Having read the thread on the motorcaravans NG, I may be in the market
to purchase a system for use in the car, however I understand that there
are other systems beside Tom-tom Navigator available. Has anyone any
experience of using electronic/computer navigation systems? can you
comment on ease of use, accuracy, availability, price, reliability etc.
Are they really useful? Can you take your eyes off the road long enough
to consult these wondrous machines or do you still require a navigator
as an interface?
Any relevant comments appreciated.
Regards
BJ
(Antispam-remove pants to email)

"BJ" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
(snipped)
    > Has anyone any
    > experience of using electronic/computer navigation systems? can you
    > comment on ease of use, accuracy, availability, price, reliability etc.
    > Are they really useful?


Hi BJ

I use a Garmin GPS-V. It's a hand -held GPS which you can use in the car and
gives turn by turn directions on an LCD screen with a beep warning to
indicate a turn is soon required. I'd hate to be without it now and the
great thing about it, is you can then take it out of the car and use for
walks ... finding your way back to the car, or route planning whilst in your
house / caravan.

In specific answer to your questions
Ease of use: Takes a bit of setting up but should be proficient at it after
an evening
Accuracy: Usually to within about 20 feet. HOWEVER accuracy of navigation
sometimes leaves a little to be desired IMO
Availability / Price: I payed £450 about a year ago, but I think you can
get them a bit cheaper now.
Reliability: No problems to report. Generally agreed to be reliable and its
also waterproof.
Are they really useful: Yes.
Do you require an additional navigator: No

Lots of good things to say about it but IMHO it's definitely not perfect. (A
couple of examples are that you can't hold the whole of the UK on the unit
at the same time, and that it has its own rules about which way to go round
roundabouts). Take a look at alt.satellite.gps for some more discussions on
GPS navigation or let me know if you want specific details.

One great thing is that if you do go the wrong way whilst its navigating you
can shout at it and doesn't sulk for the duration of the holiday :-)
You can also tell the PC *exactly* what speed you were doing when he stops
you.


HTH
John

I use a Garmin eMap which is not as full spec as the GPS-V but is cheaper.
You don't have to watch the screen while driving, it beeps before you get to
a turn and you just glance at the big arrow. You get full Europe street
coverage on the CD rom and you set routes in the PC and then download into
the unit. If you wnat to find an address away from pC you can punch that in
and you get a direction but not route planning - it's still useful when you
get close. In towns it reads ahead to intersecting streets which is magic if
you're looking for a turn. If you don't have a USB loader it takes ages to
download map sets (1 hour) but if you can afford spare chips you can carry
as much mapping as you want.
I have ambitions on a built in unit for my main car but the eMap is portable
for use in Classics.
Come back if you need any more help on eMap

John wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
snip
    > You can also tell the PC *exactly* what speed you were doing when he stops
    > you.

Not always advisable.
My GPS 12 reported a max speed way above the maximum my car can do, due to some
error in reception conditions - a "feature" well reported on the
alt.satellite.gps news group.

But I'd never be without mine - despite the rarity of finding European maps
carrying either a grid or Lat/Long info. In the UK it's saved me from taking
wrong turnings on occasion.

--
M Stewart
Milton Keynes, UK

"Malcolm Stewart" wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
    > snip
    > > You can also tell the PC *exactly* what speed you were doing when he
stops
    > > you.
    > Not always advisable.
    > My GPS 12 reported a max speed way above the maximum my car can do, due to
some
    > error in reception conditions - a "feature" well reported on the
    > alt.satellite.gps news group.


LOL Malcom :-)

It *was* a rather tongue-in-cheek statement, I'm sure you realise.
I have been advised the best thing to do is simply answer their questions
politely. If you say sorry I'm told it can make them feel bad.
A friend-of-a-friend story was once recanted to me that when the police
officer informed the man he was doing 45 in a 30, his reply was "so were
you!"

...and BTW you're right about the speed thing. It's never happened to me
though, how about you? .. I understand it's more of an issue in built up
areas.

Cheers
John

Personally I like the Garmin products. The Street Pilot III is their
top line & runs about 650 GBP or $999 US. I wouldn't recommend any
navigation from map to GPS without a navigator or stopping. The things
are as bad as cell phones. Useful but distracting.

Frank Matthews

BJ wrote:
    > Having read the thread on the motorcaravans NG, I may be in the market
    > to purchase a system for use in the car, however I understand that there
    > are other systems beside Tom-tom Navigator available. Has anyone any
    > experience of using electronic/computer navigation systems? can you
    > comment on ease of use, accuracy, availability, price, reliability etc.
    > Are they really useful? Can you take your eyes off the road long enough
    > to consult these wondrous machines or do you still require a navigator
    > as an interface?
    > Any relevant comments appreciated.
    > Regards
    > BJ
    > (Antispam-remove pants to email)
    >

Since I'm of an age where I need to wear glasses to read my dashboard
instrumentation I have concluded that small hand held instruments may be
difficult to read when driving, with this in mind would it be fanciful to
imagine that there may be lap-tops (which have a relativly large screen)
that can be adapted with a Navigator type program to communicate with a GPS
device.
BJ
(Antispam, drop pants to EMail)

The GPS systems for the Compaq IPAC Pocket PC give out verbal directions,
such as 'turn right' so you don't have to look at the device.
I don't actually have one but i'm considering getting one.

