Satnavs

[Robmac]

I was ve

I was particular to specify a "good" satnav. Rubbish like TomTom, Copilot and Sygic definitely don't count as "good" in my estimation.

TomTom set the standard in my opinion and as I said before are very user friendly.

What would you recommend as a good satnav? I have tried a couple of Chinese ones which have been excellent apart from longevity.

 

[in h]

What do you think is good about TomTom?
I can't see any redeeming features of the things. If you like them, anything I prefer is unlikely to suit you.

 

[mark61]

Can you set sat nav to avoid canal tow paths ? Also we have had 3 in last 6 years. Usually last just more than the 12 months guarantee. Having said that we would not be without one but dont believe everything they say .

Thats not good, what goes wrong with them? Bought new ones 05/06, 2012 and 2020. First two went the same way, touch screen just gets less and less responsive.

If your sat nav takes you down little roads, you've got it set right.
Any excuse for a pic.

 

[Robmac]

What do you think is good about TomTom?
I can't see any redeeming features of the things. If you like them, anything I prefer is unlikely to suit you.

I don't have a TomTom at the moment I have a Garmin, but as I said I always found TomTom satnavs very user friendly in the past.

I liked features like 'avoid part of route' or 'alternative route' and the ease of finding said features. That doesn't mean that I am unwilling to try something new.

 

[GeoffL]

What do you think is good about TomTom?
I can't see any redeeming features of the things. If you like them, anything I prefer is unlikely to suit you.

Like @Robmac, I'm interested in which brands you consider to be significantly better than TomTom and (more importantly) Copilot. I hope you're not going to say 'Navigon', because a dedicated Navigon unit twice attempted to send my 3m high motorhome down 2.5m clearance underpasses!

BTW, beware of any claims by TomTom offering 'free lifetime updates' as the life concerned is that of the model of satnav and not of the purchaser; and TomTom decide when that life ends. A friend got caught out by a bargain older model TomTom with that offer only to find that the free map updates were no longer available a few months after purchase.

 

[mark61]

TomTom set the standard in my opinion and as I said before are very user friendly.

What would you recommend as a good satnav? I have tried a couple of Chinese ones which have been excellent apart from longevity.

As a stand alone device, I would say TomTom have always made the nicest devices. They seem well made, good display and the fastest and easiest to use menu, as you say very user friendly.
On my tablet, I have more sat nav and map apps than I care to remember. TomTom still rates very high as an app even with the fees. iGO is very good too, as are plenty of the completely free ones.
If I could only have one sat nav app on tablet, it would be iGo, perhaps because I have a TomTom device too.

 

[Robmac]

As a stand alone device, I would say TomTom have always made the nicest devices. They seem well made, good display and the fastest and easiest to use menu, as you say very user friendly.
On my tablet, I have more sat nav and map apps than I care to remember. TomTom still rates very high as an app even with the fees. iGO is very good too, as are plenty of the completely free ones.
If I could only have one sat nav app on tablet, it would be iGo, perhaps because I have a TomTom device too.

I was down your way on Wednesday Mark and as I drove by the Mother Red Cap which looked busy I did wonder is Mark in there.

Just to keep on topic, obviously I was using my satnav to navigate Holloway road!

 

[mfw]

All sat navs have their problems - it is only a tool to help navigate certainly easier than map reading - loss of internet signal for notebooks or phone - road delays is nice to be aware of as well

 

[mark61]

I was down your way on Wednesday Mark and as I drove by the Mother Red Cap which looked busy I did wonder is Mark in there.

Just to keep on topic, obviously I was using my satnav to navigate Holloway road!

Could have called in for a cuppa.
Wasn't there on Wednesday, but yes, no more blacked out windows at the cap, like a fish bowl now. I think they are limited to 30 now, and I'm the only one that can count past ten, and that's only because it's still sandal season.

 

[jacquigem]

Thats not good, what goes wrong with them? Bought new ones 05/06, 2012 and 2020. First two went the same way, touch screen just gets less and less responsive.

If your sat nav takes you down little roads, you've got it set right.
Any excuse for a pic.

View attachment 86972

i think the first one Tom Tom ,developed vertical lines then screen froze .Novotek (?) screen froze ,one in between cant remember but screen freezing again I think. Now on Garmin , so far so good but early days. Tow path not quite so bad I'm glad to say . As I say useful but can be misleading and would always consult a map before starting off and dont be afraid to overule the machine.

 

[Red Dwarf]

I’ve got a big screen £30 Chinese cheapie, does the job fine. But there again, I am somewhat prudent in my spending habits....

 

[jacquigem]

The Novatek was I think Chinese and similar money . Worked ok till screen started to freeze and needed constant resetting , hope yours is better .

 

[SquirrellCook]

We have a garmin camper thing, this morning trying to visit south stack lighthouse the horrible thing took us through town. The back streets, we fitted but it was tight. Waiting whilst Anita was doing the chip run, I checked the setup. All correct.

 

[in h]

Laptop or 10in Tablet for planning !!!

I use a 10" tablet as a satnav.

 

[in h]

The Novatek was I think Chinese and similar money . Worked ok till screen started to freeze and needed constant resetting , hope yours is better .

The freeze/reset issue would have been either memory errors or a power supply issue. Both easily sorted.
However, almost all Nozatec satnavs suffer from the GPS week number rollover problem, so they really need a firmware update.
For a 7" unit, the good news is that the update is available for free and is easy to do. The bad news is that you have to back iGo up first: the firmware update wipes the device. Then again, a "backup" is available to reset it to good working order.
For a 5" unit, I don't know of a working firmware update.

 

[in h]

All sat navs have their problems - it is only a tool to help navigate certainly easier than map reading - loss of internet signal for notebooks or phone - road delays is nice to be aware of as well

Good satnavs all have the maps stored locally. They only use internet for live traffic info.

 

[jagmanx]

I use a 10" tablet as a satnav.

Ok nice large scren..Which app please ?

 

[jacquigem]

The freeze/reset issue would have been either memory errors or a power supply issue. Both easily sorted.
However, almost all Nozatec satnavs suffer from the GPS week number rollover problem, so they really need a firmware update.
For a 7" unit, the good news is that the update is available for free and is easy to do. The bad news is that you have to back iGo up first: the firmware update wipes the device. Then again, a "backup" is available to reset it to good working order.
For a 5" unit, I don't know of a working firmware update.

Yes I seem to recall memory issues . I am afraid the cure sounds far to complicated for us . I did get as far as sticking a needle in a hole in the side of the satnav that worked for a while hoping for better luck with the Garmin !

 

[in h]

Ok nice large scren..Which app please ?

iGo Nextgen. By far the best, I reckon.
It also has Sygic Truck, Maps.me and Here, as well as Google maps, but the one I use is iGo

 

[in h]

Yes I seem to recall memory issues . I am afraid the cure sounds far to complicated for us . I did get as far as sticking a needle in a hole in the side of the satnav that worked for a while hoping for better luck with the Garmin !

The reset button never fixes a problem.
Fixing memory issues is a very simple task. You simply delete the unnecessary stuff, such as POIs for countries you don't visit.