Sat nav which one

[Tomo]

Hi all

I'm off into Europe again and I am determined to find a better sat nav than I took last year. Ideally one that I can put the height weight etc in. I have only ever used tomtom but I'm willing to try anything.

So after that what is everybody using?

 

Tomo

 

One life live it (I'm trying)

 

[Derek Uzzell]

Any help?

 

http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Which-sat-nav-is-best-/42015/

 

The TomTom GO LIVE Camper and Caravan model is (apparently) no longer marketed, though Garmin’s Camper 760LMT-D sat-nav can still be obtained.

 

As you are accustomed to TomTom sat-navs, I suggest you choose whichever TomTom model most suits your requirements regarding screen size and facilities (and price). My own feeling is that - unless you are driving a monster motorhome and/or towing a car/trailer - the ability to input vehicle-related data (weight, dimensions) has very questionable value.

 

There are TomTom ‘truck’ devices

 

https://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/sat-nav/truck-sat-nav/

 

but for driving an ordinary motorhome in Europe a TomTom "Start” (at arounfd £150 for the 6”-screen version) should do IMHO. If you want more features there are other TomTom ranges

 

https://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/sat-nav/car-sat-nav/

 

I have a Garmin nuvi 2559LM, but I’m Garmin-acclimatised and can’t think of any persuasive argument to encourage me to swap to another make of sat-nav. That doesn’t mean that I believe my Garmin sat-nav is perfect, just that it does what I want within its predictable limitations.

 

As you weren’t happy with the TomTom device you used last year, you may feel that changing to a different make will be worthwhile. But then you’ll need to accustom yourself to the ‘logic’ employed by the other maker, which you might well not enjoy.

[DJA]

Hi Tomo

 

You do not indicate which Tomtom you are currently using so I would comment as follows.

 

If you are using a TT that is a few years old, pre Nav4, you will find that the new units operating system is totally different such that it could be true to say the learning curve is like switching to another makers model.

 

Also if you are using an older model have you looked on the TT website to see if you can install a Caravan/motorhome map on it which will then enable you to detail your vehicles dimensions. You can switch the vehicle type between your car, camper, caravan, with trailer when you ask it to suggest a route. I have a TT via 120 with the Camper map on it. Costs about £80 to add.

 

TT do not currently sell a camper model so the Truck version is a possibility. This has the new operating system which you will hear is not as good re POI's. Whilst true that you cannot deal with POI's as on the old units you can add your own or 3rd party POI files and search those files either Near me, Near destination, In Town or City and if you have a route already planned on the unit the Along route. When you have searched and got a list of POI 's it has found then they can be displayed on the map until you have selected the one you want. You cannot display Poi's on the map whilst you are using it.

 

The next option is to change maker. I was given a Garmin 660 lmt-d which is a camper unit. It is fairly easy to get used to the new way. I think the search facility is probably slightly better and the direction data more detailed. My reservations are about the maps and the routing which is a large part of why we get them. Where I live in North Kent it does not have uptodate map details where I would access the A2. The changes took place over 2 years ago and have been known by TT for well over 1 year. This results in the routing being unecessarily long. Also in Motorhome mode it ignores the A227 that runs through Meopham. This results in 10 mile diversions and if I force the unit to take the A227 then it routes through a shopping car park before turning back to a turn it had ignored. So whilst I have used it without problems travelling to Newquay and the New Forests I am always wondering what routes it will take considering the errors it makes in my area. I don't have these problems on the TT. I have also found it taking longer routes than a TT woukd suggest elsewhere in the country.

 

On both the new TT's and Garmins you can create routes and save them for use later which can be useful if you like preplanning.

 

Hope this helps a little. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

 

Doug

 

[tonyishuk]

If you carry out a search (I would post a link, but my ability to cut n paste on my iPad is limited) on sat nags, I have written my views on the current 5x00 and 6xoo Tomtom navs on a previous thread.

 

If I had of known how different the new versions are, I Would not have paid money for it, as a m/home Satnav, it has some useful functions as a car Satnav, but there still functions that work poorly compared with the previous models.

 

Rgds

 

[philbee]

my tt start 40 would not take the short lat-long last year in Italy.back home itried it for places we had been to ,it worked perfectly.So to spain for two months same problem.came home worked ok then a month in france --not working..Ithink its next trip is to a skip.Asfor getting the FREEupdates -two hours trying and still going round in circles -once bought you are on your own

[colin]

tonyishuk - 2016-08-26 4:11 PM

 

If you carry out a search (I would post a link, but my ability to cut n paste on my iPad is limited) on sat nags, I have written my views on the current 5x00 and 6xoo Tomtom navs on a previous thread.

