Motorhome Sat Navs (1 Viewer)

Fancy Pants

Free Member
Mar 16, 2015
19
3
Northumberland
Funster No
35,465
MH
Coachbuilt
Exp
Since 2013
Hello everyone, we are thinking of buying a sat Nav for the Motorhome and wonder if anyone has any experience/guidance as to the best one. We have been Garmin users for years but the the write up on the a motorhome Garmin seems quite poor. The Tom Tom looks better but does it come with Lifetime Maps?
Do they actually work in keeping you away from narrow roads, weak bridges etc?
Any help appreciated.
FP
 

CWH

LIFE MEMBER
Jan 29, 2014
5,128
245,515
UK
Funster No
29,909
MH
WildAx PVC
Exp
From November 2013
We've now got a Snooper with a 7" screen.
Like many these days, you can programme it for a large vehicle with your length, width, height & weight & it calculates the most suitable route, avoiding the hazards that you've mentioned.
We like this the best of all the ones we've had because of the very clear graphics (you can choose from different map views and in the corners it also shows enlarged versions of eg which lane to go in, and where you should come off roundabouts) and audible instructions that come at exactly the right time and are repeated often enough to be helpful without being irritating.
 
Upvote 0
Jul 31, 2014
1,928
3,240
West Yorkshire
Funster No
32,620
MH
EuraMobil Activa 820HS
Exp
2007
Hi Fancy Pants

I bought a Garmin 2598LMTD with the lifetime maps, traffic and large screen.
It's seems to be all singing and dancing and shows the lane exits when travelling on major roads, covering Europe.

Bought it from Halfords - if you can wait on, they usually have a sale on sat navs over a bank holiday, so with Easter coming up, you may get a saving. Also, check online because Halfords online are cheaper than in store and, when you haggle for the free sat nav kit in store and then say I've seen it cheaper online, they price match.
I got a free Garmin leather pouch with mine plus 230v charge lead I think.

The trouble with sat navs, like all electrical gadgets is that there's a lot of functions included which you may never use. So you're paying extra for something that for instance tells you traffic updates, blue tooth with your mobile for a hands free kit etc.

I would suggest going on halfords website and looking at,
A. Your budget
B. Size of screen
C. Functions you want on it
D. How compatible and easy is it to use and plug in/update from your home PC

Read user reviews on there - this can make your decision between the likes of Garmin and TomTom.

Or, you can just buy a map and argue with the other half instead on cursing the Satnav when it takes you down a narrowing deadend!

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0

Nigel&Debbie

Free Member
Nov 20, 2012
322
212
Full Timer
Funster No
23,740
MH
Autotrail Dakota
Exp
since Jan 2013
Hi, Firstly you need to read what the 'lifetime updates' of maps really means. Both garmin and tomtom state that it is for the tme that they 'support' the software on your particular model as opposed to how long your model lasts. In reallity, the lifetime period is unlikely to exceed 4 or 5 years.

I use and favour tomtm truck, where you enter your vehicle dimensions and weights and the machine does the rest. It is pretty reliable, but like all items of IT, can't be relied upon 100%.
 
Upvote 0

scotjimland

LIFE MEMBER
Jul 25, 2007
2,086
9,024
Suffolk Coastal District, UK
Funster No
15
MH
Timberland
word of caution.. none of the new TomToms support third party POIs..

that was a deal breaker for me, what good is a sat nav if you cannot load your own POIs ?

so I bought a Broken Link Removed with free Life time Maps and Traffic ..

save a tenner with 'click and collect'

only used it locally, but so far am very pleased and it's easy to add your own POIs
 
Upvote 0

DanielFord

Free Member
Jun 1, 2013
3,020
3,086
Funster No
26,287
TBH reading many of these threads, it seems that Garmin and TomTom camper and caravan maps are the leaders. We have a TomTom with the Camper maps loaded, so we can enter vehicle dimensions.
As far as I can tell everyone seems relatively happy whether it be TomTom or Garmin. However as @ScotJimland points out, TomTom no longer allow 3rd party POI's, if that is important, then it is the Garmin!
Ideally, you should try before you buy, as it will be personal preference that makes the final choice :)

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
Jan 22, 2013
1,246
58,420
London SE
Funster No
24,385
MH
A class Adria vision I707
Exp
since 1971
We've now got a Snooper with a 7" screen.
Like many these days, you can programme it for a large vehicle with your length, width, height & weight & it calculates the most suitable route, avoiding the hazards that you've mentioned.
We like this the best of all the ones we've had because of the very clear graphics (you can choose from different map views and in the corners it also shows enlarged versions of eg which lane to go in, and where you should come off roundabouts) and audible instructions that come at exactly the right time and are repeated often enough to be helpful without being irritating.

