abwsco Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Can anyone recommend me a sat nav please. Ideally looking for one that's really easy to use and not too dear. Only need one that covers the UK. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 I've got Tom Tom and really recommend it ... but take a look here, someone asked exactly the same question a few weeks ago, so you might find an answer there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 I've got a TomTom one. It is OK but does occasionally take me on intriguing little detours. Overall I can recommend it though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abwsco Posted June 12, 2008 Author Share Posted June 12, 2008 Thanks both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenlass Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I recently got a Tom tom one and am really pleased with it. Only does UK and Ireland but thats all will need and really easy to use too! [Would need to be for me } Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I recently got a Tom tom one and am really pleased with it.Only does UK and Ireland but thats all will need and really easy to use too! [Would need to be for me } the tom tom 1 will do any country you like - you just have to buy another little memory card with the other country on it... Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenlass Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I recently got a Tom tom one and am really pleased with it.Only does UK and Ireland but thats all will need and really easy to use too! [Would need to be for me } the tom tom 1 will do any country you like - you just have to buy another little memory card with the other country on it... Phil yes thats right ...Sorry I should have mentioned that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 We like our Tom Tom one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I can lend you chookiehubbie - he assures me that his map reading is quicker and more acccurate than any sat-nav on the market.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajm200 Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 My hubbie bought a cheap, recon packard bell from Ebay because he was too tight to pay for the TomTom. I wish we'd got the TomTom as the Packard Bell locks up a lot and can't be updated with new maps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjules Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 We've just bought a tomtom, it does the job but it misbehaved when OH loaded up some different voices for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surferdog Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Tom Tom here too - OH gave it to me for last birthday as I was always getting lost. It's fab (apart from the time it directed me through Polperro in the middle of the night and I ended up on the harbour trying to do a 16 point turn without ending up in the drink... ) So the one word of warning is - Keep your brain in gear! If it's telling you to something you think is stupid then it probably is! I have a tendency to go into 'sheep' mode with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I can lend you chookiehubbie - he assures me that his map reading is quicker and more acccurate than any sat-nav on the market.... And he is right of course... Apparantly, sat nav's are made so that they are not 100% accurate, just in case someone reverses the technology used, to turn them into missle guidance systems (like you would)! But more importantly these map reading skills will be lost in the future as people will rely on the technology and probably not even own a map... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I like the Polperro story Superdog I know the harbour and there isn't much space down there and most of the streets you can barely get a pushchair down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 But more importantly these map reading skills will be lost in the future as people will rely on the technology and probably not even own a map... I tend to agree with this. I can't imagine ever buying a Sat Nav, reading the map upside down, getting lost, having a row and someone throwing the map out of the window, is all part of the joys of going somewhere new, life wouldn't be the same without it Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 They are handy for housing or industrial estates though - especially in places that are sprawling but not large enough to have a Town Map I love maps and use them all the time - using the Satnav for the finer detail on arrival....... I also photocopy maps for journeys with grandchildren - they follow the route and learn map reading skills whilst looking for points of interest and the next toilet stop etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 But more importantly these map reading skills will be lost in the future as people will rely on the technology and probably not even own a map... I tend to agree with this. I can't imagine ever buying a Sat Nav, reading the map upside down, getting lost, having a row and someone throwing the map out of the window, is all part of the joys of going somewhere new, life wouldn't be the same without it Tessa it depends how often you go somewhere new! If that is nearly every day - then the sat nav is very useful! It is also very useful around a very congested London when you are driving on your own and you hit very heavy traffic and need to work out a detour (especially when the map is in the boot!) you just turn off where there seems to be less traffic - and the satnav immediately plots a new route for you based on the detour you have decided to make. (must be used with heavy dose of common sense though - as others have pointed out... unlike the stupid toff-muppet who wanted to go to see Chelsea play - about an hour's journey from her house - and sat in a taxi all the way up to the Yorkshire village of Stamford Bridge!!) Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I appreciate it would be very handy for a big city like London, or maybe a tour accross Europe, where you could plot your points of interest and find out where the nearest petrol station was (assuming their wasn't a strike on). But I would never travel to somewhere like London because it doesn't interest me. I used to live in Basingstoke a long time ago and even that was too built up for me! I have heard of stories where someone drove off a cliff and where someone was advised to take a ferry, when they was doing a short route over land. So as you said common sense and awareness still needs to be used (which basically means you either need to know where your going, or check the details on a map, which partly defeats the object)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Not really - if you read the above posts from Phil and me, you'll see that SatNav, common sense and maps make a great combination I wouldn't like to be without any of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I pride myself on my map-reading skills, but if you are driving alone, Offspring, then it's not advisable to try reading a map at the same time! I often have to travel to new places for work, and am almost always alone in the car. Before I got Sat-Nav, I used to have to write down all the motorway junctions, roundabouts etc on Post-It Notes and stick them on the dashboard. It's not practical to keep pulling over to read the map. I use mine even when I'm going somewhere that I know well. Firstly, it gives me a good indication of the likely arrival time - I can plan when to stop for a break, or let people know if I'm going to be late. Secondly, and this happend only last week, if I suddenly meet a 'Road Closed' sign, I just turn off and it plots another route and recalculates the time. I think it's one of the best gadgets I ever bought, and it has made driving much less stressful for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abwsco Posted June 13, 2008 Author Share Posted June 13, 2008 Thanks again everyone There's a couple of reasons I've decided we need one - eldest daughter takes her driving test soon and if she passes she'll be wanting to explore a bit more, possibly on her own and also I got lost yesterday going to collect a rabbit hutch from a lovely member on here. It took me twice as long as it should have done and lord knows how much petrol I used Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
