More Quest Photographs

Quest Features

These sleek units have the GPS antenna integral within the unit and  is designed to fit on top of your dash and provide you with visual and audio directions for navigating your car on unfamiliar streets and roads.  Unfortunately  (for the kids), Garmin did not choose to put any games in this model.   The Quest continues Garmin's marketing plan of "Market Specialization" which means to position various models for specific functionality and leave out specific features of interest to a specific group of users.  For example,  our "ideal" general purpose GPS receiver would have a color screen,  CF or SD card memory,  full marine and hiking feature set,  full car navigation capabilities and a rechargable battery pack with external power capability.   Lets see how the Quest fits these requirements.

The Quest's screen is a high brightness  TFT daylight viewable-without-backlight screen such as is available on the G60C and G76C.  However, the Quest uses a different filter from the G60C and G76C which (I think) makes the display much "less bright" without the backlight turned on as compared with the G60C and G76C.  (Joe will confirm this when he returns home.)  TFT screens do not offer a contrast control.  Quest has no marine feature set (at this time) and all but the most basic hiking features are missing.  Quest does have a rechargable battery pack which will run the unit with backlight( on for short periods in normal driving/routing) for 6 hours or up  to 20  hours (backlight off) and it does have the capability of being run from external 12volt power (furnished voltage regulator/speaker cable required).  Note that the Quest internal battery is charged anytime the unit is running on external 12volt power from either the 12volt speaker cable OR the 12volt external power supply.  It  CANNOT be recharged by a USB connection as not enough energy is available from that source to either  power the unit or recharge the battery.   The Lithium Ion battery  is sealed into the package and is not normally user serviceable.

The features of the miniaturized Quest make it a (fairly) direct competitor to the Magellan RoadMate and to the StreetPilot 2610.   Our Magellan RoadMate review can be found HERE.  And the StreetPilot 2610 review can be found HERE.  As stated before, Quest is NOT a direct competitor to the full featured hiking and marine oriented handheld units.

Street priced at about $525 (Can be bought for up to $695), (Check Latest Prices Here.) the Quest is one of the lowest priced Automatic Car Navigator units available.   And certainly, it is about the smallest.

What about map loading and Map Memory?
Quest uses a  USB data interface for map loading and data input/output.  It has no standard NMEA input/output capability but it can send position data to MapSource map products so you can track on your external USB equipped laptop if you want.  The 115 megabyte map memory will hold approximately the states of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina with a little of Tennessee thrown in.   In Europe, we find that the 115Mbyte Quest will hold about half the UK or a bit less than half of France.  You can put part USA, part UK, and part France maps into the unit at the same time if you wish.   Quest comes with a routable basemap for your region (like VISTA/LEGEND COLOR (LC/VC) and StreetPilot models.  Also packaged in the Quest Kit is the CitySelect Map system for the USA and Canada (or other region of the world for the area where you buy your Quest).  CityNavigator Maps will also work just fine.   Items furnished in the Quest kit include:  MapSource program for upload/download of waypoints, routes and tracks,  USB cable,  Articulated Suction Cup cradle to attach Quest to the windshield of your car, and a 120VAC "wall wart" power pack and cradle for in home use while programming.  The suction cup cradle includes a power cable with a built in speaker and Cigar Lighter Plug similar in design to the StreetPilot's.

With the Quest comes a copy of Garmin's (Navteq derived, NavTeq is the new spelling of NavTech) CitySelect 6 mapping program.  A user will have the most detailed highway and residential street level GPS uploadable maps available for the USA today. The USA coverage area for Navteq maps is the entire USA and ALL of  Canada.  Quest allows a user to automatically route using both the CitySelect maps and/or the Base Map. Thus, with a "routable base map", you can automatically route from an address in New York City to San Francisco with only CitySelect map sections for NYC and SFO loaded. The base map will provide information (and "road lock") for all highway routing between metro areas.  Garmin provides the only autorouting system that I am aware of that can do this sort of intercity routing without the need to load intermediate maps as you go from one Navteq region to another.  (There are 10 Navteq regions in the USA and Canada combined.) Garmin is shipping the Quest with its new CitySelect 6 /MapSource 6.x map system.  (CitySelect automatic routing maps are only available for the USA, Europe, South Africa and Australia as of October 2004.  However, Garmin Licensees are providing maps for a dozen (plus) other areas such as Chile,   etc.)  Check Garmin's Cartography site for a list of countries and vendors to contact.  

This review was done using copies  of CitySelect 6 USA and Europe.   With 115megs of map memory you can load detailed maps for a fairly large area.  However, I will be the first to admit that I wish I had the 243megs available in the European Quest Version.   For example, CS6 can load  much of Ireland and Switzerland and enough of France to allow you to drive from Cherbourg to Switzerland all in 115megs.   Still,  I would advise those in countries other than the USA that having the basemap of your own area and a larger map memory IS a great convenience.  As an example,  European basemaps do a passable job of covering Eastern Europe for which other maps are not available.  Also,  the detailed maps DO NOT include the lower detailed maps and when you scale out to beyond about 8 miles,  the lack of a basemap can be frustrating.  We like Magellan's scheme which offers basemaps for all parts of the world that can be loaded into many of their GPS Car Navigator products.

For the USA, Quest comes with  a set of permanent  "base maps" showing all state and federal highways  and major thoroughfares in towns and cities throughout the USA and in fact North America as well.  These basemaps can be used for navigation on interstate and major highways so you do not have to load detailed maps for your entire journey.  In addition,  Quest can be loaded with CitySelect detailed RESIDENTIAL street level detail maps (furnished as part of the Quest kit) of any USA area and (optional at extra cost) a variety of overseas locations including much of Europe and many cities in Australia, South Africa, Chile and other locations.  As a rough planning guide, a rule of thumb for calculating storage card capacity is:  4  megabyte for every  million population in North America.  For example, 115megs will load Florida, Georgia, SC, most of NC and a bit of Tennessee.

Other maps compatible with Quest  include: CityNavigator (Navteq Maps, the best GPS routable maps available in areas covered), MapSource MetroGuide USA  (MetroGuide 6 uses Navteq Maps.  Prior versions used Etak Maps, good maps but not quite as up to date as Navteq and only USA version 4.01 has autorouting capability within Quest).   Roads & Recreation, USA Topo, and WorldMap CD ROMs also work with Quest, but without automatic guidance.   Probably most other Garmin maps will load and operate,  but Garmin supports only the above.   