I also have a snooper DB8500 an I very happy with its performance
I also have garmin and Tom tom for different uses that work ok but it's the snooper that gets used in the MH,
You can download 1000s of POI from snooper including aires/ stellplatz/camperstop/CC/C&CC/ADAC campsites/ Archie's/LPG/ petrol station and many more, you decide what you want,
Just updated my maps for Europe and the unit is 3 years old,
One criticism is the sound output, but I am slightly mutt and
Geoff, but I fitted a amplified speaker to its output and that's now sorted, all in all very pleased with its use,
 
Upvote 0
OP
OP
Fancy Pants

Fancy Pants

Free Member
Mar 16, 2015
19
3
Northumberland
Funster No
35,465
MH
Coachbuilt
Exp
Since 2013
thanks for all the great replies and useful advice. Will look at the truckers version but also been looking at the TT6000 however is this one of the new ones that doesn't support the POIs?
 
Upvote 0

Lenny HB

LIFE MEMBER
Oct 18, 2007
52,698
147,629
On the coast in West Sussex
Funster No
658
MH
Hymer B678 DL
Exp
Since 2008 & many years tugging
My satnav has the option of Truck, Bus, Taxi, Emergency vehicle & Car. I only ever use it in Car mode if you set a satnav to Truck it will tend to route you onto the main arterial routes and can take you miles out of your way, better to use Car mode and your own judgement, we also check the route on Autoroute which gives a better idea of road widths.
There are only two sources of mapping that all the satnavs use and the generally only hold width & height data for major roads.

Have a look at satnavs that run IGO Primo software it's far superior to Garmin or Tom Tom, much better route planning and gives you a choice of routes.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0

scotjimland

LIFE MEMBER
Jul 25, 2007
2,086
9,024
Suffolk Coastal District, UK
Funster No
15
MH
Timberland
Have a look at satnavs that run IGO Primo software it's far superior to Garmin or Tom Tom, much better route planning and gives you a choice of routes.

that's your opinion Lenny .. not a statement of fact... we all have our favorite mapping software.. I like Co-pilot .. and use it on my phone.. but still prefer a dedicated sat nav..

In my experience on say a 500 mile trip, 495 miles are rarely a problem, irrespective of sat nav .. .. .. it's the last few miles where you can and often do, become unstuck.. and no matter what sat nav you have.. if that's the only way into that site.. that road or route can't change .

sat navs have no idea about the physical width of a road.. the map data base doesn't hold that detail of information.. it only knows the classification.. ie. Mway A or B etc.

for example.. in France D roads can be two lane or even dual carriageway.. or single lane tracks.. the D classification does not indicate what width the road actually is.. the D only stands for Department road., as opposed to an N or national route.

So what a 'truck' sat nav.. ?

it's a sat nav loaded with Height, Weight and Width restrictions with an algorithm to avoid these restrictions and to prioritize the route with preference given in a set order.. Mway, A then B ..

You can load these restriction 'pois' into any sat nav.. but unless you are driving a very large RV .. over 7.5 ton it's not worth it.. I did have them loaded when I owned mine.. and still came unstuck.. can't beat a good paper map, especially if you have an oversize vehicle
 
Upvote 0

Photo4x4

Free Member
Jul 26, 2014
371
873
Scottish Highlands
Funster No
32,556
MH
Coachbuilt with over cab
Exp
Newbie
I have just purchased (it arrived on Thursday) one of the cheapo truck Broken Link Removed off ebay. It cost just under £36.00 including delivery! It runs the much praised iGo mapping software and has FREE map updates and a 7 inch screen. :D

Check out the GPS Navigation section on this forum.

I've have tried it out and yes, it works and the graphics are great.

At Motorcycle Live (NEC) last year I almost purchased a Garmin unit at a show discount price of about £350.00, that is 10 times the price of the Chinese unit! I'm glad that I didn't.

Perhaps the Garmin is better, but I very much doubt that it is 10 times better. At £36.00 I thought it was worth a punt and so far so good.

The sale of portable Sat Nav devices has plummeted over the past year due to the fact that most new cars now have built in Sat Nav and most smart 'phones have Sat Nav. You would think that Garmin and Tom Tom would be discounting heavily to shift their stock.

