Keith T Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 It looks as though I have to replace my TT Satnav as the present one - 2 yrs old-has got problems I may not be able to resolve prior to myextended trip to France next week. I am aware there has been some discussion regrading what the new ranges offer (or omit), but Currys on line seem to be offering some excellent prices - maybe the ranges are being discontinued. My present one is GoLive 950 which included North American maps which I no longer need, and I am looking at the Go Live 1000. Anyone any thought s about this one, or indeed any other one specifically? I need one which accepts coordinates as well as postcodes /UK and Europe. gives the option of avoid toll roads, shows actual speed as well as speed limits, includes Live traffic info, as well as usual route planning etc. Your thoughts and experiienceses on current/new mdoels please - and yes I am aware of teh new one whcih allows you to pout in size/type of vehicle,but cant' affard/don't want to spend that sort of money!!! I';m prepared having used one for teh last several yeasr to use my own intuition on what roads I want to go down!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted April 30, 2012 Author Share Posted April 30, 2012 surely someone must know something about them........ Keith T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Well seeing as your so impatcient I'll have to give you a half baked answer as TomTom is over at new house. :D I have a vialive125, it does most what I want, takes a sd card for expansion, it has some form of coordinate input but I've never used that so not sure what can be entered without it in front of me. One niggle I would like to solve, it only seems to display POI's in navigate mode or give list by distance, I would like them to be displayed in map mode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 DO NOT buy one with the 'Simple Menu' comprising 2 main buttons and smaller ones below. These TT's do not have the ability to input co-ordinates! And can I ask a question here... Has anybody recently updated their TT and now lost the ability to orientate the map in the direction of travel? Our's now always faces North and I cannot find how to change it to direction of travel, assuming that TT has not deleted that option as well :'( :'( :'( Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Slightly off-topic, BUT...... (and apolgies for the length). My 'van came from new with a Blaupunkt Travelpilot 500 Satnav factory-installed, along with a custom mount attached (by a somewhat permanent method) to (actually through) the Transit "flip over" dash tray. It doubles as a reversing camera monitor, will play MP3 music through the radio (though I had to wire up the existing capability for this that Hobby kindly ignored), and acts as a Blutooth interface for the 'phone. It even has a built in camera that can spot speed limit signs, and put a warning on the screen even when the map doesn't hold speed data! Once I'd worked out how to put POIs on it (not easy to understand from the instructions, but a simple job once I'd "cracked" it), I really began to like the unit - in fact much more so than my ageing TomTom. It's a pity, therefore, that there have been no new maps for it since 2009 (even though it was a new and very expensive unit at that time), and I'm pretty sure there are no plans for any new ones. Accordingly, I decided to bite the bullet and replace it, but, because of its versatility, I ended up with a fairly long shopping list, viz. - navigation unit with regularly issued/updated maps - TMC if possible - reversing camera monitor needed - ability to play mp3 music (to avoid carrying acres of CDs) - hands-free phone interface - ability to take the usual POIs, and process them in a user-friendly way - no more "cutting up" of base vehicle bits for mounting - preferably all in one unit, to keep things neat and controllable Much trawling of the web followed, as I zeroed in on a combined unit, and I ended up with a shortlist of two, viz: - A Blaupunkt New York 800 (available from Germany at around £470 - much cheaper than the UK price for an identical unit) - A Zenec ZE-NC524 (largely sold into the German market, but available in the UK at £479, coincidentally much cheaper than the German price for an identical unit). The navigation for both is provided by a Windows CE based implementation of NavNgo's IGO software - originally designed for PDAs or PNDs, but now increasingly being used by car audio manufacturers for integrated units. (Incidentally, for the next model year to mine, I believe Hobby installed an "Eclipse" integrated unit that is very similar to the above). The Blaupunkt initially looked more attractive than the Zenec on a couple of counts, but reviews of its performance were less than complimentary, and the version of IGO it runs (primo), though newer than that on the Zenec, is more customised to car audio use, and appeared more difficult to add one's own set of POI's to. (there are thousands of sets of POIs for this software on the web). I was also a bit miffed with the non-issue of maps for the Travelpilot, so another minus for Blaupunkt. So....the Zenec it was. I got a replacement dash tray from eBay (for under £9), de-installed all the existing mount, wiring etc. for the Travelpilot, and proceeded to wire-in the Zenec. Everything but actually mounting the thing in the double-din space (it is a double-din unit) was relatively simple. (you can buy a full mounting kit for the Transit - the radio cage is difficult to secure without it - but after much puzzling, I managed to work out a very good way using the required add-on fascia trim). So: - A steering-wheel interface ensures the stalk-controls still work - The existing camera, and all the wiring and cabling, were left intact and re-used - The navigation software is great :-) - The GPS sensor is passed through the