Brian Peters Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Hello all, It has probably been covered but i want to replace my old tom tom 700 go with a more up to date motorhome friendly model. I have looked at the snooper but read bad reviews on it, what i need is mapping and guidence that doesn't take me over cliffs or thru the eyes of needles. Any suggestions , p.s. i do refer to paper maps when i need to,lol. Thanks Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 We still have Tom Tom 720, which has never let us down or led us where it shouldn't as we have always used Mk1 Brain as well! :-) If we were to change, not on cards yet as I see no reason too with the uodated mapping and software doing all we need, we would go for Tom Tom 1005 simply because the larger screen is easier to see. But it is as usual a matter of polarised opinion and therefore' you pay your money and take your choice/chance' Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Probably all that can be said is that the market leaders are TomTom and Garmin, and they hold this position for good reason. Downloading and installing a huge range of freely available POIs is relatively straightforward for either, but not always so easy on the others. Both provide a subscription facility for regular map updates. I think this essential, because all maps are out of date as soon as they are published, so even the updates lag events on the ground. Out of date maps in a changing world can lead to some funny route selections! :-) If you wish to take advantage of the facility to enter vehicle size and weight data, to be guided around restrictions, both have models, albeit more expensive, that will do this. Both have models that provide lane guidance at complex junctions. So far as I know, neither can select intelligently for use of toll stretches where advantageous, while generally avoiding toll roads. You either allow tolls - in which case they head straight down the toll motorway, or you don't - in which case they won't touch them! At least, that is true for our Garmin. :-) Again so far as I know, neither has a facility to enter actual average speeds for road types, so that both assume you will drive at, or near, the speed limit on all roads. This can lead to by-pass roads being rejected in favour of town centres because shorter = quicker. Hmmmmmmmm! :-) Both will, at times, send you down narrow roads. Ours will at times indulge in stupid corner cutting shortcuts that involve crossing the opposing traffic stream twice to save 200M of travel. But overall, although irritatingly dumb in some ways, the technology is so good and generally reliable, and the advantages in navigating through cities so good, that living with, and recognising, their quirks far outweighs their shortcomings. You can buy cheaper, but I don't think you can buy better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I'm also in the market for a new satnav, the 5" screen is my prefered model, had an XXL for couple of weeks but this went back as when attempting to update to latest european maps they would not fit on >:-( Not interested in anything to fancy as It's more of a backup to map to me, so TomTom start25 or maybe live125? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Tom Tom recently launched the GO 7000. It appears similar to their HGV version without the commercial bells & whistles. Looks like it will be competition for the Snooper ???????????? http://www.thesatnavwarehouse.com/ nb. This site only selected to show the product, I've not searched for best price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Momma Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I have had the Snooper S7000 (7" Screen) for over a year now and not encountered any problems. I use it both in the car and in the Motorhome and simply select whichever option on the touchscreen. I cannot say wether it is any better or any worse than any of the other Sat navs on the market but it does everything that I need it to. There are a number of advantages to the Snooper, but only if you use the facilities e.g. Lists all the ACSI European campsites, all the Caravan Club and Camping and Caravanning Club sites (including CL's), Lists a lot of the sites that are contained in the BORD Atlas publications. I subscribe to the Speed Camera database and can update on a daily basis if I feel so inclined (usually just do it once a month). There are Live Traffic Alerts. It is also a Freeview TV (External magnetic ariel supplied). There are hundreds of European POI's already loaded, Ferry Ports, Railway Stations, Supermarkets etc. etc. etc. Nice bit of kit but not cheap. Horses for courses I suppose. They will never be a substitute for Road Maps, Common Sense and Gut Instinct though :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigrem Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Brian has summed up all the relevant points, I will confirm that on the Tom Tom you have toll roads or you don't have toll roads.Like him I think the leaders are Tom Tom and Garmin Regarding Colins' comment about Tom Tom One XL not having enough memory for updated maps, he is quite correct regarding the unit but you can load the system and maps on a SD card (2GB max). That is what I have done and there is plenty of room for loads of POI's such as French Aires and German Stellplatz. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 trigrem - 2011-07-14 11:22 PM Regarding Colins' comment about Tom Tom One XL not having enough memory for updated maps, he is quite correct regarding the unit but you can load the system and maps on a SD card (2GB max). That is what I have done and there is plenty of room for loads of POI's such as French Aires and German Stellplatz. Doug My post was about XXL, this has no SD slot, if you want to use latest maps for europe they must be loaded as zones, and to navigate across europe you need to have a netbook or laptop to store the zones not in use, then swop them over as you move across zones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koike Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 I am a new newcomer,,learn very little,so ,i can't...sorry :-| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinklystarfish Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Brian Kirby - 2011-07-14 7:26 PM...If you wish to take advantage of the facility to enter vehicle size and weight data, to be guided around restrictions, both have models, albeit more expensive, that will do this.... I'd just be a little wary in this regard as with the Garmin nuvi T465 (truck) satnav