I used to despise these things but last Wednesday bought one for my wife who has a really poor sense of direction. We have just used it on a trip to Blackpool and all I can say is awesome! There we were on Blackpool's rain lashed seafront on Friday evening when the slow moving procession just ground to a halt. We waited and waited. Wishing we were back at our hotel in Blackburn, I just punched in the post code of the hotel and took the next side street off the seafront. Without error we were taken through a maze of streets and before we knew it we were on the motorway back. The best £110 I have spent in a long while and will save a lot of arguments and wasted diesel in the future. However, I will still use common sense of course, but even so, hugely impressed. Best wishes, Butler.
Satnav
- Thread starter butler1
- Start date
I Have a TonTom which has all the CC site pre programmed. But be careful I would still follow published directions to the sites after a recent trip to Redhill CC site attempted to direct us up a steep narrow lane usuitable for caravans. Heres hoping the next generation Sat navs are sophisticated enough totake you the best caravannable routes!
Jim
Jim
Butler - you said you were going to use common sense as well, so you won't go wrong! Common sence and sat nav used together are brilliant!
But I agree with Jim - when you get near to a camping site, follow the published route or roadside signs, which will take account of narrow streets etc.
Keith
But I agree with Jim - when you get near to a camping site, follow the published route or roadside signs, which will take account of narrow streets etc.
Keith
I have a TomTom which allows me to program an ininery. So, before travelling to a site, I set the itinery with waypoints that follow the site's directions and - Bob's your uncle!
No problems with inaccessible routes.
No problems with inaccessible routes.
Like butler, I too thought they were over-rated, but we had a Binatone as a free gift, so gave it a whirl. Unfortunately, it didn't recognise junction 25 on the M4, couldn't find it's way across Dover, directed us east instead of west when leaving Goodwood for Wales, and wanted us to leave Dover on the A2 when we were already on the A20!All in all,a total disaster. However, not believing that thousands of others can all be wrong, we are awaiting delivery of a Garmin Nurvi. Watch this space!
We still get 42 tonne lorries trying to navigate our farm lane, though!Generally Polish, and using satnav.Only yesterday, a 17tonne van tried to negotiate a 12ft high bridge.
As has been said, common sense must prevail.
We still get 42 tonne lorries trying to navigate our farm lane, though!Generally Polish, and using satnav.Only yesterday, a 17tonne van tried to negotiate a 12ft high bridge.
As has been said, common sense must prevail.
Just replaced our Navman with the Pro-Nav.
Set sizes and weights in system as if it were a lorry and off you go.
Really impressed, back checked it with Google as before but didn't need it.
Set site destination off downloaded CC sites and took us virtually to the pitch on caravan friendly routes.
We got as we didn't even worry about it taking wrong roads, if we took the wrong turn corrected without the usual 'do a u turn'.
Tom
Set sizes and weights in system as if it were a lorry and off you go.
Really impressed, back checked it with Google as before but didn't need it.
Set site destination off downloaded CC sites and took us virtually to the pitch on caravan friendly routes.
We got as we didn't even worry about it taking wrong roads, if we took the wrong turn corrected without the usual 'do a u turn'.
Tom
We got a TomTom, mainly because SWMBO is "geographically" and "spatially" challenged!!
Excellent bit of kit, especially when used with C.S. and a map. I also downloaded POI (Points of Interest) from a web site, one of which is the CC CL sites, and programmed the device to sound off when we get within 0.5 miles of a CL along our route. It raises a smile when the noise happens, but also lets us see where some of these sites are, especially if we had not considered making a pre-booking, or even knowing that they are there. Marked up on the map (road or OS map when we are visiting a a main site) allows us to pick places that we would not have considered previously. I can see us visiting a number of interesting sites over the coming seasons.
Excellent bit of kit, especially when used with C.S. and a map. I also downloaded POI (Points of Interest) from a web site, one of which is the CC CL sites, and programmed the device to sound off when we get within 0.5 miles of a CL along our route. It raises a smile when the noise happens, but also lets us see where some of these sites are, especially if we had not considered making a pre-booking, or even knowing that they are there. Marked up on the map (road or OS map when we are visiting a a main site) allows us to pick places that we would not have considered previously. I can see us visiting a number of interesting sites over the coming seasons.