The Quest is straightforward to use, and we think the manual is a bit better than average.  Still,  there is no substitute for a few hours of  "playing around" with the unit in consort with the manual for quick learning and  discovery of available features.  

The CitySelect  (Navteq) map offering (or CityNavigator) is necessary for the Automatic Address-to-Address routing to work to street address level. We have reviewed the VDO Dayton, and the Datus RouteFinder A2A/VCO, and the prior StreetPilot III/26xx systems, the Garmin iQue 3600 and have used the Magellan 750Nav units. The Quest provides automated guidance on a par with any of these but it can be somewhat slower than the more expensive units in calculating a new route.  Still 15 seconds or so is not bad.  Route Quality is rated "good"  and in fact routinely gives routing "the same as I would have chosen".  Sometimes the route generated is "just OK", but after all, these devices are just machines and they are operating without the local traffic knowledge an individual user has. The downside for Quest as compared to the $3000 models is that many of the more expensive models have some sort of "dead reckoning" capability to permit navigation to continue for short intervals when signals are lost. Such signal loss can happen in "city canyons" such as NYC, Chicago, LA, and London where high rise buildings can block the satellite signals.  In fact, Quest/2610/2620 does have "poor man's dead reckoning" in that when signal is lost, the GPS assumes you continued on your last heading and speed for up to 30 seconds.  The  "real dead reckoning" capability is available in the Garmin StreetPilot 2650/2660 and in a few other units such as the VDO Dayton MS5000.  The 2650/2660 will require a connection to the automobile speedometer output and backup light to be able to function in dead reckoning mode.  Without these inputs, it will function same as the Quest/2510.  Note: The 2650/2660 require connections to the speedometer and backup light signals.

As to CitySelect map sizes, the four central Atlanta "map chunks" are about 1.5 megabytes each, and other area "map chunks" range from 400 kbytes to 2.0 mbytes. To see EXACTLY what CitySelect maps look like for YOUR area, click HERE and select CitySelect on the map viewer. Keep clicking on the map until you get your area in whatever detail you want.  You can route to covered highway intersections just using the basemap.    Selecting individual "map chunks" when you want to load maps can take quite awhile.  MapSource  has a new (slightly hidden) feature to make this EASY.  With the map tool selected in CN5/MapSource 5, simply hold down your mouse button and drag to put a "box" around a specific area of interest.  "Boxes" can overlap and be various rectangle sizes so you can use them multiple times in selecting your desired map chunks.  If you want to DEselect an area,  hold the CTRL KEY and simultaneously use your mouse to draw the box and you will deselect any map chunks in the covered area.   You can go to this link and watch the MapSource tutorial, which will explain how the new LARGE AREA map selection feature works. 

Automatic ROUTE GENERATION with Quest with its high speed processor is considerably faster than the GPS-V or SP-III but not as fast as the SP26xx series.   On "better route" the calculation of a 400 mile route  usually takes about 10 to 25 seconds.  This compares to close to a minute with the SP-III.   One trial route from Atlanta to an address in Los Angeles took about 2 minutes with the SP-III and about 30 seconds with the Quest  which seems extremely fast by comparison.  Off Route, reroute recalculation with the new "Partial Reroute" algorithm typically takes a few seconds and it (generally) tries to take you back as quickly as possible to your ORIGINAL route.  It does this  the first THREE times it goes "off route, recalculating".  On the fourth "off route" it figures out you are serious about not going back to the original route and does a complete recalculate which on a local (25 mile) route usually takes just a few seconds.  (SP-III ver 2.50 is using this same algorithm and it seems to be confusing some folks, but I personally like the speed so much I am willing to put up with the first three reroutes not necessarily taking you the optimum route.  If you do not like the "partial reroute" offered, you can always press the ROUTE key and then press "recalculate".)

CitySelect (and CityNavigator) offers the capability of generating a route automatically ON THE PC as well as within the Quest.  This permits users to generate a series of automatically generated routes and load these into other Garmin GPS receivers as well as the Quest.   Frankly,  using the PC is not the thing you will USUALLY want to do as the Quest is much easier and more convenient to use as compared with generating routes on the PC and then  having to download routes to the GPS navigator.  Users also tend to get very confused when a route downloaded from the PC does not act as they <think> it should.  If you do download routes to your Quest, be prepared for it to leave your assigned  route and reroute you  the first time you leave the recalculated route UNLESS you turn off automatic recalculation.   The CitySelect and  CityNavigator (Navteq) maps offer coverage of the covered USA Metro Areas AND much of the rural areas with superior road detail. Details as to which lane to be in and which way to turn onto exit ramps at complex expressway interchanges is frequently included.   CityNavigator has slightly more road details and particularly in the area of roundabouts and complex interchanges.  The Quest uses a USB connection for map and data loading.  Note: Maps are loaded into Quest by use of the USB 1.1 interface.  Some older USB implementations may not work with this USB version.  Loading 115 megs of maps (including map building and sending to the GPS) takes about 20 minutes.  (Varies with computer CPU speed and USB port type used.) 

NMEA data I/O  is NOT available on the Quest.

Note: As of this date, NO OTHER map products (from alternative vendors) can be uploaded into Garmin GPS receivers except those offered by Garmin and Garmin LICENSEES for the purpose.  (See Garmin Website's Cartography section for a full list of map offerings.)  This same proprietary relationship exists for other vendor's consumer GPS products as well.

This Quest is designed principally for automobile use  and lack of off road or marine features make it generally unsuitable for hiking, pedestrian, or boating use.   Quest does have a basic "compass screen" for hiking and pedestrian use and we hear that a marine version is coming.

What's new in Quest?

The Quest kit contains: Quest GPS,  Speaker(with volume control built in)/power cable, USB data cable (for memory and data load and GARMin Data Protocol output), suction cup Dash Mount Bracket,  AC power module for use in loading memory,  CitySelect 6 CDROM, and  Manual.   While the windshield suction cup mount is a) serviceable, b) lightweight, c) folds and packs up "small", we like the flexible gooseneck mount (from RAM I think) better.  Adjusting the Garmin windshield mount is a bit tedious and unclipping/reclipping the Quest into the mount can be difficult.  

Like all modern car navigators,  Quest gets rid of almost ALL of the bad effects of GPS measurement error that bother many people.  When you use CitySelect, the Quest will "lock" your vehicle track to roads as long as you  travel on the road.  (This feature does not operate with MapSource R&R, USA Topo, or WorldMap among others.)  Automatically generated routes using CitySelect or CityNavigator maps "rubber band" to the roads in the route. Once in a great while, you may find an isolated road segment where the map is so far off that road lock will jump off the road, but it is rare.   

