Co-pilot - Disappointed

I've read that the GPS chip in phones isn't as superior as what you are used to in both your standalone gps device and iPad tablet. This could explain the speed discrepancy.

No navigation system on the market does it all. None that I've used and I've run Rand, Garmin and Copilot.

I have Copilot on a Samsung tablet and use it not for turn by turn guidance, but as an Atlas with fingertip control, like looking at a map as I'm driving. I depend so little on a navigation system that I'm actually running the car version of Copilot, and not the one for trucks.
Then I use MyDat or other apps for poi.

Have you thought of loading your Copilot onto your iPad?

 

it sounds like the RM720 needs a map update. A GPS right out of the box is not up to date. Most newer units come with lifetime map updates. I had an old Nuvi that I bought a lifetime update subscription.

As far as phones being accurate...all a gps is is a radio receiver and software that interprets and triangulates a location based on a radio signal...if the phone isn't accurate, it might be an Apple issue or a software issue. I have co-pilot with turn-by-turn (car edition) on my Note 3 and I use Google maps, if I zoom in to where I am sitting in a truck stop, it'll put me within a couple feet of where I am actually sitting and can tell which way I am facing (as long as I hold the phone square and level to the dash). In the past, there have been software updates to previous phones that have screwed up how fast the phone locks on to satellites to get an accurate location...but was fixed with the next update.

I have an app on my phone that is a GPS satellite status app. It will plot where each satellite is on what looks like a radar screen

 

trde the iphone in for android, and lets see you complain for speed. cuz i've been using copilot and ONLY copilot for the 4 years i've been out here. and i wouldn't even think about using any other brand.

i also paid half price compared to rand. so i don't expect it to have all the features rand has. and quite frankly, i could care less. because, for everything in life. there's an app for that. including all the features the more expensive rand has. and they're free.

basically, it points to using your nogin on how to spend your money. those of us that have nogins, know better then to spend our money on an expensive toy that has 5 million pages of customer support on one websight. when we can do the same job for half price. and has NO support threads.

i tried the rand, for one week. and found i could do much better for less money. and i've never looked back.

 

Why copilot car instead of just Google Maps?

 

For me personally, I wanted to test Copilot Premium before purchasing the truck version. I realize that Google has made Google maps downloadable for offline use. But after testing Copilot Premium I liked it so much that I've just stayed with it and never upgraded to the truck version. I also have Garmin Dezl, but since my company routes me to comply with fuel stops I only use navigation for the last, and probably the most critical, couple of miles.
I use MyDat and Trucker Path apps for POI's. MyDat is offline use, Trucker Path requires Internet, which I have on dash mounted Android tablet and smartphone.

 

I tried Copilot truck and liked it fine but on my high resolution tablet everything is too tiny to see from the drivers seat. Tried a Rand McNally and that didnt work at all. Now i have a Garmin Dezl and while there are features I'd like to see it's head and shoulders above the other two I tried.

The "Trip Planner" app lets me program any route I want so fuel stops arent an issue. A feature sorely lacking in the RMN.

 

IMHO the manufacturers are missing what it is truckers really need. It's as though no thought or research is even put into these navigation devices. I understand and accept the delays involved of getting information of completed road projects and the limitations they face with this. Really I do. Copilot, to me, comes closest to what I expect of a good navigational aid.

I do enjoy the features of the standalone units such as speed, elevation, next mile marker, distance to destination, etc. But I'd be an idiot to just set the destination and go. Scary thing is I know several new drivers who do exactly that, and have found themselves either out of route or backing out of an awkward situation.

 

What ever happened to using a map

 

I use Copilot truck on Nexus 7, landscape works fine, font is normal size, app recalculates quickly without lag. Now to the bad parts. Speed limits are bad, POI's are bad, no separate warning for weigh stations, sometimes it takes weird directions. So I use Google Maps with it all the time. Before and during the road I always compare directions and only go by Copilot when I get close to destination. It does have pleasant interface, so I leave it running all the time even when I know the route. Overall I like it better than Mcnally, which has horrible hardware
I think I will try Garmin next time