Didn't know where to ask the question so hope it is ok here.
We are considering buying a sat nav. Nothing fancy and less than £100. There is a binatone one on Amazon for £80.
Anybody have any reccommendations please.
Pippa
Garmin were doing one for £99 - I've had a Garmin for years and it provides excellent service.
Have a look at Asda here http://www.asda-electricals.co.uk/shop/store/satellite-navigation.html?
Some good bargains there.
I bought one from Morrisons the other week @ £99.99 - Harman Kardon and it is fine.
fwh
Some good bargains there.
I bought one from Morrisons the other week @ £99.99 - Harman Kardon and it is fine.
fwh
Look on ebuyer,my son got the navigo at 49.99 dont know if it is still at that price.Just to say I tried a TomTom last time I was in the UK and it managed to get me lost in Leeds,needless to say I am not 100% sure they are the be all and end all,AA route planner + Sat Nav maybe the best option
We have a navman. I was visiting Leicester over the weekend and the bliddy thing wouldn't accept the LE post code, even when I put in the area Ashby, it tried to direct me to Scunthorpe. Had to rely on my trusty map and co-driver! 
Ours is a Garmin (Nuvi) and hubby drives to different area's/addresses because of his job and thinks it's fine (which is good from him :lol:)
A topical item from BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/7366371.stm
just don't buy whatever he's got!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/7366371.stm
just don't buy whatever he's got!!
There have been one or two similar stories like that just lately. Someone drove into a river somewhere! I think common sense comes into this as well. Just because the sat nav tells you to go in a particular direction it doesn't mean you have to if it doesn't look right and I don't think a river would do you? Not unless you have an aquatic car anyway!
Pippa
Pippa
Navman F10 under £100 from Argos,
works fine
I think any model needs constant updating to be anything like perfect, but very handy if only for the speed camera warnings.
Dave
works fine
I think any model needs constant updating to be anything like perfect, but very handy if only for the speed camera warnings.
Dave
I bought the cheap Navigo from eBuyer. They do special deals now and again and this week it is a different make/model but it is worth checking out their forums to see what you get for your money.
Downside was that one had to download the new software to get the latest version that should have been on the system, and the instructions are a bit sparse, although it is a simple procedure.
Haven't figured out Speed cam warnings yet, not sure if it will be much use as it is a bit late with some turnings. The plus side is that it is trivial to change it to TomTom software which apparently is better.
I did not buy it for speed cams and so it is not a problem. It is slow picking up the Satellites to start of with though and it does NOT say turn around when you miss a turn, it just sends you off to the side!
You need to decide what you want it for and how you want to use it.
If you are using it for speed cams, check the reviews and make sure you get one that warns you early enough.
If you are using it to get from a-b, then the main concern is UK or more. Some come with just the UK but others have some European maps as well, you will need to check reviews to see if they cover what you want.
Updating?
Tomtom for one allows simple map updating on the latest version, but as far as I can figure out on the Navigo what I have is probably the last map!
On the other hand it has taken about 80 years for our bypass to be built and it still has not started and considering the cost of the system, I will probably be priced off the roads before it becomes out of date around here.
Downside was that one had to download the new software to get the latest version that should have been on the system, and the instructions are a bit sparse, although it is a simple procedure.
Haven't figured out Speed cam warnings yet, not sure if it will be much use as it is a bit late with some turnings. The plus side is that it is trivial to change it to TomTom software which apparently is better.
I did not buy it for speed cams and so it is not a problem. It is slow picking up the Satellites to start of with though and it does NOT say turn around when you miss a turn, it just sends you off to the side!
You need to decide what you want it for and how you want to use it.
If you are using it for speed cams, check the reviews and make sure you get one that warns you early enough.
If you are using it to get from a-b, then the main concern is UK or more. Some come with just the UK but others have some European maps as well, you will need to check reviews to see if they cover what you want.
Updating?
Tomtom for one allows simple map updating on the latest version, but as far as I can figure out on the Navigo what I have is probably the last map!
On the other hand it has taken about 80 years for our bypass to be built and it still has not started and considering the cost of the system, I will probably be priced off the roads before it becomes out of date around here.
I can understand why certain people in certain professions may require sat nav, but for most people i'm afraid i just don't see the need
Buy a map, read a map, find where you need to go
Ach, maybe i'm just old fashioned!
Buy a map, read a map, find where you need to go
Ach, maybe i'm just old fashioned!
I am one of the few drivers left who don't have a sat nav.. i get to destinations quicker than those who follow nav's like they were gods, and pray tell why you need them to tell you where speed cameras are, either stick to the limits or look where you are going, in most cases i can spot a speed camera/van long before a nav will tell you, if you cant spot them then you need to do a defencive driving course or the IAM course
Brian
Brian
CiderMonster
You're not old fashioned! We're just Radio 4 minds in an MTV world!!
If anyone would like to take sadistic pleasure in watching sat-nav users go crazy I can currently recommend Shrewsbury town centre!
You're not old fashioned! We're just Radio 4 minds in an MTV world!!
If anyone would like to take sadistic pleasure in watching sat-nav users go crazy I can currently recommend Shrewsbury town centre!
Well steve, at 34 i'm afraid i couldn't even point to Radio 4 on the dial, and still regularly watch MTV Dance, so i'm not quite matching up to what you expected
Much as wizard says above, i just don't see the merits of Sat Nav for myself, as i rarely go to places that i would need one for, and if i do then i just look at the map before i go, and just find it! Maybe i'm lucky that i seem to have an inbuilt compass and a good memory for maps though, and i can see why some people would need one
Put it this way, i looked at a map before we went from St Malo to Vannes one year, the next year i didn't even bother looking at the map. Straight off the ferry, and straight there
(and it's not as if it's motorway all the way!)
