Sat nav. Which one ? (1 Viewer)

[pampam]

hubbys phone is only tiny and he struggles to use sat nav on it when hes alone ,i thought we could buy a sat nav 7” or even bigger that sticks to windscreen ,thats easy to use ,(we had a tomtom years ago but sold it when phones had the app for maps) does anybody have any advise on good or bad makes? Thought about a truck one for when we have caravan on the back of the transit , he had an inpromptu visit to manchester yesterday and got lost, so this has urged me to look at sat navs for the elderley cheers pampam

 

[Ejaydee]

Personally I have always found the Garmin units to be good, although I understand the Tom Tom ones are ok as well. I have a motorhome/camper specific one (7700 I think). however, good as they are, they have to be used with a degree of common sense, because they do sometimes try to divert you in a direction you do not want to go!

 

[Pausim]

Perhaps a new dash radio with with a large display and CarPlay/AndroidAuto so that the phone can display the navigation apps on it. Google and Waze maps work really well that way.

 

[Al n Val]

I had a Garmin 770 Camper and now the 890, I wouldn’t have anything else

 

[Wingingit#1]

We bought a pioneer radio/HU and the nav died on it just outside its warranty period not impressed.
We shall be looking for a Garmin now i reckon .

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[headlight]

I bought a cheap Chinese 7' XGody truck sat nav at the beginning of the year (£50 then £60 odd now I think).
You can input vehicle dimensions and weight.
So far it has worked fine.

 

[Deadloss]

Another vote for Garmin - there are many different versions depending on your needs - but I've always found the Garmin interface intuitive and it's easy to keep the maps and firmware up to date.

 

[Hoovie]

I reckon Sat Navs end up being a matter of choosing the one that you like the interface of most, and that is probably more important than going for one because it is £5 or £10 cheaper than another.

The Xgody one seems to be quite popular. Personally I disliked it a lot and dumped the one I got to try.
The TomTom setup I recall is quite nice bit I've not used the TomTom I have for about 15 years.
I used Google Maps via Android Auto in the car a few days ago. Bit too chatty for my liking and wanted to take me on some weird diversions. Handy to have though I think if other option is no Sat Nav
Had a few built-in units that came with cars - work, but the update costs is insane. You can buy a complete Sat Nav for the cost of a Map update from Toyota for example.

But the one I end up always going back to and seems to just work for me is the Garmin. The very first GPS I got back in 2001 was a Garmin Vista and I've had a few Garmin's now, with the current one being a Camper 660 with wireless rear camera, settable dimensions and a 6" screen. Had that one for around 5 years and I like it.

 

[heliart]

I got to say the Garmin 1090 Camper has been brilliant. It's big enough to read and I use it for speedo also. Plus, I had a problem with it recently where it would reset every hour or so while in use. I raised an online support ticket with Garmin and they processed a free return and shipped me a new unit all within a few days. Brilliant after sales service.

 

[Carpmart]

Garmin here too, very intuitive interface.

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[SpeedyDux]

I got to say the Garmin 1090 Camper has been brilliant. It's big enough to read and I use it for speedo also. Plus, I had a problem with it recently where it would reset every hour or so while in use. I raised an online support ticket with Garmin and they processed a free return and shipped me a new unit all within a few days. Brilliant after sales service.

The resetting problem could be down to the power cable coming loose in the satnav's USB socket, as happened with both our Garmins. A small piece of blutack holds the joint together; since then we have had no more issues.

Another top tip: To avoid satnavs cooking their electronic bits, in summer they need to be mounted so they get the benefit of an AC vent on top of the dash. I wouldn't bother with the windscreen sucker kind of mount which always falls off at an inconvenient moment.

Anyhow I am a Garmin fan, but to be fair I have never owned a tomtom nor a Chinese truck satnav for comparison. My original Garmin Nuvi from 2007 is still working so its rugged quality is quite impressive. I mainly use the 7" Camper 760 LMT-D, now getting a bit long in the tooth but working well regardless. The volume can be set loud enough to be heard above all the noise in the cab.

Finally, my main gripe is that Garmin's change of "lifetime" free traffic info supplier necessitated buying a new power cable with integrated traffic receiver and new "lifetime subscription" included. Watch out that you buy the right version for Europe not the one that only works in Australia!

 

[Landy Andy]

An iPad, or tablet, offer a much bigger screen, and a variety of satnav programs, with many more options.

 

[AndyPK]

Garmin with 7” screen (and BC40 wireless rear-view/reversing camera too!).

