sat nav

[poshman]

Hi all, im planning to buy my son a sat nav for his 21st, ive googled which has made me more confused anyone got one or recommend he wont be driving abroad nothing too expensive as hes already squeezed a renualt clio out of me

 

[empip]

I have a neat little Garmin Nuvi 300.

Cannot give a comparison - 1st one I have owned - I bought this model here primarily because it is, in provided wallet, storable in shirt top pocket ... has internal battery and is therefore usable on foot away from the car.
Finds local to one's current location - bank atm's, car parks, fuel, services and much more - choose to view any of those by zoomable map or 'take me there' for the Nuvi to navigate to the chosen place.

£180'ish including ac home charging unit.

Try www.pocketgpsworld.com ( they host an apparently excellent speedcam database, not free but far cheaper than others.)
Check out just what one can expect from the satNav ... Best mapping engines etc etc.

 

[Rob]

I got a tomtom one for my 21st. Probably about £160 now. Very simple, small and ideal.

 

[Thermo]

ive got a road atlas. £5, easy to install, accurate, no wrong directions and no annoying voice telling you to turn into a canal. updates are cheap as well. you just buy a new one for £5 in a few years time.

 

[Diyisfun]

ive got a road atlas. £5, easy to install, accurate, no wrong directions and no annoying voice telling you to turn into a canal. updates are cheap as well. you just buy a new one for £5 in a few years time.

Thermo.. You 4got to say, 'you dont have to put it out of view'

 

[Softus]

ive got a road atlas. £5, easy to install, accurate, no wrong directions and no annoying voice telling you to turn into a canal. updates are cheap as well. you just buy a new one for £5 in a few years time.

That's a bit cynical Thermo.

Even though I have a quite superb sense of direction and excellent map-reading skills, I reckon my satnav paid for itself within about two months, since I don't have to spend any time on looking up an address, planning a route, stopping to [safely] check the map, occasionally getting lost, dealing with roadworks and overcoming confusing diversion signs in strange places, etc.

BTW, it's a Navman F20 - cheap but competent.

 

[Belrose]

Softus wrote

"I have a quite superb sense of direction"

Softus, where can I get one ? I have none whatsoever.....

Bel

 

[Softus]

Sorry to disappoint you Bel - I got mine from my father.

I don't know if you can relate to this at all, but I keep a mental map and chart my progress against that image. Daytime is much easier 'cos you can work out direction from the sun (when it's out).

 

[Thermo]

if youve got a superb sense of direction why do you need a sat nav then???

i bet its worse now than it was!

 

[Softus]

Even though I have a quite superb sense of direction and excellent map-reading skills, I reckon my satnav paid for itself within about two months, since I don't have to spend any time on looking up an address, planning a route, stopping to [safely] check the map, occasionally getting lost, dealing with roadworks and overcoming confusing diversion signs in strange places, etc.

if youve got a superb sense of direction why do you need a sat nav then?

Because I was spending my unpaid time on looking up addresses, planning routes, stopping to [safely] check maps, occasionally getting lost, dealing with roadworks and overcoming confusing diversion signs in strange places.

Oh, and one more thing - the satnav accurately projects the ETA (subject to congestion of course), which means I can give a more accurate indication to my clients.

i bet its worse now than it was!

Er, you're quite wrong - and what's more I'm now more relaxed when driving, and have more time to notice landmarks, cars, road directions, possible bad weather on the horizon, and other features of the journey.

Do you have something against satnavs Thermo - you don't seem your usual objective and rational self?

 

[securespark]

I find TomTom awful.

A lot of my colleagues have it, and it often sends them down dead-end streets. Went out with one of the guys and from my house it tried to send him back to the main road via a street that has been severed since time immemorial!

I have Garmin C310 which I find good. It cost £175 a year ago. It has a screen mount that means you don't have to unplug the charging lead before removing the unit. It has two speakers for clearer sound: good for my deafness.

It is easier to enter the address details - some other satnavs require a space between the two halves of the postcode - a small point, but it niggles.

The only thing that bothers me is its shape. It is bulky, which means carrying it in pockets in awkward - you look like you have a strange bulge in your pants.

The "C" range of satnavs seem to be slowly disappearing, in place the Nuvi range is appearing.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/206909/portable_satnavs.html

 

[clf-gas]

... multi tallented.....

.... and a sense of direction

where ave i gone wrong

Sorry forgot OP, Evesham 6400 , £120 from Aldi stores. Has all six british speed cams, Very handy for a 21 yearold in a clio.

 

[Thermo]

i just wonder how we ever existed without all this wonderful technology! Its all going to go wrong one day.

still thanks for the compliment

 

[breezer]

or you could be like me, not have one and become famous for getting lost

 

[Softus]

i just wonder how we ever existed without all this wonderful technology!

1. There are more houses than ever before.
2. We drive around more than ever before.