Satnav

[periana]

whats the best satnav to get for use in a motor home mine is out of date and need to get one looking at amazon bit of a mine field i had a tom tom but they seem to be very over priced these days.

 

[StephDeLux]

I am giving up on satnav devices. I plan to use my phone where I have a very wide choice of SatNav apps. When we had the caravan I never used a specialized app and we very seldom ran into problems.

• Google Maps is great, really great at finding stuff, routing and guiding. No special MH features, though. Based on online maps but you can save maps on your phone and avoid being online if needed. Works wonderfully well with Park4Night.
• Waze is better for traffic avoidance, but you cannot save maps on your phone.
• Copilot is among the best I've used. They have a special MH version, never tried it. But you can choose an MH profile on the standard app. That will change the priority in the type of road selected. Seems to work pretty well. Reasonably good for traffic avoidance.
• Sygic a a good app too, used it quite a while but eventually went back to CoPilot.
• TomTom is pretty good, I just happen to not like very very much, but have a hard time giving a good reason!

 

[Pilgrim]

Get what you are comfortable to using.
I have an old motorbike tomtom, used it in the car but updated maps expensive.
Then got a garmin car one, good but not comfortable with it and it does do strange routes.
For the MH i got a tomtom camper, easy to use and nice sized screen. Use it as a stand alone unit for updates and route planning, tried through a computer but not so easy to use. Map updates and travel info free and good.
Not keen on using a mobile as use it for calls and internet, sometimes music. So rather a stand alone pre sorted nav system.
But as I said use whatever you are comfortable with, ignore the initial prices as its something you will use for many years.

 

[PeteH]

Had a Garmin 7" Camper one, but it was too large for where I needed it to go (wanted it in my eyeline rather than low down) It did also have a tendency to want to go where I did not!. I now have a 5" T-T with "lifetime maps" which is better for my purpose,. but like all of them they take some getting used to their "little foibles". I still "route plan" using "Streets and trips" (Autoroute) old hat but gives me a route I can see and tweak which I then check against the T-T. The ultimate Backup if in doubt is my Truckers Map which keeps me away from low bridges etc: BTW, "lifetime" is until the maker decides not to support it any more.!!

One feature I really miss is the ability to input my OWN planned max speed and get an accurate estimate of ETA, I rarely cruise at the posted road speed but up to 10MPH slower. Being retired I no longer need to go anywhere fast. This is missing from the latest Sat Nags, not exactly essential but satisfying to see if you are on or off schedule, however flexible that may be.

 

[SpeedyDux]

I agree with Pilgrim. My preference is a dedicated satnav, not a phone or tablet especially if the navigation software requires a paid subscription. A good quality dedicated satnav is worth the extra money if it comes with free lifetime updates. (it might be conditional as PeteH says)

My first Garmin Nuvi (for the car) with full European street maps is over 12 years old and still 100% working. Compare that with a drawer full of now obsolete mobile phones I bought since 2007. Over the same time my old laptops have become useless because the OS is no longer supported. Which represents better value for money ...

I understand that John Lewis stopped selling satnavs because of falling demand. Buy a dedicated truck or camper one while you still can. Some prefer Tomtom, others are loyal to Garmin. The brand probably doesn't matter too much as long as you like the interface.

If the OP's 2004 euramobil has a lot of cab noise, make sure that the volume you get from the satnav speaker is loud enough to hear the directions clearly. A 7" screen generally comes with a bigger speaker.

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[chaser]

Good android smartphone, Google maps, unbeatable.

 

[PeteH]

Good android smartphone, Google maps, unbeatable.

Excellent as backup, I have used mine on several occasions. (I-phone 8). Problem I find is when it wants to actually be a Phone, that's when you take a wrong turn down the dead end!, or the wrong exit from the roundabout!, and finish up heading for Manchester instead of Chesterfield!.

 

[Jaws]

This post will be as useful as a choccy fire guard
We have in use all the time in the van:
A 5" Tomtom
A 7" Garmin Camper

and just as back up a chinese truck unit
Why two on the go ?
Cos the Tomtom is good for routing ( as long as toll roads are not involved ) and the Garmin is good for finding LPG, fuel, camp sites and a couple of obscure things I have added

They all work well ( though I would say the Garmin Camper, despite being set with size and weight, has tried to send us down some roads a man with a hoop and stick would have trouble with, let alone a horse and cart !

It was the Garmin that sent us on a road over a mountain in southern Ireland ( it really was like one those 'most dangerous roads' programs !
On occasion we had 100 foot sheer drops on one side and cliff walls on tother. Gravel road with front wheels spinning and scrabbling for grip up the steeper part )

 

[LesW]

Be aware that though Google Maps is good, it isn't perfect. For example.

There's an aire in Hautmont, France, if you rely on Google Maps you'll end up in a dead end.

The access road isn't shown on G Maps.

There are other errors too.

 

[PeteH]

Maybe useless information, but 90% of the mapping used is sourced from one company in Holland!. NAVTEQ.

Which means that often the "Errors" are across all platforms!.

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[138go]

8" Tablet with IGO Pal software with TomTom and Here maps. Also have CoPilot just in case I don't like the route. One of the nice things about Tablets is you can keep them up to date and add other APPs as they become available. You can download all of them for free off the internet if you don't mind spending a little time searching and playing.

 

[StephDeLux]

Maybe useless information, but 90% of the mapping used is sourced from one company in Holland!. NAVTEQ.

Which means that often the "Errors" are across all platforms!.

Not wanting to be pedantic, but there are at least 4 sources of maps:

• Tele Atlas, which is the company that is based in Netherlands, now owned by TomTom, also a Dutch company. They provide data to Google Maps.
• Here Maps, previously NavTeq, which was based in Chicago. now co-owned by Audi, BMW and Daimler. Supplies maps to countless mapping services.
• Digital Globe, American
• OpenStreetMap, open source mapping

And probably others

 

[chaser]

Not wanting to be pedantic, but there are at least 4 sources of maps:

• Tele Atlas, which is the company that is based in Netherlands, now owned by TomTom, also a Dutch company. They provide data to Google Maps.
• Here Maps, previously NavTeq, which was based in Chicago. now co-owned by Audi, BMW and Daimler. Supplies maps to countless mapping services.
• Digital Globe, American
• OpenStreetMap, open source mapping

And probably others

Here maps is very good and we used to use it all the time, but Google is way out ahead now.
PeteH just a word , not knocking iPhone , I have an iPad , but you can't compare their mapping with out and out android Google.
LesW you are right I have looked it up and it appears to be a new one and according to my Google it hasn't got a road to it at all.

 

[BusyBuilder]

What ever you do don't get a U2 Satnag, cause the streets have no names, and I still haven't found what I'm looking for, but its a beautiful day and I'm stuck in a moment with you.

 

[periana]

sounds like every one has there favorites i have tomtom on my iphone but its quite old and they do not up date it any more but i am so used to the style and voice maps are to quite, google maps
are ok used them a few times was ploughing through amazon today and they had a 12 hours sale
so i got a 6 inch one half price...

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