Good value on truckers sat nav (1 Viewer)

[JohnH]

just saw this in a Maplins email. Thought it was a bargain.
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[IanF]

Can I ask respectfully what does it do that units £200 cheaper can't do?

 

[Bailey58]

Certainly cheaper than some of these trucknavs but it would have to go some to beat the Chinese satnav many of us bought from @Jaws for around £30.

 

[JockandRita]

Certainly cheaper than some of these trucknavs but it would have to go some to beat the Chinese satnav many of us bought from @Jaws for around £30.

I thought they were Dash Cameras that John was selling. I know I bought one.

I have to say, that the sixty something quid I paid for a Chinese Truck Sat Nav from Navibuzz on Ebay, was definitely money well spent. Although I have kept a hold of my TT720 with European Truck Maps, I prefer my Chinese one.

No way will I spend hundreds of pounds on a Sat Nav device again, whilst these reliable Chinese units are available.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...+Sat+Nav&_nkw=Navibuzz+Truck+Sat+Nav&_sacat=0

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[GJH]

If it was save £249.99, only £60 I might go for it

I agree with Jock.

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[Bailey58]

Yes you're right Jock. There were so many threads on both and I bought both and it was sooooo long ago . . . . .

 

[JohnH]

Can I ask respectfully what does it do that units £200 cheaper can't do?

Allows the user to enter vehicle dimensions which should inhibit using narrow roads, low bridges etc. it is a reputable make with both traffic and mapping updates for life. I have a Garmin sat nav and the map updates reflect changes to the roads and come usually every quarter.
I only quoted it because truck sat navs are usually more expensive.

 

[Reallyretired]

The Chinese one's do that too. Very pleased with mine

 

[JockandRita]

The Chinese one's do that too.

And more.

They also come with "lifetime" software and map updates.

I used to think that TomTom was good, but now, I just think that we the buying public, have been ripped off over the years.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[trekkin]

I thought they were Dash Cameras that John was selling. I know I bought one.

I have to say, that the sixty something quid I paid for a Chinese Truck Sat Nav from Navibuzz on Ebay, was definitely money well spent. Although I have kept a hold of my TT720 with European Truck Maps, I prefer my Chinese one.

No way will I spend hundreds of pounds on a Sat Nav device again, whilst these reliable Chinese units are available.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...+Sat+Nav&_nkw=Navibuzz+Truck+Sat+Nav&_sacat=0

Cheers,

Jock.

Looked at these a few times, but reluctant to commit as The choice of models/suppliers/manufacturers was vast and I was unsure of what quality /functionality these were. Do I take it from your post that this one in your link is good and reliable and a good buy

Many thanks

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[cruiser]

thanks a lot. but the Chinese one are very good

 

[JockandRita]

Do I take it from your post that this one in your link is good and reliable and a good buy

The link showed several, and whilst most of them will be the same or similar, many of us reliably purchased from Navibuzz. I am not recommending any on the link, and only posted it as an example.
Click on an item, then look at the seller.

Sorry, but I don't know how to search for the seller.

HTH,

Jock.

 

[GJH]

Allows the user to enter vehicle dimensions which should inhibit using narrow roads, low bridges etc. it is a reputable make with both traffic and mapping updates for life. I have a Garmin sat nav and the map updates reflect changes to the roads and come usually every quarter.
I only quoted it because truck sat navs are usually more expensive.

Nothing wrong with the OP, help is always appreciated

The problem with sat navs from the well known manufacturers is that they are often over priced (especially large vehicle ones).

 

[JohnH]

I don't know. I made a posting commenting on something I thought was a reduced price buy and get "shot down in flames". I can see how some of these posts get some hot under the collar.
It is almost like saying I have seen an advert for Lagavullin Scotch Whisky and then being told by many that they can buy a single malt from Aldi for a fifth of the price. We all know you can but the one from Aldi is not Lagavullin.
So please, if someone goes to the trouble to post a positive (however minuscule the benefit) be positive and just be thankful that you know more than you did previously.

 

[Bailey58]

Sorry John, I don't think I was too negative in my reply but whilst it is cheaper, as said, than many labelled brands many of us thought there were better options and said so. Wouldn't do if we agreed with everything so keep posting.