 

If I had of known how different the new versions are, I Would not have paid money for it, as a m/home Satnav, it has some useful functions as a car Satnav, but there still functions that work poorly compared with the previous models.

 

Rgds

 

I broadly agree with this, my 5100 is a great devise for getting from point A to point B pretty much anywhere in the world, but when at point B and wanting to find a campsite in the area it's out with the old Via125.

[Tomo]

Hi all,

Thanks for all the replies. Very interesting. And yes I have also discovered the tt camper one is no longer made. My problem with my tt is that last year while driving down to Italy that the wretched thing lost the signal and I had to put on my old one which got a signal. Also we went to clermont Ferrand or just next to it and it tried to take us under bridge to narrow and to low and when we came to leave it tried again and I ended up reversing up a hill on a very narrow road with traffic behind us. Not a nice experience and certainly not one I want to repeat.

I still have a couple of weeks before we head off to Europe so I must get on with buying something and getting my wife used to it.

 

Tomo

 

One life live it ( still trying)

[Robbo]

If you have a smart phone or tablet with GPS facility you could always purchase a navigational app to supplement your current TT satnav.

 

I currently use CoPilot on a cheap tablet. The app costs about £30 or you can upgrade to the CoPilot Caravan version for about £50 which is supposed to take into account the height and width.

 

CoPilot gives you 3 options for your route which can be further edited by a drag and drop facility. It also has a walking mode using footpaths to the local village or town.

 

I've been using the basic European version for 3 years and have generally been very pleased with it. You do get the occasional hickup but that happens with any satnav system.

 

Just thought I'd mention this as a possible alternative to your current dilemma. The CoPilot is used offline so doesn't consume any data roaming costs.

 

 

[Agaric]

Here is what I use on my Nexus tablet, https://copilotgps.com/uk/caravan-navigation/

 

Does everything you need.

[Knauser]

Hi,

 

I would recommend the Garmin 660 camper as advertised in the Caravan Club magazine. It comes with all CC sites pre programmed along with all their CL's and their European sites, Also all ACSI's are pre programmed as are lots of Aires etc...

 

Just got back from a 20 day trip to Corsica and it definitely got us out of trouble one night when an Aire we turned up at wasn't accessible due to barrier issues. We just touched a camper symbol on the display which showed a nearby campsite and 10 minutes later we were there!

 

It kept us the right side of the law as in France you cannot have a system which warns you of Speed Cameras, this simply told us a dangerous road ahead and sure enough there was always a speed camera a short way up the road! A friendly caravanner told us that tip!

[peterjohn34]

Hi,

I am very pleased with the garmin 660 camper have been using this for the last few months. We have been on a nice 31 day tour over the uk through August. the unit never let us down, traffic and reroute helped a couple of times. I know all sat navs have their good and bad points but this is my favourite sat nav to date.

[candapack]

Agree with Derek Uzzell above ( btw, I find agreeing with Derek a good rule of thumb). I am used to Garmin. My current van came with a built in TomTom system which I can't get to grips with. To the extent that if/when my stand alone Garmin packs in, I'll buy a new one rather than use the "free" one provided in the van.

[fairweather camper]

I am thinking of buying the CoPilot Camper, it seems a good bit of kit, but I was talking to a man who had a sat nav where you could enter the dimensions of your vehicle and he said if he wasn't careful it would take him miles out of his way just to avoid a bridge that he knew he could get under with plenty to spare, has anyone else had this problem and ended up adding many miles to their journey.

 

Cheers

[Bulletguy]

Much depends which European countries you want to tour in. TomTom units won't read co-ordinates in some countries....only Garmin.

 

I use both TT and Garmin for that very reason.

[tugga]

We have a Garmin Camper (not sure of model) and we set the height, weight and length in it. Its really good as we have the ACSI App on it and we just find the campsite and it takes us there. Although it is a superb bit of kit, it has still taken us on some dodgy routes and taken us places we shouldn't be so I still always follow the route on a map.

 

[Charles]

Google Maps navigation gets my vote, it's free, never needs updates and is better than our 4 month old Tomtom 5100.

I don't know what processors tomtom are using nowadays but route recalculation takes several minutes, whereas Google Maps on the smartphone is almost instantly back recalculated an guiding. Also the tiny single track roads tomtom seems to prefer, I wouldn't go down in our VW UP!

Dedicated devices are on the way out in my opinion and tomtom will become a software company.

[BKen1]

Question ..does the TomTom or Garmin Camper have the function to highlight your POIs as you drive along or even the facility to download 3rd party POIs.

I currently have a TT 700 although getting old and a bit on the bulky side with a small screen it has fantastic functions ...POI alerts as YOU DRIVE is the best, it sounds/warns as you pass within a certain distance (which you can set ) so I have aires ,lidlls, Macd,campsites and a few others which is really useful.

