Question Garmin RV 890 setup for towed vehicle?

[Neal]

I love my 770 LMT and have no plans to replace it.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Our experience with the Garmin RV890 has been great! It is head-and-shoulders better than the RV 760 (not 770) that we had been using and...liked as well.

I want to be clear that my positive comments about the RV890 are based on features and usability, not necessarily on route guidance. It is my belief that actual route guidance on ANY GPS unit is subject to error; they are all using the same database. We do our advanced research on routes we have not previously traveled in order to avoid surprises (like our friend @Neal recently experienced).

The display on the 890 is bigger, brighter and much easier to see from an angle. The colors are more vivid and the images sharper (screen resolution?). We have ours placed at mid-dash; above and just to the right of the built-in displays. It sits on a beanbag-style Ram mount that I modified a bit (used it with the 760 as well). The display is easily seen by both driver and navigator. And, for the record, LadyDi has become the primary driver due to some eye issues I am dealing with; I sub in on longer stretches. She is a very good driver; far better than she is a passenger.

We have found the audio to be crisper with a wider volume range than the 760. And, the computer voices (male and female English versions) are improved; much easier to understand.

Once you get used to a new (at least over the 760) style of entering and editing information, the ability to easily tailor routes is much better. All-in-all, we find the 890 to be much easier to use and with more features than our previous 760 (which has now been relegated to the spares box and may find its way into the toad.

I have only looked briefly at the RV770 specs, so can't give an evaluation there except to say that I can't imagine it being as usable and/or feature-rich as the 890.

TJ

 

[Neal]

Did you really have to do that? In my time of weakness? It's Amazon season soon...helllllp!

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Special Review for @Neal

I don't think the RV890 works in the VentEssex models; something about reverse cosmic polarity, I think!

TJ

 

[Lloyd S]

Hi, new to the Forum.
We too have a Garmin RV 760 and have grown to like it.
But I'm interested in the RV890 and would appreciate any input that you current users may have.
What I like about the 760, and my other current and previous Garmin GPS models, is the right-hand "side bar" or "dashboard".
I like to have displayed, the next via point time of arrival, plus my destination time of arrival.
It appears that the 890 has that information displayed (albeit smaller) along the bottom of the screen,
and instead displays upcoming "points of interest" on the side bar.

Is that correct?
Can the 890 be configured to display like the 760?

Thanks!
LLOYD S

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Hi, new to the Forum.
We too have a Garmin RV 760 and have grown to like it.
But I'm interested in the RV890 and would appreciate any input that you current users may have.
What I like about the 760, and my other current and previous Garmin GPS models, is the right-hand "side bar" or "dashboard".
I like to have displayed, the next via point time of arrival, plus my destination time of arrival.
It appears that the 890 has that information displayed (albeit smaller) along the bottom of the screen,
and instead displays upcoming "points of interest" on the side bar.

Is that correct?
Can the 890 be configured to display like the 760?

Thanks!
LLOYD S

@Lloyd S, I updated our RV890 maps today and, in the process, remembered your questions, so looked around in the unit a bit for some answers.

If you are asking about the "up-ahead" sidebar, yes the RV 890 also has that capability. You just need to enable it in settings menu. With it enabled, you can display/hide route time and mileage, upcoming services and attractions and upcoming turn distances. It looks a little different than on the RV 760 LMT, but serves essentially the same function. And, yes, the 890 displays mileage and arrival time at the bottom of the screen as well. I don't think you can hide that info bar.

We're still on the learning curve with our 890, but consider it a significant improvement over the RV 760LMT that we were using previously. The larger, brighter (which is set table) and better resolution screen is a huge upgrade. And, while the 760 was pretty configurable, the 890 is even more so.

The ability to update maps and software wirelessly (by connecting directly to a WiFi network) is a great feature! One tip here, however; buy the Garmin "AC Adapter Cable Kit" (P/N 010-11478-02 that allows you to power the 890 (or the 760 and a bunch of other models) from a 120VA-to-12VDC power adapter. On major updates, the internal battery in the 890 wasn't sufficient to finish the download and installation without help from an external power source.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003N73S9M/?tag=rvf01-20

And, if you want to upgrade the 890 via a computer, you'll need the adapter cable kit as well. The provided USB-Mini USB data cable isn't able to supply enough power to the 890 and, I kept getting "insufficient power" error messages and the installation would stop. I was able to get around the problem by using a 12VDC power supply I have that has a cigarette lighter socket, allowing me to use the dash power cable. Once I got power to the unit, everything went well. I have, however, already ordered the adapter kit mentioned above.

There are many more "bells and whistles" that can be enabled, but suffice to say I think everything that could be done in the older versions can be done with the RV 890 and then some.

TJ

 

[Jim]

I've been fighting with myself on this purchase but this morning I made the plunge. My new RV 890 will be here on Tuesday. Amazon was having a holiday sale and I got it for $399 (Reg $499). Had a bunch of points built up so it seemed like a great time to use them, so GPS was -0- to the credit card.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089DMTQFT/?tag=rvf01-20

 

[Lloyd S]

TJ:
That's great info! ... And I think you almost answered my main question.
You said:

"If you are asking about the "up-ahead" sidebar, yes the RV 890 also has that capability. You just need to enable it in settings menu. With it enabled, you can display/hide route time and mileage, upcoming services and attractions and upcoming turn distances."

What I really want to know is, can that "up-ahead" sidebar display my next via point arrival time, and my destination arrival time,
RATHER THAN having that info display at the bottom of the screen. I really don't care about seeing the "upcoming services".

I already have the AC Adapter Cable Kit, as I use it for our RV760 (as well as our DriveSmart 61 which we use for the toad).
From your experience with "wireless updating", it sounds like that process is better served being hardwired.

Thanks for your insights, much appreciated!
LLOYD S

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

I've been fighting with myself on this purchase but this morning I made the plunge. My new RV 890 will be here on Tuesday. Amazon was having a holiday sale and I got it for $399 (Reg $499). Had a bunch of points built up so it seemed like a great time to use them, so GPS was -0- to the credit card.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089DMTQFT/?tag=rvf01-20

That's an awesome price for an RV 890, @Jim; congrats! I think you'll like it a lot. It does take some time to try out all the features and decide which ones are important to you and which are not.

TJ

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

TJ:
That's great info! ... And I think you almost answered my main question.
You said:

"If you are asking about the "up-ahead" sidebar, yes the RV 890 also has that capability. You just need to enable it in settings menu. With it enabled, you can display/hide route time and mileage, upcoming services and attractions and upcoming turn distances."

What I really want to know is, can that "up-ahead" sidebar display my next via point arrival time, and my destination arrival time,
RATHER THAN having that info display at the bottom of the screen. I really don't care about seeing the "upcoming services".

I already have the AC Adapter Cable Kit, as I use it for our RV760 (as well as our DriveSmart 61 which we use for the toad).
From your experience with "wireless updating", it sounds like that process is better served being hardwired.

Thanks for your insights, much appreciated!
LLOYD S

I will have to look specifically for what information the "up ahead" sidebar displays, but I think it is arrival time and distance. We don't use waypoints, so I'm not sure if that info will also show up there.

As for hiding the bottom bar information, I'm pretty sure that's not possible, but I'll see what I can find on that subject. I'll need a couple of days to get around to doing that, however. In the meantime, "Happy Thanksgiving."

TJ