Mel
Moderator
I have a garmin which does a reasonable job. At the nec we were tempted by a Ventura satnav as you can programme in that you are towing and so, in theory it doesn't take you up a 1 in 4 dirt track. Didn't buy one though as couldn't justify the cost when Garmin plus common sense perfectly OK.
mel
mel
Interesting to see the comments posted here. I would just like to point out that Amazon are doing refurbished garmins from
As above(continued)After spending most of the day (literally) on the phone to Garmin and our supplier, it transpires that the satnav which we have is a France only one!
We bought it from a company called Satnaveasy, and I have to say that they have been brilliant! They've tried all afternoon to get this thing to accept UK maps, but had to admit defeat so on Monday they will send out a new one. Garmin's tech services say that the problem we have cannot happen, that they've sold thousands of these machines with no problems. Why do I have to get the bum one? To be continued.................
We bought it from a company called Satnaveasy, and I have to say that they have been brilliant! They've tried all afternoon to get this thing to accept UK maps, but had to admit defeat so on Monday they will send out a new one. Garmin's tech services say that the problem we have cannot happen, that they've sold thousands of these machines with no problems. Why do I have to get the bum one? To be continued.................
Hi Folks,
The following comments are made by me on another forum regarding the Snooper Ventura S7000 satnav.
Well today I decided to send the Snooper Ventura S7000 caravan/motorhome satnav back to where it came from and replace it with a Tom Tom Go 740 Live Traffic satnav. Still having problems even after the program update. On Monday I programed it in the car mode to take me to an address on a large housing estste about 11 miles from my home, all went ok for the first ten miles along the main roads but when I entered the estate things started to go wrong. I found the unit to be so slow it was telling me to turn left after I had gone past the turning and the same for the right hand turning, re-routing itself every time. I eventually got to the address after much frustration.
On the journey home I set it to the car/caravan mode again things were going well until I was driving along the main road through a small village near my home when it told me to turn left then right, had I not known any better and had the caravan on the back I would have ended up in a dead end road.
The last straw came today (Friday) I had a doctors appointment so decided to take the snooper with me after I had updated it over the internet the night before. On the way home from the doctors I set it to home, I had to stop at a red traffic lights, after the lights turned green I moved off unfortunately the snooper didn't, it wasn't until I had traveled about 500/600 yards did it decide to catch up.
I think there is still a lot of work to do on these satnavs to get the programing right, at the moment they have not got a patch on my old Tom Tom Go Classic which I bought about 7/8 years ago. Perhaps one day they will do the job they are ment to do but at the moment they are not ready.
It just does not react fast enough even though the satellite signal was excellent and no heater in the windscreen it's just far to slow to catch up, an example is if you turn left then immediately right it's still thinking of the first left turn. The unit itself looks good the windscreen holder is probably the best on the market, as for the freeview TV I did not get chance to try that as we have not gone over to digital yet, I think it's some time in March so can't comment on that.
Another example I planed a route from home to Jard Sur Mer (west coast of France) going via Portsmouth to St Malo,It took me to Portsmouth then east along the south coast to Dover, on the ferry to Calais, west down the north coast of France to St Malo then south to Jar Sur Mer adding about 500 miles to the trip. My old Tom Tom got it spot on no problems.
I think if I had a computer that was going as slow as the Snooper I would install a few more gig of ram to bring it up to speed. As I said my old Tom Tom Go Classic which is 7/8 years old now performs better I would have thought with todays technology they would have been able to develop a satnav far Superior to my old Tom Tom.
The company I bought it from www.sustuu .co.uk have been brilliant, they accepted there was a problem and have offered a refund or exchange of the unit.
My advice, don't waste your money yet, maybe in a couple of years when they get things right it may be worth another look.
I've now got my Tom Tom Go 750 Live, and so far well pleased with it.
Regards
Graham (Ponty)
The following comments are made by me on another forum regarding the Snooper Ventura S7000 satnav.
