Suggestions to replace 1490T

 

I'm returning my 1490T today. It doesn't appear to be sold anymore. Any suggestions for a comparable replacement (without all of the bugs of course). The new 30/40/50 series seems way to bare bones for the cost.

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><> Glenn <>< Garmin nüvi 2598
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2460LMT

Hi there. I replaced my 1490LMT with a 2460LMT, primarily because of the 1490's limited memory and crippled JCV file.

The 2460LMT has voice command, a larger screen, split screen JVC displays.

The 2460 also has 8GB of memory, so plenty of room for large UCV and additional maps.

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Garmin 205, 260W, 1450LMT, 2460LMT, HEREwego for iPhone ... all still mapping strong.

cheaper to add a memory card

I don't know what issues you have with the 1490 (but I am interested, I promised my daughter a new one for Christmas and it is on the list). But the jcv size issue is easily solved with a SD card (might have to be a mini on the 1490, I don't know). I did this on my 885t and it works well. You have to erase the jcv in the nuvi and put the same directory structure on the sd card (I think it's just garmin\jcv\ and then the files). Download the large file into that directory of the sd and the nuvi will find it.

A 4GB SD is under $10.

Jim

Skip it

Avoid the 1490T if you can find them for sale.

I have one that has its own unique set of issues that no one else has heard of much less have. It is a problematic unit and the lack of internal memory is the least of it issues.

You might consider looking at the 23xx & 24xx lines. I'm considering upgrading to one of the top units now, so I can't offer any other advice.

--
Drivesmart 66, Nuvi 2595LMT (Died), Nuvi 1490T (Died), Nuvi 260 (Died), GPSMAP 195

I agree with rocknicehunder

I too own a 1490T. It has nice functionality, but

On a recent trip of about 3500 miles it rebooted itself about a dozen times. Although after it rebooted, it did resume routing. The time it takes could come at a critical moment. Also, it completely locked up once; the screen was frozen. I could not even turn it off. I got off at the next exit and somehow got it working again.

When it reboots, it seems to take an abnormally long time to resume reporting on traffic.

I did do a master reset during the trip and it accomplished nothing other than the aggrivation of having to set everything up all over again.

This is my second 1490T. Garmin replaced my first for exactly the same reasons. If you do some searching I think you will find similar complaints.

I've recently seen the 1490LMT at BJ's for $149.

I am looking at the 3490LMT as a replacement, but first waiting for a price drop and to give time to Garmin to work out bugs that new models always have.

.

BobHy wrote:

I too own a 1490T. It has nice functionality, but

On a recent trip of about 3500 miles it rebooted itself about a dozen times. Although after it rebooted, it did resume routing. The time it takes could come at a critical moment.

My 1490T has rebooted many times, several of which were crucial moments. It also can take a looooong time to redraw when zooming in or out.

Functional most of the time, but very disappointing overall.

BTW, after I deleted all the un-needed voice language files, the rebooting became quite rare.

Good information

I'm looking for a replacement for my Nuvi 680 and the 1490 made the short list based on advertised features. I guess it just dropped off based on the unadvertised bugs. I think I'll step it up to the 2460, 2555, and 2595 now.

--
Nuvi 2597 / Nuvi 2595 / Nuvi 680 / Nuvi 650 "Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment."

.

wegasque wrote:

I'm looking for a replacement for my Nuvi 680 and the 1490 made the short list based on advertised features. I guess it just dropped off based on the unadvertised bugs. I think I'll step it up to the 2460, 2555, and 2595 now.

Much as I hate to say it, avoid the 1490 unless you get it for a song.

Three of them

I returned three of them and finally gave up. I replaced it with a 2450LM which has been great. So far zero issues.

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Bobby....Garmin 2450LM

1490T

BobHy wrote:

I too own a 1490T. It has nice functionality, but

On a recent trip of about 3500 miles it rebooted itself about a dozen times. Although after it rebooted, it did resume routing. The time it takes could come at a critical moment. Also, it completely locked up once; the screen was frozen. I could not even turn it off. I got off at the next exit and somehow got it working again.

When it reboots, it seems to take an abnormally long time to resume reporting on traffic.

