Sat Navs

[stantheman]

In 2003 I invested in a VDO Dayton MS 5500 Sat Nav. It cost two arms and a leg at the time but has served me well. Its only disadvantage was that it was wired into the van and therefore not readily available to use in any other vehicle. As far as the mapping was concerned, Dayton's system offered a 'rental' arrangement in which one merely paid for the use of a map over the period for which you were using it. However, I opted for outright purchase of a UK/Europe disc (which cost the price of the other leg!)

 

NAVTEQ have kindly sent me a software disc (FOC) to update the computer to accept the newer range of maps, but my question is:

 

- Do I dish out another £170 for the latest NAVTEQ UK/Europe map or cut my losses and get another system. I know that prices have come down and am thinking that there may be decent, 'portable' units on the market that have the same coverage for little more than the cost of a new NAVTEQ disc.

 

I may be wrong. Any ideas, folks?

 

(actually, since composing this, I have found a website offering a set of 10 Europe discs for £131. Too good to be true? Maybe it is!)

 

(sorry, suppose this should have gone in the 'Hints & Tips' pages)

[flicka]

Hi Mike

IMHO the Daytona has had it's day, 8 years old is like eternity in terms of Sat Nav technology.

For £170, you can get a very decent portable unit today.

Plenty of choise for what best suits your requirements.

Have a look in your local Halfords' to see a selection, then try the web for prices.

 

Or depending on the size of your Motorhome, some will allow you to put in M/H dimensions & weight for Route selection., for more money.

Google "Snooper Ventura" for example.

[Barbarian]

Hi Stan. We have had a Blue Media Satnav for 6 years and cannot update any of it + the battery no longer holds a charge. I have invested in a new one today, having had some advice (Like, get your money spent tightwad (lol)) from forum members in another thread.

Our new one is a Tom Tom GO LIVE 1005 Europe. Halfords in store price £299.99 ordered online and picked up within an hour for £263.22 from the same store, the price includes a 12 month subscription to updates. It has all the features I want especially lat & long navigation coordinates.

There is a cheaper version with the same features the GO LIVE 1000, the only difference being a smaller screen @ 4.3" the 1005 has a 5" screen, thinking ahead as the eyesight deteriorates! 8-) :D

And of course it's a plug and play so can be used in any vehicle, food for thought (?)

 

barbarian

[Basil]

Curry's were doing a good deal on the Tom Tom XXL last week £149 with UK and European mapping. Got a TT Go myself but the XXL looked a good bit of kit for the money and it has the larger screen.

 

Bas

[dawki]

Basil - 2011-03-15 1:20 AM

 

Curry's were doing a good deal on the Tom Tom XXL last week £149 with UK and European mapping. Got a TT Go myself but the XXL looked a good bit of kit for the money and it has the larger screen.

 

Bas

Just be careful with these I dont think they have Long/ Lat options if you use them

Cheers

Dawki

[Randonneur]

dawki - 2011-03-15 8:13 AM

 

Basil - 2011-03-15 1:20 AM

 

Curry's were doing a good deal on the Tom Tom XXL last week £149 with UK and European mapping. Got a TT Go myself but the XXL looked a good bit of kit for the money and it has the larger screen.

 

Bas

Just be careful with these I dont think they have Long/ Lat options if you use them

Cheers

Dawki

 

We have had a TomTom XL for a couple+ years and there is Lat/Long on it as we use these. We have had no problems except for the battery not holding its charge now.

[bolero boy]

I have a TomTom One V3 Europe which must be 5 yrs old. It still does everything I need: lat/long coordinates, full postcodes, etc.

Maps get updated by Mapshare and I can swap it to my car and back.

I gues the two main issues now are a fading battery (although I have hard wired power setups in both vehicles and Europe being a different political entity now to when the device was produced.

I'd have another TomTom tomorrow if needed (equivalent model just about £100 these days) although the Snooper looks good for M/Homes (but VERY expensive!).

 

Rgds,

Chris.

[LordThornber]

I've never felt the need to comment on a Sat Nav's performance other than on our own very cheap and nasty MyGuide unit. It does exactly what we need it to do so it meets our needs perfectly.

 

Fast forward to a change in work circumstances which has resuted in the use of a works owned TomTom. I thought, way hey, Rolls Royce stuff here, this will do for me.

 

Err - no. What a disappointment it is. Possibly only in my expectations being so high but...

 

Anyway, the TomTom did a runner one day so I had to use my own, and just as I thought, every bit as good and for a fraction of the price. As I say, for my needs - I accept some Sat Navs just wont deliver what some folk need them too but I can't help wondering whether there's some pretty good marketing at work here.

 

Martyn

 

 

[Big Momma]

bolero boy - 2011-03-15 9:51 AM

 

although the Snooper looks good for M/Homes (but VERY expensive!).

 

Rgds,

Chris.

