GPS/Sat Nav Systems for Caravaning

[Alan_374315435]

Ive recently been looking at the GPS/Sat-Nav market, and am going to France later next month. There are numerous systems to buy on the market today, but which is the correct one and which software will not get you stranded down a lonely lane with no place to turn round. All systems seem good to buy , but will they have a programme for caravaner's , and not just for the motorist, its a problem as most software will not give you an option to avoid the roads which caravaner's hate, does anyone have the answer ??

I await all your response

Alan

 

[Carole_374312871]

Hi Alan

I am just jumping on this if you don't mind as I have just been on the internet and thinking of getting a Navman N40i, which has European mapping on CD to download as well as UK loaded. There are good reviews and an excellent price of around

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Alan & Carole

Most Sat-Nav's offer a choice of vehicle when you set up the unit, but all this does is apply different speed profiles to the route - the route its self does not change so regardless of which model you choose they are all capable of stranding you up a dead end track.

As yet there is no automatic answer to overcome this shortcoming, but most of the units do give the option to avoid ferries, motorways, and or toll roads. - but this does not really help you.

Some offer a choice of shortest vs fastest. The fastest seems in most cases to use the major roads, so that is your best option.

The only guaranteed solution is to let the Sat-Nav plan your journey, then, you review it against a good map before you start the journey. You can then see from your map where there may be a problem, and then instruct the Sat-Nav to avoid that area by setting a 'via' point on the route you are happy with.

I personally use a model purchased from Aldi under the Medion brand name, and other members of my family use other models from Mio. None of them seem to know the routes I know around my locality, and they have taken what seems to be some strange routes into Birmingham and other areas that I visit.

So I normally have a fair idea of where I am heading, and the names of places I need to travel through, and the Sat Nav comes into its own in towns and cities where it does seem to be programmed with all the one way systems I have encountered.

 

[rob_jax]

Alan,

The issue with SatNav systems - and most paper maps too - is that they don't contain road width information. And so can't judge suitability, and as John says setting "fastest" or "prefer motorways" is as good as it gets.

Aside from that, a good GPS is invaluable, and the German automobile club (ADAC) in last December and this July completed a series of independent reviews of 10 local and 14 pan-European GPS systems.

The December (local map) report link is:

http://www.adac.de/Tests/Zubehoertests/Navigationssysteme/Alle_getesteten_Geraete/default.asp?ComponentID=167091&SourcePageID=167174
And the July (pan_Europe mapping) report page is:

http://www.adac.de/Tests/Zubehoertests/Navigationssystemem_2007/Tabelle_2007.asp?ComponentID=186643&SourcePageID=186830
The lower the number the better - as is the number of green + symbols - and as expected the TomTom products rank highly

Since most responders on here will only have bought one GPS system, you might find these reports a more objective comparison.

Robert

 

[Meister]

I have been using Tom Tom Sat Nav since it first came out, originally the Classic and now the 910. I have so far not had any problems with them BUT as I am about to start caravanning that might change lol.

There have been many requests to Tom Tom via the relevant forum to add a "Caravan" option when planning a route but so far this has not happened.

I will plan using the "Fastest Route" option when towing and see what happens

BUT

I will also check the route using a map (as suggested above).

A good quality map based on Ordnance Survey data will (should) show road widths indicated by the colour of the road on the map. The one I use does.

i.e. A light grey road is one with a width under 4 metres (cant remember exact figure).

Steve

 

[popupJohn]

We`ve been using satnav for a number of years now and rather than end up down unsuitable roads use it to 1st sort out a general route and then set our final choice up through using roadmaps etc.

For the actual journey we use our maps for the overall picture and the satnav as a scrolling map to find out exactly where we are at the time

Untill satnav gives a 'towing' option we find this the safest way.

 

[Colin_374311761]

Hi Alan

I use a Mio Digi Walker that has a lorry option as well as the usual cars and Motorbike.

But I still only use it as a guide, if a road does not look right I avoid it and get re-routed.

Colin

 

[giovanni_5060838]

nice report rob, STRANGELY the tele atlas lads seem to

have done well, yet usually it is aknowledged that nav teq

mapping is better.

which sat nav?