I did do a master reset during the trip and it accomplished nothing other than the aggrivation of having to set everything up all over again.

This is my second 1490T. Garmin replaced my first for exactly the same reasons. If you do some searching I think you will find similar complaints.

I've recently seen the 1490LMT at BJ's for $149.

I am looking at the 3490LMT as a replacement, but first waiting for a price drop and to give time to Garmin to work out bugs that new models always have.

No problem with mine. Never reboot and i have it on all the time when driving. Make sure you run the update frequently.

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Garmin Nuvi 260W Garmin Nuvi 1490T If you think knowledge is expensive, try ignorance.

Tom Tom>>>

the 540 XXL that I got for my girlfriend has been rock solid and right on for directions. The graphics are behind Garmin but maybe a newer TT would do the trick.

--
"You can't get there from here"

1490T

Jamstyle, If you have it on all of the time while driving, is it routing, or just monitoring where you are?

I deleted un-needed voices, vehicles and help files long ago. The 1490 is also operating with the latest firmware.

Bad experience with 1490T

I had bad experience with two 1490. I made all the system updates and map updates, they kept rebooting and some times losing the programmed destinations. Finally, one of the two would never restart, not even with hard reset. Both of them went back for refunds.

I tried the newer 2460lmt. I made all the system updates and map updates. It was ok for two weeks then it started freezing on a recent out of town trip. It simply would not turn on by pushing the on-off switch. Unfortunately, I had four out of town addresses programmed.

Once home, I went to the Garmin FAQ site to see if there is any solution for this annoying problem.
The solution is to hold the on-off switch for 30 seconds. It worked, once you know what to do in this situation. It looks like a common problem for the 1xxx, 2xxx and 3xxx series. It has its own FAQ on the Garmin site.

Still the 2460LMT kept on freezing occasionally.

Some times after turning on, for the first two or three minutes the vehicle on the screen was running ¼ inch off-road, parallel to the road.

With the USB connection to a PC, the battery was recharged 100%. When in use, connected in the car, the battery recharged only 90 to 95% even after a three hour trip.

The 2460LMT went back for refund.

Maybe, the 2595LMT will be better. I have not found many long time owners review on the 2595.

2595 very new

New GPS User wrote:

Maybe, the 2595LMT will be better. I have not found many long time owners review on the 2595.

The 2595 does not have long time owners because it only went on sale a few weeks ago.

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Are we there yet?

I own a 1490T. Never had

I own a 1490T. Never had reboot problems. Only problems were the voice going silent and not able to sync with iphone. Problems were solved when I stopped using the ecoRoute feature and restored the database file for it.

I too am looking for another 5" screen gps for another car. Thinking about the 2595 but haven't found too much info on it as it is still new.

consider the new "Advanced Series"

I like the new "Advanced Series" units. I bought a 2495LMT since I prefer the 4 inch screen and am happy with the purchase.

Skip the 1490

I have persevered with my 1490 for nearly a year hoping that Garmin would fix the bugs but to no avail. Its stunted memory and crippled jcv file along with the constant re booting on any journey over an hour in duration have certainly made me wary of purchasing another Garmin product. I have reverted back to using my old but far more reliable Nuvi 260. I hope Garmin get their act together soon and start to give us more reliable units that perform as advertised.

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Nuvi2797LMT (2) Nuvi260,Ford Sync3 Navigation. Captain Cook was a Yorkshire man too.

No issues with my 1490 other

No issues with my 1490 other than the crippled memory.

SD card solved that problem for JCV.

Now Garmin should provide an option on map updates to download the complete CNNA map to put on the SD card, not just a scaled down one that fits the small main unit memory.

Would be nice, but until

Would be nice, but until Garmin decides to do so, I hope you keep in mind that you can do that yourself using MapInstall.

--
"Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job." --Douglas Adams

Me too

computerperson wrote:

No issues with my 1490 other than the crippled memory.

SD card solved that problem for JCV.

Now Garmin should provide an option on map updates to download the complete CNNA map to put on the SD card, not just a scaled down one that fits the small main unit memory.