Anyway that is what I think, but at ever, you pays YOUR money and you makes YOUR choice.

KH
 
Upvote 0

Mr Mousy

Funster
LIFE MEMBER
Sep 9, 2013
616
3,091
Llanelli
Funster No
28,022
MH
Hymer S840
Exp
First moho 11/2013, second 11/2014 current from 09/2019.
If you have a tablet (with a GPS chip) I would recommend using Copilot.
Until the 7th April the price is reduced to about £28 for all of Europe, if you want just the UK it is about £15. You get all the normal sat nav functions including maps that are kept up to date and you can select 'motorhome' rather than car. We have used it in the UK and France and it's spot on. You can also add POI.

@fancypants

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0

grumps147

LIFE MEMBER
Jun 6, 2010
1,838
2,442
St.Helens
Funster No
11,938
MH
Between
Exp
MH 12 yrs -Tent/Caravan 49 years
We use garmin, most useful feature is speed via GPS. There is a very cheap Garmin offer in Aldi very soon, it's in their leaflet but wasn't on web yesterday, but it's coming. I wonder with such a discount is it now near end of line?
My limited experience is none are 100%, and you need good maps for close to destinations, and research on Google maps and street view where that exists if no access to maps.
 
Upvote 0

Nigel&Debbie

Free Member
Nov 20, 2012
322
212
Full Timer
Funster No
23,740
MH
Autotrail Dakota
Exp
since Jan 2013
The best sat navs ever made (not only my opinion - read the sat nav forums) were the Tomtom Go 520/530/720/730/920/930. They were constructed in a modular design so very easy for the DIY person to change battrey/screen etc. All the electronics are on one bomb proof circuit board and all are contained inside the unit. No extra electronics in the mounts like the X40s and X50s. The models all used a windows FAT32 design and all have an exrernal SD card slot.

The newer Tomtom models now use a Linux based file system (as a result of microsoft lawsuit), hence the reason for newer models not being able to use 3rd party POIs at this time.

If you are able to get hold on a X20/X30 model s listed above, with a little knowledge you are able to update your maps as and when required either via Tomtom home or with a little know how through 3rd party sites.

All manufacturers are now tightening up their software on their latest units (including the ones that come from China via fleabay), so once the 'lifetime update' (see previous post as to what this actually means) as this is where they will make their money on in the future, as the actual units will last far longer that ever before.
 
Upvote 0
Jun 16, 2014
655
2,440
NOTTINGHAM
Funster No
31,988
MH
Autotrail Savannah
Exp
Almost a Newbie but not quite now.
Aldi are selling the garmin camper from next Thursday at a bargain price of £199.99 :)

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0

whoa

Free Member
May 2, 2008
295
5,566
West Yorkshire
Funster No
2,494
MH
It's been sold, no more
Exp
I'm a newbie
word of caution.. none of the new TomToms support third party POIs..

that was a deal breaker for me, what good is a sat nav if you cannot load your own POIs ?

so I bought a Broken Link Removed with free Life time Maps and Traffic ..

save a tenner with 'click and collect'

only used it locally, but so far am very pleased and it's easy to add your own POIs

I've just recently bought this one and more then pleased, my old Tom Tom is k nackered , so this fits the bill for me. The maps updates etc are stated as free for the life time of the sat nav, okay I suppose I could say it'll give up the ghost next month, but I hope not:whistle:(y)
 
Upvote 0

Nigel&Debbie

Free Member
Nov 20, 2012
322
212
Full Timer
Funster No
23,740
MH
Autotrail Dakota
Exp
since Jan 2013
I've just recently bought this one and more then pleased, my old Tom Tom is k nackered , so this fits the bill for me. The maps updates etc are stated as free for the life time of the sat nav, okay I suppose I could say it'll give up the ghost next month, but I hope not:whistle:(y)


If you read the small print the map updates are ony free for the duration that Tomtom supports the navcore (operating system like windows). At this moment in time, tomtom are regulary upgrading their navcores so I would be very surprised if they last more than a few years. Your machine should outlast the updates by many years, however you wont be able to update the maps yourself (away from Tomtom web site free of charge) due to the linux based operating system that the newer machines (since 2011) now use.