 

I have waxed lyrical many times on this forum on the Snooper Ventura S7000 (7" Screen). It is expensive but you get a lot more than a SatNav for your money, however, it depends on what you want a SatNav for and how often you will use it. As I spend a lot of my time 'on the road' in my car for work I tend to use it quite a lot (Has a useful facility to switch between Car/Motorhome mode). It also holds the ACSI database of European campsites as well as UK CC and C&CC sites and also the Bord Atlas locations. I could go on and on because it has lots of other features which I tend to use, but I suspect that not everyone would.

 

I believe that 'Peter' got one for Christmas so may be good to get his opinion as well. Bottom line though, there a cheaper SatNavs on the market of decent pedigree that will get you from A to B

[Basil]

dawki - 2011-03-15 7:13 AM

 

Just be careful with these I dont think they have Long/ Lat options if you use them

Cheers

Dawki

 

I did go through the menus etc. and could find no difference between the XXL and my own Tom Tom GO only more modern Icons which threw me a for bit. It did have Long and Lat but then this is not necessarily the most important feature of a satnav IMO though useful at times.

I believe the only functions that did not appear to be there are some that I have never used anyway e.g. speech entry of data, coupling up as a mobile phone hands free kit, MP3 player and Bluetooth connection to your radio, none of which I have ever used on mine so I would consider unnecassary. Also not sure if an RDS adapter for Traffic can be used.

For the money Currys had them up for I thought it good value.

 

Bas

[dawki]

I do know for sure that the XL does not have L&L but it sounds like the XXL does, I thought the XXL was just a larger verson of XL but with the same fuctions.

 

I have the XL so quiet sure that that has not got L&L

 

Cheers

 

Dawki

[Randonneur]

dawki - 2011-03-15 7:11 PM

 

I do know for sure that the XL does not have L&L but it sounds like the XXL does, I thought the XXL was just a larger verson of XL but with the same fuctions.

 

I have the XL so quiet sure that that has not got L&L

 

Cheers

 

Dawki

 

Well as I said before, we have a TomTom One XL and it has Lat/Long.

 

Press Navigate to, then press on the forward arrow and its there.

 

Sorry the pic is a bit large.

 

[bolero boy]

When we first got the TomTom I didnt spot this, it was on the next menu page, Doh! Really useful for out in the country.

I also have ACSI and other camp/club sites loaded, PC files added to satnav after purchase.

Have used a Blaupunkt, absolutely awful and a 'cheap' branded one (borrowed) which couldnt even get you to the location.

[Hopesy]

Had a TT XL with lat and long and had it 3 years then the battery looks like it's given up the ghost as i can't charge it or turn it on. I want a new system but it's put me off TT a bit. Could get it repaired for over 60 quid but a new iones only twice that and how long will the repair last?

Hmm you pays yer money and takes yer choice

[Guest peter]

Big Momma - 2011-03-15 10:24 AM

 

bolero boy - 2011-03-15 9:51 AM

 

although the Snooper looks good for M/Homes (but VERY expensive!).

 

Rgds,

Chris.

 

I have waxed lyrical many times on this forum on the Snooper Ventura S7000 (7" Screen). It is expensive but you get a lot more than a SatNav for your money, however, it depends on what you want a SatNav for and how often you will use it. As I spend a lot of my time 'on the road' in my car for work I tend to use it quite a lot (Has a useful facility to switch between Car/Motorhome mode). It also holds the ACSI database of European campsites as well as UK CC and C&CC sites and also the Bord Atlas locations. I could go on and on because it has lots of other features which I tend to use, but I suspect that not everyone would.

 

I believe that 'Peter' got one for Christmas so may be good to get his opinion as well. Bottom line though, there a cheaper SatNavs on the market of decent pedigree that will get you from A to B

Yes I'm well impressed with it, it's also a digital t/v and radio also has input for a camera. Plus I can read the screen without my reading glasses on.

[dawki]

Hi I have the TT XL2 new last year it would appear to be different to the one you are talking about, if I select navigate the further options page that you show does not appear.

 

I would really like the L/L option but it is not available on this model?

 

I would love someone to prove me wrong.

 

Cheers

Dawki

 

[Randonneur]

Hopesy - 2011-03-15 10:13 PM

 

Had a TT XL with lat and long and had it 3 years then the battery looks like it's given up the ghost as i can't charge it or turn it on. I want a new system but it's put me off TT a bit. Could get it repaired for over 60 quid but a new iones only twice that and how long will the repair last?

Hmm you pays yer money and takes yer choice

 

You can get a new battery from The Battery Mill. These are about £13 and easy to fit.

 

Ours won't turn on unless there is some power in it so we plug it in for 10 mins and then plug into the vehicle and its fine. The only time we would want to have the unit not plugged in would be if we were walking/cycling somewhere we didn't know, so it is just as easy to just plug into the 12v socket in the car/motorhome.