Another useful feature with CS/CN (and MetroGuide 4.01) maps is that (when not in guidance mode) all approaching cross street names are displayed prior to arrival.   Note that MetroGuide 5.x maps are really not too useful in a Quest as they do not offer automatic route generation.

We found the Quest audio and visual guidance directions very satisfactory. Quest automatically varies its "turn here" warning time to give you more warning time at high speed than at lower speed. A typical audio/visual sequence would go something like this:

• <audio> In 1.5 miles exit right. <screen> shows arrow to the right, distance to go, speed, time to go and "Exit right to I-285 West"..
 

• <audio> In .3 miles exit right. <screen> shows Exit Right to I-285.
 

• <audio> In 1.2 miles exit right <screen> shows Exit Right to Roswell Road NE
 

• <audio> In .3 miles exit right. <screen> shows Exit Right to Roswell Road NE.
 

• <audio> In 800 feet turn left. <screen> shows Turn Left on Roswell Road NE.
 

• <audio> In 1.2 miles turn right. <screen> shows Turn Right on Mt. Paran Road NE.
 

• <audio> drive .3 miles to destination <screen shows .3 miles to destination.
 

• <audio> drive .1 miles to destination on right. <screen> shows .1 miles and the destination waypoint/address.
 

• <audio> destination 500 feet ahead on right. <screen shows destination waypoint/address.

An alternative screen shows a listing of turns to come. Another screen display is the trip computer.

AUTOZOOM zooms the screen in and out automatically as you approach waypoints and turns so you always have time to make decisions.  The windows on the right and details on the pop-up screen show details of the turn and distance to the turn as you approach.

Route selections for CAR or TRUCK or BUS, Motorcycle, Taxi, Delivery Vehicles, Bicycle, Pedestrian,  or EMERGENCY vehicles are provided so you can be properly routed depending on your vehicle type.

CityNavigator now features about five million (USA) "points of interest".  These include: Food and drink, Lodging, Attractions, Entertainment, Shopping, Services, Transportation, and Emergency and Government. In our area,  there were a few restaurants we had not known about and a  few  prominent ones  are missing.  Despite some obvious updates and additions,  the restaurant listing (still) appears to be about 2 years old.  Listed "Attractions" include theme parks, museums, schools, parks and such.  The listings were quite satisfactory though the placement of a particular restaurant or gas  station might vary plus or minus a few hundred  feet (once, half a mile) from the actual location.  This feature could be very handy in a strange city.  Do not be overly surprised at imperfections such as your favorite restaurant being missing or some restaurant that is out of business for 5 years still being in the POI list.  The POIs come from a multitude of data sources and it is simply impossible to insure accuracy with the resources available for the task.

The user can give the GPS a Street Address or Street Intersection or select one of the, for instance, Restaurants in the accessory map data base module and it will LOCATE this address or location automatically and plot it on the map screen.  The Quest can then automatically create a "turn-by-turn" route to this destination from wherever you are. This is a very useful feature and it has worked very well in our tests. Be prepared for a few well known items (such as my local library) to be missing from the "attractions" list. Still, if you are unfamiliar with an area, what IS included will be quite useful.

Are the Quest's 115 megabytes of MAP MEMORY enough?
Quest has a fixed user map memory of 115megs and this is NOT expandable.  We think the 115 megs will be enough for most users--  at least for starters.  The fact that the full USA coverage basemap can be used for navigation on interstates and major roads and highways mitigates the need for full coverage of the high detail maps-- but... Personally we do like to have the full detail maps loaded just in case we need services or a good restaurant while on the interstate highway.   Still, if you rarely travel more than your own state plus four other nearby states, (on average), Quest's 115 megs of map memory will get you there just fine.  Note: The European version of Quest has 243megs of user map memory.  (I guess this makes the European version worth the additional money Europeans have to pay.)
 
When you need complete detail for a PARTICULAR city or rural area you are going to visit, you can load (from your laptop or other IBM type Personal Computer) high detail maps from CityNavigator 6 into the Quest memory using the furnished USB cable.  (MAC users note:  Users report mixed results trying to load maps using a MAC.  Count on needing a PC to load maps to avoid disappointment.)

So.. If you are going from, say, Chicago to San Francisco and back to Miami with a stop in Denver, you might load detailed maps for the four urban areas of interest and let the basemap be your guide for other areas and still have lots of empty memory in your user map cartridge for other areas. The unit automatically transitions from the basemap to the detailed maps when the detailed maps are available and back again as you move out of the detailed map areas. While it is quite easy to load new maps from a laptop computer into your Quest,  having a basemap for the entire USA and Canada that will route you between towns and cities can eliminate the need to load highly detailed maps for intercity travel. That said, DO NOT expect that the basemap is as accurate as the CityNavigator maps from Navteq. There will be some areas where the map error is larger than 150ft and the Quest will think you are offroute and will claim it must recalculate. This is a minor irritation for some people but if you just ignore the problem when it (fairly rarely) occurs, things work out fine.

  What are the Technical Specifications of the Quest?

 

• Waypoints:  500 with (up to) 10 character name and graphic symbol (Autorouting does not use these waypoints.)  Autonumbers each waypoint but allows users to change waypoint name.
  
 

• Track log:   10,000 track log points
 

• Trip Information Page: Single resettable odometer, plus six user programmable windows for up to six of the following:  time of day, arrival time, arrive next turn, distance to destination,  distance to next turn, elevation,  lon/lat location,  moving average, maximum speed, moving average speed, overall average speed, sunrise, sunset, time of day,  time to destination, trip time-moving, trip time-stopped, and trip time-total
  
 

• GPS Receiver: 12 parallel channel GPS receiver continuously tracks and uses up to 12 satellites.  (WAAS is  available in Quest.)
  
 

• Acquisition times: Warm: Approximately 15 seconds, Cold: Approximately 45 seconds, AutoLocate: Approximately 2 minutes 
  
 

• Update rate: 1/second, continuous
 

• Position Accuracy: Position: < 15 meters (49feet), 95% typical with clear sky view and good DOP,  about 4 meters or better with WAAS and clear sky view and good DOP.
  
 

• Velocity accuracy: 0.05 meter/sec (.035mph) steady state
  

• Dynamics: 6g’s
 

• Interfaces: USB (ver 1.1,  No RS232 serial port.)
  
 

• Antenna: Built in GPS antenna with external MCX-type connector jack.  Accepts 2.5 volt external amplified antennas.  Tested fine with Garmin amplified antennas and with TriM MM-II.  Should work with any external antenna which works on 2.5 volts.
  
