In the past, route planning was an onerous task undertaken by RV owners before starting an adventure. This involved the use of old-style paper maps and depended largely on limited, dated information on weather and road conditions. That has changed, with GPS systems and devices giving accurate, up-to-the-minute information available at ones’ fingertips on every aspect of the trip.
Garmin is a much-respected name among RV owners in the United States and is a market leader in the field of GPS devices. The RV770 and the RV760 are two of their most popular products, but for RV owners, the RV770 has features and price advantages that make it the top choice.
At first glance, the RV770 is not only cheaper but has several features not available on the 760, so would seem to be the logical choice, but both are highly regarded, and so it’s worth taking a closer look before deciding which one should take its place on the dash of your RV.
How GPS Benefits RV Owners
GPS (Global Positioning System) is an American network of satellites and receivers. The 24 satellites, circling the Earth every 12 hours, send out radio signals which, when picked up by a receiver, enables it to pinpoint its exact position in terms of longitude, latitude, and altitude by measuring the time for the signals from at least four satellites to reach the receiver. The technology incorporated into each receiver will determine its effectiveness and accuracy.
Garmin RV770 and RV760 Versus Competitive Brands
Garmin GPS devices such as the RV770 and 760 have a reputation for being more accurate than most competitive products, as well as being extremely sturdy, reliable, and well-designed.
For this reason, Garmin has been a market leader in America for many years, and while relatively expensive when compared to brands such as TomTom, NavPal, XGody, and Joganve (all available from Amazon), the Garmin brand is the choice of most RV owners who want the most from their GPS device and are willing to pay more for a premium product that can be relied on to provide excellent service.
Comparing The Garmin RV770 And Garmin RV760
Both the 770 and 760 provide the RV owner with an unbeatable range of functions that really takes all the guesswork out of a long-distance adventure and are better devices than those offered by competitor brands. While they share many features, the RV770 is the more advanced of the two.
>>Check out our article on: 6 Best RV GPS Units On The Market
Pricing Advantage Of The RV770 Vs. The 760
The RV770 is priced at this time at $299, which, surprisingly, given its technological superiority, is $100 less than the 760. For many buyers already dealing with major expenses in readying their RV, price is a key factor, and the considerable saving makes the RV770 the model of choice.
Battery Performance Favors The 760
Both the 770 and 760 are powered by a lithium-ion battery, but the 760 has the better performance, with at least an additional half-hour battery life available. Both batteries are rechargeable, with the battery in the 770 being approximately 3.8 ounces lighter than that in the 760.
Screen Resolution And Size
The RV 770 has a better resolution (1024 x 600 pixels) than the 760 (800 x 480 pixels). Screen dimensions are very similar at 6.0” x 3.5” for the 770 and 6.1” x 3.4” for the 760. Both screens provide excellent visual quality. The big difference, though, is the touchscreen convenience available only on the 770.
Garmin Directories Are Common To Both The 770 and 760
Both the Garmin RV 770 and 760 models share Garmin’s unbeatable directory of over 20,000 campsites throughout the United States and Canada. This allows RV and camper owners to choose, for example, pet-friendly sites, public parks, private campsites, those with Wi-Fi connectivity, or any other specific amenities that might be required.
It’s this directory that makes Garmin GPS devices so valuable to RV owners, and why either the 760 or 770 make a long-distance journey so much easier and enjoyable. In addition, the Garmin directory gives details of local restaurants, retail stores, over 14,000 RV repair shops, and even hospitals.
Review Capability Of The 770
Where the RV770 scores over the 760 is that it gives access to websites such as Tripadvisor and Foursquare through its built-in Wi-Fi facility so that, while on the road, travelers can get reviews of restaurants, entertainment centers, tourist attractions, and many other facilities – a great advantage when traveling in unfamiliar territory.
Road And Route Conditions Reports Are Essential
The Garmin RV770 has another unique feature when compared to the 760, and it’s a big one. Using Garmin’s Custom Routing and entering details of the weight and dimensions into the 770 LMT-S, the system will warn the RV driver of any narrow roads or weight-limited bridges where the vehicle will be unable to get through. For the more adventurous RV owner looking for less-traveled routes, this facility could prove invaluable.
There is also a potentially life-saving safety function, available only on the RV770, which sounds a warning to the driver of any sharp bends, corners, or steep gradients – for drivers of large vehicles such as RVs and campers, this is a great benefit.
Hands-Free Options On Both 770 And 760 Models
Both the 770 and 760 have a hands-free feature using voice activation for calls and text, utilizing Bluetooth and a smartphone. In addition, both models respond to voice-activated instructions, for example: “Find the nearest gas station.”
Updating Of Information Is A Garmin Benefit
Free updating of maps for life – that’s what Garmin offers users of their GPS devices, and it’s easy to update on the RV770 because it has Wi-Fi capability as a built-in feature. The RV760, on the other hand, will require the user to update only when they have access to Wi-Fi along their route, so their information is not always up to the minute.
Conclusion
There is no question that the Garmin RV770 offers more functionality than its predecessor, the RV760, and it provides this at a lower price. It would seem then that an RV owner would be doing the sensible thing by choosing the RV770 as his GPS device and not the RV760.
However, for RV adventurers who already enjoy the reliability, ease of operation, and rugged quality of the RV760, it may be a wise decision to continue to use it until there is good reason to upgrade.
Garmin owners have high praise for both models, and both are exceptionally good at making that adventurous journey a whole lot less risky.
Good luck, and happy camping!
Check out our article on: 6 Best RV GPS Units On The Market
