Garmin 660 - More PROBLEMS!

[Lost Rider]

Ok, so I lost my 478 in a crash in Mexico, and was recently given a 660 for an upcoming 2 month ride I'm leaving on in days... Yeah I know I shouldn't bitch about it since I didn't buy it, but now that I'm running out of time, and seem to be stuck with it , I am!

I have had nothing but massive problems with this piece of shit 660 from the start.

It's slow as hell, I'm always waiting for it to catch up with my input, or to draw maps.
It locks up, it shuts down, menu items have disappeared from the menu, like "import data", even after reinstalling software, only to magically reappear.
It is VERY buggy, even with the 3.90 software...
I am having massive problems trying to get tracks and routes into the POS unit. It's the same feeling I get when using windowz.... There's nothing logical about it, just way more complicated than it should be.

I keep getting too many waypoints messages, even though I limit the track points. I split routes, I convert back and forth from track to route on my Mac... I get some in and others not, even though they are the same.
There is no consistency.
I import tracks, it says data imported successfully, but the tracks aren't anywhere to be found, yet some do show up.

Shame on Garmin for releasing a unit which is so far from ready.... They should be paying me for beta testing instead of charging ridiculous money for it.

I know, some of you adventurers are having good luck, but I cant understand how with this gps....

I'm at wits end, and running out of time... Ive read most of the threads on her eabout the 660 665,, and I understand most of whats going on from my end... I'm not sure why I'm waisting more precious time here, but maybe I can save a fellow adv'r the massive headache and frustration the Garmin 660 is causing me right now!

They were on the right track with the gpsmap units, then had to fuck it all up with the new touchscreen gpsmap's, and now try to feed us this crap they call a gps for motorcycles when it's nothing more than a consumer grade gps with a few features that don't even work smoothly to justify the huge price.
Fuck Garmin. I wish Apple would make a GPS!

I already have the road and topo maps I need in my iPad and iPhone to navigate around with no network, and if things keep going like this I'll be rolling for months using that I guess....







End of rant, and I do feel a little better thank you!

[peekay]

I've heard so many problems with the Zumo 660 on various forums and it's too bad. I really wanted one but didn't care to pay the privilege of "beta-testing" a buggy product.

The 660 has been shipping for well over a year and you'd think by now they'd have ironed out any major problems. A shame really. This was a big factor why I bought a 60CSX instead... old tech but also tried-and-true.

[BlueLghtning]

You should have just bought, begged, cried, or stole a x76/x78 series GPS!

2 months with the 660 when you were used to a 478. You need help!

Good luck

[blender]

Ok, let me state I don't currently have a 660 (still "limping" along with a Zumo 450).

However, have you upgraded the 660 to the latest software version?

I ask because I'd been considering the 660. I've read various forum posts of similar problems. Many of those issues appear to be fixed by a software download/upgrade.

[Lost Rider]

Yeah, I'm wishing I had a 478.... might have to just try and trade straight up for one.

I still have issues getting tracks imported. Routes are limited to 15 so I'm full up. Kind of annoying since there's plenty of space and the files are tiny.

Yes, I have the latest software, but it still is slowwwwwwww. The map redraws are annoying, seems like I'm always waiting. Don't even think about grabbing on to the screen and trying to look around.
It takes too long to draw. The fading in and out when trying to just look around the map is annoying. maybe douchebags in cages think its cool on their Nuvi, but I think its waisted processing on a system that seem's taxed as it is. Watching the Zumo stutter and drop frames as it does its fading in and out thing all the time is annoying.
The needed zoom level to see any detail doesn't allow for much virtual scouting... as a matter of fact I think the screen sucks, the resolution is crap and fuzzy (I have great eyesight).


There's no option for the types of roads you want. nothing.
only shortest, or fastest.
Maybe this is good for the HD clones, but not for me. On a $700 GPS made specifically for motorcycle?
What the fuck are they thinking?
Even my old streetpilot had that option, you could tell it to take minor roads and it would take me on some cool "roads" that turned out not to be much of a road many times.... very nice. The 478 did an OK job of this when using the slider to prefer minor roads.
The list goes on, but I have other things to care to.
Is Garmin really this out of touch with their customers? really? I guess I should have known when the new GPSMAP 640 came out that I already had the best adventure riding GPS - a GPSMAP 478.