Much as wizard says above, i just don't see the merits of Sat Nav for myself, as i rarely go to places that i would need one for, and if i do then i just look at the map before i go, and just find it! Maybe i'm lucky that i seem to have an inbuilt compass and a good memory for maps though, and i can see why some people would need one
Put it this way, i looked at a map before we went from St Malo to Vannes one year, the next year i didn't even bother looking at the map. Straight off the ferry, and straight there
(and it's not as if it's motorway all the way!)
We used ours yesterday - not that we needed it but just for a bit of fun. Can drive to Scarborough in my sleep.
Got a call from my sister inviting us to go for a BBQ on the way back so it helped at the and of the journey as we were coming from a different direction than normal.
When we set off I used my own route for much of the way and the voice kept telling me to turn round.
Obviously does not like the back road routes.
fwh
Got a call from my sister inviting us to go for a BBQ on the way back so it helped at the and of the journey as we were coming from a different direction than normal.
When we set off I used my own route for much of the way and the voice kept telling me to turn round.
Obviously does not like the back road routes.
fwh
Not impressed with Sat Nav. We have a Garmin one and it couldn't find the car parking facility in Edinburgh as the road had been changed. If we try it on routes that we are familiar with, it wants to takes the strangest back roads that we would never dream of using
.
Next time we are going somewhere unfamiliar I shall be printing off a route map from Map Quest or similar.
luci
.
Next time we are going somewhere unfamiliar I shall be printing off a route map from Map Quest or similar.
luci
Stevebell001.
If you want speed cameras on a navigo you will have to change to Tomtom as there is no database in Turbodog.
If you want speed cameras on a navigo you will have to change to Tomtom as there is no database in Turbodog.
I have a Tom Tom and I must admit I was in two minds about getting one as I just didn't really see the point (I actually enjoy reading maps!) but I must admit they are very handy. I bought the UK/Europe one - it cost about £170.00 - and you can download the latest road systems onto it from the net.
I think they're far better than the AA-routemaster (they often send you the long way round)
The good points about a Tom Tom are:
They alert you about speed cameras BEFORE you can see them yourself.
If the traffic is busy, or you're stuck in traffic they will redirect you on a less busy route
They will alert you to petrol stations/hotels/emergency services/points of interest etc
If you miss a turning they will put you back on the right track
You can programme it to avoid Toll roads
IF a road has recently changed into a NO ENTRY, once you've driven past it will give you an alternative
They're fantastic for finding roads in the middle of nowhere and which you're unfamiliar with
You can choose the Fast Route or Short Route depending on time of day/traffic etc
The bad points are:
They tend to take you through the most direct routes which are not necessarily shorter or quicker.
They don't seem to take you through shortcuts
They turn people into lazy map readers!
I don't think I'd want to be without it though driving on the Continent!
Strawberry
I think they're far better than the AA-routemaster (they often send you the long way round)
The good points about a Tom Tom are:
They alert you about speed cameras BEFORE you can see them yourself.
If the traffic is busy, or you're stuck in traffic they will redirect you on a less busy route
They will alert you to petrol stations/hotels/emergency services/points of interest etc
If you miss a turning they will put you back on the right track
You can programme it to avoid Toll roads
IF a road has recently changed into a NO ENTRY, once you've driven past it will give you an alternative
They're fantastic for finding roads in the middle of nowhere and which you're unfamiliar with
You can choose the Fast Route or Short Route depending on time of day/traffic etc
The bad points are:
They tend to take you through the most direct routes which are not necessarily shorter or quicker.
They don't seem to take you through shortcuts
They turn people into lazy map readers!
I don't think I'd want to be without it though driving on the Continent!
Strawberry
They alert you about speed cameras BEFORE you can see them yourself.
as i said earlier .. i drive for a living over all the country, If you cant see a fixed camera before the sat nave tells you one is present then I'm sorry but you are not driving, giving sufficient importance to OBSERVATION , i have been a passenger in cars where the agency drivers use nav and i have as yet not failed to spot a camera before the warning came
you cant beat a good map [for diversions if you are unsure of the area] as most sat navs will take you in a circle and back to where you started
Hi Wizard,
Well wound my area (London/Surrey) there are speed cameras which are actually camouflaged in trees. I was told that that is now illegal, and all cameras should be visible but maybe they haven't got round to repositioning them. They even painted the bright yellow boxes black at one time to make them less visible! Ther's also a well-known speed camera on a stretch of road near to where I live that is placed on a slight bend which is totally out of view until a driver is about 2 yards from it!
I'm a very observant driver, and I always keep my eyes on the road (which is why I probably don't spot all these speed boxes!); a passenger probably does spot a camera more easily as they don't have to keep their eyes fixed on the road.
As for you saying most sat navs take you in a circle and back to where you started............are you sure the person didn't key in their start-off point for their destination? That's an impossibility for a sta nav to do that! Which sat nav are you talking about?
Strawberry
Well wound my area (London/Surrey) there are speed cameras which are actually camouflaged in trees. I was told that that is now illegal, and all cameras should be visible but maybe they haven't got round to repositioning them. They even painted the bright yellow boxes black at one time to make them less visible! Ther's also a well-known speed camera on a stretch of road near to where I live that is placed on a slight bend which is totally out of view until a driver is about 2 yards from it!
I'm a very observant driver, and I always keep my eyes on the road (which is why I probably don't spot all these speed boxes!); a passenger probably does spot a camera more easily as they don't have to keep their eyes fixed on the road.
As for you saying most sat navs take you in a circle and back to where you started............are you sure the person didn't key in their start-off point for their destination?
That's an impossibility for a sta nav to do that! Which sat nav are you talking about?Strawberry
