Sat Nav advice.

[MikeJE]

The Caravan Club offers for Navman sat nav seem attractive pricewise. Does anyone have any comments on this brand ? TomTom and Garmin seem market leaders on the High Street but any internet reviews quote for and against them which leaves me confused. Personal taste I suppose.

Thanks in anticipation.

Mike E

 

[Damian]

Mike, yes you are right, it all comes down to personal choice and going and trying the different versions before you buy.

Personally I have the TomTom GO Classic, (that means its OLD), and it is very good for what I want it for.

As with all Sat Navs, they do not supply the complete answer, but are great for long journeys in unfamiliar territory, and getting positioning right for upcoming roundabouts and exits, especially with a van in tow.

They will still take you on unsuitable roads at times,so caution is needed and not just rely on it being right every time.

 

[JeremyClarksson]

We recently got the Garmin Streetpilot C550 from Maplins for

 

[KeithJ]

Hi Mike

I have a Navman. I have found it very useful on the whole, but you have to use it with a bit of intelligence. For example, after putting in my destination, before setting off, I always check the route it has chosen (there is an option to do this) because often there is more than one possible route, and a bit of previous knowledge and experience of certain roads, and traffic volumes, definitely helps. In fact in the UK I find it most useful for finding addresses in towns - often it will take me to the exact house - and I don't really need it for routes, although it is useful for monitoring how many miles to go, and estimated time of arrival.

The biggest problem I find is that the maps get out of date very quickly, and it costs

 

[GrahamF.]

Mike,

Try www.pocketgpsworld.com, very good independent imformative site with lots of tips and reviews.

I have a two year old Tom Tom Go, very good but like all satnav's has no idea your towing a caravan!. They are also very good a reminding you of speed camera zones wich these days is very useful.

Regards

Graham F

 

[MalcolmL]

I have a Garmin and, like others, use it to ensure I am in the correct lane at roundabouts etc. It is also very good for estimating ETA times. I generally don't require it to get from A to B but it is brilliant for finding an address in a strange town or district.

On the whole, well recommended if used with a degree of caution.

Basically, if the route advised changes to 3-ply (tar/grass/tar) and you have to open/close gates, then you are not on the best route, whatever the satnav says!

 

[giovanni_5060838]

Garmin 550d, does what jeremy clark son said,but also names the street or road you need to turn into.

Like all sat navs, to totally rely on it would not be the best thing you did, but some of the feature are indeed time savers.

The traffic info,although there are parts where this system is not 100% reliable,as a rule the system has been very usefull.

In the last few weeks this function [detour/ reroute] really has been a time saver,as i avioded two very long waits on the M1, i was also able to miss the long ques forming on the A5 because of it.

it did the same reroute when the M6/m42 was a mess and got me round them both including missing the a45 which had become congested itself due to the problems on the motorways.

If you do alot of driving then this type of traffic info is great.

Of corse as stated earlier it also helps to keep you aware if you do get near to the speed limit of any road that supports camera actions, good for you licience and for safety alround.

 

[DeliDave]

Have Navman N60 with camera have been pleased,have not been able to get distance on routes until you actually move whereas with Stretpilot could turn off satelite reception and calculate time and distance perhaps I have not go it quite sorted yet.BUT it goes on the sort of roads I want recalcs quickly camera is great,take a snap on the move with streetpilot had to remember waypoint number then rename.Overall am happy and this was older model.the latest one might have sorted a few glitches.

 

[Meister]

I have use Tom Tom since they first came out. Started with the TomTom GO Classic and now have the 910.

I have found them very useful indeed. As long as you use a bit of common sense they are an excellent aid.

As well as telling me the name of the road I am going into next it has bluetooth hands free for mobile phone which is a useful feature (although I dont use it as my car has it already built in).

 

[MikeJE]

Thanks for all your replies. Still considering final choice prior to dropping heavy hints about Christmas presents . . . .

Mike E

 

[bigbilly]

I just bought a TomTom One with UK & Ireland and I find it first class and good value for

 

[Ogre]

I use a TomTom Go 520, and wouldn't be without it.

My job takes me all over the UK, and we cover many different and varying locations, usually unknown to us until the calls come in, so i am always going to 'unknown' addresses.

Used with common sense, it's a brilliant bit of kit, and takes huge amounts of hassle out of driving on today's roads.

 

[Ian_5040591]

Hi Mike I have a Garmin C320 bought it from amazon in March. It came with full european mapping for

 

[David_374301039]

Hi Mike, try this site for some good deals.

www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk

Have always used them and their backup is first class.

Regards David (from Kent)