See, while I am a dickhead for complaining about a gift, since I didn't drop the cash out of pocket so I don't feel I should defend my crappy GPS to make my buyers remorse fade, I'm as impartial as one annoyed Garmin user can be....


I figure I have about 1300 miles of gravel roads before I get into the mountains where I really need my GPS to be functioning @ 100%.... pretty hard to get lost going across the midwest. south or west is all i need. I think the Zumo will do that. maybe.
I'm going to give it a chance, and if it doesn't work out, I'll sell it and buy a 478... what I wish I had to begin with.

[Rob.G]

Any progress on this?

Suddenly I'm not real happy about ordering a 665. It'll be here Friday.

I decided to skip the new Delorme PN-60SEw (I have a PN-40SE) and get the Zumo for the bigger display (among other things). My 885T has been pretty nice if occasionally laggy and buggy, but not terrible.

Rob

[Schtum]

Some of them do seem to be less stable than others. However, I'm told that it's always worth doing a hard reset after updating the firmware. My NavIV works pretty well running 3.90 and was great on a 1200 mile trip around NorCal earlier this month, even without doing a reset.

New units seem to be shipping with V4.0 of the firmware but it's not yet available for download.

[Lost Rider]

Yeah, after 7 week ride I have a few thoughts...

Besides still shutting down for no reason about a dozen times, it did OK.

Just OK.

Yes, I was able to follow tracks I loaded, except I never did get the Tour of Idaho tracks to load, even after converting them and import/exporting them. These same tracks I loaded into a friends 478, which I had on my bike for a week.
Having both on the bike at the same time really gave me a chance to compare.

My biggest problem now with the 660 is the resolution, and overall speed.
.3 miles is the most it will show detail and small roads. Only up to 3 miles does it show small towns.

The 478 shows small roads and details up to 1.3 miles, and different size dots for different size towns for resolution up to 8 miles I think.

That may not seem like a big problem, but when riding how I do, scouting out roads and town for gas is important.
It's also very annoying when you want to move around the map, it takes you to 50 ft., not whatever resolution you were at, so you have to wait and zoom way out before looking around. Again, might not seem like a big deal, but I figure with as many times as I waited to look around that flaw waisted an hour of my life in the last 7 weeks....

The speed of the unit leaves something to be desired. while the 478 was always snappy, the 660 does sit and think about things quite a bit. always waiting, waiting to calculate, waiting to draw a map, waiting waiting waiting.
Not the end of the world, but again, use it enough and we're talking about it waisting your time. Like I've said before, it seems like the bean counters demanded all these mostly useless features to help look good on paper, or sales, but the available processing doesn't support it.


The good.
The 660's search function, and GPS antenna is far advanced than the old Garmins, giving you many more options, and good reception in places my 478 would have lost signal.
'Being able to store unlimited tracks tracks on the GPS or SD card is cool, you just have to delete old ones, and import news one's since it limits you to 15 loaded into the OS.
The mount is solid under the most extreme circumstances.

The routing is OK, it did a few weird things at times, but so has every GPS I've had.



I'm still up in the air if I'll go back to the 478.

The pro's and con's are about even to me right now, having both was absolutely perfect, except being THAT GUY with two GPS's (actually 4 if you count my iDevices) on their bike. I'm not racing, I don't need two units on my bike - (I'm still single and like to pick up chicks on my bike, and that doesn't happen with two GPS's...)

[BlueLghtning]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

Yeah, after 7 week ride I have a few thoughts...

Besides still shutting down for no reason about a dozen times, it did OK.

Just OK.

Yes, I was able to follow tracks I loaded, except I never did get the Tour of Idaho tracks to load, even after converting them and import/exporting them. These same tracks I loaded into a friends 478, which I had on my bike for a week.
Having both on the bike at the same time really gave me a chance to compare.

