satnav info sought

[Broadback]

The older I get the more often I get lost. So, we are looking for a car satnav. Though price is important it is not the highest priority. It needs to be easy to install and set up, then transferable to another car. As I am partially deaf a high volume sound is essential as is ease of operation. Any recommendations please? I know zilch, so fairly simple explanations would be good.   

[Clive]

I use a Tom Tom which probably ticks all the boxes but there are many variations available starting from around £100.  I think I recently saw one advertised with lifetime updates which could prove very useful.  The updates will normally cost £30 or so but they have special offers from time to time of say 4 updates for the same price.  Nevertheless, it's a costly exercise so if you can get one with updates included in the cost then that's the way to go. 

[Simon]

I haven't bought a new one for some years (*), as I don't use them often, but currently have a Navigon, for when needed.

* I did buy a Tom Tom last year, but couldn't get it in an ideal position, due to the limitations of the built in windscreen mount, so I took it back to Halfords and didn't bother with a replacement.

[Steve]

I use a Garmin with a weighted dashboard mount, obviously you need to think whether any of the additional facilities ie bluetooth, traffic news etc are worth the extra on top of basic. I did buy it with European Road Maps and they have come in useful,,it was cheaper to buy it with, than add the additional maps at a later stage.

[Gary]

I never liked the windscreen mount ones. Thankfully our car has it built in. So many cars do now as standard, though planning a route and using a map is not rocket science.

[Steve]

I think the built in one are fine but for 90% of miles I don't use one so not worth the premium IMO.

[talos]

You need to ask "why" you keep getting lost, is it your map reading skills ? or something else. I find a sat nav is a useful tool only if used in conjunction with your own common sense not a map.
If you find yourself arguing with it, you have added more stress to a journey and it will soon find a new home in the drawer or bin  . I use a Garmin and have done for many years, but as a help not a guide to rely on implicitly, Eg if it says turn left here and it a obviously a farm gate don't turn because it prob means the next road , that may sound stupid but you would be surprised how many people would have opened the gate, these are the stories you get in the press.
 

[Simon]

Have to admit, I argue with mine most times.  I usually find, when you get to a critical junction of some sort, it either gives me what I think is the wrong instructions, so I go a different way, or it doesn't say anything at all, so I have to guess.  Then, it keeps telling me to do a u-turn.  They do get you to where you want to go, eventually, but I do find that they lead you round the houses, rather than by the simplest route.

[Lance]

I favour TomTom over Garmin, those being the only to makes I've used. It might be worth taking a look here every now and then: http://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/shop/clearance/

The times I find sat nav most helpful is when you are in a unfamiliar built up area. I had this yesterday, for example, when the friends we were going to live on the edge of a development and to get to it there are at least 10 left and 10 right turns to make. Using a map, that would be a nightmare!

[talos]

Have to admit, I argue with mine most times.  I usually find, when you get to a critical junction of some sort, it either gives me what I think is the wrong instructions, so I go a different way, or it doesn't say anything at all, so I have to guess.  Then, it keeps telling me to do a u-turn.  They do get you to where you want to go, eventually, but I do find that they lead you round the houses, rather than by the simplest route.

I don't find that, it depends on your settings if you have set it to avoid certain roads or conditions or told it you are an HGV it will pick the route accordingly. If you knew a "simpler" route why did you use the navigator, or did you think you knew a simpler route but only when it had got you there are you a Taxi driver perchance

[Simon]

Yes, I am Bob, but not in London.    I was trying to get to the O2 Arena, which, according to the map, was M25 > A20 > A2, so, when it wanted to take me down a side road off the A20, I thought it best to follow the main route.  It did eventually get me there, but not via the route I was expecting.

[talos]

That's what I like about them, a surprise every time.      When we first moved here not knowing the lay of the land (and petrol was cheap) we would just drive down some obscure narrow country lane just to see where it went, many times had to rely on the sat nav to get home, but it did lead us on some strange routs even gated roads, our sat-nav mystery tours we called them. Now we know more short cuts than the locals 

[Simon]

Maybe the TomToms are more 'sensible', but I've not yet found the ideal setting on mine.  If I set it to 'Fast' route, it takes you miles out of the way, yet 'Optimum' route seems to take you on fiddly 'short cuts', when it would have been easier to follow the main road.  One thing I haven't tried is 'Optimum' routes on the HGV setting - that may avoid the short cuts.

[talos]

The reason I chose Garmin was because they seemed to be favoured by the armed forces and fire and rescue services presumably because of reliability and or accuracy, they're not the same models of course but same maker.
                  The setting on mine that equals "fast", uses motorways, clearways and other high speed routs, it is usually quicker but always longer in miles. The optimum will use all short cuts take longer but less miles = less fuel used, "optimum"+HGV  might be why so many artic's get jammed in country lanes  .
I have tried the TomTom and found it perfectly adequate but a little bulky, but it still does the job.

[Steve]

I got the Garmin as it was small, slim with a bundle of freely available OS X software available , I've always used Garmin for walking which uses the same software suite so it's a tidy solution. I do find the routing a little suspect at times but then again I do plan an unknown route before I set off so I ignore it's idiosyncrasies

[Broadback]

After much humming and hawing I have purchased a Garmin Nuvi 50LM. On my first excursion yesterday, just around the block, I was very impressed. However this morning we drove to a nearby town, fine getting there. However on the way back the display "froze" and shortly after resumed service. Now as I was in an area that I know well it was no problem, however it froze first approaching a roundabout and did not resume service until after the roundabout had been navigated. The second time it was just before I needed to turn down a minor road for home, again it resumed after I had entered the road, as I was familiar with the area no problem, however if I had been a stranger it would have lost me! So for those of you with experience is this normal, or do I have a faulty unit?

