I've had my car a week now and first impressions of the Columbus are not good. Ok, it's nice to have a large touch screen but the sound quality is pretty ropey but I'll just have to put up with the best tone I can find.

Anyway, after having a play with the navigation yesterday I'm disappointed with how basic and clunky the sat nav is. I'm used to a highly personalised and modified TomTom (with audible warning for an monthly updated speed camera database). I have 7 digit postcode search which should be fine for urban destinations but when navigating to a rural destination a postcode is rarely good enough to get you door to door. Postcodes can cover a large area and you can easily be stopped 1/2 a mile away wondering just where your destination is supposed to be.

When travelling to an unfamiliar destination I usually navigate using lat/long coordinates derived from Google Maps. These have proven to be incredibly accurate (on Google Maps just right click where you want to go and click the 'What's here' option and it will give you decimal lat/long coordinates.

Unbelievably the Columbus system wants GPS coordinates to be input in degrees, minutes and seconds. Why do they want to complicate things when I think the modern way is to use decimal coordinates. I can't find an option to switch between the two.

Does anyone know if there is an option in the Columbus for inputting decimal lat/long coordinates or am I going to have to convert every time???

Initial impression is that I'll be sticking the TomTom to the windscreen again and I wasn't planning on having wires trailing across the dash. I shouldn't be too surprised...I've yet to come across a built-in nav system that comes anywhere close to a standalone unit for functionality and customisation options.

i am surprised you are not happy never had a problem finding any destination in two years of use with the Columbus and i live on a road that is not adopted. anything has to be better than a tom-tom with wires and sucker marks every where you look or a smashed window when you get back to your car.

just enjoy your new car, or you can always go and buy something else with no satnav and use your old tom tom.?

bill

I suggest you look for a solution on Google Maps. When I right click on a location, I can click through to the co-ordinates; these are shown as decimal, but with minutes and seconds below that.

I suggest you look for a solution on Google Maps. When I right click on a location, I can click through to the co-ordinates; these are shown as decimal, but with minutes and seconds below that.

Ok, dippo,

It wasn't clear from your post but I clicked on every permutation possible and found it. For anyone else the steps are...

- right click on map and left click 'What's here?' from the list to place the green arrow at destination.

- left click the green arrow for further info/options and the coordinates in deg, mins & secs.

Thanks.

Google Earth seems to work in deg, mins and secs by deafult so that's another option.

Just need to find to an excuse to try it out now. I'll have to find the coordinates for the pub then!

Simon