Tom Tom Sat Nav

[alanmac]

I am considering buying a Tom Tom unit. However they all have various add-ons. The basic comes with GB mapping,you then have the options of European main roads, then progress to European Street mapping and so it goes. From what I have read in previous threads I can download Campervan "Aires" locations. What do I need to do this ,e.g. is European street mapping necessary or is it a stand alone download ? Any help will be welcome including details of any web site where such issues are discussed.

[Derek Uzzell]

Searching the forum (all posts) using "download" as the keyword may help.

[trigrem]

I do not have a Tom Tom standalone unit but I have TomTom Navigator version 5 loaded onto a handheld computer The Software used is basically the same. I have street level mapping for the whole of Western Europe. With my system there are two version of maps, the first is street level mapping for a particular country, the second type are called Plus maps, they are street level maps of a particular country plus main roads of ajoining countries. This allows crossing of borders without having to change maps. For downloading camp Sites and or Aires you really need streetlevel mapping because the main road maps do not show all local roads. Plus when you download POI's such as Camp Sites or Aires you need to download them to the map of the country they belong to. If I can be of further help please e-mail me. Doug

[Wingpete]

I have a sat nav bought year ago. Most dissapointing. Post codes send you to somewhere nearby. Street names often unlisted, towns OK though. Sends me up dead ends, close to home, tries to send me left when I know it's to the right. Takes me long way round to places I know. My solution has been to go online with post codes for actual place wanted, and print off the map/route shown. Then programme the town on the nav. go to locality, then put in the street name, and you have a combined and accurate address finder. Anyone reading the Mail on Sat will have seen several accounts of users of various systems, getting thoroughly lost and placed in hazardous positions by following directions given , even a fighter pilot in an area he knew was directed up a cliff edged cart track. Unreliable for strange places, so be prepared with map type back ups, but places of interest sections will be useful for fuel, shops, garages etc.

[Mel E]

Last Saturday's Daily Mail had an article by 6 journalists on 6 fairly normal routings for journeys each did regularly. Every single one was longer (distance and time) by SatNav than the conventional route they used, some quite ridiculously so. WORSE was the tendency to choose routes via minor roads that were little better than tracks. I've found the same problem with TomTom in practice. One of TomTom's problems is that you cannot change the driving speeds on different types of road as you can with, say the Laptop based systems such as NavPlan. By doing so, you can eliminate the choice of very minor roads and get decent routes.

[trigrem]

My only comments about problems with satnav systems is remember you are the driver. My own experience with TomTom over the last 3 years is that I always plan my routes by creating my own itiniary, inspecting the route planned by TOMTom, then modifying the roads travelled if neccessary by inputting points on the roads I want to travel, together with the Latitude and Longitude of the campsite I am going too if available. I do not think any navigation system removes the reason to consult a map, it is just another tool, very useful with voice instructions to eliminate having to stop now and then to consult map. Used properly and sensibly I would not be without mine, and she who must be obeyed things its the best accessory we have, she just sits back and enjoyes the scenery instead of getting us lost.

[Mel E]

Having now used TomTom several times, I can confirm that it came up with crazy detours, undriveable routes or just plain stupidity on every journey. Example: Wednesday I went to Southampton. From Milton Keynes the most direct and quickest route is via Oxford (A34) down to the M3 and then the M271. But TomTom wanted me to go off the A34, via the centre of Winchester, and then onto the M3. I ignored this, it eventually recalculated the route I was driving and lopped 20 minutes off my ETA. How crazy is that? It also has a definite penchant for going straight through town centres rather than via the (usually longer) bypass, even when set to find the fastest route. On the same journey, it sent me vis the centre of Buckingham rather than round the ring road, where again the ring road was actually the fastest way! Yes, Trigem, you need to plan via a paper map, but then what advantage is the (very expensive) SatNav? Not enough to justify the cost in my view!! And I speak as someone who, in my distant past (around 1978) wrote one of the very first mapping programs to find minimum cost or time routes through the Uk road network for use in a vehicle routing system I had developed (still the UK and Worldwide market leader, dare I boast?). So I know what is involved in getting these things right, and TomTom has software that is too simplified to enable you to do so.

