# Sat Nav question



## tonyfu (Sep 14, 2007)

I'm thinking about investing in a sat nav but as usual there's lots of different ones to choose from! One thing that I'd be wanting to use it for would be to keep a record of wild camping spots that we've found as POI's. Do they all have this facility or is it only specific makes / models that can do this?

Does anyone have any experience or recommendations that could help me come to a decision? A lad at work recommended TomTom 1, any good?

Grateful for any info. 

Tony


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## pappajohn (Sep 14, 2007)

i have a TOMTOM 910 and it's the easiest thing in the world to use.
i also have a NAVMAN 620 which is the most awkward, numb piece of crap i've ever known, hence the TOMTOM
everything on NAVMAN has to be typed in using 4way paddle type control to select letters then press OK for each one. if you accidently turn off power then START AGAIN . newer ones may be different?
this dont happen with TOMTOM as it has its own battery and you can set it to re-start from where you turned it off. 
i havent used it but i believe you can save locations as poi or favorite places on TOMTOM.

JOHN.


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## shortcircuit (Sep 14, 2007)

Just found this on the pay for moan forum (MHF)

http://www.atimportsuk.com/

Anybody any views?


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## Deleted member 775 (Sep 14, 2007)

whatever you do dont buy a sat nav called a to b i work for a place that sels them they are cheapish as sat navs go but are totaly crap we get them back all the time saying they do not work


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## Journeyman (Sep 15, 2007)

*Sat Nav*

Check out the RAC SATNAV220. It has a large screen and has bluetooth, which means if you have a mobile phone with bluetooth you can use the RAC unit as a handsfree kit, which works quite well. Also you get an FM antenna for traffic updates which popup on the screen advising you to reroute if you so wish. As for saving your Wild Camping spots. All you do is create an icon
and call it Wild spots (or anything of your choosing) and then add this to the POI list. You can also set an alarm to warn you that you are say 500 yards/meters from the location. It uses Route 66 software and a female voice for directions and commands. The RAC220 is available on the internet or at ASDA's.
Be advised though, you have to use SATNAVS in conjuction with your own brain. Do not rely on any of them to be 100% accurate. 

Keep it WILD keep it FREE!!!


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## walkers (Sep 15, 2007)

pappajohn said:
			
		

> i have a TOMTOM 910 and it's the easiest thing in the world to use.
> i also have a NAVMAN 620 which is the most awkward, numb piece of crap i've ever known, hence the TOMTOM
> everything on NAVMAN has to be typed in using 4way paddle type control to select letters then press OK for each one. if you accidently turn off power then START AGAIN . newer ones may be different?
> this dont happen with TOMTOM as it has its own battery and you can set it to re-start from where you turned it off.
> ...


john i have a navman f20, it is touch screen so no messing around with a 4way paddle you jus touch the letter you want to use (or number) this is relatively cheap i have uploaded graham hadfields poi to it too. must be the age of yours but i find mine very simple to use and mostly accurate. to the original poster i would recommend looking at what is around and having a try with one at the dealers (if they won't let you they misss out on a sale) to find which one suits you the most


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## tonyfu (Sep 15, 2007)

Many thanks for your thoughts everyone!

Tony


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## firefighter (Sep 15, 2007)

*my sat nav!!*

Late reply sorry!! I bought before I went to France in the summer a Garmin Nuvi 660. (around £300, shop about) all touch screen functions, no 4 way paddle, on the turns it tells you the street you're turning into, full european street level mapping already loaded, comes ready to go out the box mains adapter battery back up, (which magazine gave it an amazing write up) Fab!!
p.s. Merlin Wanderer tipped me off about it,(good call Wullie !!,)


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## Biker Jeff (Sep 15, 2007)

I keep thinking about getting a Sat Nav for my van, but really cant make up my mind about it. For most of my working life i was a truck driver, and never ever had a problem with using a map. Can i really justify a few hundred quid on just an electronic version of a map ? Or am i just being swayed by the fact that everyone seems to have them these days ??


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## tonyfu (Sep 15, 2007)

I love maps!  If I get sat nav I'll be using it in addition to the collection of OS Landranger series that I've been developing (and my trusty road atlas), and not instead of them.  I'm interested in getting sat nav to make navigating at speed on the motorway easier and to make sure that I have the detailed info that I need, when I need it and to preserve domestic harmony!

For example, travelling to Manchester recently; the M62 becomes the M60 and then you have to turn off to get back onto the M62, and I'm easily confused!  Despite being a careful driver I sometimes find myself in the wrong lane having suddenly spotted an exit that I wasn't expecting just yet!  Similarly once I'm off the motorway and heading into an unfamiliar town or city I sometimes feel as though I'm "driving blind" with only Routeplanner directions and the little city centre maps at the back of the road atlas.

I know I'm probably being a bit fussy and part of the fun is in the getting lost (err, not so sure about that bit!) but if there's technology available to make life easier I'd like to try and use it, if I can afford it!

