Navigation aid for Dummies! (1 Viewer)

[jimlagos]

Many years ago I bought and installed an Alpine sound system, with a pop up screen which would show roads and routes in Europe, also show behind me with a camera. It would accept up to 200 fixed waypoints, which were wonderful for storing good Aires on the continent. Unfortunately updates for this system are not available any more, which is a disaster in Spain, with all the new roads recently. Can anyone advise me what to buy please? I need a large screen (at least 7inch) The facility to install waypoints which will flag up in front as you travel (very useful on long journeys, as it shows good rest stops in advance)
I was quite impressed with a screen I saw in a Norwegian van, it looked like a tablet, it had all the Aires in Europe already installed and looked just like what I would like. It obviously had GPS so was handy as a navigator on it's own.
The problem is I'm a total Luddite and would need the information in single syllable words.

 

[hilldweller]

There is a recent thread on cheap Chinese Truck satnavs which many were happy with.

Failing that a £50 7" tablet WITH GPS and Copilot Live for £30 and you have a good computer/satnav.

 

[chaser]

Can never understand the need for poi on a sat nav, if you've been before you know it's there, and if you are getting your info from somewhere else why not use that instead of mucking about with putting them on a sat nav, come to that can't see the need for a dedicated sat nav anyway, get yourself a smart phone or tablet and have everything in one piece of equipment, that also works better.

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[Sandancers]

There is a recent thread on cheap Chinese Truck satnavs which many were happy with.

Failing that a £50 7" tablet WITH GPS and Copilot Live for £30 and you have a good computer/satnav.

Is there not a cost to be paid for the data you use in the method above ?

 

[hilldweller]

Is there not a cost to be paid for the data you use in the method above ?

No. Copilot live loads all the maps onto the tablet. So you do need a good WiFi connection to first load up the tablet but then you are on your own.

 

[Judge Mental]

Can never understand the need for poi on a sat nav, if you've been before you know it's there, and if you are getting your info from somewhere else why not use that instead of mucking about with putting them on a sat nav, come to that can't see the need for a dedicated sat nav anyway, get yourself a smart phone or tablet and have everything in one piece of equipment, that also works better.

Anything that makes life easier......driving stressful enough. my less then £100 Garmin sat nav takes me on routes that I have planned in advance (no nasty surprises!). On long drives, I want to stop in the middle of the night to sleep, press a few buttons and the choices there. press another and away we go...whats not to like!

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[MikeandCarolyn]

Can never understand the need for poi on a sat nav,

On my first Navman I had Aires downloaded from Campingcar-info.fr and also LPG stations in France as 'custom POI's'. Sat nav was set to 'alert' when within 1k of these Therefore there was no need to know where they were.If we weren't fussy about where we spent night we would simply proceed to an 'alerted' Aire when we were tired of driving for day.

 

[chaser]

France aires app for android tells you every aire around you for as far a circle as you want, choose the one you want and Google maps satnav will take you to the gate

 

[MikeandCarolyn]

France aires app for android tells you every aire around you for as far a circle as you want, choose the one you want and Google maps satnav will take you to the gate

wi-fi required ??

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[rangi]

We bought a Road Atlas under a fiver, my Mc nav operates it from the passengers seat,




she also makes the tea, does a good cook up, handles all the finances, and gives me cuddles!

So! there! Technaphobes!

 

[chaser]

wi-fi required ??

Not wifi but you do need a phone signal for the app but if you are on three feel at home you have all you can eat data for free

 

[chaser]

We bought a Road Atlas under a fiver, my Mc nav operates it from the passengers seat,




she also makes the tea, does a good cook up, handles all the finances, and gives me cuddles!

So! there! Technaphobes!

This is what we do then use the satnav on our phones for the last couple of miles

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[Badknee]

We bought a Road Atlas under a fiver, my Mc nav operates it from the passengers seat,




she also makes the tea, does a good cook up, handles all the finances, and gives me cuddles!

So! there! Technaphobes!

I got one of those, there brilliant aren't they? I wouldn't be without mine.

 

[chaser]

If you are on business or something and have got to be somewhere at a set time, ok but I can't understand this faffing about with dedicated sat navs, you are on holiday , what's it matter where you are to five miles or so, get out and find somewhere new that isn't on the map.

 

[mjltigger]

I got one of those, there brilliant aren't they? I wouldn't be without mine.

When they go wrong though they are incredibly expensive to replace... and sales of goods act doesn't apply apparently..

