Sat Nav

[Viking1]

Please

For a long time now I have been thinking of getting a Sat Nav but thing is I do not now a thing a bout them. So would one tell me which one would be a good one to buy? & If you have to pay so think each mouth for sertn thing? And any think you think I need to now would you tell me.

Mark

 

[petercoachman]

hi we have used a tom tom 300 for the last 18 months and find it very good it came with all uk road's and major road's in europe and is very helpfull especially if you take a wrong turning it will soon put you back on the right track.i do check the route given on the map before making out it will find alternative route if you are not happy with the one suggested there are no monthly payments just the purchase price and they are a lot cheaper now merry xmas peter

 

[Zbungle]

Mark, you have probably sparked off yet another debate about Sat Nav with 'Old Curmudgeon' posting the fact that he has been driving with an AA Map that cost 4/6d for the past 93 years and never taken a wrong turning in his life.

Truth is, Sat Nav, if used properly, is brilliant and with prices coming down all the time I'm sure they will be fitted as standard equipment on all cars very soon - just like the days before radios were standard. You set your destination, either by giving an address, a postcode, a point on the map or a local point of interest and let Jane (or whichever voice you choose) guide you there by giving clear instructions at every junction on your route. If you take a wrong turning or think the suggested route may not be suitable, you just follow your nose and within a few moments the Sat Nav recalculates the route and gives you alternative directions.

I decided on TomTom because of all the reviews I read but there are other makes, most noticeably Garmin. Remember, you get what you pay for and features you find on the TomTom Go 700 (one of the most expensive) won't be on the Acme Bargain Basement edition. However, all systems offer the same basic voiced route guidance.

The TomTom is standalone and you can even use it walking around town. It sits in a cradle on the dash and picks up signals from satellites so that it can pin-point its own position. This is then superimposed on a map and the computer works out which direction you need to go. Additionally you can download information about speed cameras, car parks, supermarkets, even traffic jams - you name it - and the Sat Nav tells you when you are approaching any of them.

An alternative to the standalone units is to use a hand-help PDA computer (IPAQ or similar) with an attachment. Same end result and some find this fiddly, other find it ideal. Take a look at tomtom.com or garmin.com for more details.

Getting from London to Birmingham is dead easy with even the poorest map. But try getting from a specific cul-de-sac in SE London to a specific postcode in Birmingham and you will need a whole host of maps, A-Zs and directories. Sat Nav does it in one.

Of course you can manage without a Sat Nav, same way as you can manage without a car radio, heater, air-con or even flashing indicators. But it's much better with.

 

[JohnI.Stephen]

Mark: quite simply the Garmin Stree Pilot i3 is superb value for money; it has all of the UK maps; talsk to you and is very easy to input your destination.

http://www.garmin.com/products/spi3/
For me as an enthusist of GPS and Sat Nat; I have bought the Garmin Street Pilot 2720 which is the Rolls Royce of Sat Navs. However you done' need that and would be unlikely to use all of its features. So a simple unit like the i3 for around

 

[Lol1]

You don't need to pay anything monthly Mark. Once you have bought your system it is free and with no subscriptions whatsoever. I prefer TomTom, because I think it is easier to understand but once you have become accustomed, they are all easy to use.

 

[Stephen_5077753]

I use TomTom navigator 5 (the PDA/ipaq version) which is similar to use as the tomtom go series of standalone units. I used a navman icn 320 for a couple of days and found it woeful compared to the TT. I cant comment on any of the other makes though.

Questions to ask:

1. How many (and what) means of destination entry does the unit give? Do these suit you?

2. What level of postcode recognition. Some units only see 5 digits (AB12 1 for example) which will get you within a few miles of where you want to go, the full AB12 1FD will get you within a few doors.

3. Can the maps/program be updated when new versions are released, if so how easy (expect to pay

 

[Matthew_5040954]

Hi Mark

Try looking at www.pocketgps.co.uk, this is a site for all things gps and there's a forum were you can read peoples opinions about the different systems with their pros and cons.

It's worth noting that 99% of the satnav systems get their road map database from the same source so focus of the functionality rather the the road details. Remember that as the road atlases they are behind the times and some roads do not show on them while others that show no longer exists or have change.

The biggest plus is that even when it tries to take you down a road that no longer exists, you simple drive past and it recalculates a new route.