 

• Physical Size: 3.2"H x 5.6"W x 2.0"D (8.0 x 14.3 x 5.0 cm) 
  
 

• Weight: 5.5 oz (171 g)  (This is just the GPS itself and not the cradle, speaker or accessories.)
  
 

• Display:Backlit LCD screen views easily in daylight when backlit.  ( TransReflective daylight viewable screen does not seem as daylight bright without the backlight as in the G60C and G76C models.  (Will Recheck this when I get back home and can do a good comparison.)   Screen dimensions:   2.2"W x 1.5"H, (240 x 160 pixels), high contrast, 256 color LCD with backlighting 
  
 

• Case: Rugged; fully gasketed to IPX-7 waterproof
  
 

• Temp. range: 5°F to 158°F (–15°C to 70°C)
 

• Data storage: Indefinite; no memory battery required
 

• Map storage: 115megs of user uploadable map memory plus a USA/Canada Basemap covering all major roads and highways.
  
 

• The Quest uploads MapSource maps at up to 12Mbits/sec using the USB 1.1 port.   Your throughput will be less than this theoretical maximum speed.  If your computer is fast enough and not burdened by too many TSRs you might be able to load maps at over half  this maximum speed. 
  

Specific Questions Answered:

 

• Does the Quest have automatic daylight savings time? Yes, it works in the USA and a few international areas.  Daylight saving time rules  in most of the rest of the world are too "flexible" to make it practical to include all areas at this time.

• Can the Quest use Garmin's new Custom POI (Point of Interest) loader software to load my special POIs such as speed traps or other special locations.  The Quest II (only) has the ability to load custom POIs.

• What is the battery life?  Garmin suggests that the unit should get about 6 hours continuous running with the backlight on "minimally" and about 20 hours with the backlight off.  My early production unit has a defect in the "battery condition" measurements.  Garmin advises that the first 3000 units may have this problem. (Battery shows "exhausted" after only about 4 hours but the unit will continue to operate for another 12 hours or so.  Garmin will exchange or repair any such unit returned to their repair depot.
  
 

• Is the color screen viewable in sunlight? Yes.  Quest has a highly readable screen in sunlight sitting on a car's dash when the backlight is ON.   Naturally, Direct sunlight washes it out a bit,  but if it is in your car on the dash, it is quite satisfactory in all conditions we tested it in.  If your screen is in DIRECT sunlight (say on a Motorcycle), you may need a glare shield to shade the unit for best visibility in all conditions.  With the backlight OFF, I judge the Quest display not usable in sunlight unless you position the screen in a very favorable position.   We found the screens of the Vista Color, GPS-60C, and the G-76C to be much more readable in  sun with the backlight OFF than is the Quest.  We understand the quest uses a different filter in front of the screen as compared with the others.
  
 

• What is the "Where am I?" feature?  This feature gives you information on your location such as your current address.  If you are off-road, the unit can tell you such information as the nearest road intersections to your present direction.  Access this feature by press and hold of the OK key.  This also allows you to SAVE your current location similar to the MARK key on other Garmin units.
  
 

• Does Quest have a trip computer like the earlier SP's? Yes but with fewer features.
 

• Is the Quest the same size as the Vista? No. Quest is fairly rectangular in shape, has a horizontally viewable screen (only) and has an altogether different shape from the VISTA/LEGEND or any other Garmin unit.  It has a MCX antenna connector, new and different power connector and has rechargable batteries. Quest is about 4.5"Wx2.2"Hx0.9"D.  This is nice "shirt pocket"size.
  
 

• Where is the speaker for the audio output? It is mounted on the power cable near the 12vdc power plug (car end). The audio output comes from the same connector as the power input.  There are no external connector pins  for external audio output.  Motorcyclists and others who want to tie the SP2610 into their vehicle audio system will have to open the speaker case and bring out the two speaker wires -or- break into the speaker-to-GPS cable.  ANY MODS SUCH AS DESCRIBED WILL TERMINATE YOUR WARRANTY.  The speaker wires in the cable are the brown and white pair and they are "push pull" and neither should be referenced to ground or noise pickup can result.  The voltage across the speaker wires is about 2.5v peak-to-peak at normal volume.  I recommend you locate a small 1:1 audio coupling transformer and use it to couple into your motorcycle audio system.  Radio Shack is one source of such transformers.  NEEDLESS TO SAY,  making any such change as this voids the warranty and if you cause any damage,  Garmin is not likely to look favorably on a warranty repair for your unit!  AND.. If you do not PRECISELY understand what is stated above,  don't attempt this modification!  Garmin does not presently offer a Motorcycle Mount Kit for the quest.  (Wiring details of this comment from the SP26xx writeup must still be verified.)
  
 

• Is there enough audio volume available to use Quest in a noisy truck? In a <normal> car, we judge the volume will always be ample. Audio is fine in a Ford F-150 truck and we think it will work OK for a fairly noisy truck as well, but you can always connect an external audio amp and speaker or even earphones (will require opening the speaker case and voiding the warranty and perhaps some additional connector/hardware).  I do note that the speaker is a bit smaller than the speaker in the 2610 series and it "rattles" and becomes distorted at a lower volume level than does the 2610 model.
  
 

• Is the audio clear and easy to understand? Yes. We think the audio quality of the female voice is generally quite clear and understandable.  It also comes standard in US English, UK English, Dansk, Nederland, Francais, Deutsch, Italino, Espanol, Swedish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Finnish, Polish, Czech and Hungarian.

• Is there a MUTE switch for the audio?  Answer:  No.  Not on the GPS itself.    But there is a volume control on the external speaker and you can always turn it down.  Note well that the Quest audio output does NOT work unless the unit's speaker/cigar plug is connected to a 12vdc power source.  It does NOT speak when operating on internal battery.
  

• Are the contrast and brightness adjustable? Yes, there are about 10 brightness steps and contrast control resolution is maybe 50 steps.  The available viewing angle of this new display is slightly about 60 degrees (+/- 30) so both the driver and passenger can usually view the screen at the same time (if the unit is placed in the middle of the dash and forward).
  
 

• Is the CitySelect Map System included? Yes.  The USA/Canada Quest kit includes "all region unlock" for the USA and Canada.
  
 

• Will my old SP (or SP-III) cable work with Quest? No.  The connectors are different and a new speaker/power cable comes with Quest.
 

