GPS question.

dgdlaw wrote:

How does Garmin's Puerto Rico maps/directons rate--good, very good, horrible?

I think (Don't know) that all GPS in PR is on the lousy side, I used my iPhone and a lot of places it took me was across the town, not the right place. That may or may not be the case with Garmin, but I heard Google maps in PR is not very accurate either.

Since a lot of communities do not have a regular street and house number, a lot of time I would lookup in the map and set a Pin, then drive to the Pin and sometimes it took me elsewhere anyway.

I think the people that set the GPS locations, had a little too much RUM to drink when they were setting it up.

None of them work very well  The distances  here on the island have been calibrated in Kilomerters (- you will note all  the road signs with the 9.5K   not 9.5 M) and NOT in miles and they don't register on any of the GPS systems accurately.  Many street names have several different names at different areas ( 65th Infanteria is also Route 3) and some use old names that are not even on the map.  when you get into the mountains, it is usually worse.  I usually use my Android google program to give directions... also the satelite location is usually accurate.

I suggest doing your research on Google earth.  Also geolocizer. (I think it's called) gives you areas of Puerto Rico that you normally don't find. This doesn't help you with a GPS. But you can definitely get some better idea using these two items before you travel because you can get a GPS latitude. And longitude coordinates

dgdlaw wrote:

How does Garmin's Puerto Rico maps/directons rate--good, very good, horrible?

I have a Garmin that is a few year's old & I would rate it's performance in Puerto Rico as excellent. I have been all over the place in Puerto Rico, including throughout the Cordillera Central at various times, and I am constantly amazed that little nothing roads in the middle of nowhere are in there!

That being said, it is true that the Garmin sometimes doesn't know the 'name' of a road - it will just say 'turn right on Road' or something like that. It also doesn't know the condition of the roads, which can be highly variable in PR, or (obviously) the safety of different areas, so if you depend on a Garmin for navigate, you may also want to plan your route using other resources, particularly if you are driving in remote areas.

In addition, outside of major urban areas it can be difficult to enter the address in a way that will lead you to your desired destination. For instance, the address could be PR-183 km 5.2, and Garmin does not know what to do with that at all. Once you've been there, and saved the location, your GPS will be perfectly capable at getting you back there though!

Finally, in my experience in PR it always takes longer (sometimes as much as 50-100% longer) in PR to get anywhere than the Garmin predicts. This is for different reasons. In San Juan and densely populated areas, it is because of traffic, of course. However, in the mountains or the mogote region it is because the Garmin assumes that you drive the speed limit everywhere, but this is sometimes simply impossible on winding mountain roads.

I hope these comments are helpful.

In addition to the Garmin I use in the car, I I also use a handheld Garmin GPS for geocaching.  Both will pinpoint coordinates correctly, so if you were a bird you could use these, and the GPS reading is also accurate on the water if you are using charts to navigate your boat.  The problems on land are twofold: the road maps are not correctly integrated with the actual GPS coordinates, and the conditions of the roads are often inaccurate.  So you need to back up your plans with a printed map and hopefully some local knowledge.  For instance, if the GPS tells you to take route 3 all the way to get from Humacao to Patillas, my local advice would be----NO! 
So there's a job opportunity for someone. I have seen (in New York) a car that rides around all of the roads for the purpose of updating map data.  That would be an act of kindness for all of us who want to use a GPS in Puerto RIco.

I used Garmin, years ago (about 4-ish) and it was not reliable... however, technology changes fast (kinda like the roads in Boston!). I currently use Android, and google maps, and it is flawless. Kilometers is the distance it uses, and that was automatic, as I guess they (google) know that the distance is measured that way.

OK that'sthe real deal from boots onthe ground. Appreciate all the replies. Kind of what I expected, very similar to Garmin Costa Rica, goofy addresses like 300 mts oeste cementerio, if even an address, goofy unmarked road names like Road to the River if even a name, mountains etc.

No need for an additional device like Garmon. Google maps works well for me. Just use your cell phone. Sevral years ago I used a Garmon and on one trip it directed me into the sea.

victorlglass wrote:

No need for an additional device like Garmon. Google maps works well for me. Just use your cell phone. Sevral years ago I used a Garmon and on one trip it directed me into the sea.

When we moved to Alaska, there was a story about an individual that drove off the Ferry into the sea.  When investigators questioned the person, they're response was "we aren't familiar with the area and the GPS told us to turn left!".  They did, WHILE they were on the vehicle ramp!

trekrider520 wrote:

victorlglass wrote:

No need for an additional device like Garmon. Google maps works well for me. Just use your cell phone. Sevral years ago I used a Garmon and on one trip it directed me into the sea.

When we moved to Alaska, there was a story about an individual that drove off the Ferry into the sea.  When investigators questioned the person, they're response was "we aren't familiar with the area and the GPS told us to turn left!".  They did, WHILE they were on the vehicle ramp!

How can people be that stupid!

I have a new Samsung Note but I never used that feature on any phone. Doesn't it drain the battery pronto--I know compass did so I turned that off and so I imagine the gps feature uses compass or locator, another big drain, right? And does the phone talk to you like Garmin, you know, take right in 1 mile? And what if you get a call or need to make a call--what happens?

dgdlaw wrote:

I have a new Samsung Note but I never used that feature on any phone. Doesn't it drain the battery pronto--I know compass did so I turned that off and so I imagine the gps feature uses compass or locator, another big drain, right? And does the phone talk to you like Garmin, you know, take right in 1 mile? And what if you get a call or need to make a call--what happens?

The phone does talk to you just like Garmin and it continues to navigate even if a phone call comes through. As for the battery, navigating can take a toll but I always connect my phone to the charger for that purpose, when driving, so the phone charges and is ready for use once I arrive at my destination.

Wow, what a beautiful foto of you and yours. A picture speaks a thousand words.

Thanks for the data. Forget Garmin in PR as previous poster suggested by inference.

In CR where I go too often, cellular is garbage, especially out from SJ, so  the bird is a necessity.

Are  you PR based now?

Thank you. We are currently stateside.