Tony


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## tonyfu (Sep 15, 2007)

***** said:
			
		

> . . . as some of the best and nicest places that I have found have been by accident or on route to somewhere!



I totally agree with you there *****, that's why we have the OS maps - to make it easier to explore the "nooks and crannies" of an area, and to hopefully be able to return to the best spots again at some point in the future (which the POI function will hopefully help with, if I can use it to bookmark a particular spot off the beaten track, for future reference).  Just because a van has got the technology installed doesn't mean that it has to be switched on all the time!

Tony


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## Deleted member 775 (Sep 15, 2007)

sat nav dont think it would be any good to me as when we set off in our van we dont realy have any real idea where we are going that is to say no specific destination after 40ish years of driving for pleasure and work i have always found my way round with a map and it is what i will stick with as has been said some of the best places have been found by accident also if i did have one i more than likely would not be able to use the dam thing anyway but as i say how do you enter a destination when you dont have a destination in mind plus i have enough trouble with the wife telling me where to go without some woman in a little plastic box chipping in too


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## Don (Sep 15, 2007)

Hi all
I use a Navman SE Jacket with a PDA. All typing done by touch screen and a pan. My only comments are, as said before, use your own intelligence with it , as they are not . And yes I can input POI or waypoints whatever.


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## merlin wanderer (Sep 16, 2007)

*sat nav's*

some good comments on the do's and dont's mind you
dont forget you can listen to the sat nav directions
much safer than looking at a map when driving yes 
people do  have seen them often and of course the 
hands free blue tooth is handy on the funny side
I have not fell out with the squaw (navigator) for
ages one of the things I find handy is knowing
in which direction you are going at night


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## Nosha (Sep 16, 2007)

*Sat Nan / O.S. Maps*

If you like maps... perhaps you should spare a thought for a similar set-up to mine. 
I use a small 10" IBM Thinkpad laptop fed by a Garmin Serial USB mouse (leaves the USB port free and no software/setup req), it is powered by a Maplin universal 12v dc/dc inverter.
You can run AutoRoute 2006 - the quickest a 2 b there is, or Navigator 6 for the largest selection of countries and best voice directions, or for looking for walks and footpaths etc Fugawi which is based on OS maps.
As you will see some sat navs have a very small display, but they are slowly getting bigger and cheaper... or like me you can jump straight in with a 10" display!!!
Friends who have them say TOMTOM is by far the quickest & best to use, my boss had a Medion PDA which 3 out of the 5 times I used it put me in the WRONG place... I think u get what u pay for!
Let us know what you get and how you get on with it!


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## Journeyman (Sep 16, 2007)

*Satnav*

And Nosha, if you want to go to the next level, you could always run your digital OS maps on your laptop, such as memory map. I'm waiting for someone to do digital OS maps with voice commands, how cool would that be?

Keep it WILD keep it FREE!!!


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## Nosha (Sep 20, 2007)

*Sat Nav*

That would be good, has anyone tried Autoroute 2007???
Are the voice directions any better? Nav 6 reards them out at 1km, 100m and again when closer. A/R 2006 only seems to give them once.


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## guest (Sep 20, 2007)

we went back to good old map reading on our recent hols around the yorkshire moors after our sat nav was stolen.....we had no problems at all...was good to get stuck into it to be honest...part of the hol isnt it...


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## tonyfu (Sep 22, 2007)

Do you think you'll eventually replace your satnav then Sam, or will you just stick with the maps in future?

Tony


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## jimnshe (Sep 22, 2007)

Biker Jeff said:
			
		

> I keep thinking about getting a Sat Nav for my van, but really cant make up my mind about it. For most of my working life i was a truck driver, and never ever had a problem with using a map. Can i really justify a few hundred quid on just an electronic version of a map ? Or am i just being swayed by the fact that everyone seems to have them these days ??


   Worth every penny if you take the wrong turning and find yourself in the middle of Paris, Tours or Orlean on a five lane wide carriageway with no entry signs everywhere and horns blareing cos the idiot behind you is a local and KNOWS where he is going!!  dont bite the wifes head off as much these days now I have a garmin fitted.     Jimnshe


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## Trevor (Sep 22, 2007)

tonyfu said:
			
		

> I'm thinking about investing in a sat nav but as usual there's lots of different ones to choose from! One thing that I'd be wanting to use it for would be to keep a record of wild camping spots that we've found as POI's. Do they all have this facility or is it only specific makes / models that can do this?
> 
> Does anyone have any experience or recommendations that could help me come to a decision? A lad at work recommended TomTom 1, any good?
> 
> ...


Hi Tony,
I use a tomtom 500 sat nav and it works well for me it has Longitude and Latitude so you can save your exact position as poi, not sure if the tomtom 1 has that option.
Best Regards from Trevor also from Tyne and Wear.


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