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[bhs]

I have aquired 3 sat navs over the years, two of them from the big guns, all still work but a map update for our european trip is about to cost me much more than the purchase of a new, bigger, more featured truck version from our chinese friends, am happy to take a chance on the thing lasting but what I'm not clear on is who's maps are being used? Is the mapping any good? Anyone have experience? Mr Tom Tom has taken us up some interesting dead ends so I know none of them are perfect, Thanks

 

[Zains Pops]

My £40 Chinese sat Nav has gas just taken us around France ok. I will ever buy another TT or Garmin. These Chinko units can't be beaten.

 

[RowleyBirkinQC]

We bought the Garmin Camper 760 on a St George's day sale from Halfords for around £220 (missed out on the Aldi offer). Applied the latest software and map updates before leaving for France, which was an easy/painless exercise. Setup vehicle dimensions to be slightly larger than our AT Tracker with "fastest route" preference. However, despite this, it has still attempted to direct us down some questionable routes/roads around some small French towns/villages on our current trip. I guess the vehicle size routing is only as good as the mapping data available, not all roads will necessarily have it.

On reflection, with benefit of hindsight and the reported experiences of others here, I would now probably give a cheap Chinese truck variant a go. May even get one for comparative purposes with the Garmin.

 

[GJH]

However, despite this, it has still attempted to direct us down some questionable routes/roads around some small French towns/villages on our current trip.I guess the vehicle size routing is only as good as the mapping data available, not all roads will necessarily have it.

That is true of all the large vehicle sat navs, the factor which put me off from buying one for so long. Having said that, I think "questionable" can be a matter of perception sometimes. As I posted Here, a couple of weeks ago, after doing the sort of comparison you mention, some routes might be uncomfortable for some drivers even though they are passable, as buses prove every day.

I would be very interested in your observations if you do buy a Chinese model for comparison. As I said, mine was hands-on rather than scientific so it would be interesting to see what other people find.

 

[RowleyBirkinQC]

Just read your linked thread, very interesting.

By "questionable" I recall a couple of examples which made no sense to me at the time (don't recall the specific road or towns without referring to map):-

1) being setup for fastest route, the Garmin took us off the main route and around inner town roads, to meet up with the same main route thereafter. Presumably, the main signed route was a minor bypass which perhaps the maps were unaware of? It was not unpleasant from a tourist perspective though.

2) Attempted to direct us down a very narrow side street off the signed route which was through a small town. No clue what happened there, we ignored Ms Garmin and carried on without needing to take any corrective action or re-routing thereafter.

3) Similar to above, Ms Garmin attempted to direct us off of a main route by referencing a right turn into a 'D' road number which did not correspond to the signed 'D' road number for said road junction. I also could not find the claimed 'D' road in the road atlas at that point. Go figure... Again, we carried on in the original direction of travel without needing corrective action or re-routing.

Just highlights that you need to use the electrickery with some common sense, act accordingly if it doesn't "feel right".

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[GJH]

Just read your linked thread, very interesting.

By "questionable" I recall a couple of examples which made no sense to me at the time (don't recall the specific road or towns without referring to map):-

1) being setup for fastest route, the Garmin took us off the main route and around inner town roads, to meet up with the same main route thereafter. Presumably, the main signed route was a minor bypass which perhaps the maps were unaware of? It was not unpleasant from a tourist perspective though.

2) Attempted to direct us down a very narrow side street off the signed route which was through a small town. No clue what happened there, we ignored Ms Garmin and carried on without needing to take any corrective action or re-routing thereafter.

3) Similar to above, Ms Garmin attempted to direct us off of a main route by referencing a right turn into a 'D' road number which did not correspond to the signed 'D' road number for said road junction. I also could not find the claimed 'D' road in the road atlas at that point. Go figure... Again, we carried on in the original direction of travel without needing corrective action or re-routing.

Just highlights that you need to use the electrickery with some common sense, act accordingly if it doesn't "feel right".

You're certainly right about the need for common sense

As regards the routing examples, the trouble with all sat navs is that they are thick as two short planks sometimes. When set up for fastest route they will pick one over the other even if it is just (apparently) 1 second, or even less, faster and not take account of prevailing traffic conditions.

It also depends on size defaults and, as I mentioned, the Noza Tec seems to use HGV defaults rather than entered measurements sometimes. On our trip we were taken through Grantham by the Garmin when the Noza Tec would have taken us south of the town and up the A1. It was busy through the town but perfectly passable.