Ditto

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MrKenFL- "Money can't buy you happiness .. But it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery." NUVI 260, Nuvi 1490LMT & Nuvi 2595LMT all with 2014.4 maps !

No Problem Here

Micro SD cards are much cheaper than a new unit.

Replacement Unit...

Not sure what features you are looking for, but I recently acquired a new 2350LMT and really like it.

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Nuvi 765T, Nuvi 2350LMT

jcv on SD card

I, too, have a 1490LMT. I see a slot for the SD card and have a card to use, but don't understand what you mean by jcv. I have searched my Nuvi and do not find a jcv file or directory. I do have a poi file that is too large for the internal memory and wondered about moving the POIs to an SD, but am not sure about how to do that without messing something up.

JCV

JCV is junction view file. On your 1490LMT the JCV folder is located in a hidden folder named .system. To "see" the hidden folder and files, you will need to change the folder options on your computer to show hidden files, and also remove the check mark from the folder option to hide hidden operating system files.

You may want to read some helpful tutorials about managing data on the 1490 written by forum member Lilla. You will find these tutorials here:
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=c6483e8a197b8356&sc=documents...

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Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

New Nuvis

Which new nuvi units has mp3 players and audio book players?

absolutely

sajidh wrote:

Which new nuvi units has mp3 players and audio book players?

none of them. As in zip, nada, zilch.

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Illiterate? Write for free help.

None. MP3 players and

None. MP3 players and anything related to them were removed some time ago due to, I suspect, not wanting to pay Fraunhofer's licensing cost for the codec.

Damn! Box Car beat me to it! grin

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"Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job." --Douglas Adams

but your explanation

Strephon_Alkhalikoi wrote:

None. MP3 players and anything related to them were removed some time ago due to, I suspect, not wanting to pay Fraunhofer's licensing cost for the codec.

Damn! Box Car beat me to it! grin

Was much better than mine.

--
Illiterate? Write for free help.

I still enjoy mine

although a few times it takes a very long time to do a trip calculation as you await to know if you need to turn left or right out of a motel/hotel parking lot.

--
260, 295W, 1490T,2455LMT

I still enjoy mine

although a few times it takes a very long time to do a trip calculation as you await to know if you need to turn left or right out of a motel/hotel parking lot.

--
260, 295W, 1490T,2455LMT

Stay Away

This unit is full of bugs and none of the software updates have been able to get rid of 'em. My advice, get a different unit!

Get Rid of It

My friend has one and has had nothing but problems with it as well. He now has a 2650LMT and loves it.

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Larry - Nuvi 680, Nuvi 1690, Nuvi 2797LMT

Finally bit the bullet

I ordered the 2595LMT from Amazon and it was just delivered yesterday. After updating the maps last night, I'm now running it side by side with my Nuvi 680 to see how it compares. So far it's pretty good. Next week when rush hour kicks in, I'll be able to check the difference between the traffic services.

--
Nuvi 2597 / Nuvi 2595 / Nuvi 680 / Nuvi 650 "Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment."

Replacing 1490

I used a C550 Street Pilot for several years and in 2010 purchased the 1490T.
The C550 was a great unit -screen response, calculation, movement of screen, menu and key entry all very fast and responsive. Never any re-boot, freezing, or lockup issues.
The 1490T has all those problems.
It was much worse when I was using blue-tooth, re-boot every hour or so. I do not use blue-tooth at all anymore.
I think it also tends to freeze up when you play with the search functions, or move the screen around quite a bit on a single trip.
Having said this, the functions of the 1490 are very nice: 5" screen, multiple way points, trip planner, brightness, sound, lane assist, and junction views to name a few.
I am tired of all the bugs and slow reaction time, in particular I like to move the screen around but that is pretty difficult with the 1490.
I purchased a 2 yr warranty and I am ready to turn this unit back in for another one.
I am looking at the 2555 unit.
Does anyone have one or a similar unit and can comment on if it is an improvement over the 1490? No bugs and can move the screen around without it sliding all over the place?

