Anyone got experiance of GPS
 

Hi all,

I have been using a Garmin Streetpilot III GPS system here for the last 4 or 5 years and I am almost certainly doing to get another one, once I get to Vancouver. I really don't need the MP3 capabilities and the bluetooth, but I would like a reasonably quick one that can be transferred between multiple car/trucks and bikes. Has any one any experience of the multitude brands of GPS that are now out there. I have been looking at the Tomtom and Garmin ranges. I know the Garmin maps are really good, but I have no knowledge of the mapping capabilities of the other brands.

Does any one have any recommendations as to which one to go for?

Dozzzzy :zzz:

Applied Skilled Worker (London)
Application submitted - 05th July 2004
AOR Dated - 21st July 2004 (18 Months)
Delay Letter - Arrived Jan 2006 (Delayed till June 2006)
Medical Request - 26 May 2006 (NO Interview or Updated Docs Required)
Medical Taken - 28th May 2006
Medical Received - 4 July 2006
Info Request - 17 July - Update Available Funds
PPR - 14 Aug 2006 !!!!!

Re: Anyone got experiance of GPS
 

Garmin is the best company to go with because they manufacture the most reliable equipment (They have been around for so long that the experience they have over other companies is quite a huge difference).

Also they have designed most of there systems to work in a boat over water so you may be able to get this feature as well.

As for any other company tomtoms seem to be the highest selling here.

Re: Anyone got experiance of GPS
 

I have a TomTom and its more than adequate (was told that garmin is not as complete mapwise-which worries me cos the tomtom has a few roads missing or in the wrong place)

Re: Anyone got experiance of GPS
 

The mapping will always be a bit messy i believe you need to pay for the map updates if you want to keep it up to date. (For road works and such).

Re: Anyone got experiance of GPS
 

The local Calgary CTV television station did a piece on GPS's a few weeks ago. It was based on a Consumer Reports test of 15 portable GPS systems. Unfortunately they didn't list the 15 tested but just mentioned the winners by name.

The best according to CR was the Garmin Nuvi 350 which has a touch screen and it names streets it sells apparently for around $800.

They also liked the Garmin StreetPilot I5 which doesn't have a touch screen, but it is easy to use and it only costs $420.

As you will be aware CR is a U.S. magazine, so that would have to be considered when looking at their tests and recomendations. Although I do believe the prices quoted are Canadian.

Cheers
Steve

Re: Anyone got experiance of GPS
 

This old thread suggests TomToms might be a fair bit cheaper in the UK - http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=361136

Re: Anyone got experiance of GPS
 

I have a Tomtom my only gripe is that it can't differentiate from a dirt track with a name and a road with tarmac does get a bit awkward in the country :D Prices seem to be similar UK-US and you would need the US/Canada map buying if you get if from the UK

Re: Anyone got experiance of GPS
 

I have the garmin 2620. It holds all of North America, so no messing around reloading maps when you visit different area's. I used it when I drove from Texas to B.C. as part of a fun road trip last year and it served me well. I got 12 months of free map updates, just installing the latest one last weekend. Subsequent updates are $75. You can link it to your Mac or PC and download the info etc.
When we are out in the car my wife says I take more notice of it than I do of her.
The display is bright and easy to read even in bright light, voice prompts are clear and available in various languages and even accents (US or British English).
Its been replaced by the 2820 now:
http://www.garmin.com/products/sp2820/
I added an antenna to the car, it improves positioning and assists in built up area's with sky scrapers etc.

Why are you looking to replace the unit, can you not just update the maps.

Re: Anyone got experiance of GPS
 

Last time i was in calgary i found a garmin office there in which i got $50 off the quoted price. not sure where any other offices are but it tended to be cheaper in office rather than online.

Re: Anyone got experiance of GPS
 

My SPIII only has a European base map and can't handle a memory card with North American maps on. Besides the memory cards are small at only 128k and don't even hold a complete map of the UK. It is quite an old unit, still good and it gets me where I need to go, but is a little slow at calculating the routes and changes should I miss a turn or over shoot. Any one want it, I have all the maps for Western Europe, three memory cards, various mounting brackets including one for a bike. Tt's going cheep :D

Dozzzzy :zzz:

Applied Skilled Worker (London)
Application submitted - 05th July 2004
AOR Dated - 21st July 2004 (18 Months)
Delay Letter - Arrived Jan 2006 (Delayed till June 2006)
Medical Request - 26 May 2006 (NO Interview or Updated Docs Required)
Medical Taken - 28th May 2006
Medical Received - 4 July 2006
Info Request - 17 July - Update Available Funds
PPR - 14 Aug 2006 !!!!!

Re: Anyone got experiance of GPS
 

We have the Tomtom Go 500 and downloaded the map for Canada for our recce. Well...it totally took us the wrong way from Vancouver to Salmon Arm; instead of it taking 4-5 hours, it took over 6.5 hours to get there as it took us via Kelowna. We didn't mind as Kelowna was a beautiful place and we were glad we passed through there! Other than that it was great, we used to use it to find the nearest shopping mall, park and the cinema.

I would recommend it, just check the address of the place you are going to though!

Mel

Re: Anyone got experiance of GPS
 

On most GPS system you can set the route you want it to go.

As well as Quickest and Shortest route mapping.

Re: Anyone got experiance of GPS
 

I have recently purchased the latest tomtom 910.

Fantastic gear in my opinion....also has preloaded maps of canada, US and europe...so very handy for me as I fly back to uk often.

has many features.

I found it cheaper to purchase in Uk at dixons duty free at the airport!

Rgds
Mans

Re: Anyone got experiance of GPS
 

LOL around here once you leave the city & towns 60% of roads are gravel.

Last Weekend to get to a good beach Tarmac roads was 150km Gravel was 45km - Ford focus coped alright on the gravel.

But Gravel roads are very tricky 30 km good 3 meters crap will really catch you out if your not really looking out for things.

Re: Anyone got experiance of GPS
 

I have a Garmin Vista Colour. It's a good little unit, can do road navi and offroad with topological maps, is perfect for cycling (waterproof too), but useful in a car too. It's been updated with a model that has SD cards, so you can put as much map info as you want into it.

It is worth bearing in mind, though, that Garmin (and Magellan) have stinky policies with maps: if you bought the maps, you have to re-buy them for any new (or replacement) unit. Mucho dinero.

In terms of map quality: they all stink. There are just two map suppliers: TeleAtlas and NavTech. Everyone licenses their maps from these two (unless it's a specialist area, like the UK, where the OS license their stuff out). So the TomTom problem of treating some dirt tracks as paved roads is not unique to TomTom (my Garmin does just the same).

If you just want satnav for a car, go with something like a TomTom because it will be cheaper. If you want to do offroad biking with topo maps then you need a proper unit like a Garmin. It might still be cheaper to buy two units.

Oh, one more thing: my Garmin is AA battery powered. This is very very useful since you don't have to carry a charger around and can stop pretty much anywhere and get instant juice. Great for cycling and tramping.

K.