 

[Zepp]

We have a snooper s700 motorhome sat nav and a cheap basic tomtom go , we have been using them both in our motorhome for the last 6 years .

We have a 8.75m A Class LHD Motorhome I have the snooper mounted on my side of the cab and due to the angle Lynne can’t see it so she mounted the tomtom on her side of the van.

The snooper is not perfect but some of the routes the tomtom wanted to take us I would not take a car .

This is just my opinion I will always follow the snooper over the tomtom


No matter what satnav you buy you will always need a good map to check routes we also use Osm on our Tablet ( its free) and its great for checking routes and you can zoom into your destination.

Paul

 

[mjltigger]

Ok so our new van is a little bigger than our old one so I'm now up for one of these but.. first, does it actually cater for vans or not.. I mean if I put my vans sizes in will it still take me down Cornish single track roads with passing places (they are different to other single track roads with passing places because they don't have any passing places) or will it just treat me like a car because I'm small..

Second, is this one right?Broken Link Removed

 

[JockandRita]

Ok so our new van is a little bigger than our old one so I'm now up for one of these but.. first, does it actually cater for vans or not.. I mean if I put my vans sizes in will it still take me down Cornish single track roads with passing places (they are different to other single track roads with passing places because they don't have any passing places) or will it just treat me like a car because I'm small..

Second, is this one right?Broken Link Removed

The link you provide shows that there doesn't appear to be a wall charger.

This one is from navibuzz, which many of us have bought from, and appear to be happy with. It also has 12Gb memory rather than the usual 4Gb or 8Gb.

Broken Link Removed

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[GJH]

Ok so our new van is a little bigger than our old one so I'm now up for one of these but.. first, does it actually cater for vans or not.. I mean if I put my vans sizes in will it still take me down Cornish single track roads with passing places (they are different to other single track roads with passing places because they don't have any passing places) or will it just treat me like a car because I'm small..

Second, is this one right?Broken Link Removed

As noted in my Broken Link Removed, the Chinese offerings tend to use standard truck defaults sometimes, rather than input dimensions, but that does err on the side of caution.
However, you may well be taken down roads that are narrow, especially if there are no practical alternatives. We were (quite properly) taken along the A149 in Norfolk, for instance, which is a bus route but can be difficult to negotiate in places if there is oncoming traffic and/or vehicles are parked at the road side.

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[MattR]

We've got an old Garmin (1o yrs old) and a Chinese Sat Nav. I prefer the functionality of the Chinese one but the Garmin still holds it own and has been a little more reliable.

The worst feature that I would liked changed on the Chinese model is the U turn feature - it does not seem to work - if I overshoot a junction or my destination it recalculates the route as if U turns are not always available (even though I have enabled them) so what would have been a 100m distance to turn around and reach my destination has been calculated as a 20 mile circular route.

In the UK however, I also use my smart phone and google maps as it has traffic info and identifies routes based on congestion etc.

None of them are perfect in every situation but all have their advantages.

 

[GJH]

The worst feature that I would liked changed on the Chinese model is the U turn feature - it does not seem to work - if I overshoot a junction or my destination it recalculates the route as if U turns are not always available (even though I have enabled them) so what would have been a 100m distance to turn around and reach my destination has been calculated as a 20 mile circular route.

I think that may be one of the "problems" caused by the software sometimes using standard truck defaults rather than the dimensions input. Our vehicles might be perfectly capable of executing a U turn but a truck might not.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

1) being setup for fastest route, the Garmin took us off the main route and around inner town roads, to meet up with the same main route thereafter. Presumably, the main signed route was a minor bypass which perhaps the maps were unaware of? It was not unpleasant from a tourist perspective though.

Does it monitor traffic data? If so it could have been diverting you around congestion or roadworks. I know the ones I have in the car and MH do that.

 

[JockandRita]

Unchecking the "avoid U turns" box, did the trick for me, and now provides the audible instruction, "turn around where possible".

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[MattR]

I think that may be one of the "problems" caused by the software sometimes using standard truck defaults rather than the dimensions input. Our vehicles might be perfectly capable of executing a U turn but a truck might not.

That seems likely but it would be good if it came up with a statement saying something like "Make a U-Turn if possible or continue on this new route". Some trucks will be able to turn in driveways etc. where juggernauts etc. would not find it as easy.

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