I did get a GO50 for the larger screen but does not do the above.So stil in its box.

Which newer model will do the POIs as you drive function doesnt have to be the latest model.

 

Brian K

[colin]

BKen1 - 2016-09-14 8:57 AM

 

Question ..does the TomTom or Garmin Camper have the function to highlight your POIs as you drive along or even the facility to download 3rd party POIs.

I currently have a TT 700 although getting old and a bit on the bulky side with a small screen it has fantastic functions ...POI alerts as YOU DRIVE is the best, it sounds/warns as you pass within a certain distance (which you can set ) so I have aires ,lidlls, Macd,campsites and a few others which is really useful.

I did get a GO50 for the larger screen but does not do the above.So stil in its box.

Which newer model will do the POIs as you drive function doesnt have to be the latest model.

 

Brian K

 

I haven't connected my TT to pute for couple of months, but AFAIK the latest models still can't do this.

[david lloyd]

I have a TomTom Go720 - must be about 8 years old now which, for technology, is a bit like 56 in doggy years. However, it still does the job really well throughout Europe although the battery has given up the ghost so needs to be kept plugged in and, even if you can buy a replacement, they usually cost more than a new unit. I did buy a set of new maps last year as TT offered them at half price - 4 maps over the year - and, of course, it was bought in the days before free lifetime mapping was the norm.

 

As Derek says, it is easy to become comfortable with one particular type and I did once try a Garmin Nuvi when they first came out but found it did odd things too. In Germany it tried to route me under a low bridge and after I turned around and programmed it to avoid this part of the route it simply took me round in a large circle and back to the bridge. I also found the voice commands and the moving symbol were 'lagging' behind the vehicles actual position culminating in directions to turn being given too late. Back in the UK I contacted the company who supplied it and they refunded the money without question - then I bought the Go720 I have now.

 

I'm interested by many of the comments about newer models being less effective though - I have been thinking about changing but I too thought getting one with the ability to input vehicle dimensions would be a wise investment - but then I did have the experience with the Garmin.....DJW's comments above may provide a solution though if TT do have a downloadable map that would give this function - it may be a simple solution so will need further investigation.

 

David

 

[DJA]

Hi David

 

Currently TT don't market a Camper/Motorhome version in their Nav4 GO series and so the only option you would have in their range is the Trucker version which enables you to input vehicle dimensions.

 

I have a current car model and once I got used to the new operating system I find it very good especially the traffic and camera side. You cannot permenantly display things like Aires or Lidl on the map and have them brought to your attention as you draw near. You can add your own or 3rd party POI files that you have on your GO720 to the new units but not the specific icon via a .BMP file. What you can do is search your POI or its own data Base of files to see either Near me, Near destination, along route or in a Town or City. It will then list them in distance from and if you want you can view their positions on the map. In the map view you can click on each shown position and if available you can get additional infraction such as phone numbers.

 

I was recently given a Garmin 660lmd-t which is caravan/motorhome device into which you can put vehicle dimensions. It was obtained from Ali for the price of £140. With the exception of some of its routing it is a very good unit within the UK. I cannot vouch for its abilities abroad yet. It's directions and search facilities etc are fine. The routing problems cause me to think if that's what it does in the area I know what would it do when I have to rely on it as I don't know the area at all.

 

For example when in Motorhome mode:-

 

It ignores the A227 between Gravesend and Borough Green unless forced to. The route suggested is about 10 miles extra.

At one junction on the A227 it ignores the turn and directs you through a shopping car park before returning to the junction.

In the New Forest area it's suggested route was 10 miles longer than my Tomtom 's and the latter's route would have been suitable for a motor home.

The map is 2 years out of date at an A2 junction and totally refuses to use a very suitable road at the junction which has been there for years.

It tried to get me into Morrisons in Fort William last week via the Railway Station car park.

It tried to direct me to the Moffat Campsite via someone back alley.

 

In car mode it suggests a route from where I live that nobody living in the area would take. It involves a single track road with blind bends and frequently is flooded too deep for a 4/4.

 

Apart from the above it has been very good. So if you are willing to check the routing with maps or even your old TT then maybe that's an option.

 

Unfortunately your GO720 will not work with a Camper/Caravan map which if you could load then let's you input dimensions. Maybe if you can find an older model that will take the map for about £80 then you will have what you want as you will still retain the old units functionality. Maybe an old Via120 would do.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Doug

[Chazzer46]

Hi this is my first entry into the world of forums, and have been prompted to post this as i am becoming more and more confused over which Sat nav to buy for our upcoming Motorhome arrival.

