Crisma Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Hi All, I am new to this forum (even though i've been reading postings for a number of months) so apologies if this question has been answered before. My wife and I have recently purchased a Swift Kon Tiki Black Edition 649 (8.5 metres length). We are expecting delivery in May. In the meantime we are slowly buying bits and pieces for it. It has now come to the point to purchase a suitable Sat Nav tailored for this size of vehicle. Through my research i keep coming back to the Snooper Ventura S6400 Pro Sat Nav. Does anyone have any experience using this Sat Nav? Any help is greatly appreciated. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Hi, just read your request for info. I have the snooper ventura s6000 model and it was promoted via caravan club ..I am fighting it at present trying to set up a route through france and trying to include overnight stopovers from aires france passion farm stops, municipals etcas well as acsi inbuilt pois.. I HATE IT..I cant work out how to setup what they call a multyroute..I understand that you first have to load Favourites, and then try going to multyroute and adding the favoutites in the right sequence.. GIVE ME PATIENCE..I have failed... I also have an old Garmin Quest, by which I can set up and modify proposed route on computer screen , can add pois by inserting coordinates on screen, can set speeds and motorway avoidances..transfer that from computer to device prior to departure.. the downside is that qQuest is out of date on its maps, and has small screen, and small memory, insensitive satellite detection requiring external satellite aerial, relatively slow response. Newer versions of Garmin devices I have no experience. my 3rd device is a freebie that came with the first motorhome, and is Mio. Pois can be loaded onto external card, starting by computer listed CSV format files available from multiple internet sources, and using Mio poiloader to convert the files to required KML format and transferring to the Mio device. again, mio is old and maps are not upto date...however it has useful search for nearest poi when travelling, and usyal setting up of routing preferences, avoid motorways etc. Best of all, I can understand and program it to do what I want. modern versions of both garmin and mio devices are available, and should be as easy to understand.. Snooper device is a unique device, and a bas...d to understand I regret having bought it and it will looking for a new home.. any offers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George.. Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Hi, We have a Garmin Dezl 560 which we find is a great piece of gear. You can import the vans sizes, weight height etc which works well as it soon told us ,not to ,when we tested it by going to take a side road which had a low bridge. It came with full European map and camera updates for life. A added bonus for us was being able to plug the reverse camera into it so it becomes the screen on engaging reverse, means only one screen. We are very pleased with our Dezl 560, it has a 5 inch screen but I believe Garmin also do a 760 with a 7inch one. The volume adjusts very well so for the noisy motors or hard of hearing as it was originally disigned for lorries. Regards George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Satnavs, however good and however up to date, have limitations and the map data is inevitably out of date by at least a year or 18 months, even when it has only just been issued. So specialised satnavs which offer extra things like height and width will inevitably have some up of date elements in whatever extra data they offer. How much you can rely on not being routed under a low bridge or down a narow road will therefore be uncertain. Mainstream manufacturers' satnavs (eg Garmin and TomTom) are perhaps less likely to be error-prone.or unreliable than those of other manufacturers. Since you cannot rely exclusively on satnav alone to keep you safe (so for example you would still have to check for road signs indicating low bridges or narrow roads, even if Snooper says it's OK) there is an argument for sticking with mainstream satnav products rather than using minority market gadgets like Snooper. They are potentially more reliable and they are certainly cheaper for what they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George.. Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Whilst I agree that you still have to keep an eye on road signs etc. the map updates on the more upmarmarket Garmin sat Navs are four times a year, which is more than can be said for paper maps which are a year at least out of date when purchased. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 George.. - 2015-02-11 2:10 PM Whilst I agree that you still have to keep an eye on road signs etc. the map updates on the more upmarmarket Garmin sat Navs are four times a year, which is more than can be said for paper maps which are a year at least out of date when purchased. George New maps are issued four time per year but that doesn't guarntee they are up to date when issued. The timescale in which changes in road layouts etc are discovered, recorded and distributed in the satnav map updates used to be getting on for two years. Even if that has improved considerably, it is not safe to assume that any satnav map is entirely up to date. For example you will often come across new roundabouts which are not on the satnav map, especially in France, where they seem to have got more keen on them in recent years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Sat navs are great, but flawed. Approaching Oradour sur Glane a couple of years ago I was using my Snooper, my daughter was trying out her Garmin for comparison and for fun I switched my old Tom Tom on. Needless to say I had instructions to turn left, turn right, and go straight on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George.. Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Although sat nav maps can never be relied on to be fully upto date in our experience they are usually within 2/3 months when checking with known road/bypasses/roundabouts. The secret is to update the sat nav whenever an update becomes available . To be able to travel all over Europe with the talking mapping of a sat nav saves a lot of disputes.My advice would still be to buy the best brand you.can afford and do a dummy run through before setting off. And obviously a paper map can be bought over there in the event of sat nav failure, George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George.. Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Although sat nav maps can never be relied on to be fully upto date in our experience they are usually within 2/3 months when checking with known road/bypasses/roundabouts. The secret is to update the sat nav whenever an update becomes available . To be able to travel all over Europe with the talking mapping of a sat nav saves a lot of disputes.My advice would still be to buy the best brand you.can afford and do a dummy run through before setting off. And obviously a paper map can be bought over there in the event of sat nav failure, George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 George.. - 2015-02-11 3:08 PM Although sat nav maps can never be relied on to be fully upto date in our experience they are usually within 2/3 months when checking with known road/bypasses/roundabouts...... With respect, that has to be wishful thinking on your part. Maybe you have seen roadworks to refine or polish up a new road feature which had been started ages before and added to the satnav maps by the time they were finishing merely because they took so long to complete. I don't believe it can possibly be true that satnav maps are generally updated within 2/3 months, even for civilised Western Europe. If Navtec have got the process down to six months it would be something close to a miracle, when you realise how many different planning and engineering organisations are involved in road engineering across Europe, all of whom would have to be super-quick of the mark to notify Navec of all their new schemes. However I fear we might be at cross purposes for no useful reason. You aren't suggesting that satnavs are so good that you can discontinue reading road signs. We probably agree that satnavs are wonderful as an aid to navigation, but less than perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George.. Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Wishful thinking doesn't come into the truth. Both a village bypass and a roundabout nearby came up on the next sat nav update within a couple of months of completion. I think modern aids to saver driving should be embraced. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Back to the subject of the original post. I use Tom Tom have just replaced my 5 year old one with a Go 50 for £129 with full European lifetime maps. The old one served me well all over Western Europe with no updates for five years. On the odd occasion it tried to take me down an unsuitable road, usually due to height it quickly recalculated a new route once road blocked is entered once we had seen the height restriction signs We only have a small motorhome (6mtr long 3 mtr high) so difficult mountain passes have not been a problem. So I think paying £300 for a sat nav is not necessary. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I don't think either of us knows the truth of how up to date satnav map updates are. Clealry issuing updates every three months is an improvement on annual updates, which garmin used to issue and even if the updates are still out of date as they come out, they will at least provide better information. I am extrapolating downwards from the couple of years it used to take to get changes into updates and I would guestimate that it is still taking the best part of a year, maybe more, because of the problems of getting information, especially advance information, from so many local authority sources, so it's a bit like setting out to herd cats. And you are deducing from two personal observations this is typical of the performance everywhere. Does it matter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Joe90 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I think most would agree that satnavs are a useful piece of technology, but to slavishly follow them can lead to trouble. I have said this before but having the latest IGO 8, mapping and software, and despite setting my vehicle as a HGV it still on occasions loses the plot, or would attempt to convert my van to an open top if I didn't keep alert to it's little foibles . Our last trip of 2014 in France more than once found us on roads the up to date mapping had no idea about.........still it's fun going off road now and again, even if you're not. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George.. Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 StuartO - 2015-02-11 4:45 PM I don't think either of us knows the truth of how up to date satnav map updates are. Clealry issuing updates every three months is an improvement on annual updates, which garmin used to issue and even if the updates are still out of date as they come out, they will at least provide better information. I am extrapolating downwards from the couple of years it used to take to get changes into updates and I would guestimate that it is still taking the best part of a year, maybe more, because of the problems of getting information, especially advance information, from so many local authority sources, so it's a bit like setting out to herd cats. And you are deducing from two personal observations this is typical of the performance everywhere. Does it matter? Doesn't matter to me ,this seems to be degrading to the petty stage so ....I have reached the destination. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnP Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Whilst you may be able to input the width and height of the van, remember that the sat nav will only indicate to you a road with a LEGAL width and height warning. The sat nav will not indicate and warn you of the width of the many other narrow roads. Most roads do not have a legal width and height restriction. GPS mapping has not measured the width of most road. Even when an updated set of maps are issued they are still a few months out of date. I travel alone and use a Garmin 2699. The 6" screen is ideal for a motorhome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisma Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 Thank you all for your useful information. I will start looking at more of the major brands. Maybe a trip to Halfords is on the cards. Thanks Again. Stephen :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnP Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Suggest you use someone like Halfords to get an idea of different models. When I bought mine I shopped around online and Currys was the cheapest by £20:00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 JohnP - 2015-02-11 9:18 PM Suggest you use someone like Halfords to get an idea of different models.quote when I went to halfords and to curry/pcworld, neither of them had any significant detail knowledge of any of their satnav devices..neither could explain how to add your own points of interest, nor what format the files had to be, nor could the tell me if I could plot a route on computer and transfer it to safnav as the old quest device can. They couldnt tell me if bluetooth connection for hands free was an option,.. They couldnt say what external card options existed, so unless you know of a satnav genius, you are doing the wise thing by asking for advice on places like this. even better would be to talk to as many users /motorhomers with devices and get knowledgeable responses I hope this forum has helped you so far, but whatever you ultimately chose, ther is bound to be further questions. Questions to ask..do you want forward facing camera included Do you want hands free telephone included. how do you add your own poi, s what is arrangements for map updates..is there a fee associated does mapping cover uk/roi only, or full european mapping.. is guidance voice male or femail, or a choice. is screen brightness adjustable for day or night and is voice volume adequate and adjustable what is screen mounting arrangements, lockable? power supply? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Beevers Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Hi there, I have the Snooper Ventura s6000, don't bother buying one absolute rubbish in my opinion. This is the third sat nav I have bought and easily the worst. Do yourself a favour and get the Tom Tom it's about the same price but easy to use and more accurat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheasantplucker Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 George.. - 2015-02-11 3:08 PM Although sat nav maps can never be relied on to be fully upto date in our experience they are usually within 2/3 months when checking with known road/bypasses/roundabouts. The secret is to update the sat nav whenever an update becomes available . To be able to travel all over Europe with the talking mapping of a sat nav saves a lot of disputes.My advice would still be to buy the best brand you.can afford and do a dummy run through before setting off. And obviously a paper map can be bought over there in the event of sat nav failure, George I'll second that. Coming out of Vitre last year on a road diversion too, the Garmin went on strike. Might have been a bit hot for it on the dashboard in full sun. Had to quickly learn how to navigate with google maps on the phone, duct-taped to the Garmin.. Fortunately with Three network, data was used form the UK allowance and no roaming charge. Garmin rejoined us later on . No idea why she had a siesta. Just told me she couldn't calculate the route then the screen went blank. Glad I didn't get another in one of the Leclerc stores, which I did consider at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 tonyg3nwl - 2015-02-12 5:23 PM JohnP - 2015-02-11 9:18 PM Suggest you use someone like Halfords to get an idea of different models. when I went to halfords and to curry/pcworld, neither of them had any significant detail knowledge of any of their satnav devices..neither could explain how to add your own points of interest, nor what format the files had to be, nor could the tell me if I could plot a route on computer and transfer it to safnav as the old quest device can. They couldnt tell me if bluetooth connection for hands free was an option,.. They couldnt say what external card options existed, so unless you know of a satnav genius, you are doing the wise thing by asking for advice on places like this. even better would be to talk to as many users /motorhomers with devices and get knowledgeable responses I hope this forum has helped you so far, but whatever you ultimately chose, ther is bound to be further questions. Questions to ask..do you want forward facing camera included Do you want hands free telephone included. how do you add your own poi, s what is arrangements for map updates..is there a fee associated does mapping cover uk/roi only, or full european mapping.. is guidance voice male or femail, or a choice. is screen brightness adjustable for day or night and is voice volume adequate and adjustable what is screen mounting arrangements, lockable? power supply? I second all of the above. In short, there is no such thing as "a Garmin", or "a TomTom". There are many models from each (and other) makers, and each model has differing feature sets. I'd suggest doing some research on their websites to see what is on offer, and using the model comparison tables to view the various features side by side. Then, when you come across terminology that is opaque (you will! :-)), try searching that out, or ask if anyone here is familiar with it. With European mapping, there seem to be mainly two flavours on offer: Western Europe, and the whole of Europe. My preference is for the latter because you never know where curiosity will take you, and buying additional maps costs far more than the difference in price between two otherwise identical sat-navs, one with the former and the other with the latter. I'd also suggest getting a sat nav with lifetime map updates. Updating is time-consuming but as we mainly travel twice per year it is only necessary for us to do this twice, once before each trip, to have reasonably up to date maps. Whichever you get you have to work on them a bit before you get used to operating them and can anticipate where they are liable to take "silly" routes. However, they are but machines, albeit claver ones, and the routing logic combined with inevitable mapping flaws and omissions will, from time to time, lead to strange routes being proposed. C'est la vie! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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