other ATV owners.