Lowrance iway 500c a GPS extraordinary
Written: Apr 05 '05
Pros:Heavy duty parts,simple touch screen,5 inch viewing area. MP3 capability.
Cons:POI could be better . More street names could be shown on Maps.
The Bottom Line: As with all purchases do your due diligence and read the manuals.This unit in my opinion is a good simple GPS for much less than an installed system.
I researched all GPS units and after pros and cons listed on GPS sites decided to try the iway 500c.
The unit is well made all components are heavy duty and all accessories are included several mounting choices and amplified antenna.
The lock on my unit has been WAAS which is about as good as it gets. Antenna on dash near windshield.
The calculation for an address takes seconds and the instruction are verbal and in text with fonts adjustable.
The con from some observers is it can only plan from point A to B, well I simply put my destinations in my address book and when I reach my daughters house in NC point "A"
Then start out for Maryland I go to my address book and hit GO TO and this is calculated to point "B".
After visiting Maryland start out for NY hit GO TO my address in NY. I don't feel its inconvenient to hit GO TO.
The voice prompts are clear and well in advance of turns, and the frequency of prompts can be adjusted.The error in feet when WAAS is attained is down to 18 feet.
POI in my area of Florida was adequate and I added my favorites to my address book for future use.
The screen has overlays for time, distance to go, distance to turn etc. there is a trip calculator also.
The map will rotate to keep you inline with the your driving direction and has two other options for 3D and north up.
The MP3 capability is great with 10 GB's of HD for Music I have added 2 GBs of music and installed an FM modulator for playback through my stereo system. Some cars have problems with noise from alternators and because of poor grounding . I have good sound with a Monster FM modulator the first cheap modulator gave me a whining noise.
Lowrance has answered my question about updates and plans a yearly update. The 1.30 version is the most recent and some units need this update.
As with all GPS or software systems they are forever updating and improving, so I look forward to more improvements from lowrance.
This will work well for me its simple with its touch screen, and this will eliminate my wife prompts!
Recommended: Yes
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