Simon

"BJ" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Since I'm of an age where I need to wear glasses to read my dashboard
    > instrumentation I have concluded that small hand held instruments may be
    > difficult to read when driving, with this in mind would it be fanciful to
    > imagine that there may be lap-tops (which have a relativly large screen)
    > that can be adapted with a Navigator type program to communicate with a
GPS
    > device.
    > BJ
    > (Antispam, drop pants to EMail)

Sorry BJ (nice nickname by the way!), I didn't read this before posting. The
5mx will not be suitable as the screen is not the clearest.

Something that gives LOUD ENOUGH spoken directions would be great.


"BJ" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Since I'm of an age where I need to wear glasses to read my dashboard
    > instrumentation I have concluded that small hand held instruments may be
    > difficult to read when driving, with this in mind would it be fanciful to
    > imagine that there may be lap-tops (which have a relativly large screen)
    > that can be adapted with a Navigator type program to communicate with a
GPS
    > device.
    > BJ
    > (Antispam, drop pants to EMail)

We use a Destinator which took us all over Europe this Summer and worked
very well. Despite it working through a Pocket PC and being in a diesel
van, the voice is loud enough to make you jump sometimes! It took us
through many a city to a camp site and (normally) got everything correct
though it has a tendency mainly in Linconshire (A17) to (try to) make you
turn off at every roundabout and then get back on to the road by doing a U
turn - put this down to Liconshire being an odd place ;-) Apart from its
handling of roundabouts in Lincs, and occasionally elsewhere, we rate it
very highly and will buy the latest maps for this summer.
Jon

In article , Jon
writes
    >We use a Destinator which took us all over Europe this Summer and worked
    >very well. Despite it working through a Pocket PC and being in a diesel
    >van, the voice is loud enough to make you jump sometimes! It took us
    >through many a city to a camp site and (normally) got everything correct
    >though it has a tendency mainly in Linconshire (A17) to (try to) make you
    >turn off at every roundabout and then get back on to the road by doing a U
    >turn - put this down to Liconshire being an odd place ;-) Apart from its
    >handling of roundabouts in Lincs, and occasionally elsewhere, we rate it
    >very highly and will buy the latest maps for this summer.
    >Jon
In Lincolnshire, they call them circles instead of roundabouts (well
they did when I lived in Scunthorpe, which is part of Lincolnshire since
they abolished Humberside.) Maybe that was part of the confusion .

I've had a similar problem with my Carminat (factory-fit Renault) system
when I've asked it to find an alternative route (due to traffic problems
with the route that's already been plotted.) It seems to think that
it's found a valid detour if it takes you off the motorway, onto the
roundabout, and back onto the same motorway in the same direction. It
doesn't do that normally though, and it didn't have me making any
U-turns.

As far as factory/after fit satellite navigation systems are concerned,
the built-in full screen ones (with the digital mapping) generally wipe
the floor with all of the other options. Their downsides are initial
cost (1500 quid option on my car, going up to 2500 or more for pretty
much the same system if you're talking prestige brands) and the fact
that you can't easily transplant them to other vehicles. The specially
designed but removable navigation units seem to be a good compromise:
While they tend not to offer full on-screen mapping, and require you to
pre-load the areas that you want in full street level detail, they're
cheaper than the fitted options and they're transplantable between
vehicles - I really missed having navigation on our hire car in Spain at
the end of last year. These systems look better than something that's
cobbled together out of a GPS and PDA, although I haven't really
investigated them thoroughly. The latter is probably much more cost
effective than the former if you already have a PDA.

Similarly, the Notebook PC with GPS receiver approach is probably only
worth considering if you already have the notebook or would be buying
one anyway for other reasons. It's cumbersome, and its position on the
passenger seat means it's nowhere near line of sight, and prone to
serious damage in an accident or even a sharp emergency stop. On the
plus side, it should have the memory to achieve full graphic mapping of
the whole of the UK and possibly the rest of Europe. It'll also have
the biggest screen.

Mapping-wise, it seems that most of the factory and after fit systems
use maps provided by a company called Navtech, so I'd imagine any
differences in routing competence are down to the software that
interprets those maps. I still prefer to use a road atlas and/or
experience when working out long motorway and trunk road routes, as my
navigation system can make some pretty bizarre and time costly
decisions. Once I've arrived at my destination town though, I let the
navigation system do its job and wonder how I ever lived without it.

--
David Thornber

The 'nospam' address is a double-bluff, and any e-mail sent to it should
actually reach me. Failing that, send mail to 'dthornber at' instead.

I'm looking at the same subject.

I like the sound of Smartnav from the RAC and Trafficmaster. It give
voice directions and routes are updated due to hold ups etc. stright
away. I assume pre-loaded software systems are as good as the date of
the software.

The thing I don't like about the Smartnav is that it does not include
a display (I think) which I would like.

Chris... Hope this message navigates to you OK.


BJ wrote in message news:...
    > Having read the thread on the motorcaravans NG, I may be in the market
    > to purchase a system for use in the car, however I understand that there
    > are other systems beside Tom-tom Navigator available. Has anyone any
    > experience of using electronic/computer navigation systems? can you
    > comment on ease of use, accuracy, availability, price, reliability etc.
    > Are they really useful? Can you take your eyes off the road long enough
    > to consult these wondrous machines or do you still require a navigator
    > as an interface?
    > Any relevant comments appreciated.
    > Regards
    > BJ
    > (Antispam-remove pants to email)