• How do I load  map data in a reasonable time? Using the USB cable, map loading time for a 115megs of maps has varied from been around 15 to 30 minutes at different times on my laptop computer.  (Theoretical USB  speed is 12mbps which would give 115MBytes in about 9 minutes but actual times will be more than this depending on the capabilities of the machines on both ends of the circuit.)    We recommend limiting map size selected to load to a value slightly less than 115megs to prevent  a  possible "maps too large for GPS" error which will go through loading steps but in the end will not finish loading. 
  

• Does Quest come with a dash mount? Yes. A portable suction cup mount is provided.  As noted above, we consider it quite serviceable, but it was a bit hard to adjust and use.  We like flexible arm mounts better but they ARE larger and less portable.  We used the mount in half a dozen cars, a pickup truck and it seems robust and serviceable.
  
 

• Does Quest's "road lock" feature work on the basemap? Yes.  Can "road lock" be turned off in Quest?  Yes, and it should be turned OFF for OffRoad use.
  
 

• Can I upload/download waypoints/routes/tracks to the Quest? Yes, using MapSource.  Third party applications such as G7ToWin and others may require I/O protocol update for compatibility.  Check with individual 3rd party software vendors for compatibility.
  
 

• Is <my> street shown on the new CitySelect 6 (or CityNavigator 6) maps? Garmin now has their MapViewer working so you can check for your area.
 

• If I deviate from the calculated route, what happens? Quest will automatically recalculate a new route to your destination without operator intervention.  You can elect "silent" recalculation OR you can elect to be advised when a route recalculation occurs.
  
 

• Can I "TrackBack" on a tracklog with Quest? Yes. Assuming you have road lock turned off (in off road mode).  You go to the "Where am I?" page and select Trackback.  If in ON road mode, then, instead, you would use AUTOROUTE and enter the destination address to generate a new route back.  There are several other Trackback options detailed in the manual.
  
 

• How many waypoints can be in an automatically generated route? I am not sure. I  have tried cross continent routes from Atlanta to Los Angeles and they work fine.  Waypoints created by automatic routing do not reduce the 500-available user waypoints.  User waypoints can be used to initiate an automatic route and/or add "Vias" to a route.
  
 

• Can I operate StreetAtlas 9 or 2003 externally with a PC and using Quest for the Position  data? Not unless Delorme comes up with a USB Garmin compatible driver and an interface for Garmin's protocol.
 

• How do I upload SA8 Maps (or DRG, or TravRoute or whatever) into Quest?  You can't. No way. Can't do it. Only Garmin maps (Also see the Garmin Cartography site for a list of Garmin protocol licensees whose maps can be loaded.)  can be uploaded into Quest. You can connect Quest to your laptop, and run CN6/Metroguide 6 on your laptop and plot your travel path using your laptop if you want.
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• How do I download screen images to the Quest?  Garmin has a new program on their website called "xImage".  With this program you can download screen images similar to the ones shown in this review.  In addition,  you can UPload a customized image to the Quest to replace the WELCOME page.
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• What is the "pedestrian" mode routing option in Quest and how does it work?  Quest's "pedestrian" mode gives routing for times when you are walking with Quest.  I had an opportunity to use it in Interlaken, Switzerland where there are many "pedestrian only" bridges and walkways.  It did its job perfectly and directed me along the pedestrian only routes when appropriate.
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• Can I use my Quest on my private airplane?  Well.. Yes,  but it really is not designed for aviation use and will not give you the usual guidance information needed for such use.
  
 

• Does the Quest allow entry of route preferences? Yes. Options are: Avoid U-turns, Avoid Toll Road, Avoid Highways, Avoid Unpaved Roads, Faster Time, Shorter Distance,  Quickest Calculation, Quick Calculation, Better Route, Best Route, Off Road, (turns off road lock and allows GOTO). Also, Calculate routes for CAR or TRUCK or BUS, Motorcycle, Taxi, Delivery Vehicles, Bicycle, Pedestrian,  or EMERGENCY vehicle.   In addition, the user can enter CUSTOM avoidance street (or segment) and rectangular area preferences.
  
  

• Then exactly how do you figure out how many "turns" can be in one route? Garmin says: There is not a limit to the number of turns per se.   Along a route -- there are several types of points that are "dropped".  The first being via points. The second are "guidance points" - where a user basically has to make a decision on which way to go (keep left, etc.), and the third are "nodes". Nodes are dropped along a route every time a road classification, name change, turn, etc.... There are a max of 1200 "nodes". If you are creating a route along an interstate, there won't be very many "nodes" dropped, because all the attributes of the road stay the same (for the most part). But, once you begin adding in lots of via points, where the detail of the map gets very complex, then there are more and more "nodes" dropped.  "Nodes" are not seen by the user.  Basically, they do show up if a person were writing third party software and sucks out the Position data, but that is the only place a user would see it.
  
 

• Can I buy a Quest in the USA (to save euros) and then use it in Europe (or Australia) using CityNavigator maps. Yes. But a USA purchased unit will have a USA basemap and the basemap details for Europe (such as it is) will be essentially not useful. The reverse is also true. If you are in Europe with a USA basemap, this means you will have to load maps from CityNavigator for your entire journey if you want autorouting all the way. This all works just fine. But, if you have the European basemap and are in Europe, you would only have to load the start city area and the destination city area of interest. The basemap could be used for routing in between. It <IS> useful to have the basemap for your principal area of interest, but you can get along without it.  Without the basemap,  zooming out beyond about 8 miles shows no roads even with detailed maps loaded.   It is possible to install MapSource World Map as an underlay in conjunction with European CN6 for higher detail roads if you have a USA Quest and want to take a trip in Europe.   But of course, WorldMap does not do autorouting.   (special note: In using the initial Quest firmware with CS6 Europe in a unit with a USA basemap, we had problems with the FIND BY NAME (cities/addresses/POI, etc) not being able to find items more than about 10 miles from your current location.  I am sure this problem will be fixed in a future firmware release.
  
 

• What about MetroGuide Europe?  Australia?  Can I use it for Autorouting in Europe same as MetroGuide USA can be used for Autorouting in the USA? No. MetroGuide Europe has autorouting capability but ONLY in the PC. MetroGuide Australia is not able to autoroute on either the PC or in a StreetPilot or iQue. The initial edition of MetroGuide USA  equipped with autoroute capability because (at that time) CityNavigator USA did not have complete USA map coverage. The latest MetroGuide USA does not offer autorouting on the GPS, only on the PC.  Now with CN6, CN6 has full USA and Canada map coverage as does CN Europe for covered European states. CN Australia does not have full country coverage.  See Garmin's website for maps for Chile, South Africa and a dozen other areas by Garmin Licensees.
  
