[i]I dont' know much about GPS systems, but in need for a suggestion on which one to buy.
I'm looking at these two (Garmin 260W and 270) to get me around in Canada.
According to the link under this paragraph, the only difference that i can see between the 2 is that 260W has the bigger screen and has 'text to speech'
The value cost difference between the 2 is 270 is cheaper by $35.00cad after sale. The 260W was originally at $299.99cad but on sale for $254.99cad. The 270 was $359.99cad but now on sale at $219.99. Which one would be the better deal in terms of GPS fuctions... etc.
Thanks!
William[/i]
Last edited by wongwilliamk on Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:20 pm; edited 3 times in total
I just got the 260W and like the widescreen, esp when using the QWERTY keyboard. I also think the text-to-speech may be handy to confirm turns without looking at the screen.
Speech problem with the word 'Street' Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:18 pm
Thanks for the replies. even though only two replied but i went for the 260W.
After a couple of hours of usage during my drive, i notice the speech is a little incorrect. The roads here is either 'Street' or 'Avenue'. 'ST'. and 'Ave'. for short when displayed.
For example:
When travelling and the GPS tells me to turn right at 170 ST, it says: "Turn right at 170 (Saint)"
Is there a way to change it from saying 'Saint' to 'Street'?
The original problem comes from the map itself. There are abbreviations conflicts in it and there is no way for the GPS to know which one is which. Garmin tried to solve the problem using your country name. "Dr" could be "Doctor" or "Drive". Depending on the language (British, US or Autralian English) you use, it may say one or the other.
Unless you know how to operate an HEX Editor, it may be a bit complex to correct the problem by yourself. I will write a little tool for you to correct the street problem. I may have something for you in a day or two. I need time to think how I will do it. There are many other people reporting similar problems.
The only drawback with the fix is whenever ST will be used, it will say street and not saint anymore. For example, "St John St" may become "Street John Street" unless it is written as "St. John St" which will be pronounced correctly as "Saint John Street".
if it's not too much of a hassel for you, thank you so much! It's a little distracting each time it's asking to turn at ### SAINT. If you don't mind, can you do a step by step on what i need to do? I'll probably have to buy a USB cable connection to apply the changes right? or could it load off the SD Card?
[quote="turboccc"]The original problem comes from the map itself. There are abbreviations conflicts in it and there is no way for the GPS to know which one is which. Garmin tried to solve the problem using your country name. "Dr" could be "Doctor" or "Drive". Depending on the language (British, US or Autralian English) you use, it may say one or the other.
Unless you know how to operate an HEX Editor, it may be a bit complex to correct the problem by yourself. I will write a little tool for you to correct the street problem. I may have something for you in a day or two. I need time to think how I will do it. There are many other people reporting similar problems.
The only drawback with the fix is whenever ST will be used, it will say street and not saint anymore. For example, "St John St" may become "Street John Street" unless it is written as "St. John St" which will be pronounced correctly as "Saint John Street".
It has to be done through USB. You open the Garmin/Voice directory and copy your voice file on your computer (something.VPM). Then you will run my little program and modify the VPM file. Next, you copy back the modified VPM back to the Garmin/Voice directory. You are done.
Make sure to keep a backup of the original VPM in case you want to go back. It will be as simple as that.
I am tight in time because I am leaving for another week of vacations. I'll try to do it before that.
no worries turbo. I'm in no hurry to get this anyway. Plus this is just a volunteer thing so i'm happy that you will take some time to even look at this and i appreciate it very much! Thank you! Enjoy your vacation!
Too late! For me, this is a hobby. Some watch TV, me I do this (for now). I should probably get a life... LOL!
Ok. I am ready to test. I need a voice name and an intersection so I can test it here before I post the patch. Tell me everything I need to know to get where you see the problem (intersection, city, ...).
I do not have Samantha. No problem with Jack. Please try the tool and let me know. Download TTS_Speech_Doctor on page below. See readme for instructions. Let me know. Backup original VPM. No danger if problem. Just copy it back. Thanks. Have to go to work now.
Ok. Just don't be too disappointed if it says "Strt". I may need one more try. There was not enough space to do exactly what I wanted, but there are alternatives.
Turbo, it works perfectly! Thanks!
Now could you do this for Samantha as well? Being a male, I prefer the women talking to me to keep me alert at all times
Do you need the vpm for this?
Thanks turboccc. Can you please fix it for the British Daniels' TTS also? I like Daniel's voice but wished he'd say "Highway" instead of H-W-Y. Thanks for your great work!
"Dr" is noted". Now that I am back home, I will try to include it. It take only a couple minutes to make a new release, but soon or later I will have to structure my tools to handle different change for different voices.
I am thinking of making text files that anybody (more or less) can edit to change the abbreviations. There is no reason for me to change my tool engine everytime. Some changes are common between the English language, but some others should be applied only to certain languages.
For now, I will update TTS_Voice_Doctor with the request I receive, but at the first sign of problems, I will add the text file support and you will be able to do and share your own changes.
As for H-W-Y, it does that because one of the abbreviation in the language file is "Hwy" and not "HWY". I can change one for the other, but I am sure "Hwy" will be found somewhere. There are a couple possibilities. I will check and add it in the next release.
Thanks turboccc. Can you please fix it for the British Daniels' TTS also? I like Daniel's voice but wished he'd say "Highway" instead of H-W-Y. Thanks for your great work!
SuperGoop,
Tell me a specific intersection where you see the problem and I will look into it.
Whenever Daniel's route me onto ANY highway that has "HWY" as its abbreviation (e.g. Hwy 401), it will say something like ".... take ramp, on right, onto H-W-Y-four-hundred-and-one". Jack or Jill doesn't have this problem. Jack and Jill would say "... take ramp, on right, onto highway-4-0-1"
Got it! Jack&Jill has an entry for "HWY", "Hwy", "Hway", ... . Daniel has only "Hwy", "Hway", but no "HWY". I will change the "Hway" entry for "HWY". At worst, if "Hway" is found on a map, you will hear "H-Way" which is not that bad.
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For me, this is a hobby. Some watch TV, me I do this (for now). I should probably get a life... LOL!
