I received this GPS unit earlier this year however I did not have the opportunity to give it a good eval until recently when we round tripped to Nashville and back. The 7730 comes with a solid large suction cup mount which I mounted on the side window between the A and B pillar on my motorhome. The 7” screen provides a lot of information and the navigation information is easily seen without much if any squinting. The color display features a high definition screen and is pleasing to the eye. The Model 7730LM also has lifetime maps and is updated via a USB cable and a computer. The 7730LM is an RV specific GPS unit where you can enter all the information about your RV such as RV type, length, width height, weight and number of axles. These parameters are taken into consideration during your routing including LP restrictions.

One helpful section of the 7730 are the checklists. You can chose one of the 11 checklists that pertain to your RV and your daily travels. Each of these lists typically expands to as much as 29 items and asks you to check off on all types of useful safety and travel items. If none of the lists meet your need, you can even create a custom list. In the checklist section you can fully document your maintenance logs, log your fuel consumption and or record trails that you have driven. You can setup and define any of 12 warnings that are meaningful to you. In my case I set a speed limit warning which verbally and on screen reminds me to scrub speed when prompted “Speed Warning.” You are going to get warnings about road conditions such as curves, hills, gauge, toll booths and construction which will help in providing you advanced warnings about any of the user defined conditions. Typically the audio and visual alerts are set for the fraction or number of miles to the warned objective.

Once you are hooked up to WiFi, in my case I have a Verizon MiFi, you can get useful information such as traffic, weather and fuel prices. I found this feature helpful in pinpointing construction and when hooked up to the Internet, accident information. The GPS Main Screen provides so much information it’s almost too much to handle however I am getting accustomed to picking out the items that help me the most. One thing I like a lot is the mile marker tab. At a glance I always know where I am exactly on any Interstate in the event I have to call someone. I also like having a real-time clock, compass and speedometer on the face of the GPS. A POI tab can tell you all the services that are within your immediate area. On the bottom of the display, real-time information is constantly updated indicating where you are and what’s coming up next.

The navigation algorithm in 7730LM is quite intuitive as to your vehicle type and I found that the routing I received was for the most part what I expected. When travelling on Interstates and you approach an intersection, merge or exit ramp, the split GPS screen indicates by arrow which lane you should be in. As with all GPS units, they are only a tool and they work real well when you’re lost or in unfamiliar areas. When I knew where I was and where I was going, I did opt for a pilot override and I went the way I knew rather than the proposed GPS recommendation. The GPS fought me tooth and nail by trying to reroute me but I stuck to my guns and eventually the 7730 adjusted its routing and we were back on the same page. The Rand McNally RVND-7730LM provides a lot of functionality, for the price and for me the 7 inch wide hi- definition display and eye level solid mount was much appreciated.

Mike Pelchat Conway, SC