 

• Can I add VIAs to influence Quest to do a route "my way"? Answer: Yes. You can add as many vias as you want in the Quest.   You can select Vias from Waypoints, Stored Addresses,  POIs, etc.
  
 

• I want a GPS for use in my Car, for Hiking, for OFFROAD driving, and for MARINE use. Will Quest do the job for me? No! We do not recommend the Quest for any of your proposed applications EXCEPT for Car Navigation ON ROADS which Quest is optimized for and where its performance is quite good. For Offroad driving, the unit provides few guidance directions.  The same is true for Hiking and for Marine use.  In general there is no GPS which is optimized for all your proposed applications, but the Garmin GPS-V or the GPS-76C and the Magellan Meridian and Sportrak Pro are about the best compromises I know of in a stand alone GPS unit.

• Does the Quest have a DETOUR FEATURE to reroute you around road work and other obstructions?  Yes.  You can select various distance values and the Quest will leave your current route at the first opportunity and take you the "best available" alternate route for your selected detour distance and then compute an optimum reroute for the remainder of your journey.
  

• If I create a route on MG-4.01 and download it to Quest (turning off automatic reroute) will it Audio and Video annunciate and execute the route just as normal for Quest? Answer: Using MetroGuide USA, version 4.01 the Quest will route and voice communicate just as with the CitySelect  data. When you download a route to the unit from MapSource using MetroGuide or CN data you do need to be right at the start point otherwise you may get an off-route announcement.  This software is not supported by Garmin for the Quest.
  

• Which of the mounts for older Garmin units will the Quest fit?  None. The mount, cables and mechanical arrangements used by Quest are different from any prior Garmin unit.
  

• Can I operate the Quest with my gloves on? In the rain? In the rain with gloves on? Yes.  But those tiny buttons MAY be a challenge depending on what gloves you use.
  

• Will the Quest operate properly with an XM Radio in the car?  Answer: Generally Yes.  It is known to work OK with "aftermarket" Sony and Delphi SkyFi XM radios as well as all of the OEM XM radios we have heard about.  The only problem reported to us has been with the new XM Delphi Roady radio.  Should you have a problem of interference to any GPS by a Delphi XM Radio,  Delphi tells us they will exchange it for a unit tuned so the interference will not occur.  This changes requires that you send the radio back to Delphi for repair at no charge to the customer.

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• What is the difference between the new SP-2610 and the Quest?  Answer:  The Quest is basically a miniaturized, reduced feature, reduced screen size, non-touchscreen, smaller map memory version of the SP-2610.  It does have some minimum off road capability unlike the SP2610.
  

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• Is there a sturdy motorcycle handlebar mount for the Quest?  Answer:  No.  Not that we are aware of at this time.
  

We do not recommend Quest for hiking or marine activities due to its reduced feature set optimized for automobile use.

The Quest  used for this review includes no basemaps outside the Northern part of the Western Hemisphere.  The unit has has a rudimentary political map for the world but essentially no roads are shown outside Canada, USA and Mexico and Central America.  . The basemap of North America  includes maps of USA interstate,  national, primary and secondary state highways, cities, larger towns, waterways, rivers, and coastlines and high population parts of Canada and Mexico.   (Note: See Garmin Base Maps description for more information on Base Map content.)  Base Maps are included  in the Quest's internal memory while USER Uploadable Street Maps on CD ROM provide street level or topo detail of user selected areas which are loaded to the 64meg to 2048meg (2GByte) CF memory cartridges.  Garmin (unlike some Magellan models) provides no capabilities for the user to change from one basemap to another.

Additional Quest features include:

The trip computer works similarly to other late model car navigators.  With Quest, you will notice that  when you come to a stop, the estimated times do not go to infinity, but hold a realistic value. The GPS calculates estimated times based upon road classes in your Route and modifies the estimation by your actual speeds on the various road classes. It also computes the actual road distance between turns (waypoints) instead of using straight line distances.  The results give fairly accurate estimated time to various points, even when using different road classes, like traveling on the freeway, and then exiting later on some local roads. Your estimates will not only be based upon your current highway speed, but by the combination of speeds you are using, or will be using on the various road classes.  We note that the Quest was within 10 minutes on one 400 mile highway drive we made after it "learned" our driving speed habits.  Usually it slightly underestimates the time principally as a result of unexpected traffic congestion which randomly occurs.

The GPS has the standard HOST mode which allows  the upload/download of waypoints, routes, tracks, etc., OR use the GPS for tracking with the USB position output. The  external power/data cable is different from other Garmin GPS equipment including StreetPilot models.  It is doubtful that as of October 2004 any third party software is available to interconnect with Garmin's USB data port on the Quest..

The data fields, on the main display screens  ARE configurable.  Check the manual for details.

CityNavigator's  Find-an-Address feature includes: Recent Finds,  Cities,  Exits, Addresses,  Intersections, Points of Interest, Food,  Lodging, Services,  Entertainment, Attractions, Shopping, Transportation,  Emergency and Government and Waypoints.  However,  some  of  the locations  of restaurants, hotels, etc. are misplaced by considerable distances.  Since the data is at least a year old,  some businesses are "missing" but overall the data is quite accurate and useful.

When not routing,  a "Driving Status" line on the Map display indicates such information  as "Driving South on Roswell  Road  near Sandy Springs".  This can be quite useful in cities where you don't exactly know which street you are on. Also as you are driving, the name of each approaching side street is displayed allowing finding side streets in the dark.

Brightness on the Quest does NOT automatically adjust for ambient light conditions like the SP26xx models.  However, automatic changeover from night to day mode as needed is provided.

Datums- The Quest provides the standard WGS-84 and over 100 other map datums so you can match your map display position with your accessory paper maps. 

Many dozens of  ICONS are available in the Quest to identify user waypoints and mark routes.   Icons include airport, bank, boat ramp, car, dam, post office, and a host of others.

Street pricing of the Quest is about US $525 or less and includes: Quest GPS unit, speaker/power cable, CitySelect 6 CDROM (full USA/Canada license), Suction cup mobile mount,  USB data interface and cable,  AC 12vdc PSU and cradle for indoor use loading maps, manual, quick reference guide and other documentation.

Features and Operation

The Quest has a direct and easy to use routing system. The user:

• Enters an address, an intersection, select a restaurant, hotel, or other Point of Interest using the rocker switch and keys for data entry.
 