[sparky]

I have a Garmin Nuvi 205w, quite old now I guess, but it's never frozen.

As an aside, I have just spent a few days in Devon and decided a new 3 miles to the inch map is in order. SatNavs have a wonderful habit of taking you down miles of single track country lanes with very few passing places! Grrrrrr!

[Steve]

I would suggest it's not normal for any Sat Nav to freeze on a frequent basis!

[Clive]

That's never happened to me either.  Definitely take it back as it's faulty. 

[Glenn]

It should be very rare in the UK to get 'lost' while driving, drive east or west and you will hit the coast normally within 200 miles (maybe longer if going to west Cornwall from London etc), but you will soon come across a town name that you know. I find the most useful part of a Sat Nav is the last 1-3 miles for local navigation in an unfamiliar town/area. For instance, I'm going to Rosemarkie later in the year, I know to head to past Inverness on the A9 and turn right on the 1st roundabout on the Black Isle, after that I will be following road signs to the campsite, or using the sat nav to get there.

[Steve]

I do use the Sat Nav on long journeys to race against the clock!

[Glenn]

 

You wouldn't catch me doing that 

[J!ll]

I never liked the windscreen mount ones. Thankfully our car has it built in. So many cars do now as standard, though planning a route and using a map is not rocket science.

Read a map? me?  sorry but I have never been able to! no sense of direction either. 

[Steve]

Well that is entirely normal for a certain gender 

[J!ll]

 

[Simon]

I'm glad you said that, Steve. 

[Steve]

If my wife stands looking at a sunset she still doesn't know which way north is, and yet she has had a superior scottish education ( so she keeps telling me). I rest my case.

[J!ll]

Doesn't mean we can't drive though! 

[Steve]

Oh she can drive , just wish I could do all the multitasking she does at the same time!

[Glenn]

Doesn't mean we can't drive though! 

You can drive,  just don't know where you are going. 

[Glenn]

If my wife stands looking at a sunset she still doesn't know which way north is, and yet she has had a superior scottish education ( so she keeps telling me). I rest my case.

It's the side of the tree that the moss/lichen mainly grows on in the northern hemisphere.

[Steve]

True it's the side that retains the moisture usually, however not something to do whilst walking the dog!

[Clive]

Mrs Clive would rather get lost than use the satnav. 

[talos]

Had a Garmin for years, never froze, I suggest you have a faulty unit or have it sited wrong, remember some cars have heated windscreens, I know this can cause a problem, no matter if the heat be on or off. The only time the unit can freeze is if it cannot "see" the satellite, E.g. tunnels, some tall buildings or in a Forrest with a dense  canopy.

[Steve]

Good points Bob, as you say it's not infallible,line of sight is required.

[Broadback]

Thanks for the kind thoughts gentle readers. I have returned the unit and had a replacement, no problem, so onward and upwards, in the correct directions I trust. 

[J!ll]

You can drive,  just don't know where you are going. 

Can with my Garmin 

[talos]

Thanks for the kind thoughts gentle readers. I have returned the unit and had a replacement, no problem, so onward and upwards, in the correct directions I trust. 

Just have faith  it will get you there

[Lance]

Had a Garmin for years, never froze, I suggest you have a faulty unit or have it sited wrong, remember some cars have heated windscreens, I know this can cause a problem, no matter if the heat be on or off. The only time the unit can freeze is if it cannot "see" the satellite, E.g. tunnels, some tall buildings or in a Forrest with a dense  canopy.

Whilst true, I never had a problem using sat-nav with the heated screen in my old fiesta. I've found with tomtom on the iphone and my car's built in nav that if they lose signal going through a tunnel etc they don't simply freeze, but make a guestimate of where you would be on the map - the car does this more accurately presumably because it knows the speed you are doing at all times.

[Broadback]

If the Garmin loses the sat signal it tells you so. I am certain mine was faulty, anyway I have the replacement now. :-))

[talos]

If the Garmin loses the sat signal it tells you so. I am certain mine was faulty, anyway I have the replacement now. :-))

Mine doesn't , it just stops updating until it locks on again.

[J!ll]

Mine too.

[Broadback]

Mine doesn't , it just stops updating until it locks on again.

Can you explain that statement please Talos?

[Clive]

It can't update the route until it receives a signal from the satellite.  With my Tom Tom the display greys out and it guesses where you are if you are in a tunnel or difficult area. 

[Simon]

With my Navigon, the little icon to show it's receiving the signal goes orange, but the route continues.  I'm guessing it just carries on at the speed you were going when it last had a signal, and updates when the signal returns.  Presumably, they have some sort of capacity for planning ahead, so a temporary loss of signal shouldn't affect things too much, otherwise you'd be a bit stuffed if you had to negotiate a junction in a tunnel, or just the other side of it.

[Steve]

I guess it's programmed to stick to the route or road for a limited duration.

[talos]

Can you explain that statement please Talos?

Yes it stops tracking, the display shows no forward movement until the unit "sees" a satellite, then it locks onto the newly received signal and the display then jumps forward to the present position.

[talos]

I guess it's programmed to stick to the route or road for a limited duration.

Even if the signal is lost for a moment the internal clock still runs, if it knows your last recorded speed and direction calculated against time it will give an estimated position, all this goes to pot of course if in the meantime you have stopped or changed direction.

[Glenn]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350814752268&clk_rvr_id=491089193706

[Simon]

That looks quite a good deal, Glenn.  Might have a punt on that one myself. 

[Steve]

Does seem to be a bargain!

[Simon]

If I get one, and you never hear from me again, you'll know why! 

[Glenn]

 

[Clive]

That's an incredible deal with free map updates.  Tom Tom want £31 for a single map update and I'm just not prepared to pay it.  I wonder what percentage of users buy the new maps?