Remember that whatever model you buy, that some now have the

capability to recieve traffic reports, so makes sense to get

one which does, could save you a little time in the high

season......

Me i am a garmin fan and use a c550 now.

 

[Tony A.]

Alan,

I`ve just bought the Garmin 310 delux from Halfords It comes with trafic and saftey cameras info, haven`t used it much yet but will always do so in conjunction with a map. I once a large brewery wagon try to get over Hardknot Pass, the "professional driver" said the sat nav said it was this way. He totaly ignored the 6feet square sign at the bottom which tells you what can`t go over.

Tony A.

 

[mike_374313686]

we've got a navman 520i and have been caught out on a couple of occassions, for example taking you off the motorway through a council estate back to the same roundabout and back on the motorway, trying to take us up a narrow lane and adding 30 miles onto our journey to scotland, we've tried different settings but no change. its ok if your not towing your van as you can turn round easily, its going on ebay

mike

 

[George2]

we've got a navman 520i and have been caught out on a couple of occassions, for example taking you off the motorway through a council estate back to the same roundabout and back on the motorway, trying to take us up a narrow lane and adding 30 miles onto our journey to scotland, we've tried different settings but no change. its ok if your not towing your van as you can turn round easily, its going on ebay

mike

I've just come back from France, where I used my TomTom 910 to plan all my journeys, only on a few occasions, when it suggested I turned off a main road, usually to cut a corner, I ignored it, the big advantage of SatNav is if you don't like the look of the road, and ignore it's advise, it will happily reroute you almost instantly.

I did find that (if you've booked a site) it's best to use the (site) supplied directions as you approach some sites, as the most direct route can be a bit tricky.

I also came across one very curious oddity with my TomTom, on approach to Rambouillie (just south of Paris) it informed me to take the junction left, the arrow pointed left, the voice said left, but the screen showed the junction heading of to the right (as did the road itself) very odd, it did this everytime I came to that junction !!!!

 

[allen1]

just got back from a tour of germany,holland luxumberg using a tom tom 700 no problems.A couple of motorway exits were closed of in belgium and germany due to roadworks,it got me back on route without a hitch and best of all no arguing with the redundant map reader sat next to me.

 

[martin.]

Alan,

We bought a Tom Tom one europe off e-bay from a company called clearance bargains, payed

 

[mistermac]

We have encountered the issues raised in this thread!

As we're relatively new to caravanning, we didn't want to get stuck in some little backwater with nowhere to turn!

Our solution is to let the SAT NAV work out the route then look on a map to see where it's actually taking us.

It seems that it's only at the beginning or ends of journeys that it tends to take the smaller 'shortcuts' - most of which are easily avoided.

 

[DeliDave]

have got Navman 60 from CC offer and just got back from Spain and FRance its great BUT you need your map to make it go where you want,not let it take you its way.as colin says dont go if you dont like the look of road.On the pluys side it took us straight to our hotel and to Cypsela,all in database,and always picked major roads til the last minute.Photo thing is good,snapped a couple of supermarkets and then went back to them OK.Am quite pleased for

 

[william_374316097]

I have a GARMIN and used it in France this year...Magic...

We entered north Paris and exited south without any problems.

The journey to the Med. was seamless.

My advice is to use the device all the time regardless of wether you know the route to get to know what it is telling you.

Where most people go wrong is not to using the graphical information. If you dont you will go wrong.

 

[RiaandJames_374303418]

James and I have used a number of satnav systems, and James has uses sailing and military satnav sytems. We have an older Tom tom and Garmins.

When we have time together we both ride our bikes and have Garmin Zumo's that are aimed at bikers but come with a car fitting kit, and are bluetooth enabled to use an ear peice and partner mobile phones.

As I've posted before, the Zumo is programable in that you can set a route on your PC or Laptop and then download to the unit.

This means that you can pick your own route and avoid roads that are not caravan friendly. ie narrow !

Its quite simple and you can swap routes with other users and use google earth to review the route you choose using the Garmin Map Source routing on your PC.

A little more pricey than some units but no need to get your caravan stuck on a narrow hump back bridge or half way up a Devon single track lane.

Ria