Sat Nav

[Weegee]

Not 100% sure if this is transit talk or non transit talk - although it is for the transit.

Which satnav system would people reccomend, i have been looking at the tom toms - but they dont offer any 'toys'

I seen a system a few months ago which had the full of europe on it, and icludied features such as games- and also the ability to send it a text and it sends one back with its location (passworded of course)

I like the idea of this due to the fact that a theiving scum would probably think they had scored good because they had my sat nav too - but would lead to there downfall.

Anyone got one of these systems, any reason why you wouldnt want one like this - or dont you like sat nav at all?

[100ps_drw_hicube]

i have a hp ipaq1710 with tomtom on it its ok not the best but gets me to where i want to go to and was a good price at the time

[FredTransit]

Not 100% sure if this is transit talk or non transit talk - although it is for the transit.

Which satnav system would people reccomend, i have been looking at the tom toms - but they dont offer any 'toys'

I seen a system a few months ago which had the full of europe on it, and icludied features such as games- and also the ability to send it a text and it sends one back with its location (passworded of course)

I like the idea of this due to the fact that a theiving scum would probably think they had scored good because they had my sat nav too - but would lead to there downfall.

Anyone got one of these systems, any reason why you wouldnt want one like this - or dont you like sat nav at all?

What make is this?

[Terry]

I use a laptop with Autorout 2006 Europe on it with a Royaltek
GPS unit, I also have an Haicon antenna with a PCMCIA slot in
GPS as a back-up.
Autproute 2006 seems to me to not like 'partial' searches,
i.e. you put in a country and a postcode & it can't find it.
2005 was better in that respect .
'05 &'06 don't cover Czech Rep. and Poland which '98 did.
I suppose it depends on where your definition of Europe ends !
I also have Navigator 4 on the laptop, but find it difficult to get on with.
I think it is more accurate mapwise than Autoroute, but struggle
to get it to do anything, that said I am a computer dummy.

[motorwise]

I use a PDA with co pilot on it

[Valsheda]

I still print off route plans off of the RAC / AA websites I am gonna wait till the price drops on these satnav gadgets

[frank_sumner]

I use Autoroute 2005 on my home PC to find a location and print off its route as a backup, but then I use a good old fashioned map to work out how I want to get there. If I'm doing a long European tour (on 3 wheels normally) I will type my own route cards in great big text so that I can read them in the bikes tank bag. Always feel that I'm in control that way, and I also have a good feel for where I'm travelling before I set off.

GPS still seems a lot of money to pay out just to see where I'm going (no business use, just recreational travel)

[Weegee]

im not to sure about the make, i'll have to find out - it was on a promotional leaflet from maplin about 2-3 months back.

i bought a garmin gps12 (no built in maps/b + w screen ect) for £13 about 7 years ago off ebay, and i use that plugged into my laptop just now - its just that at night the screen lights up the whole cab and can be distracting. i use autoroute 2005 btw and agree with the comments with regard to ar2006.

i like to know where i am going first, so i do study the route it gives me - but as i have never lived in a city my stress level rises quickly when the streets and traffic conditions change quicker than i can look at a map. thats why i need sat nav - its either a sat nav unit that gets bounced off the windscreen when i get lost, or i go in a major strop with my wife, who wont even have seen the map yet - yet i still manage to blame her for me getting lost - so its best all round

[Terry]

I must admit I think the value of a GPS is not the 'how to get there'
but the 'this is where you are'..... (bit like zero in maths)
I used to be the same as you Frank, then once I used the 'routeing'
part of the GPS and it came up with a viable route I would never have
thought of, so now even if I know which way I am gonna go
I still punch it in 'just in case'.

[transitgeoff]

i have a becker stereo with gps,its great you have cd"s to put in,europe 1 and europe 2, covers everywhere,never lets me down and also has a 10 disc cd and it talks to you

[Ratwood]

I have got a tom tom 300 it's get's me where i what to go

[MarkM]

I have got a tom tom 300 it's get's me where i what to go

I have been thinking about that particular model especially as it is now been reduced due to the new models now out.

Best price I have seen so far has been £249 at Staples

The 500 and 700 are cheaper as well now but I have no need for the Bluetooth part so no point in paying for it.

I did notice that the new Tom Tom uses a different system compared to old ones though...might mean it is going to discontinued like the BSB Squarial?

[Two Transit Dave]

Why not try the new Motorola A780 mobile phone with Co pilot built in I have had one for about a month now and it is brilliant you only have one item so less chance of it getting nicked its a good phone and BT are doing it for about 27 per month with 200 free minutes

[MarkM]

Why not try the new Motorola A780 mobile phone with Co pilot built in I have had one for about a month now and it is brilliant you only have one item so less chance of it getting nicked its a good phone and BT are doing it for about 27 per month with 200 free minutes

I agree one less thing to get nicked but a phone is phone a sat nav is just that, buy the tool for the job not a combo unit. Well that's the way I look at things. Cost wise that sounds good except do the sums after a year you have paid the cost of the Tom Tom and will continue to do so. My mobile phone has a much better airtime deal than you have quoted and is a fixed price...admittedly the overall cost is quite high but I do use the free airtime and all the texts some months so I would definately be standing still if I went the route you have suggested.

[Two Transit Dave]

If a dedicated unit is what you want check out the AA Navigator as it has camera warnings and the optional traffic info I did see one on e-bay from a dealer not private seller really cheap if you type in AA Navigator in the buy section you should find him.