SatNav is becoming commonplace for cars these days. I was just wondering if any of you guys have it in your car as standard(or an optional extra) and what you think of it.

I've been thinking about getting a standalone unit and would like any useful information I can get on them. I know there are different brands, but does it really matter? Is TomTom better than Garmin? Why? How? (Just an example of brands)

There's one thing though; I don't have a car. I'll be using mine on my bike. You can get specific devices which are for bikes, but they're a tad expensive (£350+.) The only difference between the 2 (car devices/bike devices), as far as I can tell from just looking at them is that the screen is slightly different, possibly thicker, or thinner(?) because bikers sometimes wear thick gloves. Thick gloves + touchscreens = No worky. lol? Also, the mounting system is different.

Having said that, I don't want to spend £350+ on a bike specific device. I'd rather get a normal (car) SatNav device and stick it in a backpack. I don't mind not seeing the directions on a screen, as long as I can hear them it should be ok.

So, i'm looking for any recommendations on a device which you think would be suitable.

Would be good to hear about some SatNav mishaps too =)

(e.g. Being sent around in circles for hours on end, or being told to drive into a river? lol :|)

Thanks for your helpies =)

my dad has one and they like to try and direct you done roads that don't exist anymore. i'd rather spend a couple of pounds on a good map

I had a Road Angel 6000 ... never again!!! Took so long to find satellite signals, took me on the longest route ever possible (once said "turn left" and took me 7 miles and back to where I started instead of saying "turn right") ... I'd rate it 0 out of 10.

A mate here at work has one that is fantastic, no delay, turn it on and its ready, when he comes back on Monday I'll find out what it is, as I want to get one myself.

*EDIT* Pretty sure his is a Garmin, he paid around £280 for it ...

Used on in a friends' car once - we put in number & postcode of the house we were going to, and it said it didn't exist. :rolleyes:

DOn't get a TomTom. Seriously, I have friends who've had big problems with them!

I have an Advent 400 which I can't find any faults with. It's never directed us the wrong way, or down roads that are/are not there and it always finds addresses. I think they've been discontinued now.

Also, are bike ones different because they're waterproof? Here speaks a woman who wouldn't know but it's a thought.

I think you're right about the waterproof thing Facey. And the bike ones would have to be able to resist more in general; shocks and mud and what not.

I hate these things with a passion. I don't even usually use maps unless I'm in an area that has awfully unclear road signs (or an absence of them). And I've never been in an area like that.

Plus, I don't want a machine to tell me where to go. I'll pick my own roads, thanks :p

Oh yeah! Forgot about the Waterproofness and the generally more shock-proofness :| Well done that woman! XD


I'd rather spend a couple of pounds on a good map

Hehe, i'd get a map book too! (But they're kinda useless on a bike because you have to keep looking down :cry:)

Thanks for the recommendations so far. I'll look into them =)


(When I say 'bike', I mean Motorbike)

My sister has a Polstar (http://www.polstargps.com/) one and it's quite good and was a good price when she got it, maybe something like £200-£300, but I don't pay attention to this stuff. It's really simple and easy to use too.

Fy, I don't think you can stick them in a backpack cos you'll lose the GPS signal or whatever (I would stick some geeky/intelligent stuff here, but I don't wanna make a fool outta myself)
I'm no expert but bikes are kinda noisy so if it is in your backpack you won't be able to hear it, plus you'll have a helmet on so I don't think that's a good idea =/

Problems with the SatNav: you could be going down a one way road or even the motorway and if there's traffic and you try to take an alternative route, in order to take you the way the SatNav wants it'll say "Where possible, make a U-turn" :rolleyes:
There was that time when we drove to the city, the only problem there was the roads around the blackwall tunnel so it confused the SatNav. I think because it's GPS or whatever, whenever the car turns a corner it can take a few seconds to catch up so it confuses itself a bit :rolleyes:
Again, with the GPS thingy, tall buildings, and I mean, really tall buildings. They can block the signal so you might not get a response from it. With us that's only happened in the city. Most of the side roads there are one way, but the SatNav knows where not to go. :)

Something that makes me laugh is the way the woman say M1 :smile:

(When I say 'bike', I mean Motorbike)
Lies, you mean your tricycle :razz:

Yeah, you can go your own route and it'll tell you to take a u-turn for a while but it soon gives up and finds a new route.