If tomtom were to offer actual free lifetime updates, their business would collapse!!! The same applies to Garmin

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0

scotjimland

LIFE MEMBER
Jul 25, 2007
2,086
9,024
Suffolk Coastal District, UK
Funster No
15
MH
Timberland
If tomtom were to offer actual free lifetime updates, their business would collapse!!! The same applies to Garmin

whoa hasn't bought a TT .. he bought the same Garmin as myself.. looks good to me.. my last TT would cost more to update the maps than it was worth.. another reason to buy Garmin ..

http://www.garmin.com/en-US/legal/lmdisclaimer
Lifetime Maps Terms & Conditions
If you purchase a nüMaps Lifetime subscription (sold separately) or if your Garmin product comes bundled with a nüMaps Lifetime or other lifetime map subscription, you will receive map data updates when and as such updates are made available on Garmin.com during the useful life of 1 compatible Garmin product or as long as Garmin receives map data from a third party supplier, whichever is shorter. A product’s “useful life” means the period during which the product (a) has sufficient memory capacity and other required technical capabilities to utilize current map data and (b) is capable of operating as intended without major repairs. A product will be deemed to be out of service and its useful life to be ended if no updates have been downloaded for such product for a period of 24 months or more. Unless otherwise stated, the updates you receive under the subscription will be updates to the same geographic area included with your Garmin product when originally purchased. In some instances, your Garmin product might not have sufficient memory remaining for you to load an update to the map data, in which case you will need to either (a) select reduced map data coverage for your updates, or (b) purchase separately a microSD™/SD™ card (if and as applicable to your Garmin product) and load all or a portion of the map data coverage for your updates to the card and insert the card into the microSD/SD card slot contained in your Garmin product. If neither of the measures in (a) or (b) can be used to address your product’s lack of sufficient remaining memory, then Garmin may conclude that the “useful life” of your product has expired. Garmin may terminate your nüMaps Lifetime or other lifetime map subscription at any time if you violate any of the terms of this agreement or your subscription. Your nüMaps Lifetime subscription or other lifetime map subscription may not be transferred to another person or another Garmin product.
 
Upvote 0

Nigel&Debbie

Free Member
Nov 20, 2012
322
212
Full Timer
Funster No
23,740
MH
Autotrail Dakota
Exp
since Jan 2013
(a) has sufficient memory capacity and other required technical capabilities to utilize current map data and

'other required technical capabilities' - the devil is in the detail.

This has been bottomed out on the GPS forums, and Tomtom, Igo and Garmin have all stated when pushed that the updates will only be available so long as they activily support the model (as sold). This means the actual operating systems.

Even microsoft stops giving updates to its product when it decides to bring out newer versions - check out XP etc. Otherwise few would bother updating
 
Upvote 0

Big Lad

Free Member
Mar 9, 2015
106
74
Tamworth
Funster No
35,385
MH
Lunar Roadstar 570E
Exp
2015
For me, I bought a cheap one from ebay for £35, with a 7 inch screen and after testing, does work well for the money, warns me of speed cameras and low bridges etc.. can be set for size and weight of the van / truck.

If anyone's in the market for a Garmin, Aldis will have them in stock on the 26th this coming week,
along with other camping stuff

Broken Link Removed
 
Upvote 0

Whiskygolf

Free Member
Nov 6, 2014
5
2
Scotland
Funster No
34,139
MH
Elddis flyte111 Barnacle
Exp
I'm a Newbie 01/12/2014. Caravanner since 1978.
I purchased a Falcon 7" Sat Nav at the Scottish Caravan & Motorhome show in Febuary (£299) I have no complaints to date and it allowed me to input motorhome specifics. Twice yearly updates included.
 
Upvote 0

Gellyneck

LIFE MEMBER
Jun 5, 2014
9,132
17,986
Scotland
Funster No
31,836
MH
C Class
Exp
More than toes wet now!
One thing you may want to consider is the option to install Garmin BaseCamp (free dowmload - http://www.garmin.com/en-GB/shop/downloads/basecamp) on your pc or mac.
You can then plan routes on this and upload to a Garmin sat nav.
I find this easier as you can "drag" the route around on your pc if you want to eg avoid specific roads \ areas \ etc.
 
Upvote 0

Avril

Free Member
Mar 19, 2015
1
0
Portglenone
Funster No
35,501
MH
Auto trail Imala
Exp
I'm a newbie!
Someone told me the caravan sat nav only sticks to main roads and will take you the long way round sometimes! Has this happened to anyone?
 
Upvote 0

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Funsters who are viewing this thread

Back
Top