[olley]

Hi surprised at some peoples problems, we have had tomtom for 2 years now, with rarely any real problems. its taken us down to venice, around france and the UK. I trust it almost 100% I put in where I am going and it takes me there, only on one occasion has it tried to take me down an unsuitable road, and I just ignored it. Most if not all of the CC sites are in it plus loads of others, and for the wife loads of shopping centres :-) Recommend it, or any GPS; peace and harmony reign in the cab now. Olley

[JohnP]

Does Tom Tom have the ability to select the type of vehicle being used and the average speed for different roads? From what I have read on this forum it would appear that you can only set up for the shortest or fastest route. I use a Garmin and this has the ability to select all of these features. When used in the MH Garmin is set up for Bus. If it is a lack of features this may be the reason why some Tom Tom users are sceptical about their accuracy. To date I have not been lead up the garden path, but who knows. When travelling alone the system does eliminate continual references to a printed map and that voice telling you " in two hundred feet turn right onto Sycamore Drive" is reassuring, especially at night. Yes, my version does give the road/street names or numbers. No arguing, just do as Nellie says. She's right 99.99% of the time.

[trigrem]

To answer Mel E regarding "What use is it". I was trying in my post to point out how easy it is to prevent stupid routes. I too have been presented with stupid routes on occasion but have now learnt how to avoid them. Regarding "what use an expensive navgation system", well I like to plan my routes especially in mainland Europe, and for that I use a paper map, but I am not capable of remembering each turn on say a 250 mile route (I do not use toll roads), and as road numbers especially in France are not always obvious then spoken instructions are a definate help. Having used TomTom extensively in mainland Europe in many countries for 3 years it has never let me down. On two occasions when we had to return home from deep in France for an emergency I just put in Calais as the destination, ignored my aversion to toll roads, checked the planned route, and drove. It obviosly tried to take me through the centre of Calais as I had not instructed otherwise, but I just ignored the instructions and followed the motorway signposts. As I said originally I'm the driver not Tom Tom or any other system.

[Mel E]

John P, yes this is the problem with TomTom - you cannot input different driving speeds for different types of road, or even choose a set of speeds more suited to your vehicle. Trigem, If solving the problem of crazy routes involves inspecting each TomTom rouite and then inputting false 'made up' waypopints to avoid the stupidities, then my question remains - what use is TomTom? There are much better systems around that, in general, do not have these problems.

[Mel B]

Having used Co-pilot which drove us nuts, if you want a system that really gets things wrong try that! It was trying to send us south down a roat when we wanted to be north - this was as we were exiting a campsite onto a normal a road. My husband didn't believe me that it was wrong yet again and we had a blazing row .. I'm sure you can imagine ladies what it is like to be accused of being wrong when of course we are always right!!! We changed to Tom Tom and have found it a vast improvement, yes you can get daft routes sometimes, but unless you are driving with your eyes closed you can usually spot and correct them. A Sat Nav system does NOT give you 100% accuracy, you still have to engage your brain, but they really do help, it means that I can enjoy the view as we trundle along without having to constantly look at a map. I do have a quick shuftie at the route on a map, usually the night before we are travelling as we plan where to go, but I can normally trust Tom Tom to get us there without a problem. It's a really useful aid when trying to exit town centres and you don't have a clue which way to go. The only time we've really had problems with it is when the street structure has been changed or there are diversions, but nothing could really cope with that. Every system has it's limitations, how much you want to pay for your system (or software) will determine to some extent how good it is going to be but not completely, Co-pilot was supposed to be a very good system but it was an absolute pain in the whatsit to use. Make sure that whatever system you get you can easily be re-set when abroad if necessary - Co-pilot meant a couple of longish phone calls back to the UK for a new code, and activiation, no good when you're in the middle of France! Tom Tom doesn't need this. Do your research and you should get what YOU want, not what others tell you that you want.

