Which sat nav system is the best?

[A C H]

I've noticed lately a lot of the comics and even local newspaper and TV ads are pushing sat nav systems quite heavily, even Lidls has a system for £250 so what is the best system. My own personnal sat nav is an old brief case full of maps but as I've hurt my back now I can't pick it up any more and as I seem to be improving I've been toying with the idea of ungrading.

Obviously Ordenance Survey maps are the best but I understand it's about £250 for the whole country so not that cost effective. Also do you go for a laptop, note pad or dedicated system? Has anybody got one, how about some input on the different systems. Not that I'm going to be running out and buying one, just want to make an informed decision.

[BASHER]

Possibly our system may not be the best but superb guidance and maps are detailed very accurately, using a cheapish laptop @ £400 connected to a Garmin GPS12 @£122 the mapping disc is Memory Map. We have these all powered by the Landy power with a split cable for GPS power and download data . Our laptop is powered from a double ciggy socket the gps into the same outlet.We set up all our driving days whether it be guided driving trips or challenge tasks using this system. :Re Task challenges with gps grid refrences are truly very accurate coupled with the facility to explore the routes beforehand then using the tracking system we can print out maps at a later date. Simply by choosing the routes saved on the recce day we can make the challenge routes as easy or as hard as we decide. This does sound rather complicated but in reality mastering the laptop mapping menus is the hardest part , after this it is great fun using the system

BASHER

[A C H]

I was originally thinking of go the laptop way but it's a bit bulky.

This new Tomtom systen looks good but a bit pricey :eek:

[Tim in Scotland]

Do you have a mobile phone with a colour screen? If so you buy a system that runs on a mobile phone now, but only does voice directions not OS Maps.
I have an Ipaq PDA that runs a navman GPS (www.navman.com) which connects to my MemoryMap electronic OS maps. I upgraded the memory and have a 4.4gb microdrive in the card slot and that has enough memory to hold the entire UK's OS maps as well as the entire Navman e-maps of Europe. I don't use that many maps and store all my digital photos on it as well!
This crowd in Glasgow sells mobile GPS systems for PDas and mobile phones and also sell reconditioned PDAs - www.totalpda.co.uk and there are other companies that advertise in the LR mags Lidl supermarkets and Halfords sell a system called Medion which includes a Pda for about £200.
The current issue of PDA Essentials magazine also has a good comparison of the various handheld systems and also TomTOm for mobile phones and the Wayfinder system - you need issue 31 of the mag.

[A C H]

Thanks for the links Tim ;)

[Tim in Scotland]

The memorymap navigator for pocket PCs is very good - you get not just the areas you want on cd's but also the entire UK major road maps as in a paper road atlas. The system I have also allows me to "lock" the car's position in the centre of the screen and the roads scroll along in real time relative to the movement of the car, on or off road and you can save the track of where you have been to the PDA memory then download it to a PC or Laptop later. The maps can also be zoomed in and out with fantastic clarity. One advantage of a Pda over a laptop (aside from the size) is that the PDA screen has a nightime setting so isn't so distracting as you would think as it will either dim automatically or you can set it manually. Mine is an older version and has a removable GPS sleeve with the memory card slot and GPS aerial. The whole shebang is so portable that you can attach it to a trouser belt and go walk about with it on. Memmap doesn't do directions though, but who needs that if they can read a map with exactly where they are located shown. Memmap also sell computerised A-Z street maps that can be downloaded onto a PDA or laptop. Memory Map are at www.memory-map.co.uk
There have been postings about this a while back - try a search of the site

[paradiddle]

I've used a Garmin Streetpilot 3 hard since March, and found it great. Well worth the money for my use - different destinations anywhere in the country - my record is 1300 miles in 5 days! They really do help in your driving - you're free to concentrate on the road, and do arrive more relaxed! I wouln't be without one now.

Downsides- could say its low to input destinations perhaps, but with a little patience, it gets there fine. You can also point to somewhere on a map - useful for new estates/tiny short new roads, which is useful if the address isn't found instantly. Can be moved between cars, and fits in Land Rovers well too. It also has an off-road setting for nav'ing between points, or programme waypoints in. I got it for £549 then, but it can be had considerably cheaper now. Think they've just brought a newer version of it for about £400 ish. For price, I think it's the best option simplicity-wise. Easy to setup/use, and is good bang-for-buck. However, for the same money, a PDA may be better, I'm not sure. I'm not into sorting/working PDA's out, so wanted something I could plug in and play, and at half the cost of other Nav's (at the time I bought mine) the Garmin is to be recommended. Tim knows LOTS about the PDA route though - so he's The Man for PDA advice - they may prove a slightly cheaper solution. He'll know! :D