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C550, 1490T, 2555

reboots

My 1490T is hit and miss with the reboots while driving. It can work like a charm for weeks and then it might reboot on its own 3 times. Cant figure it out.
I also had a problem with the sound. Sometimes I would mute the sound, then when I turn the sound back on you still wouldnt hear anything. This happened frequently. i would power off and back on a few times and eventually the sound would start again. I finally learned to just turn the sound all the way down to 10% when I didnt want to hear it. I havent had a sound problem since I stopped using the mute option.
For some reason I love my 1490T!?

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Garmin Nuvi 1490T

I had the 1490t , also, but

I had the 1490t , also, but traded it for the 2460LMT. I regard the 2460 lmt as a superior unit and I have had NO issues or trouble with it and it has more bells and whistles, larger, 5" screen and is selling for $179, I think, at Costo stores.

I have the 1490LMT

I think some of the problems are from the traffic antenna dangling and breaking the plug which makes it intermittent as posted on another thread here recently. My 1490 has been in my car for over 40000 miles without a hitch. My antenna cord is partially in my glove box so it has no drag on the unit when going over bumps.

Manufacturer Change

My replacement will be a TomTom.

antenna

I always thought the antenna had to have a sight to the sky. That ws just my own thinking, nothing I read. I would think if the antenna was in a glove box the signal would be weaker? I've always made sure that lumpy part of the power cord was up near the wind shield. I guess I can stop doing that - lol

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Garmin Nuvi 1490T

Ant.

Last-Of-5 wrote:

I always thought the antenna had to have a sight to the sky. That ws just my own thinking, nothing I read. I would think if the antenna was in a glove box the signal would be weaker? I've always made sure that lumpy part of the power cord was up near the wind shield. I guess I can stop doing that - lol

The GPS antenna is generally built into the GPS device itself. But for FM traffic, the FM antenna tends to be the power cable. Keeping the power cable exposed or even looped over the rear view mirror will help receive traffic reports from Navteq and Clearchannel for devices with traffic enabled. But for GPS reception, it's the GPS device's location that matters.

reception

CraigW wrote:
Last-Of-5 wrote:

I always thought the antenna had to have a sight to the sky. That ws just my own thinking, nothing I read. I would think if the antenna was in a glove box the signal would be weaker? I've always made sure that lumpy part of the power cord was up near the wind shield. I guess I can stop doing that - lol

The GPS antenna is generally built into the GPS device itself. But for FM traffic, the FM antenna tends to be the power cable. Keeping the power cable exposed or even looped over the rear view mirror will help receive traffic reports from Navteq and Clearchannel for devices with traffic enabled. But for GPS reception, it's the GPS device's location that matters.

For the GPS unit, having the antenna where it has a clear view of the sky provides the best reception as you thought. That being said, the electronics in the units are getting better and can obtain a fix even when obscured. It depends on what's blocking the path from the satellite. Most cars now have plastic dashes and while they do screen the radio waves from the satellites, they don't completely block them. Of course, the thicker the material, the more the signal is absorbed or attenuated. Wood, brick and steel found in buildings does effectively shield the unit, but windows allow some signal to leak through. Then there always are things that reflect or bend the signals, just as the windows on a building reflect sunlight, they can also reflect radio waves. Too much reflected signal from multiple buildings is the main reason units don't operate at their best in urban canyons, and, for that matter, in stone canyons either.

So, the best answer on will it work inside a car where it doesn't have a direct view is depends. It depends on what is between the unit and the sky. Some plastic and glass is ok, metal is not.

--
Illiterate? Write for free help.

2590lmt

i would just like to put in a good word for the garmin 2590lmt. it is a little pricey (amazon just lowered the price though from 399 to 379) and it is great to have voice command and the larger 5 inch screen.

it is a little finicky about the .bmp (i have two identical bmps except one has a color depth of 8 and the other a color depth in the 20s and the garmin only displays the one with the depth of 8). also it just beeps for proximity alerts (my garmin 765 uses the mp3 file but the 2590 does not for some reason.. same poi directory used for both with POI loader).

i really like the 2590lmt and would purchase it again.

wav files

Amnia wrote:

... it just beeps for proximity alerts (my garmin 765 uses the mp3 file but the 2590 does not for some reason.. same poi directory used for both with POI loader).

If you wanted both units to have sounds, you could use Audacity to convert the .mp3 files to .wav files, replace them is each folder, and then get similar sound from both units.

