Sat Nav

[jims-terrano]

What Sat Nav do people use?

I'm wanting a replacement unit, I'm thinking a dedicated sat nav rather than an app for the phone. My reasoning being that I don't want the phone chomping through data. OK you can download maps on google but you can't have every single map so I don't want to mess about downloading maps. I also want a larger screen than my phone too.

I bought a TomTom One series one back in 2006 and despite it's cracked case it has served well. I like it's version of software as it's easy to use and I can create my own Points of Interest categories and add locations to these different categories.
A couple of years ago we bought a TomTom Start with a large widescreen but it's been so disappointing. I can't create my own POI categories or it would seem even save locations. The screen is very poor especially in brighter conditions. I even contacted TomTom and basically hard lines live with it. It's got lifetime updates european wide maps, warns of speed which in fairness is a great feature. Sadly on the whole it's difficult to use and doesn't seem to have features that I want.

So what do other people use, not had anything to do with Garmin. All I want is easy to use and ability to save locations in different categories.

Cheers

 

[terranosaurusdoug]

I've had experience with both tomtom and garmin, I would definitely recommend both but I reckon you would be impressed with a decent garmin model :thumb2

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

I got fed up with TomTom, as every feature costs an extra rental fee, and half the time it can't connect to their servers to get traffic info, usually when you most need it.

I know you said no apps, but I thought I would mention that after going through the same thought process as you a couple of years back, I now use a free app called Navmii, which took a little getting used to after the ease of the TomTom, but now I am very pleased with it. When you set it up, you download the entire map, so have it all the time. It does have a few online features, but basically works fine without, in fact I only put data on my tablet once in a blue moon, but use it all the time for Navmii. It mainly uses data if you enable things like the Buddy watch, which tells you when other people with it are in your area, and also when you are setting up a destination, if it has access to the web, it will look for local places in the area of the postcode that may help you.

I paid something like £2.99 to get rid of the adverts, as they are a pet hate of mine, and there ar other things you can add for nominal costs, but I have never bothered with any of those.
It works nicely on the phone as well, but I like the larger screen of the tablet.

 

[jims-terrano]

Hi Clive, can you save destinations? Preferably in groups like his and hers for instance.

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Hi Clive, can you save destinations? Preferably in groups like his and hers for instance.

You can add favourites, but I don't think you can departmentalise them. It's pretty good, though, as if you save a place say like "Suz's Dad", when you input an address, it also checks the favourites, so you do not have to always go into favourites to find them, you just type them in like it is a normal address.

 

[Mav96]

if I had the cash I would replace my head unit with an android version, then you can have whatever you get on the play store including off road maps.
My personal choice is single din with motorized screen.

 

[perelaar]

For the family car, the built in satnav (Seat Leon 2015). Very good, very fast, but annoyingly impossible to turn off traffic warnings.

For a "mobile" unit: Tomtom or Garmin, whichever gives you best update options. Very happy here with our old Tomtom One XL, only ever used Garmin in friends' cars, so no opinion on them.

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

I am still working on the "His" and "Hers" destinations... I take it you want them password protected as well!

His,
Mistress
Stripclub1
Stripclub2
...
Stripclub33
Good dogging site
Best pub
Great Terrano Breakers
Off Road 1
Off Road 2
Off Road 3
....
Off Road 131


Hers,
Tennis instructor
Gym instructor
Swimming instructor
Girls night out 1
Girls night out 2
Hair salon
Beauty salon
Tanning salon
Nail salon
Massage parlour
Clothes shop 1
Clothes Shop 2
...
Clothes Shop 10456
Shoe Shop 1
Shoe Shop 2
.....
(OUT OF MEMORY)

 

[panelbeater]

ha ha.
i used navmii for a long time,but in the end got a tt go 50,does what i want.

 

[macabethiel]

Tom Tom for me.

I bought a Tom Tom Go 720 in 2010/11 it has European Maps and as well as the usual avoid motorways, fastest route & scenic route options. I had to pay for updates so never bothered with that.

It also has a mode for pedestrians that I use to get from Railway Stations to places in a town centre. The battery no longer holds it's charge so it's now strictly for in-car use. I have had the connector repaired twice. A new battery was crazy money so not replaced. (Circa £70 plus fitting) We still use it when we go to France as we have entered GPS locations for the places we visit.

I replaced it with a very basic Garmin nuvi 2310 that has UK maps only. It froze when it was about 11 months old and it was sent away and replaced with a new identical unit.

Unlike the Tom Tom there is no re-set button so once it freezes up you need to take it to an agent to fix. I was initially fobbed off by being told that as I charged it in the car rather than with an external charger this had caused the failure. They did a voltage spike to get it to work but that just got me a week nearer the warranty expiry date. It still works okay the second unit being about 2 years old.

My Jeep has a none postcode entry Satnav /Radio factory fitted unit that works fine. I bought a none Jeep update disc that got me from 2005 to 2012 for £20 off e-bay with software updates. Only trouble with the new disc is you have to tell it what Country you are in before you enter Town & Street names every time!.
The original Jeep disc would default to your country of your choice but I can't see how to do this with the new updated disc. The old disc has stopped working due to the long software update that came with the later disc.

 

[makeitfit]

I use Copilot on my phone . It's anywhere I am and in any car bike boat . Travelled to Denmark a few weeks back across 7 countries in one day. It easily out performed the Tom Tom one we had. Speed cameras on the dot everyone. Tom Tom didn't spot lots. Copilot gives traffic updates etc. Alternate routes . Lane Chang etc. Full EU maps . Updates on the go etc . I paid a one off fee 30 quid a few years back. Cant fault it

 

[briggie]

well jim , ive had a few sat navs , heres my opinion ....... tom tom is good but low volume even when on max , needs continually updating ,but loads of different voices to download ..... even john cleese :lol ...... garmin nuvi ..... nice , easy to use and very loud , but no real options to change the voice , ..Packard bell ...... nice big screen , but absolute crap , kept losing sat signal and broke completely after 10 months , binatone ...... crap , end of ........hope this helps :thumb2