• selects ROUTE to it
  
 

• Quest automatically generates a route to your destination and cues the user with both audio and visual directions.

 The Quest operates from  external power in the range of 10 to 24 volts DC or from its internal LiOn battery.  Battery life on our unit "appeared to be" about 2 hours.  However, the actual battery charge lasted about 15 hours or so with little backlight use.  The problem turned out to be that the "battery guage" was defective on my test unit.   The Quest uses FLASH memory internally and has no memory backup battery.    The LED backlit display lighting has a rated design life of 100,000 hours.  The Quest shuts down when power is removed and (uniquely for Garmin handheld equipment) turns back ON when external power is restored. (Assuming the power was ON when the external power failed.)

A special Power/Speaker cable is supplied with Quest. The  data/power cable used is NOT the same as any prior Garmin cable connector. You will need the (industry standard)  USB DATA cable (furnished)  to load maps into your Quest and/or to upload/download routes/waypoints/tracks to your PC computer.  There is NO capability with the Quest for a standard RS-232 serial cable.  

The external antenna connector, a MCX coax jack,  is located on the right rear of the unit.  The MCX  jack is powered (nominal 2.7 volts no load in our unit) and has a current limit rated at 25 ma  to protect the unit from shorts on the antenna cable. The normal antenna is built inside the unit and is not removable.   The Garmin GA-27C (Garmin part number 010-10052-05) amplified antenna, some from  Tri-M, and other 2.7 volt rated antennas  work with the Quest.  We believe most  3 volt antennas will work as well.

The Quest does not support NMEA-0183,  DHCP or RTCM.   Garmin has included its standard HOST MODE and no other option.

Operating temperature range is specified as -15C to +70C. Like other Garmin handheld GPS receivers, Quest  is rated submersible to one meter per IEC529 IPX(7) with gasketed connector ports closed. The maximum altitude rating is 60,000ft and speed maximum is 999 knots.

Feature Details:

 

• The MAP SCREEN may  include the MAP, plus (depending on operating mode),  Current location and road, current speed display,  heading,  arrival time, time to next run, and Next Turn display. These are user selectable (to some extent) which items are displayed.   At TURNS, map image on the left side of the screen will show details of the direction and angle of the coming turn.  Distance to the turn is indicated in a window on the right side of the screen.
  
 

• A moving map display is provided to plot your course over ground.   Outside of Canada, Mexico and the USA, base maps (on the USA models)  are generally much less detailed. Waypoints saved in the  machine are displayed on the moving map page as they come within range of the map scale selected.  The map screen has pan and zoom and scales from 120 feet (1/2 inch) to about 800 miles (screen width).  You can use the rocker switch to PAN the screen in any direction as desired.  Automatic routing voice commands continue during panning if you are executing a route.
  
 

• Route  start/finish points can also be generated from user waypoints, city waypoints, points of interest, street addresses and street/road intersections. There appear to be 7 layers of map  detail in the base map and perhaps 7 more in the street level CityNavigator maps.
 

• The map display may be set to north up, or current track up.  The map display provides an array of user customizable  features such as AUTOZOOM,  Map DETAIL control, Tracklog on/off, Street label size, Railroads on/off, North up/Track up,  Display   waypoint/exit/POI controls, city/town text size selection, display/don't  display  map features such as restaurants, hotels, shopping centers, garages/service stations, tourist attractions,  entertainment centers and similar.  The map screen also supports zoom and pan features.  On  the SP2610,  user waypoints can have one of dozens of symbols such as boat,  house, gas pump, etc. When you are  moving,  an "arrow" pointer shows your direction and leaves a "cookie trail" showing your track. Map accuracy is superb on the CitySelect 6 maps in the Atlanta area.
 

• The automatic guidance system USER INTERFACE is not as convenient and quick to use as the SP26xx touch screen models but it gets the job done. You can typically enter and address and set up a new route in perhaps 60 seconds using the rocker switch/alphanumerical grid system to select the numbers and street name.
 

• A simulator feature provides display of simulated motion and simultaneously outputs simulated tracking data  to your computer for test of mapping software, data gathering simulations and such. However, the simulator can only follow established routes and cannot just be set up to travel in some user selected direction. This seems OK since the SP is designed to facilitate automated automobile navigation which requires the input of a route. If you are in simulator mode and turn off power, a power ON automatically restores normal mode operation.
  
 

• A screen back lighting timer feature is provided in Quest.  The timer can be set to turn off the display light (when in battery mode) in 15, 30, 60, 120 seconds or NEVER. If turned ON, the light stays on when the Quest is powered externally.
  
 

• A  screen arrow and distance to go number that pops up to show  approaching next turn can be selected as a display option.
  
 

• When the unit is powered ON, a Garmin introductory screen comes on followed by a screen warning  not to enter information while driving, then after a timeout, you go to the map display page.  There is no need for manually pressing any buttons to get to the navigation screens.  You CAN press the OK button a couple of times to speed up getting to the main display if you wish.
 

• The signal strength bars are box outlined in black if the GPS has found the SV and has not yet downloaded ephemeris data and changes to solid black when data is received from each satellite in turn. Each signal strength bar is marked with the associated satellite number. On the polar plot, SV numbers are black on white when locked and white on black background when locked.  Day and night coloring are different.
  
 

• Waypoints may be named with a ten character name plus a symbol (boat,  gas pump,  house,  etc.) which may be selected from a library of 45 symbols. The Quest has NO feature at present to allow you to "jump" the map to a waypoint position as do many other car navigators
  
 

• The Quest has a single track log system.  Total track log storage provides  10,000 trackpoints.  It is possible  to "track back" along a cookie trail with the Quest if you select the OFFROAD mode.
  
 

• The Quest has WAAS, but does it offer DGPS.  Quest locks you to the nearest ROAD (in on-road navigation mode) and this is very desirable  (since maps are more imperfect than the GPS signal accuracy) for road navigation purposes. 
  


• External  I/O signal modes available are: Text Out, Garmin HOST mode Data Transfer protocol.  No NMEA output is available. 
  
 

• Proximity waypoints are not provided in the Quest.
  
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•  North reference can be "true" north (no Magnetic/True  North  heading  reference selection), Magnetic Local Deviation reference or   USER selected.
  