Thank you

jgermann wrote:

If you wanted both units to have sounds, you could use Audacity to convert the .mp3 files to .wav files, replace them is each folder, and then get similar sound from both units.

Thank you very much, that worked.

Question though: Why would some Garmins work with mp3s and some with wav files? Is it that older units use the mp3 format? Or is it somewhat random? Does anyone know of a list of garmin units and which format they use? I think I will do a little googling and if I find out anything I will put a link here.

MP3 player

Garmin units that came with a MP3 player will support .MP3 files for alerts. The 7xx and 8xx nuvi's had MP3 players. There were probably others, but none of the new nuvi's in the US market have a MP3 player.

--
Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

Loop

CraigW wrote:
Last-Of-5 wrote:

I always thought the antenna had to have a sight to the sky. That ws just my own thinking, nothing I read. I would think if the antenna was in a glove box the signal would be weaker? I've always made sure that lumpy part of the power cord was up near the wind shield. I guess I can stop doing that - lol

The GPS antenna is generally built into the GPS device itself. But for FM traffic, the FM antenna tends to be the power cable. Keeping the power cable exposed or even looped over the rear view mirror will help receive traffic reports from Navteq and Clearchannel for devices with traffic enabled. But for GPS reception, it's the GPS device's location that matters.

I keep the power cord looped over the rear view mirror for the dual purpose of keeping the load off the plug, and having the best chance of radio signal reception for traffic.

I have a friend with a 1490T that cannot be seen by any computer it is plugged into, with any cable connecting it. In the car, the unit does draw power for battery recharge, but it is very intermittent on getting the traffic circle icon. The owner let load onto the connection at back of the unit all the time.

...

Personally, I like 2555LMT for its split screen.

--
Michael (Nuvi 2639LMT)

Split screen?

Cyberian75 wrote:

Personally, I like 2555LMT for its split screen.

what do you mean split screen?
.

and i've had my 1490LMT for a month.
No probs so far other than wacky routing.

ie: tells me to get off hwy to goto local streets to reach Verazono bridge in NYC.
(and i have all avoidances turned off.)

I don't know if the routing is a Garmin problem or not >>

EcoRoute1 wrote:
Cyberian75 wrote:

Personally, I like 2555LMT for its split screen.

what do you mean split screen?
.

and i've had my 1490LMT for a month.
No probs so far other than wacky routing.

ie: tells me to get off hwy to goto local streets to reach Verazono bridge in NYC.
(and i have all avoidances turned off.)

but my 1490 is the WORST when it comes to routing; absolutely moronic!

--
"You can't get there from here"

Junction View

EcoRoute1 wrote:
Cyberian75 wrote:

Personally, I like 2555LMT for its split screen.

what do you mean split screen?
.

and i've had my 1490LMT for a month.
No probs so far other than wacky routing.

ie: tells me to get off hwy to goto local streets to reach Verazono bridge in NYC.
(and i have all avoidances turned off.)

Split screen means that when a Junction View is shown in a Garmin automobile GPS, it fills half the screen while the map fills the other half. This differs from non split screen models that show a full screen Junction View for a few seconds before reverting to the map.

Regarding your whacky routing: You haven't responding to suggestions made in the other thread where you mentioned this so we can't tell if you've done a test to see if you can potentially identify and fix the issue.

In general at The Factory, it's very useful to all of us here when another's problem has been solved is for them to report back with a success report and what was done to solve the issue. This helps us all understand how the GPS models operate and gives a solution to others in the future who have the same problem.

Older units will work with wav

Amnia wrote:
jgermann wrote:

If you wanted both units to have sounds, you could use Audacity to convert the .mp3 files to .wav files, replace them is each folder, and then get similar sound from both units.

Thank you very much, that worked.

Question though: Why would some Garmins work with mp3s and some with wav files? Is it that older units use the mp3 format? Or is it somewhat random? Does anyone know of a list of garmin units and which format they use? I think I will do a little googling and if I find out anything I will put a link here.

It has been reported here that the units that have mp3 will work with the wav files instead.

--
Nuvi 2460LMT.
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