Garmin StreetPilot c330

[aldive]

My Garmin StreetPilot 2620 ( http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124203&highlight=garmin ) is back at Garmin for a refurbishment and since I need a navigation GPS for an upcoming trip, I purchased a Garmin StreetPilot c330 ( https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=6385&locale=en_US ) at Walmart for $289.00 plus tax.

This $300 marvel does almost everything that my very expensive 2620 does and many things much better/easier.

Garmin states “StreetPilot c330 comes ready to go right out of the box with preloaded City Navigator® NT street maps, including a hefty points of interest (POIs) database with motels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. Simply touch the sunlight-readable color screen to enter a destination, and the c330 takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. In addition, the c330 accepts custom points of interest (POIs) such as school zones and safety cameras and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs. Traveling abroad? The c330 comes with an SD card slot, making it convenient to add optional maps.”

Even if you aren’t smarter than a fifth grader, you can quickly master the c330.

Entering an address ( to which to navigate ) is extremely simple. All of the features are controlled by the touch screen ( except the power on/off button ).

The c330 contains a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that is good for up to 4 hours. This feature makes it easy to use indoors w/o an AC adapter.

The c330 come with preloaded maps for North America as well as a USB port for adding additional maps, adding POIs ( points of interest ) and/or updating software.

The Garmin box contains the following:
• StreetPilot c330
• Preloaded City Navigator® NT for North America
• Vehicle suction cup mount with integrated power cable
• USB cable
• USB drivers disk
• Dashboard disk
• Quick reference guide
The suction cup mount for the windshield holds the c330 very securely and can be placed where it most visible for the driver. The windshield mount make seeing the c330 very easy. Further, this location makes entering commands a snap.

One thing that I do not like is the power cord that runs down from the windshield to the cigarette lighter ( see photograph ). As soon as I obtain a second power cord ( for use in other vehicles ), I will hard-wire the power from the overhead console. Another negative about the unit is that the screen tends to washout in very bright light.

I have used this c330 for a few days now in town and on a few road trips and found it to be just as useful as its far more expensive relative ( the 2620 ). I do miss the remote control feature; however, reaching the touch screen for commands is easy while driving.

I highly recommend this mode for anyone looking for a inexpensive, easy to use in vehicle GPS navigator. In fact, I like it so much that I plan to sell my 2620 as soon as it returns from Garmin and use the c330.

 

[aldive]

And a few more pictures .....

 

[Flounder]

Size matters.

In reality, I like everything Garmin makes. When I go in-dash, I'm going Kenwood so I can use the Garmin hidden unit and Garmin GPS interface.

 

[axiom]

My parents bought me a c330 for Christmas this past year and I love it. I haven't had any issues at all with it so far. I use the dashboard disc to mount it in the middle of the dash, so I don't have to deal with that pesky cord in my field of vision. Al, have you looked into any other maps for this yet? I've looked around a little bit but didn't see too much that I was interested in.

A cool little trick I didn't know about (probably because I never read the manual) until a few weeks ago is the trip report. Anytime you're in the middle of a trip somewhere and it's giving you directions, press the arrival time and a screen will pop up with your average speed, time spent, etc. It's pretty nifty. Also, if you press the "Turn in X mi./ft." area and you can see the turn by turn directions with a little map. Again, I didn't know about this because I never read the manual, so I wouldn't be surprised if you knew this already.

 

[techboj]

I also have a c330 on my explorer and it works great for me. Garmin has excellent product support. My mounting bracket broke because I overtightened the setscrew and when I contacted them regarding purchasing a new mounting arm, garmin promptly said that I didn't have to pay for the item and they sent me one for free ! Actually they sent me a new mounting arm and a new power cord.

I was technically happy with using just the suction mounting on the windshield, however, I do go to both MN and CA - the two states where it's prohibited to stick something on your windshield (I believe NJ is also following suit). So now I have to "invert" the mounting arm and mount it on the dashboard disc

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As for the power cord, it doesn't really have any "circuitry" on the plug. It's simply a 12V input. Actually it takes 12V to 24V without any special adapters. On m explorer, I obtained a portion of the wire and plug from an old charger and spliced it to the wires powering the rear wiper switch (added extra inline fuse). This way, the gps powers on when I start the vehicle and powers of after 30 seconds when the ignition is switched off.

The USB plug also follows the usb specification of utilizing 5 volts. This means that if you have a phone charger that uses the same mini-usb plug (motorola razor, treo, etc), you can use the same charger to power the device

 

[sport01mi]

I love my c310x mio for 189. :-D

 

[Nate1]

Size matters.

Touche!

 

[floydr007]

the only problem i've had with the street pilot is that it will lose signal in cities with major skyrises- when i drive through manhatten i can never get a signal. i'm sure this is probably universal with all gps systems, though. just be aware of this if you're planning on using downtown in a big city.

 

[Burns]

So is it really that good.

I live in a small area. Will it know my area. 22000 population for the county

 

[aldive]

So is it really that good.

I live in a small area. Will it know my area. 22000 population for the county

Yes and yes.

 

[techieman33]

Yes and yes.

I wouldn't guarantee that it would know his area. I had my grandparents nuvi 350 with me when I went to visit Jtsmith, and it didn't know any of the streets in his area.

 

[aldive]

I have never had any issues with a GPS "knowing where it was" anywhere in the country I visited ( by land or by sea ).

You can sometimes loose signal in an area that is heavily wooded or has tall buildings.

 

[rizzjc]

If it receives the satellites then it knows where it is, but that doesn't mean that it knows the area, in the case of the GPS with built-in maps. Two different things here. I'd suspect that it is far more likely to tell you where you on on the globe (i.e. it recieves the satellite signal) than it knowing the streets in a particular area.

 

[techieman33]

If it receives the satellites then it knows where it is, but that doesn't mean that it knows the area, in the case of the GPS with built-in maps. Two different things here. I'd suspect that it is far more likely to tell you where you on on the globe (i.e. it recieves the satellite signal) than it knowing the streets in a particular area.

exactly it knew where it was at, just didn't have any of the streets on the map.

 

[mattadams]

I bought the C330 a few months back, and it has paid for itself many times . Love its ability to find restaurants, businesses my address or business name, etc. About the only issue I've had with it so far is I was looking for a q-doba, knew about where it was but wasn't sure. Couldn't find it in the GPS by business name, searched for mexican restaurants, it came up with Z-Teca. For those that don't remember, Qdoba was called Z-teca when they first came out until they were sued by azteca mexican restaurants for having a name that was too similiar. I found it under z-teca .

 

[Charlie's_93EB]

hey Al or anyone really, I am planing on getting another 2nd job as a paper boy. It will have me run about 50 miles a night from 2am till 4am. They have a flip book that tells me turn by turn how and where to drive. My question is can the Garmin C 330 record a route and retrace it over and over??

 

[03ExplorerSPT]

I know my Nuvi 350 can store routes. I'm sure the c330 can also.

Here's a pic of mine with my Proclip USA dash mount:

 

[axiom]

My c330 fell off the stand the other day (my friend screwed up putting it on and I didn't notice) and the screen now has two little scratches on it that are quite annoying. I'm assuming this wouldn't be covered by warranty, so does anyone know of any sites selling replacement screen covers or ways to fix such a thing?

 

[Charlie's_93EB]

thanks 03explorer, I will keep reading up on it more.

BTW yours does look sharp.

 

[PaisanNYC]

Size matters.

I second that Just saving up to get a doubledin unit instead of a flipout single din.