[A C H]

Hi Tim and paradiddle 4000 points each go to the virtual shop. ;)

[Tim in Scotland]

I think a lot depends on whether or not you want your GPS also to do other things. If you just want onroad turn by turn directions the dedicated emapping of garmins and so on in a single unit is great, if you also want to use electronic OS maps with your position shown on the map continuously (whether on or offroad) then you need mega amounts of memory and the flexiblity of a laptop or a PDA with an extra memory card. You still need a PC or laptop which ever way you go as that is how you get the maps into all these devices in the first place.
As I travel overseas a lot I also use my PDA (Ipac 3970 series) without the GPS sleeve in conjuction with its bluetooth connection to access my email and now I have a wifi card I can also surf the net at near broadband speeds on it in most of the worlds major cities, nearly all airports and stations, most branches of Borders, Macdonalds (it's the only reason I visit them as I can sit in a car in the car park of a drive through and pick up the net!!) nearly all motorway service areas in this country now have wifi hotspots and so on. Also don't shout this too loud but I have discovered that one of my brothers neighbours has an unsecured broadband wireless router and I can piggy back onto the net from his connection......... without paying a subscription to BT!
A PDA now replaces my faithful ancient Psion 3A organiser as my address book and personal phone directory.
There is also now a very wide choice of kit available for whichever route you chose to go. You can pick up devices ready to go from PC World, Halfords, Aldi,Lidl, most good climbing and outdoor shops as well as over the net.
I would recommend that if you want th load OS maps onto a PDA you look for a device that has an external sleeve (like the Navman/Ipaq setup) for the GPS receiver. These units are a bit more bulky than a PDA with intgrated GPS but there are two advantages they offer......... you get a windscreen sucker mount built in so the device can be rigged vertically on the perifery of your line of sight and they have the ability to use Compact Flash cards with vast memory capacity for storing all the data requited for OS maps - each navarea disk of a memorymap cd is 290mbs or more! I managed to find a 4.4gygabyte micro drive in Hong Kong for £200 (biggest available in the UK is 2gygs for about £300!).
If you search in the forum search using "satnav" as the search item there is a thread started by Graham last year and there are some pics in there of my system. If you would like some photos of the screen in OS and Navman mode please PM me and I'll get to work on it!
MemoryMap is now also licensed to produce UK Hydrographic Dept Marine Charts so if you have a boat you can also use your PDa or Laptop onboard.
A couple of shortcomings though - PDA and Laptop battery life isn't that great so you really need to be able to plug into a cigarette lighter or other power source. If you have a heated front windscreen in your car or Landy then that has been known to cause a shadow for GPS reception (it hasn't been a problem in my RR with a heated front screen)this can be overcome using a remote aerial connected by Bluetooth - my parents have this as they found in there Autosleeper motorhome they could get GPS when travelling south down the motorway but not coming north again....... the fibreglass body of the camper bit was thick enough to be obscuring the GPS signals from the satellites, this was overcome by using a remote gps mouse aerial stcuk in the rear window of the camper, connected by bluetooth to the PDA display - the system my dad chose had this type of aerial anyway as he had been using my PDA system for a period before committing himself to buying a device.

[Chris T]

I use the TomTom GO system and cannot fault it at all

The latest Software revision fixed the bugs that were in the original release, and the updated POI (Points Of Interest) part of the software means you can now add a Trafcam Database from Pocket GPS World and get instantly warned of ALL Cameras on the roads in the UK which is probably one of the best features

A little Pricy yes, but with its own Built in Antenna, the ability you charge straight from the Ciggy Lighter, and its ability to run under its own steam for well over 6 hrs (meaning you can take it ANYWHERE your not restricted to the car) make it a hard choice to beat

You can pick one up on Ebay now for well under the RRP

Chris

[A C H]

Thankyou Chris that 4000 points :D go to the virtual shop. ;)

[paradiddle]

A few other things have come to mind since my last post, about my experience of other systems;

GArmins also have an info screen, giving your speed/elevation(!?!) and max speed (go go 2 1/4!), a points of interest file, and a record of your journeys. Useful for speed cameras! - remember, their speed calculation is more accurate than your speedo! Its very useful to just turn off a road, and know it'll work you out a new route. Good for delays!

