Trusting satnav

[tan-all-over]

In the talk on sat nav's just wonderd where people have gone wrong in trusting their satnav. We where in west wales one year going home from taly-bont and as always followed the satnav. When it said turn left which was a fairley wide lane, I knew the road ahead was the one to take......then we thought hang on, maybe 'she' knows a short cut....after all isent' that what satnav is all about ? My gut feeling was why am I doing this. Anyway we turned left and found we where going through a lovley village with great views and felt quite smug. On we went and ..yes the road started to get narrower and narrower so we thought we would turn around when we could.. NO TURNING POINT COULD BE FOUND. So we had to go on and came to a cottage where the owner stared at us with his hands on his hips in amazment. Whats he stareing at we wonderd. on and on we went and the road then took a sharp U bend to the right and went straight up like the climb of a big dipper, Our hearts sank has we came down the gears and began the long long climb. At one point away in the distance we saw a car coming down the mountain towards us and we began to panic but what can you do. Then the car saw us and pulled in the one and only place. When we pulled along side to thank them they looked up at us and said they had never seen such a large motor in this area, their faces said it all. Well, we at long last got to the top and gave the bus a rest..We where on Snowdon mountain.she had done us proud and ran up this mountain like a youngster (shes 14) even some lads on pushbikes had to get off their bikes and climb the banks so we could get past thats how narrow it got. O well, lesson learned, never be without satnav but use your discretion. Happy safe wild camping all. (thanks for reading if you are still with me)

 

[tony]

interesting story it goes to show you cant rely 100% on them. i've heard similar stories about truck drivers having to try turn & go back.
i still spend time looking at the map before we leave & write down the route.
the sat nave is handy if you are looking for a particular place when you get to a town.
use it as an aid but use the map as well. the map will show any low bridges.
tony

 

[Deleted member 9215]

we were in wales this year with the car and there was a few roads it never knew where we were (its a tomtom 920)

dunk

 

[Firefox]

I don't use it. Generally a waste of time for me. I have been in a few friends cars when it told us to do something stupid like turn right off a dual carriageway onto a road which ran over the top on an overbridge and there was no slip roads or access! Then we were told to make a U-turn. Not a good idea on a dual carriageway with no gaps in the central barrier

What I find is more useful than sat nav is a mini laptop with mobile broadband. I can generally get to roughly where I want to go and then zoom in on the local area on streetmap or to get the detailed OS mapping.

 

[Channa]

A local chap who got a bit more than he bargained for by faithfully following his sat navs suggestions, including a brush with the Boys in blue.

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Bradford | Man follows sat nav to cliff edge

Channa

 

[lescombes]

yep..... I think the common denominator is........ Tom Tom....

I have one....not my choice....it was in offer so I got one as a gift....the man said "these are the best blah blah" said her indoors....and lets face it the ad's and image stuff looks good But...

Well they are rubbish.... My one took me down some stupid lanes in Wales and Cornwall.....has sent me through the dead centre of Brussels instead of around as well as the wrong junction in Rouen.... never again for me....
If your on a motorway.... Tom Tom are fine....in a town... not bad... in the country absolute rubbish..... mine has IQ routes..... not a very big IQ..

 

[biggirafe]

yep..... I think the common denominator is........ Tom Tom....

I have one....not my choice....it was in offer so I got one as a gift....the man said "these are the best blah blah" said her indoors....and lets face it the ad's and image stuff looks good But...

Well they are rubbish.... My one took me down some stupid lanes in Wales and Cornwall.....has sent me through the dead centre of Brussels instead of around as well as the wrong junction in Rouen.... never again for me....
If your on a motorway.... Tom Tom are fine....in a town... not bad... in the country absolute rubbish..... mine has IQ routes..... not a very big IQ..

I'm not sure why you are blaming TomTom, why are they stupid lanes in wales, if you have the settings set to 'most direct route' then that is what it will do, if you have it set to fastest route then that is what it will do. many of our back roads are set at the national speed limit 60mph the fact you can only do 20mph is not the fault of the device, maybe they should set the speeds on the back roads more realisticly

TomTom will often take you through a city as IQ routes has determined that on average its quicker to do this at certain times than it is to sit in the traffic on a bypass. Mine regularly does this and its usually correct. Now it might be that its easier to sit on the bypass in heavy traffic and going through the centre of the city is harder work but normally its correct.

