I've been intrigued by all the discussions about the various maps available, so asked Škoda UK for their take on things.

Let me say here & now that I'm simply relaying the official line - so please don't shoot the messenger. :peek:

For the Octavia the present version is v.7 (shown as 7xxx). An update to v.8 will be issued on 31st March (so not long to wait).

I also mentioned the subject of "extras" within the maps, like safety cameras. I was informed that, as most of these maps are produced in Europe they don't include safety camera info as it's not legal within mainland Europe (so UK maps omit it also).

So there it is. Maybe someone might find these snippets useful.

Right; I'm sure having rolled the proverbial granade into the room it's time to stand well back..... and wait for the comments.....

Don't you just love "official" lines. Personally I am running v9 maps in my Octy vRS ??

The "extras" bit I can fully understand though

But if VW maps have the 'extras' (speed cameras) why don't Skoda's?

The extras are added afterwards in country by various suppliers or by individuals themselves and not at source.

V.7 was shown as 7333 if I remember correctly. V.9 is shown as 7918 or 7920 if you have speed cameras. I have had v9 maps for a while now

Yes, I have heard that 7918 is the official VW map and 7920 was an unofficial one with the speed and red light cameras added afterwards. They are essentially the same map but have to have different numbers so the Columbus knows they are different and the higher number is an "update"

an

7918 is the current map version, the latest update will be end of March, when this will be available to buy is anyones quess. Any version with speed cameras is a modified copy of a VW map. There are no official maps with speed cameras treat as pirate. If you have speed cameras on your unit remember this is illegal on the continent so be warned.You can add your own POI files of speed cameras very easily, this is saved on a different partition on the hard drive so can be deleted and updated at will.

I will soon be experimenting with adding my own correct speed limits, the new version of the maps will most likely be as out of date as previous versions, this is also the case with Road Angel speed limits.

currently running V9 maps with speed cameras. the speed cameras can be turned off in the POI menu so they are not displayed. Its stupid why skodas update disks are out later than VW's. My dealer updates my maps for free but they didnt have V9 yet.

The camera maps are NOT ILLEGAL in Europe!!! Only in France and Switzerland.

7918 is the current map version, the latest update will be end of March, when this will be available to buy is anyones quess. Any version with speed cameras is a modified copy of a VW map. There are no official maps with speed cameras treat as pirate. If you have speed cameras on your unit remember this is illegal on the continent so be warned.You can add your own POI files of speed cameras very easily, this is saved on a different partition on the hard drive so can be deleted and updated at will.

I will soon be experimenting with adding my own correct speed limits, the new version of the maps will most likely be as out of date as previous versions, this is also the case with Road Angel speed limits.

Can you do a walk through of how to add the speed camera files easily please. Also anyone have a simple way to add your own poi files. I am used to garmin and it is simple to add my own poi but haven't a clue how to do it on the Columbus. Any help would be usefull.

Search the Internet for the user manual which you can download as a PDF for free. I'm fairly sure instructions are in there.

http://ws.skoda-auto.com/OwnersManualService/Data/en/Octavia_5E/03-2013/Navigation/Columbus/A5_Octavia_Columbus_NavigationSystem.pdf

There's also recent threads on this forum with links to the VW POI creation software that is now back up and running (in German).

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/248358-columbus-personal-pois/page__fromsearch__1

I bought 7918 from Ebay. There have been rumours that this and 7920 are illegal copies.

7918 doesn't include major roadworks here completed almost a year ago; interestingly the legal bit round the edge of the disc states © to 2011, and as it was shipped from Thailand I have my suspicions.

I've tried adding the speed cams using the VW software. The problem I run out of displayable options very quickly. I want to display Netherlands, Belgium and the UK cameras but the system will only allow me to display a limited number of categories at a time. Academic anyway as they don't display on the map

I would appear to have 7918 which from what I can see is v9 and the latest maps. Someone has added the speed cameras as personal poi and everything works fine. However i would like to increase the categories of poi, and intend using poinspector. I have created the categories i want to add but am worried that installing new poi will delete all the old poi, and not just the speed cameras, which I can add back in.

Does anyone know if I will lose the original poi which i believe are included on the map dvd or just the speed camera poi that have been added later and are on the hard drive. I would like to retain the original poi included in the unit, and just add a few more categories of my own.

Ok cancel the last. Have just done a reinstall of my own poi to go in addition with the pre installed using poinspector and GPS pois. Dead easy once I'd worked out the logistics, and allows more flexibility. Speed camera warning signs now show the actual limit in addition to showing the camera location.

I also have Map Version 7918 and have tried to add Personal POIs. I converted my data to db3 using POI Inspector and added it to an SD card. When I inserted the SD card in the sat nav it said 'Loading data, please wait' but after 20 minutes nothing has happened and the option to manage Personal POI's remains greyed out.

Does anyone have any ideas?