We only recently got a sat nav and the other day we went on a road by mistake and it told us to "please get back on a road as soon as possible" It had us as going across a field as the road was new! We laughed so much! We call ours "sally".

/me has a garmin 376C gps.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=148&pID=325

It's small enough to carry around, it has a special mount for cars and it's waterproof (though not dunk proof, but i've been known to spill coffee on it and it's still good). It's a fabulous product, you can use it with street map cards or with marine chart cards which are relatively expensive, but well worth the money if you travel like i do.

EDIT: i might add that so far i've never had any screwups with this particular gps unit. It even helped me retrieve a lost hubcap once with its man-over-board function.

Fy, I don't think you can stick them in a backpack cos you'll lose the GPS signal or whatever (I would stick some geeky/intelligent stuff here, but I don't wanna make a fool outta myself)
I'm no expert but bikes are kinda noisy so if it is in your backpack you won't be able to hear it, plus you'll have a helmet on so I don't think that's a good idea =/

lol. Thanks AJ! The only thing that would stop the GPS signal is a UV protective windscreen, and if i'm on a bike, there's no windscreen so to speak. I think the backpack'll be fine =) (Hopefully) Feel free to insert your geeky stuff to prove me wrong though... :P

About the not being able to hear it if it's in my backpack thing; Bluetooth XD

BUT, a lot of the bluetooth headsets are quite fat and chunky and that definitely won't feel too good under a helmet. That's why I would like one with a headphone port. I'm not sure if this a standard thing or not to have on a SatNav device designed for a car, but i've seen a few before (ages ago) so hopefully they still do it =)

2.0 - What are street map cards and marine chart cards?

Backpack should be ok for reception, I would think.

I have a tom tom PPC with an external aerial, a tom tom PPC with an internal aerial and a NavMan. All work very well, and I've had no problems with the TomToms. NavMan has security on its software so if you buy a new device, you can't get the old software onto the new system without having to call the company and plead your case. PPCs have headphone ports.

Oh... actually, one problem with TomTom. I went to the Isle of Wight last year and it tried to make me drive off of a cliff... but other than that, no probs.

Oh... it does try to make me turn right at no right turn junctions sometimes too.

Feel free to insert your geeky stuff to prove me wrong though... :P
Pfft, and give you the pleasure of laughing at me?!

Forgot to mention my dad's built in SatNav. Only been in his new car once, but something I find useful but annoying is that you can be listening to the radio and it'll automatically switch it off and put the travel news on.
Good to know if there are any accidents so you can find a different route, but what if you need to turn? The SatNav will be busy telling you travel news and you can't exactly keep looking at the screen to know when to get off someplace :|

Maybe that's just built in ones, I dunno...

2.0 - What are street map cards and marine chart cards?

Some gps units have some memory that allows them to carry around a map file for the street maps, which is all good and fine. But when you're traveling by car to another country and the map is only limited to one country, you'd have to either carry around a computer to load the new map in or be lost once you travel from france into spain for example. Some carry huge maps that include many countries, but often these maps are quite expensive and the grain is not very fine, so you wouldn't get as much detail than you'd get with a file that has only one country or city and stuff. They do this because after all, GPS memories are limited, it's all about file size. This is not the case with all units though, i'm just telling you what happened with my old gps and the one i now own.

Now with the 376, i just buy off the internet garmin cards (bluechart data cards to be specific), memory chips essentially, and to each card i upload highly detailed maps, so i don't sacrifice detail over filesize. Right now i have 4 cards but i have files for canada, venezuela, aruba, colombia, brazil and somewhere i have one for part of europe. That way if say, i care to drive all the way down to brazil, i'd just switch cards at the border and still be able to know in great detail where stuff is along the road (and i mean great, it even shows me shape of buildings and tells me where the strip joints are).

EDIT: In the case of a marine card, if you're a sailor, it saves you HOURS of measurements and looking at the tiny little symbols that range from anything like shallows, navigation channels and protected marine sites to simply where you can refuel your boat or get it repaired. The chartplotter just beeps like crazy when something's up.
Maps are still a must, but as i see it, only if your main chartplotter breaks down. That's when you'd use your backup gps and the map. And if the backup breaks, well, sextant, compass, rulers and patience.