pottypam Posted September 16, 2018 Share Posted September 16, 2018 Twice recently (in Germany) our satnav has given us unusual diections: “Turn right at the red building “ and “Turn right at the glass building “. Neither of these were in view at the time and the next directions were “Turn right at the traffic lights “. What sort of maps is it using to get this sort of detail? Anyone else had this. Satnav is a Garmin Avtek Camper, new earlier this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 I’ve been driving in France for the last couple of weeks and have a Garmin Nuvi 2559LM sat-nav that I updated just before going abroad. Except for minor (and understandable) differences between the sat-nav’s speed-limit recommendations and the actual speed limit (as a result of the French half-hearted 90kmh-to-80kmh reduction) I only encountered one oddity. This was leaving the Bayeux ‘ring road’ to go south. The logical route involved a 2.50m-clearance underpass that I needed to avoid. The alternative route was well signposted, but following those signs conflicted badly with the sat-nav’s directions,. It was plain that the roads that the signposting referred to had been constructed a while ago, but the sat-nav’s mapping had no record of them. Presumably at some stage in the future the mapping will be corrected to show the newish roads if someone tells Garmin about the error. Garmin’s “Real Directions” feature is described here https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=1kJfN01V516L4R9WgTF9TA Given the complexity of a sat-nav system and that a sat-nav is a relatively unimportant driver ‘aid’ and not actually controlling the vehicle, it needs to be accepted that there will occasionally be mapping and descriptive errors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pottypam Posted September 25, 2018 Author Share Posted September 25, 2018 Derek, we have had lots of problems with diversions, in Germany and Slovenia. The words “umleitung”and “oblov” are imprinted on my memory for ever. Found the easiest way was to ignore the satnav and follow the signs, although following one in Slovenia took us down the steepest, narrowest, twistiest road ever and then on to a cart track! We turned back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 Derek, your experience is different to mine hav been in France/ Italy for nearly five weeks now. I have lost count of the number of errors thrown up by our Garmin. I too updated the maps just before we left in August. The most common is roundabouts not recognised - even though some have been there a number of years. The worst was in Nice and it's suburbs where it tried on numerous occasions to take us down footpaths between roads. Fortunately we were on our motorbike at the time! It even took us through a burger bar drive in road?As I understand it (told to me I think by a Sat Nav programmer), much of the mapping is computer generated from maps or Satellite images. This is why for example you get roundabouts where it says there a 4 exits whereas there are only 3, but eg a small driveway feeds onto the roundabout. The computer scanner progamme assumes it's an exit.(I used to use a Garmin Chart plotter when sailing and once when moored near Saba Rock in the BVI the thing had us on top of an adjacent mountain about 800 ft high!)I certainly won't be buying another - phones now can do the same and the mapping programmes are free so I can't see the point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted September 25, 2018 Share Posted September 25, 2018 I have no experience of Garmin and my TomTom experience is of a few years ago but our standard car type TomTom was inexpensive, elderly, and had never had an update and apart from the occasional glitch where being on new roads told it that were in a field we had no issues anywhere - and the new road issue resolved itself as soon as the pre-existing road was rejoined. At the end of the day it is a navigation guide and as long as common sense prevails and we didn't take roads that looked unsuitable it always got us to where we wanted to be reliably and surprisingly accurately in whatever country we happened to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAJay Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 Tracker - 2018-09-25 7:13 PM I have no experience of Garmin and my TomTom experience is of a few years ago but our standard car type TomTom was inexpensive, elderly, and had never had an update and apart from the occasional glitch where being on new roads told it that were in a field we had no issues anywhere - and the new road issue resolved itself as soon as the pre-existing road was rejoined. At the end of the day it is a navigation guide and as long as common sense prevails and we didn't take roads that looked unsuitable it always got us to where we wanted to be reliably and surprisingly accurately in whatever country we happened to be. Our only experience of Garmin was as a navigation instrument in our boat, so cannot comment on a road use one.(unless the one used in Ford cars , is made by them!) Our Tom Tom , has always been reliable. On one occasion last year in the car, (Which we had only had a matter of weeks) therefore where not completely familiar with it's Sat Nav. We took our TT with us as well. At one point , with both working, we found that the car one, was trying to take us one way, and TT in the opposite direction ! Having more confidence in TT, we turned around , and that got us to where we wanted to be! A lot has to do with the operator as well!! PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 My son just bought me a large scale 2019 road map! (The fact that we got lost on the M42 on our way back from Goodwood by following the sat nav is purely incidental.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 We always carry a road atlas as well wherever we go and I look at and plan a long or unfamiliar route on the atlas before entering it into the satnav, and just to show there is no expense spared I recently lashed out £3.99 and replaced my 2004 UK road atlas with an allegedly 2019 version. An atlas, like a satnav, is a navigation aid and, as has been mentioned, the user's own ability can make all the difference! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 Tracker - 2018-09-26 11:30 AMWe always carry a road atlas as well wherever we go and I look at and plan a long or unfamiliar route on the atlas before entering it into the satnav, and just to show there is no expense spared I recently lashed out £3.99 and replaced my 2004 UK road atlas with an allegedly 2019 version. An atlas, like a satnav, is a navigation aid and, as has been mentioned, the user's own ability can make all the difference!I agree - I always have a paper map or an atlas with me - However - not so easy when on the motorbike! I can't turn the pages on the atlas but I can push a button on the Sat Nag! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted September 26, 2018 Share Posted September 26, 2018 pottypam - 2018-09-25 2:05 PM Derek, we have had lots of problems with diversions, in Germany and Slovenia. The words “umleitung”and “oblov” are imprinted on my memory for ever. Found the easiest way was to ignore the satnav and follow the signs, although following one in Slovenia took us down the steepest, narrowest, twistiest road ever and then on to a cart track! We turned back. That sometimes occurs in Bulgaria and usually a good indication is if on a reasonable road the satnav then routes you off it and down through some narrow back streets into a village. Worst case scenario you end up on a single track which ceased to exist as 'a road' centuries ago, impossible to turn round or back up without help....and draws much bewilderment from locals. Germany isn't too bad and the only serious diversion i once met was a road which had been blocked off for repairs. Turned around and drove to the next, which was also blocked off...so then just went back to the main road and drove a few miles further up and took a left. Road clear and satnav re-routed to get me to the road i needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polo Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 There was a new road built here in our town and the garmim map did not include this for just over 2 years. Garmin buys the maps from a third party I think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAJay Posted September 27, 2018 Share Posted September 27, 2018 A few years ago, the A27 was changed from a roundabout (anyone using the port, will maybe remember) It took Tom Tom a couple of years to change the mapping. OH did contact them to tell them about the change. SO it could be helpful to contact the sat nav operator , if you know of a change that they don't Maybe they all use the same supplier ? PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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