SatNav for Motorhomes

[bri]

Hiya,can anyone recommend a reliable sat Nav which is motorhome friendly of course.
Mines a zenec and I'm not impressed at all.it identifies 60 mph in a 40zone and doesn't give accurate navigation on a good day.thank you in advance

 

[Cal54]

I have a Garmin 770 which I am well pleased with but I have previously had a cheap Chinese one which was accurate. The only problem I had with the cheap one was the light on the screen - it came with a sun shade which should have been a warning to me that there might be an issue in bright light.!
Difference in price was approx £200 so that might be a consideration.

 

[Barryh]

I’m pleased, so far, with my Garmin 785 Camper which has a built in dash cam. Not had a chance to use it outside the UK though.

 

[AndyPK]

Another vote for Garmin -

Garmin Camper 770LMT-D​

(coupled with a Garmin BC40 wireless camera)

 

[TDub49]

Plus one more for the Garmin 770 (providing you remember to keep the Garmin Express app up to date . . ).

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[WildBunch]

I have 2 Garmin units one for the car & one for the MoHo. I picked Garmin because they were making units for aviation long before they were commonly used in cars. That is not to say they don't do some strange things every so often.

 

[SpeedyDux]

No real complaints about our Garmin 760 LMT-D (there are newer models).

An advantage of the 7" satnavs is the bigger built-in speaker, so I can hear the directions better. I wouldn't use a 5" satnav in a MH for that reason, as well as preferring a bigger screen anyway.

 

[Manic]

I use an Avtex tourer one ( rebadged Garmin 770)

 

[Andacami]

The Garmin for me too. There is a lot of discussion on these very forums and others (I've not done a search but the list of similar threads below should be useful) about other brands, some favouring the cheaper lorry type Chinese units and phone/tablet apps.

 

[Catpirate]

I have an older Garmin 660, can set up for motorhome has bluetooth for phone and has lifetime maps. It is also a 7" screen. Suits me well and may be available cheaper then the newer units. I needed to wire it in using the Garmin power supply which uses a cigar lighter plug had to wire in a female socket then tape them together behind the dash.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lucky]

If you can manage without the debatable benefits of the satnav knowing your vehicle dimensions I'd recommend using a tablet with Google Maps.

It works very well and the fact it's free if you own a tablet is a bonus.

 

[Catpirate]

I personally would not like to be without the dimension capability. My garmin has never sent me down a road that was not usable. My Moho is 8.2 long and over 3m tall and 2,3m wide, google maps often got me in trouble.

 

[Old Gibber]

Hiya,can anyone recommend a reliable sat Nav which is motorhome friendly of course.
Mines a zenec and I'm not impressed at all.it identifies 60 mph in a 40zone and doesn't give accurate navigation on a good day.thank you in advance

Firstly the sat nav is only as good as the mapping programmes it uses, and there are very few of those. The two most common are Tom Tom and Garmin. Don't expect any sat nav to be 100% accurate. For instance Google refuses to ever let me turn left out of my cul-de-sac, even though a right turn is often longer.

Secondly what do you define as "accurate navigation"? Shortest, fastest, avoiding narrow roads etc.? Before splashing out on another sat nav I'd explore all the menu options available on yours, until you find the best compromise. Most sat navs now take into account traffic levels and so often you will never get the same route twice. Most sat navs also have a preview and alternate route feature. Have you used that to get the best route for you?

Most often problems with sat navs are caused by user error.

 

[Catpirate]

I use waze for info but if there is a route conflict I use the Garmin.

 

[Al n Val]

I used to use a Garmin 770 Camper and found it to be 99.9% spot on, i've since upgraded to the newer 890 Camper and so far its been 100% spot on although not been across the water yet.

That said i'm very confident it will be great

Happy New Year

Al

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Brains]

Hiya,can anyone recommend a reliable sat Nav which is motorhome friendly of course.
Mines a zenec and I'm not impressed at all.it identifies 60 mph in a 40zone and doesn't give accurate navigation on a good day.thank you in advance

I too have a Zenec unit, (Fitted as standard in Mercedes based motorhomes)
I agree they are not very good, my 13 year old TomTom has better and easier functionality.

But as has been pointed out upthread GPS depend on running up to data information.
You should not expect to navigate the UK on a 100 year old map.
You should not expect to navigate the UK on a GPS that is 100 weeks out of date.

You Zenec unit will have been supplied with basic data, my 2018 van came with a last update of 2015!
Once I had purchased an update (€89.00) the improvement was noticeable, not just accuracy but also additional features,

Zenec produce one update a year, usually in Q2, so if you buy it now you will be getting year old data, if you can wait until April-May 22, then you will be as up to date as you can be.

As an FYI, the map data Zenec use is provided by TomTom, so if you buy another GPS unit, check who the data provider is, and how often they update at what cost. Many of the GPS units use TomTom data

(I've decided to buy the 2022 update for the whole of Europe once it's released for €120)

 

[WESTY66]

I’m pleased, so far, with my Garmin 785 Camper which has a built in dash cam. Not had a chance to use it outside the UK though.