My biggest problem now with the 660 is the resolution, and overall speed.
.3 miles is the most it will show detail and small roads. Only up to 3 miles does it show small towns.

The 478 shows small roads and details up to 1.3 miles, and different size dots for different size towns for resolution up to 8 miles I think.

That may not seem like a big problem, but when riding how I do, scouting out roads and town for gas is important.
It's also very annoying when you want to move around the map, it takes you to 50 ft., not whatever resolution you were at, so you have to wait and zoom way out before looking around. Again, might not seem like a big deal, but I figure with as many times as I waited to look around that flaw waisted an hour of my life in the last 7 weeks....

The speed of the unit leaves something to be desired. while the 478 was always snappy, the 660 does sit and think about things quite a bit. always waiting, waiting to calculate, waiting to draw a map, waiting waiting waiting.
Not the end of the world, but again, use it enough and we're talking about it waisting your time. Like I've said before, it seems like the bean counters demanded all these mostly useless features to help look good on paper, or sales, but the available processing doesn't support it.


The good.
The 660's search function, and GPS antenna is far advanced than the old Garmins, giving you many more options, and good reception in places my 478 would have lost signal.
'Being able to store unlimited tracks tracks on the GPS or SD card is cool, you just have to delete old ones, and import news one's since it limits you to 15 loaded into the OS.
The mount is solid under the most extreme circumstances.

The routing is OK, it did a few weird things at times, but so has every GPS I've had.



I'm still up in the air if I'll go back to the 478.

The pro's and con's are about even to me right now, having both was absolutely perfect, except being THAT GUY with two GPS's (actually 4 if you count my iDevices) on their bike. I'm not racing, I don't need two units on my bike - (I'm still single and like to pick up chicks on my bike, and that doesn't happen with two GPS's...)

Haha, I actually like being that guy with multiple GPS's. In fact, its saved me a few times. I usually carry my 478 & 2820. The 2820 I usually keep high up on the dash since it has the 3D display, but I still prefer the 478 interface. The 2820 surprisingly is better at keeping a signal then the 478 under tree cover. Even though both can take the GXM-30 antenna, I use my 478 with my XM as I much prefer that XM interface, so when I'm not really navigating, I can keep the 478 on the xm screen. Also, the nexrad weather is so awesome. Really the only reason I got the 2820 was because it had BT (to sync with my phone and headset) & touch screen which made searching for restaurants and food easier and could sync to my phone and could be used as a back up GPS. The BT has since crapped out which annoys me since I really don't care for the interface on the 2820.

On my last trip though, I blew a fuse on the 2820 which meant it wasn't working (no battery power). So it's nice having a backup GPS as my routes I prepare are usually pretty involved and following them wouldn't be possible without a GPS. I do wish the 478 could store more tracks and I like the way the newer ones do allow you to do that to an SD card. Even though many people complain about the routing on the 60/76 series, I thought about getting one of those just for the track storage log and I wouldn't have to worry about pulling the tracks off the 478 every couple days.

A 660/665 and a 478 together might be a good compromise, but the 660/665 is not in my budget right now, so I'll stick with my 2820 as my backup.

Oh yeah, and only 2 GPS's? My SPOT is off to the right out of screen shot too!

[Lost Rider]

Nice Blue!

I had a 2820, great GPS. When you look at the 478, then the 2820, the 660 SHOULD be so bad ass with the new tech, but it's not. Not yet.

By no means I mean any disrespect, especially posting over here in the GPS forum....

Multiple GPS's just isn't my style, and it's a toss up which one is worthy to ride on my bike...

[BlueLghtning]

Yeah, that was just really a one time thing with all 4. I was trying to make myself like the etrex, but its just too different from my other GPS's and I don't think I've used it since that trip.

The GPS III+ is pretty worthless as a mapping GPS, but it did make a nice digital speedo and watching the altitude, and I figured at the worst, I could store track logs on there if I ran out of room.

I always have the 478 for daily rides and then use the 2820 if its an extended trip.