Another plus is speed camera warning, I have Tom tom Navigator 5 and it works great on that, you can download the speed camera POI free from www.pocketgps.co.uk (but they are starting to charge

 

[mikeE]

Mark, Sat nav might not always show a caravan friendly route and, indeed, the Caravan Club has warned of this problem and suggests people stick to the approach routes they give in the Sites Handbook.

Mike E

 

[adrian_5081108]

I have been using the Garmin Street Pilot 3 delux in my lorry for the last 3 years. It has been wonderfull. To begin with it is rather strange not looking at a map and believing a little black box shouting instructions at you. But you do get used to it. Used correctly they are worth their weight in gold.

Adrian

 

[Steve L]

Her in doors, has bought me a Garmin i3 for christmas. Very impressed. Was able to set it up quickly even without the hand book as us excited big kids do.

Tried it on route to the mother-in-laws. Even diliberately took a different route to try to confuse it. All it did was to recalculate within 20 seconds and direct me that way round.

As it is so portable and can give accuracey within 3Mtrs. I also can see it being handy when out hill walking, cos if the fog rolls in you could type in the village where the car is parked or pre set the location of the car as the "home" and so long as you're carefull you have a guide to safety.

I'm sure it will be a god send when trying to find the campsites in the wilds of wales and scotland.

Steve.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Her in doors, has bought me a Garmin i3 for christmas. Very impressed. Was able to set it up quickly even without the hand book as us excited big kids do.

Tried it on route to the mother-in-laws. Even diliberately took a different route to try to confuse it. All it did was to recalculate within 20 seconds and direct me that way round.

As it is so portable and can give accuracey within 3Mtrs. I also can see it being handy when out hill walking, cos if the fog rolls in you could type in the village where the car is parked or pre set the location of the car as the "home" and so long as you're carefull you have a guide to safety.

I'm sure it will be a god send when trying to find the campsites in the wilds of wales and scotland.

Steve.

Steve dont rely on it 100% with the van in tow and when near the sites follow the site instruction route. They tend to send you the shortest route which often due to it being a single track bendy road is the slowest, ok maybe if you're just in the car but a no no towing. That is the only problem I find with them. Many the time it's got me out of a strange town back onto the route I need. I wouldn't be without mine. Alright we all managed before satnav's with a map but then again people managed before they had flushing toilets and silksoft bum fodder by using a spade and a sod of grass.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Her in doors, has bought me a Garmin i3 for christmas. Very impressed. Was able to set it up quickly even without the hand book as us excited big kids do.

Tried it on route to the mother-in-laws. Even diliberately took a different route to try to confuse it. All it did was to recalculate within 20 seconds and direct me that way round.

As it is so portable and can give accuracey within 3Mtrs. I also can see it being handy when out hill walking, cos if the fog rolls in you could type in the village where the car is parked or pre set the location of the car as the "home" and so long as you're carefull you have a guide to safety.

I'm sure it will be a god send when trying to find the campsites in the wilds of wales and scotland.

Steve.

Hello Steve,

Further to His Grace's comment, All I can find about the Garmin i3 points to the fact that it is 'StreetPilot', rather than walking or trecking unit. as such it will not reveal some of the dangers to walkers such as steep hills, restricted areas or other hazards. Its use to a walker would be limited to indicating lat long, (which will probably be to different grid origin than the usual UK lat and long, and will not give OS grid references. Whilst it may give a general direction to your desired destination, it should not be relied on, besides which what happens when the battery runs down?

 

[WELLHEADS_5090237]

i have a navman 310 which takes me down unsurfaced roads even though it is programmed not to.

i would not rely on sat nav entirely when towing as it can route you to narrow roads and low bridges

 

[enterprisenx1_5090302]

Like most things in life it depends on how much you want to pay, i purchased a Navman 320icn from Woolworths , dead easy to set up cost 169.99 pounds, of course i could have got alot better sat nav system but it depends on how much you are going to need/use it , if its only going to be used occationally maybe a more budget priced model may suit you ?

 

[Steve L]

Point taken your lordship, I've set mine to Truck setting so that it picks out width and height restrictions, and also avoids steep hills. The old paper orientearing skills are still there so as you say the site owners directions often guide you either away from dodgy access routes or even his complaining locals.

John, if you look at the Garmin web site you can down load grid referencing to the little might and then it converts to land ranger scale mapping which gives the info. I've asked if it can be converted to marine use too, to cover my other hobby, sailing.

For it's size and initial cost I think it represents dammed good value for the meager change we get from the tax man.

Happy vanning.

Steve.