 

[Verteuil Man]

Another vote for Garmin. Plenty of map update downloads and a handy interface.

 

[andysam]

I've upgraded my Co-Pilot paid for life licence to the motorhome version @ £26 pa and I am just waiting for a 10" tablet to arrive to mirror/cast to. If it works it'll be a cheaper option than a larger screen Garmin. I'll report back!

In the meantime I have abandoned my car/motorcycle favourite of Waze for the van as waze hates any type of delay and has no qualms about sending you down very narrow and unsuitable roads in a MH. If it had a MH version, I would get that though as real time on scene incident reporting is fantastic.

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[Reallyretired]

I have a 9" xgody, and a 7" one as a backup. I also have copilot truck on a 10" tablet but prefer the xgody. Usually set to 'easy' routing as it then doesn't take silly shortcuts and keeps road changes to a minimum. In my car generally just use the built in sat nav or google maps or waze via android auto.

 

[GJH]

I reckon Sat Navs end up being a matter of choosing the one that you like the interface of most, and that is probably more important than going for one because it is £5 or £10 cheaper than another.

I agree that interface is important. When I did some unscientific comparisons a few years ago I came down in favour of Garmin.

I would not use the Xgody/Noza Tec/similar devices because (having been a victim) I have a strong dislike of software thieves. As mentioned in the article, I bought one and only subsequently (as a result of map updates becoming unreliable) discovered that the software (code and maps) was pirated.

 

[hja]

We need a sat nav! The only ones we have ever used have been built into the car. And we dont use those a lot. Our previous motorhome (Autosleeper) had a built in one which we never got our heads round. This van doesnt have one. We are used to using maps, but in a recent trip where we got lost in an urban area a sat nav might have been useful. I have read this thread and others on the topic and am still very confused.
1. they seem very expensive £300+ for a motorhome specific one. Do you get what you pay for?
2. daft question - where do you put them, how do you attach them? Our van is a ducato with one of those tablet flaps on the dash. Would that be suitable?
3. presumably you need to hide it every time you stop?
4.looking at the Garmin 780 and it said only a 1 or 2 hour battery life. How do you charge it while driving?
5. the garmin 785 has a dash cam. Does that affect where you can place them? Is it worth bothering with? Especially as it costs a lot more.
Thank you

 

[ctc]

I bought a cheap Chinese 7' XGody truck sat nav at the beginning of the year (£50 then £60 odd now I think).
You can input vehicle dimensions and weight.
So far it has worked fine.

Did the same, no problems apart from my own mistakes. Cheap reliable what's not to like.

 

[Ryan prince]

hubbys phone is only tiny and he struggles to use sat nav on it when hes alone ,i thought we could buy a sat nav 7” or even bigger that sticks to windscreen ,thats easy to use ,(we had a tomtom years ago but sold it when phones had the app for maps) does anybody have any advise on good or bad makes? Thought about a truck one for when we have caravan on the back of the transit , he had an inpromptu visit to manchester yesterday and got lost, so this has urged me to look at sat navs for the elderley cheers pampam

It’s a Avtex tourer for me powered by Garmin, great build quality with plenty of updates available and download capacity

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[Hoovie]

Did the same, no problems apart from my own mistakes. Cheap reliable what's not to like.

The interface.
I tried one and then got another Garmin

 

[claude et maude]

We need a sat nav! The only ones we have ever used have been built into the car. And we dont use those a lot. Our previous motorhome (Autosleeper) had a built in one which we never got our heads round. This van doesnt have one. We are used to using maps, but in a recent trip where we got lost in an urban area a sat nav might have been useful. I have read this thread and others on the topic and am still very confused.
1. they seem very expensive £300+ for a motorhome specific one. Do you get what you pay for?
2. daft question - where do you put them, how do you attach them? Our van is a ducato with one of those tablet flaps on the dash. Would that be suitable?
3. presumably you need to hide it every time you stop?
4.looking at the Garmin 780 and it said only a 1 or 2 hour battery life. How do you charge it while driving?
5. the garmin 785 has a dash cam. Does that affect where you can place them? Is it worth bothering with? Especially as it costs a lot more.
Thank you

I have an iPad Mini with Copilot on it and an iPad mount from Amazon, does the job perfectly. I didn’t spend too much on the iPad Mini as I hat a refurbished one.

