looking for a tomtom sat nav to replace my 7 year old one,which model do you reccomend guys.dont want to go top end. understand they can be trouble to down load new maps??has anyone had trouble doing this.

atb

michael.

Edited 31 May, 201214 yr by freewheeler

I've had a 'top end' one for 15 months or so, to replace my much earlier model. Can't remember the model (I'll have to go and look at it) but it's brilliant and I've had no problems with map downloads or anything else.

Buy a Garmin. Easy to use and up-dates are extremely easy (even I can do them!!)

+1 for garmin.

Added benefit is if you plan routes as opposed to just doing the 'I'm here, take me there' thing, then the pc software and interface are far better.

You get to use the full screen of your monitor rather than the same size screen of Tomtom software.

I have used a Zumo 550 (coz i use it on the bike too) for several years with no problems.

As for map updates, they are normally £100 ish for the lifetime update (you get 3 or 4 updates a year for the one off cost) but at Christmas time garmin usually do it for half that.

Got an iPhone? I'd personally get the app on there.

Buy a Garmin. Easy to use and up-dates are extremely easy (even I can do them!!)

+1

I agree with Graham, Garmin also make marine navigation systems so they have a wealth of experience in their field. :yes:

No satnav in the Elegance, no ?

Using a smartphone is an increasingly popular way to navigate but I've never been clear as to the extent the nav app uses data ?

With most things I prefer to use the article designed specifically for the task. So I have a Garmin 2440, equipped with UK and WE maps, which I see Amazon have reduced to £100 since I bought it:

http://www.amazon.co...&hvptwo=&hvqmt=

I did get one update "within 90 days". Anything more I have to pay for or go skulking around a (dubious ?) third party site. For our needs it is fine. Other models might include more updates but would be more expensive to start with. They could include bluetooth and other features which in an Elegance may or may not be useful.

The phones would have the edge here in that as the maps presumably are web based, they *should* always be up to date although I guess I'm answering my own question then - I'd be eating data to access the maps.

The 2440 is pictured in #71 here:

http://www.briskoda....60#entry2793418

Can't speak to TomTom but if you're wanting a specific satnav you won't go wrong with a Garmin. Good luck.

I had a TomTomOneXL, no problems with it but decided to change to a Garmin last year and I agree with the above that Garmin do it better. Now I've got an iPhone i've got the TomTom app which also works very well. I would also recommend http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/ as an excellent site for all things sat nav and their Safety Camera database is superior to TomTom's. Details here http://www.cameralert.com/app-platforms/cameralert-for-your-satnav/

My phone (Nokia N8-0) has got a sat-nav system on it, which I will agree isn't bad, BUT the screen just isn't big enough, so I'm sticking with my Garmin Nuovi and a small Garmin Geko for finding exact OS MR's when I can be bothered to go Geo-caching.

I have a 6 year old tom tom, with maps not updated for 4 years, i had been waiting for a suitable smart phone to replace it, but because I'm one of the 6 people I know on pay as you go still, i haven't got round to it. I am thinking of a little continental jaunt over the next few weeks, so will really need to sort something for then.

Clyde, out of interest, are you accessing maps downloaded to your phone, or on-line ?

If the latter, do you know how much data a 100 mile round trip would use, as an example ? I'm just curious in case there's an android app for my Galaxy.

I've been happily using Garmin hand-held GPS units (hiking, SAR etc) for around 12 years so when I started looking for satnav for the new Yeti I looked first at Garmin. I was rather put off by reports that the voice instructions refer to road numbers as e.g. 'B one thousand two hundred and twenty seven' instead of 'B one two two seven'. Is this the case?

Not on mine, brijo. In fact I don't think it ever mentions a name or number, just an instruction to turn, etc.

+ another for Garmin.

Plus, I forgot to mention. If you have a smart phone, TomTom give you free map updates for life (standalone units DON'T get this) and you also get free map share corrections, where other users have made corrections.

The app is around £50 or so now, different if you're jailbroken.

Not on mine, brijo. In fact I don't think it ever mentions a name or number, just an instruction to turn, etc.

Interesting, LlaniG. I must investigate further, thank you!

