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[110tHunDer]

I purchased a Garmin 2720 portable GPS unit about a week or so ago and thought I'd share some early impressions and neat features with the group.  This may be a little long-winded, so sorry about that, but I was in the dark for a long time about the capabilities of these units and thought this information might be helpful to someone in a similar situation.

I have found this to be a very easy to use piece of equipment and just a lot of fun to have on the few short hops I've made around the area here, as well as to play with in the house.  I like the "3-D" view that the 2720 has the capability of showing over the more conventional 2-D, although I think a more accurate term for it would be "bird's eye" view, since it is not really three dimensional being on a flat screen.  Finding places is a snap, however, some restaurants and other points of interest (POIs) around here that I expected to find were not loaded on the software.  The nice thing is, updates can be downloaded from Garmin's website as they become available.  Buttons on the touch screen for key functions are a decent size, but entering addresses from the small-ish keypad while riding probably wouldn't be advisable.  The 2720 also has the capability of loading custom POIs (red light cameras, for example) using web-based services, but I have found that not many of these databases currently exist for the US.  

Programming the 2720 with pre-planned routes is made easy using the supplied MapSource software.  MapSource is very similar to Microsoft Streets & Trips and allows you to create waypoints and routes on your PC and then upload them via a USB/Serial port connection for use on the road.  You can also go the other way and download routes and waypoints you've created in the 2720 to MapSource for storage and/or manipulation later.  Another neat download feature is the "track" tool which, when turned on on the 2720, will drop "bread crumbs" along your route every so often.  You can then download the track to MapSource to create a record of where you've been.

I will cover these features in more detail in the following posts, but for starters, here is the owner's manual for the 2720 which will give you a good idea of the basic functions such as finding places, saving places you find, and creating routes as well as show you what some of the screens look like . . .

2720 Owner's Manual:
http://www.garmin.com/manuals/StreetPilot2720GPS_OwnersManual.pdf

And here is the user guide for the MapSource software, covering a great deal of its functionality . . .

MapSource User's Guide:
http://www.garmin.com/manuals/MapSource_MapSourceUsersGuide.pdf

[110tHunDer]

To create a route in MapSource for uploading to the 2720, first select Waypoints on the route.

[110tHunDer]

Once you've selected the waypoints, highlight, right mouse click and then choose, "Create Route using Selected Waypoint(s)."

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From "Route Properties," you can order the waypoints the way you want to navigate the route using the arrows on the left.

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And then tell it to show the selected route on the map.

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If you don't like the route it's calculated, you can add another waypoint to the map and then add it to your route . . .

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Then, recalculate the route to see if it chooses the path you want to take.

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Once you're happy with the route, you can connect the 2720 to your PC with the supplied USB cable, click the "Send To Device" icon, and the waypoints and the route will be saved to your 2720.

[110tHunDer]

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[110tHunDer]

Then you'll be able to select the route to edit/review or navigate from the 2720.  The sample route I downloaded from MapSource above is the third one down on this screen.

[110tHunDer]

Route as shown on the 2720 screen.  The screen is much clearer in real life.  I think the camera didn't like the low light level conditions I took the photos in.

[110tHunDer]

Here is an example of how the track feature works.  Turn the track on from the "Tools" --> "My Data" --> "Track Log" menus.

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Then go for a ride or drive with the track recording set to the "on" position.  When you return, hook the 2720 back up to your PC and click the "Receive from Device" icon.

[110tHunDer]

Note you can recieve maps, waypoints, routes and tracks from teh 2720.  In this example, I received tracks.