[Derek Uzzell]

www.reviewcentre.com offers some potentially useful opinions on a varity of systems (search on "satellite navigation").

[Dave Newell]

I have been using the VDO Dayton built in type navigation systems for around 5 years and yes they can all give some dodgy routes ,mine once wanted me to turn right onto the A30 despite the fact it was 150 feet above me on a viaduct but I was prepared for that as I had a rough idea of the lie of the land so to speak! The point is it will always get you where you want to go and if that happens to be somewhere you have never been before it takes a lot of worry off you the driver. Sat Nav from any manufacturer is simply a fancy electronic mappping system best used with a degree of thought and common sense. When inputting your destination it is always advisable to check the route it has planned before setting off and if necessary inputting waypoints, via points (or whatever your particular system calls them) to avoid problems. Also the use of sat nav does not preclude the driver from his/her obligation to observe what's going on i.e. low bridges don't just appear, the roads with low bridges on have a warning sign at the start to notify drivers of high vehicles. D.

[mandsu]

I have been using SatNav since January after wasting fuel on a 30 mile detour on return from the Shepton Mallet show. I have found that the cheapest alternative was an Acer n35 with built in GPS and destinator software. However Destinator is not visually pleasing so i bought an extra SD Card and loaded a copy of TomTom 5 onto it. I find TomTom 5 very easy to use by finger (without a stylus) and it can be set to your preferences of class of route if you do not wish to use country tracks, although these are more direct if your motohome is small enough. The best part is that Joanna Lumley frquently calls me "dahling". With the Acer N35 from Comet at £199 i also have the advantage of a handheld computer to play movies and mp3 music. regards Mandsu *-) *-) *-) *-) *-) *-) *-) *-) *-) *-)

[Mel B]

Don't suppose anyone knows if you can get George Clooney's voice for Tom Tom?

[John S]

I bought my Tom Tom GO 700 about a month ago and have just returned from a fortnight in France having used it in ernest for the first time. Having recently lost my wife and navigator it saved me continuously having to refer to maps when using strange roads. It performed brilliantly. The only problem I did experience however, was on two occasions, when on a motorway I received an instruction to 'turn left in 15yards'. Had I obeyed this imperious command the outcome would have been calamitous to say the least!! I have since spoken to 2 other owners who have had similar experiences. I wonder why it happens. John S

[empress]

We'vce had our Tom Tom 700 for about 6 months now. So far we have not had too many arguments with "Timmy". We're giving him a holiday in France shortly and will watch out for the left turns on the autoroutes. We used to have a very expensive Pioneer and that had some funny little ways too, as well as being hugely expensive to update. A new DVD had to be purchased, and it was out of date before you got it - just like roadmaps. Regards,

[mandsu]

Hi Mel No George Cloony, how about George w Bush, Homer Simpson, or Ossy Osborne (expletives or no expletives). As for strong masculine voices there is Sean Connery, but the best by far and highly recommede to all is John Cleese complete with high levels of sarcasm. Mandsu (lol)

[david lloyd]

Hi trigrem I use the same tom tom version as you and have just returned from France where it performed really well - didn't have to look at a map once in over three weeks. Have to use a bit of common sense sometimes though - for instance there are many roads, junctions etc that have changed but it is still obvious if you follow the road signs as well. What I really wanted to know though is how do you input a latitude/longtitude? There were a couple of sites I didn't have as POI's but I did have the co-ordinates and couldn't seem to find out how to get the input screen so used the best part of the address I could. Any advice would be appreciated. Regards, david

[patrickr]

David, Barry has written a superb programme to input lat/long into TomTom. Use the link below, http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/barrydavies/osgps.htm You must make sure that you select the correct grid format. Once you have found your location enter it as a POI as you must clear the data to input another coord. regards Pat