system at least, the company claim is an exaggerated crock. Essentially you specify whether you are in a car or a vehicle other than a car, and if you choose the latter you can enter the vehicle's dimensions. All good so far. However, the mapping data that exists for restrictions like weight limits and bridge heights etc only exists for major roads. Once you turn off anything that isn't effectively a trunk road the unit simply gives a warning that you are on your own! Now, if you only ever use trunk roads anyway, you are very unlikely to meet with any problems even in a very large motorhome, so effectively the unit is of no help. It bears repeating, once off trunk roads, the unit is as useful/useless as any other sat nav. Here's the really irritating bit though. If you specify you are in a vehicle other than a car and then, just to be awkward, programme the unit with car size dimensions, it will still try to route you on roads for which it has 'dimensional data' ie trunk roads. Anyone punching the size of an 'average' coachbuilt into a nuvi T465 could find themselves routed miles from the most direct, and perfectly passable, route as the unit clearly searches for a route for which it has dimensional data. The only time, at the moment, that this particular machine is useful is if you are driving an oversized LGV on trunk roads. In this scenario, the fact you are 5m high or 55ft long will have you kissing the nuvi T465. In all other cases, save your money. The claim it's any use to motor caravanners is clown shoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Interesting, and sounds like the disappointed voice of experience! It would be good to know whether this criticism has been passed back to Garmin, and if so, what their response was. The one they are currently pushing for motorhomers/caravaners is the dezl 560LT at about £350, whereas the nüvi 465T is listed at £300. Quite costly enough to expect either to fulfil the claims made for them. Their claim, still on their website, is: "No more narrow country lanes or impossible manoeuvres with the nüvi 465T – our first nüvi designed specifically for the trucking professionals. Featuring a preloaded U.K. truck attribute database*, specialised routing options and truck-friendly points of interest, this full-featured navigator was made for life on the road. The nüvi 465T can save multiple vehicle profiles which can be tailored to what you’re driving and what you’re hauling." On the face of it, the unit would appear of little value to truck drivers either, since many journeys will begin, and end, off trunk roads. Their website claims full restrictions data (height, width, length, weight) for UK and beyond so, for that claim to be sustainable, it should be there for non-trunk routes as well. Have they been challenged to demonstrate that the nüvi 465T complies with their above claims and, if it doesn't, either make it comply, or reimburse the full cost? More importantly, the underlying Navteq mapping is used by a number of the other sat nav makers, including, I think, Snooper. If the information is missing from the map data, unless this particular unit has the wrong maps pre-loaded, none of the other Navteq based sat navs can provide the facility. That would appear to leave just TomTom, whose mapping is by Teleatlas. If correct, then only the Teleatlas base maps provide the restrictions data, and only sat navs using this map base will work. Does anyone know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinklystarfish Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 I did level the criticism at Garmin via their online help but unsurprisingly received no response. They gave me the unit in the first place as their duff info about the ability of their old Streetpilot 2620 to run on 24v ended up with a loud pop and a dead satnav.I could keep hassling them but to be honest can't be bothered given it was a freebie. In any event, it won't make the unit do what they claim it will. I'm happy enough just to highlight it's restrictions in the public domain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek pringle Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Hi, After having 2 x garmin sat navs and finding them ok, decided when getting the new van to buy a sat nav with a larger screen and extra info.--van dimensions/caravan sites/ lots of poi,s etc and bought the Snooper 7000 ventura Just returned from 5 weeks away using it and must say not had any sort of problem at all.Seems to be a very user friendly piece of kit and would recommend it. good hunting derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 A bit off topic, but I've got two sat navs, a Garmin ,and a Tom TOM, I used to shout at the missus for getting it wrong, now I shout at them instead. I think it is still a slightly flawed technology, locally despite all the vehicle setting options both will insist on directing you down a small lane on a route I test them with, instead of the adjacent main road. I now find myself saying to them when given an instruction " take next left" or whatever, your having a laugh, that seems to keep me out of trouble :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJP Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 This nonsense about route avoidance according to size is ONLY applicable IF the narrow road or low bridge is categorised as such by the transport authority. If the road is not categorised as a narrow road i.e. most country lanes, it will not take avoiding action. The ONLY roads it will avoid are those with a sign at either end stating it is a narrow road. Or low bridge etc. I did challenge Snooper with this very same statement. They assured me that one of their staff had driven down every road in the UK and made notes accordingly! Ye right. I ended the conversation with a mixture of total disbelief and laughing loudly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Wonderful thing Google, see below Total length of motorways in Great Britain 4353 km Total length of A roads in Great Britain 48 164 km Total length of B roads in Great Britain 30 216 km Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 My views on the sat nag have been posted on a regular basis:D..............But if in a foreign land they can be useful as an assistance to navigation, but you can not rely on them*-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod_vw Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 We use Autoroute on a laptop as an alternative to a normal SatNav. Autoroute coupled with a Bluetooth GPS receiver and what ever POIs