I had a ZT on test a couple of months ago, which had the MG/ROver (ex BMW) unit in. That was quicker to input than my Garmin, but was very poor at routing - crazy choices of road - like from south staffs to Bournemouth; not down the M40/A34, but down to the END of the M25 and then down the M3! It couldn't find Snetterton, so after half an hour of faffing, I grabbed my Garmin, plugged it into the cigar lighter, moved over to Thetford, zoomed in just east, and selected the location. Took me ther without a hitch. Tried the ZT one on the return journey (it could find my house), but the display is nowhere near as good as the Garmin. Garmin's position for you is always the centre. The ZT keeps the map still and moves you, meaning you have to hunt for where you are. Considering this is £2k+, my Streetpilot looked a bargain at £500! A friend has just tested the swish Phillips/Panasonic one with the fold out screen, he said that was fab, but again, it IS £2k. I guess I'm saying to think about which features you'd use/want, over outright price.

Yet another option, is SmartNav. This is just a button on the dash that puts you through to a call centre, where you give your destination. No screen guide, just voice. But, it is always the latest info/route mapping. Think that's abou t£4-500, and 80p/route or £120/year. This will also detect better routes, if there's a delay - they give you the option of taking their latest detected route, which is useful and effective - especially if you go round the M25 or like. Downsides - that cost per route would rack-up for me pretty quick, and there's nothing to use for laning. Can't move between cars.

Anyway, I'd reccomend the purchase - you'll find it the best thing you've bought for the car, I'm sure. Happy Choosing!

:)

[A C H]

Well completely overwelmed by information, I think I'll wait to buy one in the January sales ho ho ho, but the Tom Tom Go system is available at a couple of high street stores of £419, OK it's a dedicated system but it seems fairly good, just wish the screen was a bit bigger, would help justify the cost. Halfords have got some offers on as well on pocket PC systems, the Medion MDPPC 250PDA for £299 or the Navman 510 for £499 and of course the dreaded Lidls one which looks wonderful on paper which is a My Guide pocket PC for £250, I just haven't had any good experiences with Lidls electrical goods most of them break the day after the guarantee runs out if your lucky!

Have any of you chaps actually got a My Guide pocket PC Navigator 6500XL?

Corr, I think I'll give myself 4000 points for that, hang on ****** there's nothing for sale in the vurtual shop, my title's already all shiney and glowy, perhaps some new stuff to buy!!! :D

[shanno_2k]

try here -> http://www.totalpda.co.uk I have tom tom navigator 3
i find it ok

[paradiddle]

While the size of the screen might seem important, remember that you're really driving the car and listening to direction instruction. Though it's useful to quickly glance to confirm the junction layout/approaching turn etc, looking at the screen willl lead to trouble! I'd asess more tha matter of it giving a good route than a good map - If the directions are good, the screen doesn't really matter. Smartnav, for instance is purely voice commands.

Best of luck hunting down a suitable unit!

[Tim in Scotland]

While the size of the screen might seem important, remember that you're really driving the car and listening to direction instruction. Though it's useful to quickly glance to confirm the junction layout/approaching turn etc, looking at the screen willl lead to trouble! I'd asess more tha matter of it giving a good route than a good map - If the directions are good, the screen doesn't really matter. Smartnav, for instance is purely voice commands.
Quite agree on that point paradiddle - I had the Land Rover integrated system in my Freelander. It was simplicity itself and only showed a direction arrow with the name of the street or road that the car was driving down on a slightly larger than normal LCD radio display. No maps just voice directions. Even better was that being integrated into the radio it was also connected to a speed pickup and a built in electronic compass within the computer under the driver's seat. This means that it can still navigate even if it cannot receive any satellite signals...... and it is very accurate too. Very useful for going through tunnels and under tree foliage.
As a tip for anybody tempted to by a GPS integrated into a CD/Cassette/Radio system - check before you buy that you can still use the CD player to play music while reading the map cd............. most, except the most expensive systems, are unable to navigate and play an audio cd at the same time because you need the cd slot to read the map disk.
The LR system in the Freelander was a Phillips Carin system now sold as a Seimens system. The system consisted of an underseat cdreader with computer purely for map cd reading, a DIN slot size head unit with a single shot cd player with a top of the range radio and I also had a 6 stack CD player under the passenger seat - 3 cd players in one car is a bit overkill but at least I could listen to a selection of music and let the satnav do it's stuff at the same time. When I part exchanged the car for a RR3 the dealer was not prepared to consider the £1200 cost of the LR system in the value of the Freelander, so I had it removed and the original radio put back in. Unfortunately the RR has a unique fit radio/CD and no space under the front chairs to install the computer so I have a DIN slot satnav and computer with all the bits sitting in my house if anybody is interested...........