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[jimlagos]

I'll now start looking at these options. Thanks for the suggestions so far, much appreciated. I would like to add that before the Alpine GPS, my "navigator" was in the passenger seat, and sometimes tempers got a little frayed. Being able to glance down at the screen occasionally was so useful. I could spot Aires in front of us and head for them for a break, or an overnight stop.
The other point is that we do our touring on the continent. The GPS systems can keep you off toll roads if you tell them to. Thereby saving a lot of money on a long trip. Toll roads aren't always much quicker or easier, and usually they are very boring routes.

 

[Badknee]

When they go wrong though they are incredibly expensive to replace... and sales of goods act doesn't apply apparently..

My darling wife never goes wrong and if she ever did I wouldn't mention it I would just drive round in circles till she rebooted.

 

[Badknee]

I'll now start looking at these options. Thanks for the suggestions so far, much appreciated. I would like to add that before the Alpine GPS, my "navigator" was in the passenger seat, and sometimes tempers got a little frayed. Being able to glance down at the screen occasionally was so useful. I could spot Aires in front of us and head for them for a break, or an overnight stop.
The other point is that we do our touring on the continent. The GPS systems can keep you off toll roads if you tell them to. Thereby saving a lot of money on a long trip. Toll roads aren't always much quicker or easier, and usually they are very boring routes.

That's true.

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[Jaws]

If you are on business or something and have got to be somewhere at a set time, ok but I can't understand this faffing about with dedicated sat navs, you are on holiday , what's it matter where you are to five miles or so, get out and find somewhere new that isn't on the map.

For us, I cannot think of a time we have not had a 'target' we have been aiming for..
We tend to decide where we are going ( roughly ) and head there. Every time we stop we take a look at what is on the route to the final destination and often deviate or sometimes change that final destination..
But while travelling we rely heavily on the GPS units we use ( yes, units.. One for the route and the other for stuff like fuel, gas, sites and anything else that would be considered as 'just passing'.. That way once the main one is set we do not have to fiddle with it at all )

I admit quite readily that I am hopeless at finding places.. I could drive from here to Budapest no problem.. But get to Budapest and I would never find a camp site without the GPS !
And as to 'once you have been there you know where it is' thing..
I expect a LOT of folk would be perfectly fine with that. But us ? No chance !! I MIGHT know a couple of places we have been to in the past but 99.9% of them I could not find again without GPS even if they were marked by massive flashing beacons shining in to the sky !!

 

[sedge]

When they go wrong though they are incredibly expensive to replace... and sales of goods act doesn't apply apparently..

The Sale of Goods Act doesn't apply to these units for an exceptionally good reason being that they are not for sale - and if they were - nobody on this forum could possibly afford them since it's incredibly difficult for anyone (even Sothebys, Christies or Bonhams) to assess the true market value of any one of them.

So anyway - for those of you who regard the units as a possession - best think again. They are units which purely only ever LEND themselves to a Significant Other whilst he fits the purpose of their requirements - which means that the S.O. is ALWAYS on borrowed time. However an S.O. can't ever BORROW the unit, unless the unit first agrees to be LENT.

It would be best if some of the S.O.s remembered that, a bit more often !

 

[chaser]

For us, I cannot think of a time we have not had a 'target' we have been aiming for..

And as to 'once you have been there you know where it is' thing..
I expect a LOT of folk would be perfectly fine with that. But us ? No chance !! I MIGHT know a couple of places we have been to in the past but 99.9% of them I could not find again without GPS even if they were marked by massive flashing beacons shining in to the sky !!

The reason you don't know where places are is BECAUSE you rely on sat navs ,when I was van driving I never used them to get anywhere roughly but just the final destination , a shop or industrial estate or whatever by the postcode but never had to use it again once I'd been there , and can tell anyone how to get there after, and if you are after a place that's close you can get there straight away , not knocking anyone here, my sons just as bad he has the bloody thing on all the time and never knows where anywhere is without it. Just try it you will be amazed at what you are missing round about you.

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[Deleted34567]

The reason you don't know where places are is BECAUSE you rely on sat navs ,when I was van driving I never used them to get anywhere roughly but just the final destination , a shop or industrial estate or whatever by the postcode but never had to use it again once I'd been there , and can tell anyone how to get there after, and if you are after a place that's close you can get there straight away , not knocking anyone here, my sons just as bad he has the bloody thing on all the time and never knows where anywhere is without it. Just try it you will be amazed at what you are missing round about you.

While that is true, I myself tend to be like you.....but...
While on the continent and in strange surroundings I wouldn't dream of not using a sat-nav.
One size doesn't fit all in this case I'm afraid.

Oh, by the way.... All wives are covered by "the sales of goods act" .... All white goods are, hence the reason for wedding dresses being white !
Tin hat / overcoat.... door !