Well today I decided to send the Snooper Ventura S7000 caravan/motorhome satnav back to where it came from and replace it with a Tom Tom Go 740 Live Traffic satnav. Still having problems even after the program update. On Monday I programed it in the car mode to take me to an address on a large housing estste about 11 miles from my home, all went ok for the first ten miles along the main roads but when I entered the estate things started to go wrong. I found the unit to be so slow it was telling me to turn left after I had gone past the turning and the same for the right hand turning, re-routing itself every time. I eventually got to the address after much frustration.
On the journey home I set it to the car/caravan mode again things were going well until I was driving along the main road through a small village near my home when it told me to turn left then right, had I not known any better and had the caravan on the back I would have ended up in a dead end road.
The last straw came today (Friday) I had a doctors appointment so decided to take the snooper with me after I had updated it over the internet the night before. On the way home from the doctors I set it to home, I had to stop at a red traffic lights, after the lights turned green I moved off unfortunately the snooper didn't, it wasn't until I had traveled about 500/600 yards did it decide to catch up.
I think there is still a lot of work to do on these satnavs to get the programing right, at the moment they have not got a patch on my old Tom Tom Go Classic which I bought about 7/8 years ago. Perhaps one day they will do the job they are ment to do but at the moment they are not ready.
It just does not react fast enough even though the satellite signal was excellent and no heater in the windscreen it's just far to slow to catch up, an example is if you turn left then immediately right it's still thinking of the first left turn. The unit itself looks good the windscreen holder is probably the best on the market, as for the freeview TV I did not get chance to try that as we have not gone over to digital yet, I think it's some time in March so can't comment on that.
Another example I planed a route from home to Jard Sur Mer (west coast of France) going via Portsmouth to St Malo,It took me to Portsmouth then east along the south coast to Dover, on the ferry to Calais, west down the north coast of France to St Malo then south to Jar Sur Mer adding about 500 miles to the trip. My old Tom Tom got it spot on no problems.
I think if I had a computer that was going as slow as the Snooper I would install a few more gig of ram to bring it up to speed. As I said my old Tom Tom Go Classic which is 7/8 years old now performs better I would have thought with todays technology they would have been able to develop a satnav far Superior to my old Tom Tom.
The company I bought it from www.sustuu .co.uk have been brilliant, they accepted there was a problem and have offered a refund or exchange of the unit.
My advice, don't waste your money yet, maybe in a couple of years when they get things right it may be worth another look.
I've now got my Tom Tom Go 750 Live, and so far well pleased with it.
Regards
Graham (Ponty)
Just an update on my satnav problem. I sent the Garmin nuvi 660 back to Satnaveasy, and they have confirmed that out of the thousands they have sold, my one is faulty!
They're sending me another one, should be here tomorrow.
They're sending me another one, should be here tomorrow.
As promised, my satnav arrived this morning. Its not new, they have put the right maps etc on the one I returned. I've been out playing with it this afternoon, and it is a fantastic little machine.Those of you who are old hands with satnavs probably know what these things are capable of, but by 'eck, I'm impressed.It even pin-points which side of the road an address is on.Big, clear screen makes it easy to read at a glance, and a pleasant English accent to listen to.(pity it isn't welsh, but you can't have everything).
Top marks go to Satnaveasy for their service, and to Garmin for making such a great toy.
Top marks go to Satnaveasy for their service, and to Garmin for making such a great toy.
I'm pleased with my TomTom and it's so easy to download the POIs I'm interested in. After a couple of years I really need to update the maps but those don't come cheap, around
Re. Lord brakewinds comment on updateing TT maps. PLEASE make sure you have enough space to put them on your unit. I had no end of trouble when I updated the western & central europe maps on my TT720 eventualy having to delete/format the H/drive & reinstall everything again,but had to lose all the CC & C&CC sites & all except 1 voice in order to fit the new updated maps
I have a TT720 and have got round the problem of updating maps etc by using a 4GB SD card. This gives more than sufficient space to include all relevant POI's incl CC, C&CC, ACSI, Camping Cheque sites etc. As a matter of interest I pay
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