I have seen 2 garmin models listed and the 660 LMT-D and the Nuvicam LMT-D both of these have been accessory of the month at one time or another in MMM, so now i want to buy one i looked at Amazon and read reviews on both and on the Aguri RV 700 DVR which i know is not a "true sat-nav" but an android device.

Question does anyone have this Aguri device and how well does it perfom for a Motorhome.

I ask this as I intended to buy one of the Garmin units based on their approval by MMM, generally reviews were good ,but on each of them there were FAR too many comments saying the units had sent them into streets and other areas that were too small or just generally wrong for the size of their vans,or went to the other extreme and wanted to use motorways or large A roads only. I appreciate that no sat-nav is perfect, and a degree of common sense should be applied to routes etc, but also a degree of trust should be able to be placed in these fairly expensive units, , especially in Europe where it is not always straight forward to get your bearings.

ANY Information on the Aguri or comments on suggested units that are at least fit for purpose would be very much appreciated

[Tomo]

Hi All,

Tomorrow we r off so update on sat nav,!! Haven't bought one as still unsure which one. Lots of u favour the garmin 660 but a friend has said they will lend theirs to us for our trip, he's going to teach me tonight how to use it. If it's a success I shall buy one on return.

Anybody see us struggling our way done to lake Garda give us a wave we r in a hymer.

[flyboyprowler]

Having used, and still using the Garmin 760, I find that there are issues with putting in the weight and getting a sensible route. Often, at over 4 tonnes we have been taken on unsuitable roads, and alternatively been taken on a devious route when the direct route should not have required deviations. Also, the Garmin, and "local"speed limits quite often do not agree, in Spain especially, such that I now have 3.4 tonnes as my weight! Finally, the campsites are generally very good, so we tend to use the beast in conjunction with a "normal" sat nav and map, which works out better.

I have been in touch with Garmin but although being sympathetic, were generally unhelpful.

[Chazzer46]

Thanks for the information , so far confirming my doubts and leaving us wondering what is the best solution.

[david lloyd]

DJA - 2016-09-14 2:40 PM

 

Hi David

 

Currently TT don't market a Camper/Motorhome version in their Nav4 GO series and so the only option you would have in their range is the Trucker version which enables you to input vehicle dimensions.

 

I have a current car model and once I got used to the new operating system I find it very good especially the traffic and camera side. You cannot permenantly display things like Aires or Lidl on the map and have them brought to your attention as you draw near. You can add your own or 3rd party POI files that you have on your GO720 to the new units but not the specific icon via a .BMP file. What you can do is search your POI or its own data Base of files to see either Near me, Near destination, along route or in a Town or City. It will then list them in distance from and if you want you can view their positions on the map. In the map view you can click on each shown position and if available you can get additional infraction such as phone numbers.

 

I was recently given a Garmin 660lmd-t which is caravan/motorhome device into which you can put vehicle dimensions. It was obtained from Ali for the price of £140. With the exception of some of its routing it is a very good unit within the UK. I cannot vouch for its abilities abroad yet. It's directions and search facilities etc are fine. The routing problems cause me to think if that's what it does in the area I know what would it do when I have to rely on it as I don't know the area at all.

 

For example when in Motorhome mode:-

 

It ignores the A227 between Gravesend and Borough Green unless forced to. The route suggested is about 10 miles extra.

At one junction on the A227 it ignores the turn and directs you through a shopping car park before returning to the junction.

In the New Forest area it's suggested route was 10 miles longer than my Tomtom 's and the latter's route would have been suitable for a motor home.

The map is 2 years out of date at an A2 junction and totally refuses to use a very suitable road at the junction which has been there for years.

It tried to get me into Morrisons in Fort William last week via the Railway Station car park.

It tried to direct me to the Moffat Campsite via someone back alley.

 

In car mode it suggests a route from where I live that nobody living in the area would take. It involves a single track road with blind bends and frequently is flooded too deep for a 4/4.

 

Apart from the above it has been very good. So if you are willing to check the routing with maps or even your old TT then maybe that's an option.

 

Unfortunately your GO720 will not work with a Camper/Caravan map which if you could load then let's you input dimensions. Maybe if you can find an older model that will take the map for about £80 then you will have what you want as you will still retain the old units functionality. Maybe an old Via120 would do.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Doug

 

Thank you for the information Doug.

 

I had an email from TomTom recently offering me the chance to buy a TomTom 5100 to replace my Go720 at a price just short of £210 but I rather like the look of the TomTom Trucker 5000. I understand there may still be some limitations in the routing for larger vehicles but the write up states that it can be operated in Truck, bus, Van or car mode and choose the most appropriate route so, presumably, you could compare the route given for (say) a truck or a van. You do input the length, width, height and weight of the vehicle too.

 

It does allow you to download POI's but not sure if you can display the symbols.

 

Does any one have one and what do they think of it?

 

David