  

• When navigating a ROUTE, the pointer points along the road in the correct direction of travel. This happens EVEN IF the road is curvy and makes many changes in direction.  This is in contrast with conventional ROUTE technology which has the pointer constantly pointing at the NEXT WAYPOINT (TURN).  As each turn is approached, the Quest delivers  a verbal warning  and  a special POINTER automatically indicates the proper turn direction and the command line switches to the next waypoint (turn) in the route list. There is no concept of "reversed route" in Quest (but off road backtracking along a tracklog is supported). Each automatically generated route is from "where you are now" to a fixed destination. Each destination you want to travel  to (on road)  is selected from one of user waypoints, POI, addresses, street intersections, etc.
 

• The Quest has ZOOM in/out  buttons on the left size of the screen.   Zoom permits easy expansion or contraction of the map display as needed.
  
 

• The Quest offers many dozens of  different waypoint symbols for pictorially identifying waypoints.  This feature permits the user to show such objects as anchors, boats, gas pumps,  houses, cars,  fish, etc., to further identify waypoints on the map display.
 

• Waypoint MARK  is available in the Quest by pressing and holding the OK key. 
  

• The Quest is rated submersible to one meter for 30 minutes like all current Garmin handheld GPS receives in accord with IEC-529 IPX(7).
 

• You can FIND waypoints by NAME, and you can review the "most recently used" waypoints.
 

• The Quest display can only be operated in the HORIZONTAL display mode which is in keeping with its design an automotive GPS mapping receiver.

I have tested the Quest on  roads and highways of North Georgia and Atlanta including several interstate trips.  I have also used the Quest in Ireland, the UK, France. Belgium, Germany and Switzerland.   We used CS6 in both the USA and Europe for our tests.  Our Quest has worked properly at all times as far as we could tell..  Generally, tracking worked well but as is normal, we occasionally lost lock momentarily in cities and in deep mountain valleys.  

 I have rarely had a failure to lock to SVs in my beta version Quest which was corrected by turning the unit OFF and back ON.  I am confident this will be corrected in production software.

The SP performed on a par with other GPS units in every test for lock stability,  multipath performance, re-lock after an underpass, and ability to suddenly change direction without loss of lock. The SP laid down smooth tracks on our highway maps during all tests.  No gaps, jumps, etc. (The Quest  has data smoothing like the SP-III.)

We note that all Garmin GPS  models including the Quest have a form of "dead reckoning" for moments when signal dropouts occur. For instance, if the Quest is tracking along and just before a sharp turn you invert it and block its antenna, it will continue to track straight for about 30 seconds.  It also provides a very good data smoothing filter to throw out random fixes that are way off track. This results in an exceptionally smooth track on a moving map display even with the "road lock" option turned off.  Even with this filter,  there was no overshoot apparent during quick stops, sharp turns, and similar maneuvers when normal continuous tracking was taking place.

Quest performance under tree cover and city canyon conditions was about the same as the earlier SPs, G-V, G-II+, G-12XL,  and we rate that as very good.

We found the display controls easy to learn and use.  The overall Quest system is quite comprehensive and suitable for car navigator use.  What the average user has to work with on a day-by-day basis is very simple to understand and manipulate.   The menu system and arrangement is generally quite intuitive and easy to learn to use.  

Since the Quest  exhibited essentially identical tracking performance with other Garmin units in our tests,  we did not perform the extensive field trials we made with the G-12XL,  EE, and others.  For more information on tracking results with our testing of the G-12XL, and the G-II+, etc., see our reviews at: http://gpsinformation.net

Summary

Our overall impressions are that the Quest is a new generation of "miniature" and pocket sized, low cost Automobile Navigation System. While it is not the least expensive of the truly automatic self contained address-to-address car navigation systems (SP-III, iQue 3600, G-60C and some other PDA based systems may be less expensive), we consider the Quest to be "very good"  in the low price class of Car Navigators.   At about US$525, (Check Latest Prices Here.) we think the Quest is a great product for the money.  

*Problems and Quirks noted in using  the Quest?
1) The suction cup mount furnished with the Quest is about its worst feature.  Even after you "get the hang of it" it is both difficult to snap it OUT of the carrier and even worse to snap it back in.  However, it is serviceable and we had no problems with the suction cup letting loose in 6 weeks of testing in half a dozen vehicles. 
2)  As with other Garmin Car Navigators,  entering street names can be a problem.  You might know a street name as AC Lewis Road, Ac Lewis Road, or A C Lewis Road  or Baywater or Bay Water or Baewater and the spelling may/may not match the local convention.   The user MUST spell it like the Garmin/Navteq database or the address cannot be found.   This can lead to not being able to find a street that you know is there.  Navteq tells us that their convention is to run initials together and use caps, so you might try that if you get stumped with a street name with initials.  For a street address with a highway number, try just the number such as 32 (not HWY32).   
3) POIs are often in listed in "groups".  There may be several groups of restaurants by the same name (different franchises I am guessing) and you do not readily know in which group the closest store can be found. 
4) POI groups are incomplete (though they are VERY VERY  helpful).  As examples: I find that some post offices and libraries in my local area are not included, but MOST are.  In Zurich, the Transit Information sent me to the Hertz repair garage instead of the car return office.   (If they could just sort out so that I could easily find the nearest Dairy Queen I would quit fussing!)
5)  On occasion, we see the router generate "funny routes" such as taking a busy numbered federal highway instead of a nearby freeway.   Overall,  the Quest performs as well as other Car Navigators we have used.  Navteq tells me that these problems WILL be looked at if users will go to http://update.Navtech.com and fill out the report form.  Lets ALL do it!     Overall, I must say that every edition is better than the one before as to routing problems.
6) During Installation, you MUST install the MapSource software in your computer BEFORE you plug in your GPS or things will not go smoothly.   It is also necessary to handle each disk more than once during installation.
7) On rare occasion,  on the internal antenna and sitting on the dash,  Quest would lose lock for an extended period (such as a tunnel) and when we came out,  we would lock to one or two SVs and then the unit would not acquire further SVs.  Turning the unit off and back on restored lock almost instantly.  Likely this is a firmware bug which will be fixed in a future update.
8) Currently, the "battery remaining" indicator indicates incorrectly in A FEW units.  See Details HERE.

Which GPS do I like to use now when I go on automobile trips?  The StreetPilot 2610/2620. I must add that the Quest is a great unit when small size and lower cost are part of the equation.  It seems ideal for a portable unit for a traveler.. That said, I do think more memory than the 115megs provided would be a distinct advantage.  I really have no problems with the functionality of the Quest or its performance in almost 5000 miles of driving during the six weeks of evaluation.

If anyone has any additions, questions,  suggestions,  error corrections other comments, please feel free to Email.

Joe Mehaffey

Notes:   (*) Freshly changed items.