SAT Navigation

[Mobilvetta]

Hi looking at getting an app to use on my 10" Tablet for navigation purposes, I want one where you can put the dimensions of your motorhome in, hopefully to avoid roads that are narrow or have low bridges, I have come across Copilot caravan Europe for £49.99, does anyone use this app and does it work, are there any alternative apps out there that members can recommend please. I will have mobile Internet to tether to my tablet whilst in Europe, so that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[mark61]

Hi looking at getting an app to use on my 10" Tablet for navigation purposes, I want one where you can put the dimensions of your motorhome in, hopefully to avoid roads that are narrow or have low bridges, I have come across Copilot caravan Europe for £49.99, does anyone use this app and does it work, are there any alternative apps out there that members can recommend please. I will have mobile Internet to tether to my tablet whilst in Europe, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Can't coment on the Copilot app, but can recomend maps.me app. Not as an instead off, but an as well as a sat nav.
Download maps before you go away, so you have access to maps that are far better than any sat nav I have seen. You can use it for navigation too, and like a sat nav will work out route with no internet. I don't think you can put vehicle dimensions in though, and it's estimated journey times are way off. It's also free.

Goople maps app is also worth having, although need to be online to do much with it, although once a route is worked out, you don't need to stay on line.

 

[jagmanx]

Imo

Can't coment on the Copilot app, but can recomend maps.me app. Not as an instead off, but an as well as a sat nav.
Download maps before you go away, so you have access to maps that are far better than any sat nav I have seen. You can use it for navigation too, and like a sat nav will work out route with no internet. I don't think you can put vehicle dimensions in though, and it's estimated journey times are way off. It's also free.

Goople maps app is also worth having, although need to be online to do much with it, although once a route is worked out, you don't need to stay on line.

You cannot beat a proper satnav

Mapsme is good but you get a better screen with satnavs
better lane info and no problem if the phone rings !

 

[Canalsman]

I wouldn't get too hung up about inputing vehicle dimensions. In my experience this will help avoid low bridges, and weight and width restrictions on roads imposed by the highway authority.

It won't necessarily avoid you being routed down a very narrow lane such as you find in the West Country.

I bought and used the CoPilot Caravan app for a while, but I now use the TomTom Mobile app which I prefer. This is sold on an annual subscription basis though you can try it free up to a small mileage allowance.

Personally I prefer to keep my eyes open and watch for restriction signs and if a lane looks too narrow avoid turning down it and wait for rerouting instructions ...

 

[YeoBlade]

The height avoidance is only the real advantage of 'Truck' type SatNavs, as said it will still send you down any narrow lane that is not width restricted (as most aren't). which you'd probably avoid anyway once you saw it.
I recently in, Clermont Ferrand, missed my turning on my Truck NozaTec, but was't happy with the long re-route it suggested, so followed my Google maps instead. That resulted in a 20min reverse :mad1:and 5 point turn to get out of a 2.4m high bridge it took me to!:mad1:We didn't see or there wasn't a height warning sign
I them followed mt Nozatec sugested route


EDIT: A look at Google maps street view shows me that I/we were blind and missed the Height limit sign.

 

[Mobilvetta]

Thanks for the replies, I came across a low bridge the first week with the motorhome near Singleton village, I wouldn't mind but I have used this route many times in my car and never took note of the height of the bridge, ending up having to reverse a few hundred yards up a Lane in order to turn around with the wife directing the traffic, very embarrassing, it was my sat Nav that sent me that way in the first place, this is why I thought I would invest in a sat Nav that allows you to put the dimensions of the vehicle in, never realised that it would still send you down narrow lanes. The Fiat comes with a built in To Tom and I also have a 5" stand a lone Garmon sat nav, that covers Europe with lifetime updates, perhaps it back to the drawing board. I must admit I do like using Google maps as it keeps you updated on traffic flow.

 

[QFour]

All part of the Fun .. We came across a Skip Lorry on a road on Exmoor .. That wasn’t on the sat Nav either ended up getting everyone behind us to reverse up the road till we could move over enough to let him through.

I have a Blaupunkt Android Sat Nav that has CoPilot and IGO on it. IGO works very well and a search of the internet can get you a copy. A well known Chinese manufacturer has updated maps and you can download maps and get the truck version running. Is it worth it. Depends if you can be bothered. The truck versions seem to use different routes and take you out of your way.

You could use maps.me and download the low bridges available on internet and add them as a poi file. This will let you see them but not stop you hitting them.

Personally I look out for low bridge signs and don’t go down the road. Then let Sat Nav work out an alternative route.

 

[Canalsman]

But will it avoid routing down narrow lanes?

 

[Nabsim]

Doesn't matter what SatNav you use it should still be accompanied by common sense and being aware but even so you will get caught out at times. Personally I wanted something that would give me a good chance of avoiding as much as you can so bought a satnav designed for motorhomes, was a little strange at first but like it now. Depends if you want to spend a chunk of cash or not

 

[Dowel]

Might be worth reading the reviews on the play.google pages for any navigation app you are interested in, for example:

Igo
iGO Navigation - Apps on Google Play

Maps.me
MAPS.ME – Offline Map and Travel Navigation – Apps on Google Play

 

[mark61]

You can buy a Nozatec satnav with a 7" screen, running iGo Primo, for just £40.
OK the hardware is cheap and cheerful, and it has no real-time traffic data feed, but it will outperform ANY other satnav.
And as for rubbish like maps.me, that's useless for motorhomes.

