Charlottechicken Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 OH and I are really getting out and about a lot now, sometimes quite rural, and we wondered if a sat nav might be better than my map reading skills (well, OH knows a sat nav would be better ). We have options as he has an i-phone so can get an app, although I'm not convinced that the screen is big enough . We are just confused as there seem to be so many around, there are updates to consider etc. I've seen a bargain Binatone one, which I quite fancy, but don't want to jump in without a decent amount of knowledge. So the question is, Omleteers, sat nav or no sat nav, and if sat nav, then which one do you prefer, and why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I think satnav is great for a driver alone. However, I think a human navigator is better and if you have one there's no need for a machine. I love map reading and being the navigator and I always plan journeys. OH calls me his JudeNav. I like my Garmin satnav though for when I completely lose it and can't find my position on the map. I saw a woman using one in Southwark, she was a pedestrian tourist and used it to find Borough Market on foot. Basically I think I'm saying a combination of navigator and satnav is best. Bit garbled because I'm sleepy and should have stated my opinion in the morning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 We have a TomTom which has been brilliant on the whole. A couple of times its lead hubby off in completely the wrong direction. I will say, don't rely on an iphone (or other smartphone) ap for it as if you are in a no or low signal area, you might get very lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I considered an iPhone app, but it just doesn't update quickly enough. I am on my second sat nav, both TomTom and I would thoroughly recommend it. I am a good navigator, but I'm usually driving alone and having sat nav makes life so much easier - no more pulling into laybys and trying to memorise the next few roads and junctions! It's also brilliant for giving you an estimate of your arrival time - usually very accurate in my experience - and if there's a road closure or a diversion, it gets you out of trouble very quickly. You do have to apply common sense, if you put the wrong address in then it will take you to the wrong place, and it sometimes suggests cross-country routes that I disagree with, but I wouldn't be without mine. Well worth the money, and TomTom would be my recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan08 Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I like to have a rough idea in advance but do like the way satnavs recalculate the journey for you with eta's and things. We had a funny thing though, my son was playing water polo in Manchester, as we came off the motorway the satellite signal failed, it must have been the satellite, the next minute the road was full of cars pulled over without a clue where to go So yes, satellites great, but always keep a map as a back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoid Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I like to have a rough idea in advance but do like the way satnavs recalculate the journey for you with eta's and things. We had a funny thing though, my son was playing water polo in Manchester, as we came off the motorway the satellite signal failed, it must have been the satellite, the next minute the road was full of cars pulled over without a clue where to go So yes, satellites great, but always keep a map as a back up. GPS uses at least 6 satellites to track your location, there are 21 of them in total Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Ours had a tendancy to send us up dirt tracks in Devon, OH being a Londoner found this very hair raising, anything smaller than the M25 is a dirt track to him. I'm a country lass so dirt tracks, sheep and combine harvesters (I feel a song coming on) is in my blood. Bring it on. Cant vouch for other gadgets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LolaLayla Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 As others have said don't rely on it. I was with DD using it and it tried to send us down the exit from a motorway Also if deliveries are made to us I have to tell the driver which way to approach otherwise the sat nav takes them to a road that is only for pedestrians and cyclists and has bollards across to stop traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I am a convert; I used to loathe the idea of a satnav and was used to navigating myself around the country, but then I borrowed one from a friend for a particularly complicated trip and was a convert. Prior to buying, I read the Which? reports and tried various makes out in store. I plumped for a Tom Tom One XL (wide screen) and I have to say that it is marvellous, it has never led me astray but then I do use a bit of common sense and check the route it is planning first. I found that some of the other brands had less responsive screens or menus which were more difficult to understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I love mine I do quite a lot of long journeys to shows + work experience so if its somewhere new its great to put a postcode in and hopefully not get lost. Mine is a NavMan EZY which was a bargain and is really good, some of the cheaper ones are a bit clunky and not touch screen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Don't buy a cheap one, it just isn't worth it. I use TomTom,mine has an extra wide screen. I also subscribe to the live traffic, which means that the Tom Tom usually knows when there has been an accident en route and plans accordingly. However, that probably isn't a necessary expense if you are on a budget. As Olly said, one of the benefits is that it gives you a fairly accurate idea of arrival time. Sometimes I use it on journeys where I don't need directions, just for that feature. DH uses an app on his Android phone. He's with Orange and has it as one of his freebies. It works well, but I find it drains the phone too quickly, and it is a bit slow at complicated junctions Do any of your friends have one you can borrow to try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Claire, you're welcome to borrow mine if you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I bought my OH a basic Tom Tom a couple of years ago for his birthday and am a definite convert. Really just got it as a novelty as I was out of present ideas, but it is fab. Arrival time is very useful, BUT, I do try to also have a vague idea where I am going as well as a map just in case; the main problem is that updates are almost as expensive as a new sat nav, so we don't bother with them and some roads do change esp with regard to one-way systems. In my experience it saves petrol by finding the best route and avoids quite a few arguments - just try not to set off with no other map etc especially where time is tight as I have on a couple of occasions - it's so tempting to do this though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 Thanks for the great info Interesting point about the phone app being draining, and also the signal strength, things I wouldn't have even thought about. I take it that a sat nav can work anywhere then, seeing as it is some kind of GPS, and they take them on expeditions and the like? I'm assuming that the phone will be limited due to the coverage, which is usually quoted as 95% of the population and not 95% of area? Don't think we need to worry about the phone being drained, OH has just purchased a Suzuki Grand Vitara and it has two 12v power points, boys and their toys I'm now thinking that a free app would be handy as well as an entry level Tom Tom or Garmin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 Claire, you're welcome to borrow mine if you like. Thank you for that, Clare, but I think you wouldn't get it back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 oh drives over 50k per annum and has done for years. He swears by TomTom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Garmin sat nav here, which we are very pleased with. It took us all the way to the South of France last year. Ho ho, distant memories of the golden thing in the sky and HEAT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