I've been happily using Garmin hand-held GPS units (hiking, SAR etc) for around 12 years so when I started looking for satnav for the new Yeti I looked first at Garmin. I was rather put off by reports that the voice instructions refer to road numbers as e.g. 'B one thousand two hundred and twenty seven' instead of 'B one two two seven'. Is this the case?

Yes, on ours. Our lady dominatrix also has a curious way of pronouncing local streets. Example - Harrogate Rd she'll call "Harrow Gate" Rd. Bizarrely, our previous Navman was fine, and the lady on it had an arousing way of saying "Enter.......the motorway".

That said, the Garmin is still way preferable and just better all round. Car icon and voice can be customised, a "photo" style junction view pops up on the approach, and I like the "Where Am I" feature to save a location I could return to from a different direction. "Home" is a good example. The Navman could only get the postcode. The Garmin gets the exact co-ordinates.

It'll get a good workout next month as we're en France en vacance (with camera warnings turned off, of course )

Updates (lack of) is a nuisance, but I could have bought a lifetime subscription. This is why for the future I'm interested in an Android option, depending on how the data consumption works, although I won't do it yet. Even my Galaxy S2 (bigger than an iPhone) has a smaller display than the Garmin, and for my old eyes, that's important.

I've had a 'top end' one for 15 months or so, to replace my much earlier model. Can't remember the model (I'll have to go and look at it) but it's brilliant and I've had no problems with map downloads or anything else.

Mine is a Tom Tom Go Live 1005 (5 inch screen). The new Tom Toms are completely different beasties to the older models. My dad has a Garmin, but after travelling with me and the Tom Tom a few weeks ago he's planning to change.

Approaching motorway (and complicated A road) junctions you get a change in 3D display clearly indicating the lane you should be in. Directions as to when to turn are clear and early - it tells you the road name and/or number. The predictions of journey/arrival times are very accurate. You can customise the car symbol and the voice should you wish. It's dead easy and intuitive to operate (much improved from the earlier models)

The 'traffic' feature is truly awesome at avoiding jams. I live on a steep farm track, and each morning drive downhill about half a mile to join the main road from Todmorden to Hebden Bridge. Last week I got in the car and turned on the Tom Tom to take me to an address in Hull (I travel to various places as part of my work). I was bemused to be ordered to turn around and head up the hill. It's possible to go out that way, but I rarely do, and it didn't make any sense to me to go that way fro this journey - so I ignored the voice and went downhill. Turned left onto the main road, got half a mile and was then stuck in the most almighty traffic jam because there had been an accident blocking the road. If only I'd trusted the toy ... On other occasions its taken me on roads I never knew existed - from me to Wakefield without touching the M62 for example (which I would have otherwise said was by far the quickest way) when there have been roadworks etc on that.

Getting back to the original question, if the OP looks out for a refurbed GO550 live then he'd get one years worth of traffic updates free (which is very useful) and then that model was one of the latest ones that allows 'map self updating' if you know where to look!

Tom Tom, Navigon, CoPilot etc for iPhone all have maps downloaded as part of the app on the phone. No data connection required.

Umm. I'd assumed they wouldn't need to see the sat, relying on 3G. If no data connection is involved, how does it know where you are ?

Apologies if I've missed something obvious. Always a possibility, indeed likely.

Edit: Thought so. Missed something obvious. It uses the cell network to establish position ?

Edited 31 May, 201214 yr by Michael G

Umm. I'd assumed they wouldn't need to see the sat, relying on 3G. If no data connection is involved, how does it know where you are ?

Apologies if I've missed something obvious. Always a possibility, indeed likely.

Edit: Thought so. Missed something obvious. It uses the cell network to establish position ?

They have GPS chips built in :lol:

Really ? Who knew ? Well, clearly - not me

So they need to be mounted where they can see the sat, just as a dedicated satnav does. OK. Got it. Many thanks.

In a yeti, satnavs generally work if close to the windscreen but on certain cars, renaults for example, you generally need an external aerial due to the composition of the glass blocking the signal.

Michael, I think your question about data has been answered. If you are interested in Safety Camera data the Pocket GPS World version on the iPhone app has the advantage that it automatically downloads and installs the latest database seamlessly when a new one is published, which is at least once a month. On PND's it's more complicated and requires a usb connection to your pc.