you care to load gives all the services we need to navigate the UK and Europe. As stated above a SatNav "will never be a substitute for Road Maps" but we find our combination comes very close. If you add the option of its link to Bing Maps via an internet connection the aerial views make camp site and Aire selections or scenic drives even easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 To be fair I did try this, but to be honest we found it such a convoluted business, trying to balance a laptop on the Wife's lap, my Missus unable to see the screen in strong sunlight, and complaining of a red hot lap,the battery going flat, that we very soon gave up. We do however find other uses for Autoroute such as visual route planning from point to point, and loading in axe files for camp sites etc which we find excellent again for sorting out a route visually, then using the Satnav to navigate us. .At the end of the day it's horses for courses, but for us a small self contained unit does it for us,even if we do end up in some odd places from time to time But when all else fails, plenty of Maps.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Brian Kirby - 2011-07-14 7:26 PM Probably all that can be said is that the market leaders are TomTom and Garmin, and they hold this position for good reason. Downloading and installing a huge range of freely available POIs is relatively straightforward for either, but not always so easy on the others. Both provide a subscription facility for regular map updates. I think this essential, because all maps are out of date as soon as they are published, so even the updates lag events on the ground. Out of date maps in a changing world can lead to some funny route selections! :-) If you wish to take advantage of the facility to enter vehicle size and weight data, to be guided around restrictions, both have models, albeit more expensive, that will do this. Both have models that provide lane guidance at complex junctions. So far as I know, neither can select intelligently for use of toll stretches where advantageous, while generally avoiding toll roads. You either allow tolls - in which case they head straight down the toll motorway, or you don't - in which case they won't touch them! At least, that is true for our Garmin. :-) Again so far as I know, neither has a facility to enter actual average speeds for road types, so that both assume you will drive at, or near, the speed limit on all roads. This can lead to by-pass roads being rejected in favour of town centres because shorter = quicker. Hmmmmmmmm! :-) Both will, at times, send you down narrow roads. Ours will at times indulge in stupid corner cutting shortcuts that involve crossing the opposing traffic stream twice to save 200M of travel. But overall, although irritatingly dumb in some ways, the technology is so good and generally reliable, and the advantages in navigating through cities so good, that living with, and recognising, their quirks far outweighs their shortcomings. You can buy cheaper, but I don't think you can buy better. Oddly enough I have noticed that our Tom-Tom seems to adjust the speeds it assumes you will be doing to the vehicle you most often use it in. In our case the motorhome. When we use it in this other than holdups it seems to get the predicted time of arrival spot on. When we use it in the car we always beat said predicted time despite (well almost) sticking to the speed limits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Well I decided to buy the Via Live 125 yesterday, not used it properly yet. Couple of things to note, specs say no SD slot, it has got one but I don't know if it's active. It apears to be loaded with the 'richer' maps Mount is IMO an improvement as it's permently attached, so you can't acidently knock it off the 'ring', the screen display rotates depending on which way up it is. The mini USB in unit is slightly different to older models so older home chargers might not work but it will charge off computer and MAYBE of a kindle charger . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Tuckley Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Bought the Snooper S6000 a month or so ago and have taken it around Northern Europe. Found it good and easy to use but it cuts out in tunnelsand says there is a software crisis. Have to switch it off and back on again to continue. Also it doesnt show the speed limit of the road you are travelling on although it advises you of the speed limit when approaching a camera. I have phoned them and they say they are working on it and it should be available as a download in a month or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Colin Leake - 2011-07-19 10:50 AM Oddly enough I have noticed that our Tom-Tom seems to adjust the speeds it assumes you will be doing to the vehicle you most often use it in. In our case the motorhome. When we use it in this other than holdups it seems to get the predicted time of arrival spot on. When we use it in the car we always beat said predicted time despite (well almost) sticking to the speed limits. We have a couple of Tom Tom's, old 520 & a ONE Europe. On both of them, they give a predicted time of arraival, but it is also constantly updating this throughout the journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Just toured Scandinavia with an elderly TomTom One 2nd edition. No problems picking up Sattelite after tunnels. Several speed limits on display were incorrect - kept getting warning bleeps when within actual limit. It did,as usual, try to cut corners down unsuitable roads but if ignored quickly recalculated alternative route. It even showed us crossing water on the 12 ferries we used! I would not buy a replacement unless it had a large in-built memory/hard disk or an active SD card slot. I have the Europe regions saved on different SD cards with associated POIs to overcome the new larger map files. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Well the 125 got it's first serious outing today. Tried to plan route last night but couldn't find a way to save route! so set time for morning, but it didn't save over night, doesn't seem quite as intuative as XXL, but the 4gb memory is ok. Anyway planned route this morning looked ok, gave it to gf and she set off to MK with 5 screaming kids. Well I must learn to check route more closely, she had to ignore it as it tried to take her up motorway into traffic jam >:-( , also must check how to link volume to noise levels :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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