You can of course ignore it and go your own way just like ignoring the 'co-driver'

 

[Channa]

I'm not sure why you are blaming TomTom, why are they stupid lanes in wales, if you have the settings set to 'most direct route' then that is what it will do, if you have it set to fastest route then that is what it will do. many of our back roads are set at the national speed limit 60mph the fact you can only do 20mph is not the fault of the device, maybe they should set the speeds on the back roads more realisticly

TomTom will often take you through a city as IQ routes has determined that on average its quicker to do this at certain times than it is to sit in the traffic on a bypass. Mine regularly does this and its usually correct. Now it might be that its easier to sit on the bypass in heavy traffic and going through the centre of the city is harder work but normally its correct.

You can of course ignore it and go your own way just like ignoring the 'co-driver'

Would it also be a fair assumption that in the grand scale of things Sat Navs are still in their infancy ?

What I mean is reasonably new technology for the masses ?

If we use the analogy, that PC's Windows Linux et all have been available to the masses for 25 years maximium and compare that to the evolution of the motor vehicle we are on reflection circa 1920 ?.

Consider how cars have developed from 1920, interesting times ahead !!

A weird thought I grant you, But hopefully thought provoking.


Channa

 

[biggirafe]

Would it also be a fair assumption that in the grand scale of things Sat Navs are still in their infancy ?

What I mean is reasonably new technology for the masses ?

If we use the analogy, that PC's Windows Linux et all have been available to the masses for 25 years maximium and compare that to the evolution of the motor vehicle we are on reflection circa 1920 ?.

Consider how cars have developed from 1920, interesting times ahead !!

A weird thought I grant you, But hopefully thought provoking.


Channa

You are absolutley right, satnav software is very new and evolving very quickly. The first satnav I used some 6-7 years ago was terrible it would take about 5 minutes to locate itself and you had to drive at about 20 mph in a town or it could not keep up. The one I use now links into the RDS network and will take me around accidents. The newer ones will be linked together via the web and also using RDS so that they will know live how fast other units are moving and when others are stationary and have access to historical data on those units. Using this they will be able to update my route in realtime.

But again I think the trouble will be that people will come to rely on them and as ever technology can break or will not be perfect. There are many journeys I take when I do not put a route in my satnav, I don't need to even for long journeys I just have it on for speed cameras and so I can see if there are accidents on the road in the direction I'm taking. Where I find them invaluable is for places I have never been and the best bit is for just driving aimlessly when on holiday as they will always bring you home no matter how intentionally lost you get. Those stupid roads in wales and cornwall are in fact the places I love to be taken down because I would never see them without satnav and I know that the satnav will always get me out again even if its by a roundabout route. previously we would have been 'lost'

 

[Hallii]

Never forget, the good old US of A owns the satellites and can turn them off as they wish. The EU system is not yet ready, but when it is I for one will thumb my nose at the USA system.

I hope that the USA's attempts to get the EU system reduced in accuracy to match their own system has failed.

Hallii

 

[Channa]

But again I think the trouble will be that people will come to rely on them and as ever technology can break or will not be
perfect.

It seems that is already happening if my earlier post is an accurate indication re the driver in the BMW.

Reliance on technology is an interesting concept, How many checkout operators nowadays can work out change from a tenner when the till throws a wobbly ?

Even scarier IMHO is children who are dependant upon calculators ? And cant identify that when a misinput of 10 x 10 = 1000 and dont pick up it could be wrong!.

The It revolution and impact on our lives is scary in that respect


What is interesting, In my mind is that we are going through another industrial revolution without realising ?. furthermore if my analogy of the 1920's in respect of cars is correct, Internet, cam 2 cam chats with relatives in Australia etc we are living in a rapidly changing world IT being the catalyst...
Interesting times indeed.

Channa

 

[dshague]

had my tom tom two years now .tomtom emailed me last week asking if i wanted new uk mapping as mine was 7 years old .f.....g halfords .
i never trust it .its taken me up many a thin lane and i have told her off for it but she dos not answer me

 

[bigboack]

You wont need sat navs soon as you will all be using radar,as you will be flying your space age motorhomes, Did none of you lot watch tv in the seventies,I for one cant wait until the 20's as thats when its going to happen,Me for one will not be jumping on the band wagon though as the roads will be empty for my Bigbertha,She will be about 37 then, and we will will be trundling around and looking up at all the airjams hovering above us.

Well we can all dream on. Was the programme called the Jetsons.

 

[Channa]

You wont need sat navs soon as you will all be using radar,as you will be flying your space age motorhomes, Did none of you lot watch tv in the seventies,I for one cant wait until the 20's as thats when its going to happen,Me for one will not be jumping on the band wagon though as the roads will be empty for my Bigbertha,She will be about 37 then, and we will will be trundling around and looking up at all the airjams hovering above us.

Well we can all dream on. Was the programme called the Jetsons.

Hoverhomes !!!

We ( the royal we that is ) could be onta summat

Channa

 

[Channa]

mmm just re read your fred and you and Big bad Bettie are on the road looking up at a hover jam

hovercampers , old age campers....if we are having fun what the hell !!