existing (Hobby-made) hole and placed at the front of the windscreen - I have a 16GB (tiny) USB key with the ability to hold around 200 CD equivalents at a high MP3 bitrate - TMC, hands free phone, and a tidy solution - in addition, when I've run a video lead back to the TV, I have a DVD player as well. ....all for just over £500 all in. I did my homework on the IGO software beforehand, and came to the conclusion that (with a bit of a learning curve) I could get my normal (Bordatlas, Archies Camping, CC-Infos, CC, C&CC, etc) onto the device, and keep them up to date. There were numerous threads on how to get them working properly (or how people couldn't :-( ), but not one with a full story. After trial and error (and learning a bit about (simple) XML coding) I've got the whole thing working fine. A software bug causes the incorrect Icon to be displayed - unless you know how to fix it - and I do. I can organise POIs into categories (e.g. UK Camping category, with CC club site, C&CC club site, CSs, CLs, etc. as sub-categories, and then search at either the headline level, or at individual category level, around any designated point, current location ,destination, or along route. The software is also considerably more sophisticated than my experience with TT, Garmin (or the Travelpilot for that matter), with many more options built in. (How it deals with speed cameras is a case in point). The maps are Teleatlas based (TomTom) and are regularly updated on the Naviextras.com site (run by NavNgo, and supporting a multitide of devices from different makers). Downloadable POI sets are widely available, and I've managed to pick up what appears to me to be a very up-to-date source of speed camera data entirely subscription free. It should be obvious that I'm "chuffed" with the solution. Oh - BTW, back on topic - you can specify coordinates in IGO8. ;-) I was so impressed with the software, I looked around at what other platforms I could acquire it on, and found this: http://tinyurl.com/cfyol6n ....whilst I know the software is good, I can't vouch for the hardware, but at the price, frankly, if it works it looks a steal (and I'm tempted!). Royaltek is certainly supported via the Naviextras site, and the latest maps guarantee worked for me (downloaded after initial use). Full European mapping and the features as described looks good to me. ...and if anyone has the IGO8 platform, and is struggling with proper POI use, I can provide a tutorial on what works on my version, if requested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted May 1, 2012 Author Share Posted May 1, 2012 Robinhood.... .it sounds much too complicated to me, I need something simple,but it is somewhat difficult trying to ascertain exactly what each TT unit now offers. Even if you look at the online reveiws, they seem so widely different that it doesnt help a great deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Keith T - 2012-05-01 6:00 PM Robinhood.... .it sounds much too complicated to me, I need something simple,but it is somewhat difficult trying to ascertain exactly what each TT unit now offers. Even if you look at the online reveiws, they seem so widely different that it doesnt help a great deal. I wasn't recommending it, Keith - simply passing a quiet rainy afternoon. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted May 1, 2012 Author Share Posted May 1, 2012 colin - 2012-05-01 11:37 AM Well seeing as your so impatcient I'll have to give you a half baked answer as TomTom is over at new house. :D . Colin.... no,not being impatient, but i tend to find that once somehting is posted there are umpteen almost immediate replies! Is your TT fairly new, (ie current model?) and does it have Traffic Live etc on it? Keith T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 When I plan a route on our Tom Tom if a toll is involved it offers me the option of avoiding it. It does this when leaving the Isle of White! I'm very tempted to select the option and see what it makes of that. I never have just in case it explodes in a cloud of smoke! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 I would go into Halfords. Their prices are reasonably competitive and you can try before you buy. Any problems can be resolved by the shop. I had a nightmare experience with my TomTom bought online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Keith T - 2012-05-01 6:09 PM colin - 2012-05-01 11:37 AM Well seeing as your so impatcient I'll have to give you a half baked answer as TomTom is over at new house. :D . Colin.... no,not being impatient, but i tend to find that once somehting is posted there are umpteen almost immediate replies! Is your TT fairly new, (ie current model?) and does it have Traffic Live etc on it? Keith T Yes the vialive125 has live services and is current model. http://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/products/car-navigation/via-live-125-europe/index.jsp this has 5" screen, there is also 120 which is smaller, the live services is built in and subsription only not like the old plug in antenna lead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Keithl - 2012-05-01 1:08 PM DO NOT buy one with the 'Simple Menu' comprising 2 main buttons and smaller ones below. These TT's do not have the ability to input co-ordinates! And can I ask a question here... Has anybody recently updated their TT and now lost the ability to orientate the map in the direction of travel? Our's now always faces North and I cannot find how to change it to direction of travel, assuming that TT has not deleted that option as well :'( :'( :'( Keith. Keithl To change the orientation of the map ....... 1) "Change preferences" 2) Go to page 3 of 8 and hit, "2D/3D preferences" 3) Switch to, "In 2D view:rotate map in direction of travel". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 spospe - 2012-05-02 5:32 PM Keithl - 2012-05-01 1:08 PM DO NOT buy one with the 'Simple Menu' comprising 2 main buttons and smaller ones below. These TT's do not have the ability to input co-ordinates! And can I ask a question here... Has anybody recently updated their TT and now lost the ability to orientate the map in the direction of travel? Our's now always faces North and I cannot find how to change it to direction of travel, assuming that TT has not deleted that option as well :'( :'( :'( Keith. Keithl To change the orientation of the map ....... 1) "Change preferences" 2) Go to page 3 of 8 and hit, "2D/3D preferences" 3) Switch to, "In 2D view:rotate map in direction of travel". Hi Michael, Many thanks for that but unfortunately it doesn't work on a 'Simple Menu' model :-( First off if you select 'Options' you do not get a 'Change preferences' option, only 'Driving view preferences' on page 1 of 3 (not 8). Then the only options are Status Bar Horizontal or Vertical and what is shown in the status bar. However in playing with it I have found the solution and it is even simpler than going through menus. All you do is tap the centre section of the status bar and it toggles between 2D view with North uppermost and 3D view with Driving direction uppermost, so result! Thanks very much for your help as it prompted me to find the solution (I was actually driving when it changed to North upper and couldn't find the option in the menu). Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterjl Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Keith T - 2012-04-30 9:47 PM It looks as though I have to replace my TT Satnav as the present one - 2 yrs old-has got problems I may not be able to resolve prior to myextended trip to France next week. I am aware there has been some discussion regrading what the new ranges offer (or omit), but Currys on line seem to be offering some excellent prices - maybe the ranges are being discontinued. My present one is GoLive 950 which included North American maps which I no longer need, and I am looking at the Go Live 1000. Anyone any thought s about this one, or indeed any other one specifically? I need one which accepts coordinates as well as postcodes /UK and Europe. gives the option of avoid toll roads, shows actual speed as well as speed limits, includes Live traffic info, as well as usual route planning etc. Your thoughts and experiienceses on current/new mdoels please - and yes I am aware of teh new one whcih allows you to pout in size/type of vehicle,but cant' affard/don't want to spend that sort of money!!! I';m prepared having used one for teh last several yeasr to use my own intuition on what roads I want to go down!! Hi two years is not very old for a sat nav, especially as they are not cheap - have you tried a Hard Reset as opposed to the soft rest? i think you find the hard reset amonst the preferences. Or have you contacted Tom Tom - they may be a software patch? mine is now 6 years old and starting to act a little strange at times but still useable. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted May 2, 2012 Author Share Posted May 2, 2012 Peter... yes I agree. ... I contacted TT, who e-mailed me with a very technically based list of things to do. Though not computer techy minded, I managed to sort of follow them through, but none of them made any difference, and I went back to them advising this. Today I took the unit both to the local Currys and Halfords, who both tried to help,and finally Halfords came to the conclusion that the internal memory/hard drive had failed. Currys would have sent the unit back to TT for repair. When I got home I had an email from TT saying exactly the same, and suggested it could be sent to them for 'repair'.....and .though they ddint quote the cost then, a check on the website showed a minimum of some €100,,,,,, So as the Live services on the unit was due for renewal anyway (cost of about £40 annually) and I need to get something sorted within 7 days (TT say their time scale 10-20 working days for repair), I have decided to repalce the unit. I'm looking at either the VIA125 Euro maps or possibly the rather more expensive GOLIVE1005, but feel that the former seems to have all I want, and will probably suffice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Keithl I should have said that my TomTom is a model 730. I have no experience of the more basic devices and did not know that the number of options is reduced. What is true of the 730 is that the option list can be 'simplified' from 8 pages to just 3 and I wonder if this is true for your device also? (it would explain your comment that there are only 3 pages of options). On my model, when the options are restricted to just 3 pages, on page 3 there is a, "Show ALL menu options" icon and pressing this enables the other 5 pages. When all 8 pages are visble, on page 8 is an icon, "Show fewer menu options" and pressing this reduces the option pages to just the basic 3. Is it possible that your system is similar? The software version that I am running is 9.430 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterjl Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Hi Keith Thats interesting. Its certainly not worth repairing at £100. I am starting to look because, as i said, my 6 year one is starting to get dementia. I will plug on with it as long its its working however it is limited on which new maps it will accept so, if i go to Hungry, which i am considering, that may prompt a change. Its probably worth looking to see what level of European mapping your new one will accept. Full Europe is good cos even if you have no plans now that may change. i will never forget our first visit to Greece, plugged in the coordinates and nothing happened as i hadn't realised i didn't have Greek maps installed and when i tried before our second trip i found my tt wouldn't accept - very frustrating! Good luck Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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