[lennyhb]

In Jan I brought a Garmin 1490T for £129, 5 inch screen full European mapping, lifetime Traffic & it has an internal aerial, bluetooth for phone (and it works).

 

[Caroline]

We have the Snooper 2000, and I have been impressed with it, it has a Lithium Battery and an on off switch so you can use the battery or 12 volt. My understanding is that the battery is better than the others because it does not need to be 'exercised' and that to keep it topped up is not a problem, the web site has a nice selection of additional POI's if required some for other countries. www.snooperneo.co.uk, I have talked to the techies there and they are very pleasant and helpfull.

 

I have just sent a selection of POI's to them for conversion to the snooper will wait and see what the result is.

 

It is expensive, but for the motorhome and being able to put the size in is reassuring as our old Tom took us down some unsuitable roads for the size of van.

 

Yes we do use Atlas as well.

[stantheman]

Phew! Thanks everyone for all the advice. As Tom Tom seems very popular, I looked up a few reviews. It appears, from what everyone says, that Tom Tom's claim of full European mapping is only partly true as the on board memory can't cope with whole of the Europe map. There is no seamless coverage when travelling between countries, unless of course you have a computer on board with internet access, also the time to stop in a layby to load new maps! To be fair, I guess the whole of Europe is a lot for most instruments to handle in one bite, but it does make NAVTEQ's 10 disc option look more convenient - simply slip another disc into the VDO Dayton when you cross the border.

 

Are there any sat navs out there that can contain the whole Europe map?

 

Lenny, you say your Garmin has full coverage. Do you have this problem?

 

 

 

 

 

[Randonneur]

Our mapping system is Western Europe, you can get SD cards for the TomTom with Eastern Europe on if that is what you need.

[Hopesy]

Randonneur - 2011-03-16 8:43 AM

 

Hopesy - 2011-03-15 10:13 PM

 

Had a TT XL with lat and long and had it 3 years then the battery looks like it's given up the ghost as i can't charge it or turn it on. I want a new system but it's put me off TT a bit. Could get it repaired for over 60 quid but a new iones only twice that and how long will the repair last?

Hmm you pays yer money and takes yer choice

 

You can get a new battery from The Battery Mill. These are about £13 and easy to fit.

 

Ours won't turn on unless there is some power in it so we plug it in for 10 mins and then plug into the vehicle and its fine. The only time we would want to have the unit not plugged in would be if we were walking/cycling somewhere we didn't know, so it is just as easy to just plug into the 12v socket in the car/motorhome.

 

Thanks Randonneur i'll give this a try!!

[trigrem]

We have a Tom Tom One XL and the maps for the whole of Western Europe are on a 2gb SD card.Other POI's for Campsites in Europe, ACSI sites Aires and BordAtlas stellplatz have been added by downloading them from sites on the internet The Lat/Lon is very useful as many of the guides available now give Lat/Lon data for campsites. The most useful function I find is the ability to write you own itinerary for a journey, to make Tom Tom go the way you want it to go, instead of just point to point. It avoids the pitfall of going down unsuitable roads.

Doug

[lennyhb]

stantheman - 2011-03-16 5:41 PM

 

Phew! Thanks everyone for all the advice. As Tom Tom seems very popular, I looked up a few reviews. It appears, from what everyone says, that Tom Tom's claim of full European mapping is only partly true as the on board memory can't cope with whole of the Europe map. There is no seamless coverage when travelling between countries, unless of course you have a computer on board with internet access, also the time to stop in a layby to load new maps! To be fair, I guess the whole of Europe is a lot for most instruments to handle in one bite, but it does make NAVTEQ's 10 disc option look more convenient - simply slip another disc into the VDO Dayton when you cross the border.

 

Are there any sat navs out there that can contain the whole Europe map?

 

Lenny, you say your Garmin has full coverage. Do you have this problem?

 

 

 

Full European maps take up about 60% of available memory, and if you do run out of memory for POI's there is a mini SD card slot.

 

[Basil]

stantheman - 2011-03-16 5:41 PM

 

Phew! Thanks everyone for all the advice. As Tom Tom seems very popular, I looked up a few reviews. It appears, from what everyone says, that Tom Tom's claim of full European mapping is only partly true as the on board memory can't cope with whole of the Europe map. There is no seamless coverage when travelling between countries, unless of course you have a computer on board with internet access, also the time to stop in a layby to load new maps! To be fair, I guess the whole of Europe is a lot for most instruments to handle in one bite, but it does make NAVTEQ's 10 disc option look more convenient - simply slip another disc into the VDO Dayton when you cross the border.

 

Are there any sat navs out there that can contain the whole Europe map?

 

 

Not sure where this information came from, our Tom Tom has seamless European mapping and the SD card slot can handle up to 32GB now so there is enough to put all the mapping you could desire on not to mention more POI's than you would ever use.