Channa

Scaredy cat of heights anyway !!

 

[Kontiki]

Never forget, the good old US of A owns the satellites and can turn them off as they wish. The EU system is not yet ready, but when it is I for one will thumb my nose at the USA system.

I hope that the USA's attempts to get the EU system reduced in accuracy to match their own system has failed.

Hallii

The GPS & satellites are not the problem & are accurate enough for day to day use, the mapping & navigation programming is what determines how good it is. Also no sat nav will be as good as local knowledge, you don't have to use one if you don't want, my first sat nav was a Garmin GPSV, a black & white screen which just gave a beep when to turn & you had to keep loading maps of the area you were driving. A trip from North Wales down to Dover would mean I would have to stop part way to load another section which took about 20 to 30 minutes (as it was I could skip large areas as I knew I would be on a motorway)
I use TomTom on my PDA, my program & maps are well past their sell by date & I have paid in getting sent the wrong way or routes that weren't the best but overall satnavs are a great piece of kit & will continue to improve.
I would like one that you can input the vehicle size but the ones available only tend to cover UK,France & Germany for the size weight part of navigation, I don't recall seeing one that would give the navigation based on size in Spain & Portugal.

I seem to recall reading that the European system will charge for the use of the satellites where the US one is completely free So are you willing to pay to know your position a bit more accurately.

 

[Channa]

The GPS & satellites are not the problem & are accurate enough for day to day use, the mapping & navigation programming is what determines how good it is. Also no sat nav will be as good as local knowledge, you don't have to use one if you don't want, my first sat nav was a Garmin GPSV, a black & white screen which just gave a beep when to turn & you had to keep loading maps of the area you were driving. A trip from North Wales down to Dover would mean I would have to stop part way to load another section which took about 20 to 30 minutes (as it was I could skip large areas as I knew I would be on a motorway)
I use TomTom on my PDA, my program & maps are well past their sell by date & I have paid in getting sent the wrong way or routes that weren't the best but overall satnavs are a great piece of kit & will continue to improve.
I would like one that you can input the vehicle size but the ones available only tend to cover UK,France & Germany for the size weight part of navigation, I don't recall seeing one that would give the navigation based on size in Spain & Portugal.

I seem to recall reading that the European system will charge for the use of the satellites where the US one is completely free So are you willing to pay to know your position a bit more accurately.

Phew ..thank foc I can read a map...

I have a sat nav, and tend to use it for camping locations I have spotted, other than that a lil old fashioned tend to read a map or go with gut instinct

Channa

 

[Firefox]

They are very suitable for some people I'm sure, but I've got a map of the South of England and some of the rest of it in my head. If I had to get from Cambridge to Brighton for example, I'd know immediately it was M11, M25, M23, A23 without even looking at a map.

I've seen other people want to drive a route like this and they go to a "route planner" on the internet and print out 6 pages of (to me) confusing directions like Junction five M25 take the slip road on the roundabout take the 4th exit proceed for 1 mile to a roundabout take the third exit onto the etc etc. 6 Pages of directions for a route of only 4 or 5 A Roads and motorways Other friends can't even find their way to the next town without me having to direct them even though we may have gone that way several times before.

So for those kind of people that struggle with maps and routes I can see the Sat Nav would be a huge advantage. Even if the Sat Nav takes them round a long way they are non the wiser anyway! If the sat navs really come down to rock bottom price and even better technology I might get one, but I doubt I'd use it much. The best example I could think of would be finding a road in a housing estate I didn't know.

 

[Channa]

The best example I could think of would be finding a road in a housing estate I didn't know.

Try putting in Orchard Cottage, Main Road , Anytown. !!! and post code.

More chance of a meeting with the pope than it taking you there.( and I am seriously tempering my language)


I did a bit of casual work last year for DHL and the example I cite was an absolute nightmare.

When the sat navs states you are at your destination, greeted with houses 100 metres from the road , you need eyes like a **** house rat to see house names.

Commercial pressures dont allow foccing about for half an hour

so moved on I have to admit on a few occasions, commercial pressures, address couldnt be found and I moved on to easier addresess.

channa

 

[Firefox]

It can be hit and miss. My bridge partner has one in her car and I usually do the driving. I tell her to switch it on when we get near if I don't know the local estate road. Once in London it tried to take us down to the North circular for an address that was 4 miles North of that road. That was a very strange route which I chose not to follow.

It's also supposed to say you've arrived when you're outside the house. I think that works on postcode but in practice it can be up to 50 m away and when there are a lot of houses it's not much help. But probably better than nothing when trying to find a house in the dark as many of the matches are in the Winter at 7.30pm.