Why is maps.me rubbish and useless for a motorhome?

 

[Nabsim]

Why is maps.me rubbish and useless for a motorhome?

Maps.me is one of the tools I use, great for offline mapping

 

[Mobilvetta]

Having used my sony tablet with copilot installed and tethered to my phone it became apparent that it was not suitable, it was unreliable.
I have now decided I want a 7" purpose built Sat nav, which comes preloaded with Aires and caravan sites for both the UK and Europe, I was looking at a Falcon which ticked all the boxes, show price was £300, but on researching this model, it seems that it is not reliable. Can anyone recommend a good satnav for similar budget please, the vehicle comes with a Tom Tom satnav built into the stereo, but it does not have the information I want and you cannot set the hight of my vehicle, so that it picks appropriately route to avoid low bridges. I not tech savvy so would not be able to upload my own POIs, so would prefer one that everything is already in and with lifetime updates.

 

[jagmanx]

Not tech savvy...... try a GARMIN

Having used my sony tablet with copilot installed and tethered to my phone it became apparent that it was not suitable, it was unreliable.
I have now decided I want a 7" purpose built Sat nav, which comes preloaded with Aires and caravan sites for both the UK and Europe, I was looking at a Falcon which ticked all the boxes, show price was £300, but on researching this model, it seems that it is not reliable. Can anyone recommend a good satnav for similar budget please, the vehicle comes with a Tom Tom satnav built into the stereo, but it does not have the information I want and you cannot set the hight of my vehicle, so that it picks appropriately route to avoid low bridges. I not tech savvy so would not be able to upload my own POIs, so would prefer one that everything is already in and with lifetime updates.

Ok TomTom no good as it is a bit techie

Think about a Garmin where I BELIEVE all you have to do is
a) move the memory card to your laptop
b) copy the POI file(s) to the correct folder
c) replace the memory card in the satnav

I do not have a garmin but somebody here will confirm or otherwise
You may have to do the same for map updates or connect it ti wi-fi

 

[SimonM]

Garmin Dezl 760

For me, I'd be lost without my Garmin Dezl 760LMT. It has car and MH modes. Enter length, height, width and weight. It flags up roads that may not be MH suitable for width, ignore at your peril, and has happily guided me around uk and Europe for several years. It has the occasional hiccup in France, probably the frogs not supplying the correct road details to the mappers I reckon to delay the next German invasion. :lol-049:

I'm off for a week and will now have my iPad, loaded with both copilot and maps.me, displayed on the dash alongside the Garmin so it will be interesting to see how each fare with my routing.

 

[Wooie1958]

As an ex international truckie, I use both a map and an old Garmin which has never been updated since it was new in 2011.
I ALWAYS look at the map and know the geography of my proposed route.
Mostly, I follow the map and have the sat nav as a back up, but NEVER EVER rely on it, as it has on a couple occasions sent me down silly and longer routes, even would send my down a slip road, and then bring me back up the on slip rd!
I do use the sat nav for the last few miles into my destination, and for accurate speed, quite handy for that!
Common sense is the best, and look at the signs!

A rare commodity these days and obviously lacking in a lot of people :rolleyes2:

 

[Nabsim]

If you have shortest route selected Graham it can send you off a slip road and back on if main carriageway curves and is longer, crazy yes but shortest, it computes so doesn’t have common sense

The Aguri is my only experience of motorhome sat nav so cant compare except to car/bike sat navs. Initially I wasnt keen as it took a minute or so to start up but now I am used to it I think it is quite good. I use poi’s on my phone/iPad along with maps.me and google maps/earth. If I am unsure of area I check it out on those so I have an idea where I want to be. I too often only use the sat nav when close to a destination but will have it on in case we come across detours or road closures. I will turn off and ignore til I think I have gone far enough from something then let it take me back on track. Of course you have to watch it doesn’t put you back where you started

I used to love the old Tom Tom units but not keen on some newer ones I saw a few years ago, they were designed to be used with a tracker as well so that may have been why though. Very clever but I was lost with them

 

[Nabsim]

Do you know, I never thought of that, Thanks:sad:

I didn’t realise that for a while until I noticed a pattern, not sure if they all do the same though but all I have had do it on some slip roads. Clever stuff even if silly ha ha

 

[Mobilvetta]

Decided to buy the Garmin 760 unit, comes fully loaded and with lifetime updates, I have a stand alone Garmin in my taxi and I have it set to shortest route, but many times it is wrong as my local knowledge knows off back streets alleyways I can take in Blackpool to shorten the route, although our wonderful council is slowly gating these alleys, so eventually we will be stuck with the rest of the traffic.

 

[phillybarbour]

I bought the Co Pilot you mentioned, I stopped using it as it would stall to often just at a junction.