Sat Nav

[Poppy]

New to this but want one. Guess this has been asked before but recommendations please! Local Halfords recommend Tom Tom. We want the one with europe in it as we plan to travel extensively.How do you update them?

[Ralph]

See http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=6076&posts=18

 

[derek500]

Poppy - 2007-05-29 8:18 AM

 

New to this but want one. Guess this has been asked before but recommendations please! Local Halfords recommend Tom Tom. We want the one with europe in it as we plan to travel extensively.How do you update them?

 

I've been running Tomtom on my Acer N35 PDA (pocket PC with integral flip up GPS antenna) for nearly two years.

 

Excellent combination. I prefer the individual 'country' maps to the seamless whole of Europe version.

 

Using a PDA also means that when walking around towns/cities etc. it's small enough to put in my pocket use it as a map/guide - with Tomtom you can enter 'walking' routes. Means I never get lost.

 

You can update software online with 'Tomtom Home' software and download new maps etc.

[Randonneur]

We have a Mio 268+ Digiwalker and have just updated the software and the maps. These maps are all of Western Europe. Eastern Europe are on another set of maps. The maps are by Teleatlas and the latest are from Jan 2007 so very up to date. This satnav is small enough to go in the pocket hence its name "Digiwalker". We have had this satnav for 2 yrs and have been very pleased with it.

[Ralph]

I use a Navman and have been happy with it.

However I would generally recommend TomTom purely because there is more available for it without the need for conversion so it's perhaps easier.

 

 

[Bazza454]

Poppy - 2007-05-29 7:18 AM New to this but want one. Guess this has been asked before but recommendations please! Local Halfords recommend Tom Tom. We want the one with europe in it as we plan to travel extensively.How do you update them?

I recently sold my Garmin (updating was hopeless) and bought a TomTom One Europe, much more accurate, easier to operate and update.

All the update info is here -

http://www.tomtom.com/plus/index.php?Lid=1

[Basil]

We use a Navman PIN, same as the Mitac Mio and the Digiwalker but badge engineered. The unit is very good and I would only use a PDA (Pocket PC) based system myself as it is much more adaptable for other uses and other software. Despite my following reservations I would not want to be without GPS now.

However I would strongly advise against any Navman, whatever the model PDA or otherwise, due to Navmans restrictive and very overpriced map updating policy.

With Tom Tom you can get some free updates for the mapping and remember generally speaking the mapping you buy for most GPS can be as much as two years out of date when you get it, a lot can change in two years so updates at reasonable cost is one of the most important factors in my opinion.

But as with everything its your choice, you pay your money and you take it!

 

Bas

[Randonneur]

I agree, Basil, you pays your money and takes your choice.

 

We bought our Mio 2 yrs ago and have just paid 145 euros for the new software and western Europe mapping which came out in January, so hopefully it will be another 2 years before another map set is out. I suppose it works out about £1 per week after the initial cost of the equipment, which I think is not bad value if you use it on a regular basis. We try to use ours as often as possible, even if we know where we are going because it gets you used to the equipment and the mapping and also we have had the speed cameras and speed limits on from the beginning downloaded from POI-warner as well as 1000's of extra POIs.

[Ralph]

Basil - 2007-05-29 3:04 PM

 

However I would strongly advise against any Navman, whatever the model PDA or otherwise, due to Navmans restrictive and very overpriced map updating policy.

 

Good point, and as a navman owner I have to agree.

At current prices it would cost me around £100 to replace the Navman European maps. So I stick with the old ones and buy a road atlas for the new bits.

 

 

 

[Basil]

Randonneur - 2007-05-29 3:18 PM

 

I agree, Basil, you pays your money and takes your choice.

 

We bought our Mio 2 yrs ago and have just paid 145 euros for the new software and western Europe mapping which came out in January, so hopefully it will be another 2 years before another map set is out. I suppose it works out about £1 per week after the initial cost of the equipment, which I think is not bad value if you use it on a regular basis. We try to use ours as often as possible, even if we know where we are going because it gets you used to the equipment and the mapping and also we have had the speed cameras and speed limits on from the beginning downloaded from POI-warner as well as 1000's of extra POIs.

 

Hi, each to their own but personally I don't think that £1 a week is good value for money and we do exactly the same as Ralph and use the Navman as a general tool supplemented with an up to date map book that costs around £3.50 from most bucket bookshops.

We will update our GPS when the Navman becomes unviable with its current mapping but it will be a dedicated Pocket PC, such as the Dell Axim 51v with a Bluetooth GPS such as the current market leader of Fuzion 44, this is the latest breed and uses 44 satellites for tracking with the latest Skytrac 2000 Chipset (faster than SirfIII and more accurate) with whatever software does the cheapest mapping upgrades, currently Tom Tom, though IGO version 8 looks very interesting and they have currently been giving free downloadable upgraded mapping for version 6 users, so that would be in the frame as well.

 

Bas

[Highwayman]

I have tried Nav-man, Mio, Evesham and Tom Tom Go 910, for me there is only one....The Tom Tom.

I get a monthly "Fix", free of charge from Tom Tom that helps the unit locate satellites faster. I have also downloaded Calor Gas Suppliers in GB and Friendly Motorhome parking spaces, both free of charge but from different sources. If you have a blue tooth phone, you get automatic hands free,

 

I would not change

 

Dave

 

[coach2000]

I would agree that the Tom Tom 910 is a good buy. Mine got me out of a tricky situation in France in winter when they closed the motorway because of snow near Bordeaux. I went cross country and did not have the nightmare of trying to read a map in the middle of the night.

Some of the routes are not always the way you would go, but at least you always get there without the stress.

 

Clive.

[Randonneur]

 

Hi, each to their own but personally I don't think that £1 a week is good value for money and we do exactly the same as Ralph and use the Navman as a general tool supplemented with an up to date map book that costs around £3.50 from most bucket bookshops.

 

Bas

 

Unfortunately basil, we do not have bucket bookshops over here. We use the mapping software nearly everyday but would not use it as much if we lived in the UK. The cost of a map book here is about 12 euros pluse and when we do come to the UK the French map books are out of date although they are cheap