I’ve too got one of these, very good, however I think the speed limit for 4500kg moho on the German motorways is 80kmh according to Google (somebody correct me if I’m wrong) the Garmin said I could do 100kmh

 

[Dobby 2]

Garmin definitely. We've had a Garmin 760 LMT-D for a few years now. Easy to update with Garmin Express and easy to install custom POI's. Accurate, including speeds, most of the time but has, on the odd occasion, sent me down an unsuitable short cut. Has a good speaker, 7" screen, blootooth for phone (Apple and Android) and speech recognition. Free traffic and map updates for life. We have a 4.5 t and it's always telling me off for going to fast.

 

[Quackers]

Another Garmin 770.

 

[bri]

I too have a Zenec unit, (Fitted as standard in Mercedes based motorhomes)
I agree they are not very good, my 13 year old TomTom has better and easier functionality.

But as has been pointed out upthread GPS depend on running up to data information.
You should not expect to navigate the UK on a 100 year old map.
You should not expect to navigate the UK on a GPS that is 100 weeks out of date.

You Zenec unit will have been supplied with basic data, my 2018 van came with a last update of 2015!
Once I had purchased an update (€89.00) the improvement was noticeable, not just accuracy but also additional features,

Zenec produce one update a year, usually in Q2, so if you buy it now you will be getting year old data, if you can wait until April-May 22, then you will be as up to date as you can be.

As an FYI, the map data Zenec use is provided by TomTom, so if you buy another GPS unit, check who the data provider is, and how often they update at what cost. Many of the GPS units use TomTom data

(I've decided to buy the 2022 update for the whole of Europe once it's released for €120)

Thank you,my MH is2019 so it will definitely require an update, unfortunately due to health issues we're not going to be needing Europe inclusion for some time but how do l actually buy and update my satnav?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[bri]

Firstly the sat nav is only as good as the mapping programmes it uses, and there are very few of those. The two most common are Tom Tom and Garmin. Don't expect any sat nav to be 100% accurate. For instance Google refuses to ever let me turn left out of my cul-de-sac, even though a right turn is often longer.

Secondly what do you define as "accurate navigation"? Shortest, fastest, avoiding narrow roads etc.? Before splashing out on another sat nav I'd explore all the menu options available on yours, until you find the best compromise. Most sat navs now take into account traffic levels and so often you will never get the same route twice. Most sat navs also have a preview and alternate route feature. Have you used that to get the best route for you?

Most often problems with sat navs are caused by user error.

Thank you for the information l think I'm going to do some more playing with the one I've got and try to understand it better

 

[POH]

Avtex tourer 2 only once has it taken me down a dodgy Rd but other than that it's been OK

 

[robnchris]

Another vote for the

Garmin Camper 770LMT-D​

Plus my Wife Chrissie with a paper map just to make certain.

 

[martin2603]

Just to be different Snooper Ventura, we have had several of the truck versions over the past 20 years all have been reliable . The Ventura is the Camper/Motorhome version. Would be good to be able to use it a bit more !

 

[Snoopy]

We have the Aguri Dx720
Hubby saw it advertised in the C&CC magazine couple years back now, it has all the sites pre loaded in their, which helps, if that is your choice?
Pop in dimensions, changes from car to motorhome use, larger screen suited us..goodluck

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Old Gibber]

Thank you for the information l think I'm going to do some more playing with the one I've got and try to understand it better

I've got a different motorhome sat nav, but it also uses Tom Tom maps, and has been pretty good touring the UK and Europe. I find the best mode is Eco. It avoids narrow roads where possible, and is a compromise between shortest route and fastest route.

 

[TDub49]

Possibly helpful article here (if you can navigate through the adverts and don't mind the odd repetition of text. Tell you what the source data is for the major satnav producers and lists some of the pros and cons.

How satnav maps are made

When a lorry driver wedged his 13-tonne truck between a house and an estate agent in Somerset recently, the media was quick to point the finger of blame

www.alphr.com

 

[Two Rivers]

I have a Gamin for the motorcycle which is good for two wheels, not the best thing to use in a large vehicle, Have a dash fitted Tomtom in the Mo-Ho, Bloody useless, sent me down goat tracks on more than one occasion

 

[Paulypaul]

I use Tomtom truck 6000 series in the lorry and one on the van. You can set it up for exact vehicle dimensions, axle weights etc and it will determine which routes are suited for the vehicle and will also determine the speed limits applicable, throughout Europe too if you have the European maps installed.

I've tried others but have never had any issues with the tomtom in the van and its proved very accurate even when transporting abnormal loads in the truck.

I've recently upgraded the one in the truck so will be listing a Tomtom Trucker 6000 on here shortly which is the same as I use in the motorhome.

 

[Brains]

Thank you,my MH is2019 so it will definitely require an update, unfortunately due to health issues we're not going to be needing Europe inclusion for some time but how do l actually buy and update my satnav?

Updating Zenec units is not very easy the first time.
Basically the procedure is:

• On the Zenec website identify your model (they have dozens, so you have to find exactly the right one)
• You can then download the instructions (one or two pages, make sure you get correct language!)
• You will also need to sign up to get an account
• You will need a card that converts microSD cards into something you an read on your PC (Curry's/PC World)
• Then, with a pair of tweezers, you remove the MicroSD card, from the unit (Top right on mine, behind a little cover labeled 'map' )
• Fit the MicroSD card to your PC and then update.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}