 

[Wh05apk]

We have just bought a Samsung s6 lite tablet, it has a 10" screen and we can run Google maps, waze, Road Lords, sygic truck, or any other software. We also have search 4 sites etc so can link direct from those to the sat nav.
The 10" screen makes it easy and clear.
It clips into the pull up mount easily, and can be charged via USB.
We only paid £209 for this which is similar to a standalone sat nav unit, but this gives us everything a tablet can do, emails, netflix etc.

 

[DDJC]

I have an iPad Mini with Copilot on it and an iPad mount from Amazon, does the job perfectly. I didn’t spend too much on the iPad Mini as I hat a refurbished one.

Same. As much as I dislike the greediness of Trimble, their parent company, the Caravan version of CoPilot is the best IMO. Add a cheap 10" tablet and you have your solution. It doesn't need a constant data connection like most systems, as it stores the maps inside. Just make sure you do a map update before you leave on your trip. The Live Traffic facility comes as part of the caravan version, so I DO keep data on the tablet, but you don't need to.

 

[Wanderlust]

I use TomTom every day in the truck, 2 years on this one so far, as mentioned already the routing can be a bit odd sometimes, expecting a 40ft double deck trailer to spin round on a mini roundabout is a bit optimistic. My only issue is paying for live traffic updates every year. It is good for width/height restrictions though. Always get plenty of notice for low bridges en route.

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[claude et maude]

Same. As much as I dislike the greediness of Trimble, their parent company, the Caravan version of CoPilot is the best IMO. Add a cheap 10" tablet and you have your solution. It doesn't need a constant data connection like most systems, as it stores the maps inside. Just make sure you do a map update before you leave on your trip. The Live Traffic facility comes as part of the caravan version, so I DO keep data on the tablet, but you don't need to.

Also, a reminder for anyone going down the iPad route like I have, it needs to be a cellular iPad as these are the ones which have the GPS chip in them. No need for a SIM card but it does need to be the cellular version.

 

[Wh05apk]

Same. As much as I dislike the greediness of Trimble, their parent company, the Caravan version of CoPilot is the best IMO. Add a cheap 10" tablet and you have your solution. It doesn't need a constant data connection like most systems, as it stores the maps inside. Just make sure you do a map update before you leave on your trip. The Live Traffic facility comes as part of the caravan version, so I DO keep data on the tablet, but you don't need to.

I have not used Co-pilot for some time, how does it compare to the Cygic truck/roadlords etc? We seemed to have problems with just about all of the other systems when we drove down to spain, we set to avoid tolls, but all seemed to keep trying to send us down toll roads.

 

[Riverbankannie]

We need a sat nav! The only ones we have ever used have been built into the car. And we dont use those a lot. Our previous motorhome (Autosleeper) had a built in one which we never got our heads round. This van doesnt have one. We are used to using maps, but in a recent trip where we got lost in an urban area a sat nav might have been useful. I have read this thread and others on the topic and am still very confused.
1. they seem very expensive £300+ for a motorhome specific one. Do you get what you pay for?
2. daft question - where do you put them, how do you attach them? Our van is a ducato with one of those tablet flaps on the dash. Would that be suitable?
3. presumably you need to hide it every time you stop?
4.looking at the Garmin 780 and it said only a 1 or 2 hour battery life. How do you charge it while driving?
5. the garmin 785 has a dash cam. Does that affect where you can place them? Is it worth bothering with? Especially as it costs a lot more.
Thank you

If you have a PVC then I wouldn’t bother with a MH specific one. With all satnavs you still need to be aware of route set to destination and check any unlikely looking “cut through” turnings it might take you.
We prefer the garmin ones after using other types such as Tom Tom
We keep ours on a dashboard weighted pad (amazon) which sits in front of the clipboard which we never use.
We have never bothered to hide it .

I have run a splitter connection from the cig lighter type socket to the dashboard compartment in from of passenger. The splitter gives me a socket for the satnav, one for the dash cam (nextbase) and a usb outlet for my phone. All the extra lengths of cable tucked into the compartment.

 

[JockandRita]

I love my Xgody X4 9" Truck Sat Nav, with the latest mapping on it.

Admittedly, you have to be computer savvy, to install the latest maps and Truck files.

I too have a 7" unit as a backup.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[cyberyacht]

I have an iPad Mini with Copilot on it and an iPad mount from Amazon, does the job perfectly. I didn’t spend too much on the iPad Mini as I hat a refurbished one.

I didn't think any of the iPad mini's had a GPS chip. Has that changed?