SatNav. An Old Man Asks....

[Elliott]

I'm very old. Some say, older than the hills. Others say 50.

My car is very loud in the cabin.

So, to help me get about, I bought a Sat Nav that has an earphone jack so that I can hear the lady who lives inside the box tell me which river to plunge into.

Now, I've noticed on a couple of threads that you people mention 'files' that can be transferred from one satnav to another so that the details of that day's hoon can be distributed to all of the participants.

I think that this is A.Good.Thing. I would like to join in, safe in the knowledge that even though you lot will leave me far,far behind, I shall eventually be able to find you once again.

This leads me to ask the following two questions.

1) What brand of Satnav should I be looking to buy so that I can join in with this file sharing?

2) Does anyone know whether there's a model that has a headphone jack?

Thanking you, I'm off now for my midday nap.

[verysideways]

We provide files for tours for Garmin, Navman, and Tomtom.
Our preference, and that of most people it would seem, is Tomtom.

If you want to try a Tomtom before you buy one, come and see us at the Ace as we usually have one in the cars - alternatively pop down to your local Halfrauds and have a play with one of theirs.

My personal current recommendation is the Tomtom 750 which gives you widescreen, lane guidance, itinerary planning (very important for hoons!) and lots more features. It can even divert you around traffic problems! The 550 model is UK only, the 750 model is UK and Europe, the 950 model is UK & Europe & North America.

Here's a page to help you if you decide to buy one:

http://www.satnav-discounts.co.uk/tomtom-go/tomtom_live_x50_550_750_950.htm

Any questions?

[andrew.]

beware that not all satnavs have the ability to download or input routes

contrary to the instruction manual, mine will only accept start and end points :(

[Elliott]

Thanks for the speedy reply.

In all seriousness, my major concern is whether I will be able to hear the instructions. It can get pretty loud in my car. That's why I asked about the earphone jack .

I suppose the best thing will be for me to go and hear how loud these things are. I'll pop along to Halfords this afternoon.

:thumb:

Oh, and can you lend me £200? I'll pay you back on Thursday. Thusday's pension day.

:)

[Elliott]

beware that not all satnavs have the ability to download or input routes

contrary to the instruction manual, mine will only accept start and end points :(

Ah......thanks for that.

Does the TOm Tom 750 do the thing that I need with the routes?

[andrew.]

have you investigated connecting the sat nav to the hifi so that you can use the speakers ?

[andrew.]

i'm not that familiar with tom tom's latest : mine's an old garmin 200w

[Boris]

have you investigated connecting the sat nav to the hifi so that you can use the speakers ?

This is what I do with my iPhone nav! Makes it's much easier to hear especially with the roof down!

[verysideways]

Tomtom 750 does indeed do the thing with the routes, and has bluetooth capability so you could use a bluetooth headset with it...

[Elliott]

have you investigated connecting the sat nav to the hifi so that you can use the speakers ?

I don't have a hi-fi..................I don't even have a heater!

:o

[Elliott]

Tomtom 750 does indeed do the thing with the routes, and has bluetooth capability so you could use a bluetooth headset with it...

Ah! That's the thing for me I reckon.

Thank you.

[andrew.]

I don't have a hi-fi.
:o
welcome to my world :thumb:

[Bigburd]

I don't have a hi-fi..................I don't even have a heater!

:o

Not even a Gramophone?

I have a Navman 530 circa 2006 - in the process of hacking the software to something a bit later.

I have previously opted for those with Navigation pedigree in other areas, Marine, Off Road etc....Garmin and Navman were some the original ones but consolidation in the market really leaves

TomTom/NavMan (now Mio/Mitec)/Garmin

Phone based software is OK but the inbuilt GPS is not as quick on some phones.

I am also considering a new one and not being one for following the crowds I am trying to avoid TomTom...(much the same reason I do not have an iPhone)

So Garmin is most likely for me..


PS What is your budget....maybe PN can sort a group buy?

[Harsh]

cant do a group buy if we're buying different things! :D

[Bigburd]

Yeah I know that!!

[Fiona]

cant do a group buy if we're buying different things! :D

course you can, just sort it through a supplier like Halfrauds, always worth asking for a discount :D

[verysideways]

course you can, just sort it through a supplier like Halfrauds, always worth asking for a discount :D

But even with a trade card and their discount they're still more expensive...

[Fiona]

But even with a trade card and their discount they're still more expensive...

Than buying direct or somewhere else?

I bought my Garmin on impulse because PC world were having a sat nav sale. PC world are hopeless though, I'm sure there were bits missing from the box, like the lead to connect it to the computer and mapsource software which the Garmin website tells me comes supplied.
I wouldn't be surprised as I've bought stuff from there before which has been missing parts listed on the box, I later discovered it was a faulty return which had been put back on the shelf!!

[verysideways]

Than buying direct or somewhere else?
Somewhere else (as per my linky).

[Fiona]

Somewhere else (as per my linky).

Oh, must have missed that. No odds to be now though, I'm stuck with the crap with the missing bits I bought in PC world. :(
I spent ages filling out one of those web enquiry forms on the Garmin website but when I clicked submit an error message came up and everything I'd written disappeared. I have received no response from Garmin so can only assume that either their web enquiry form doesn't work or their customer support team just don't give a shit. They're based in Southampton though so I may just pay them a visit and present them with the offending article....road trip anyone :D

[verysideways]

Road trip "wif de boys"?
Sounds like a plan :)

Here's the linky in case you fancy splashing out again:
http://www.satnav-discounts.co.uk/tomtom-go/tomtom_live_x50_550_750_950.htm

[Bigburd]

After much deliberation and looking at various reviews on Amazon/AVForums and Which.co.uk I am just about to order a refurbished NAVIGON 6130

My shortlist was in order of my personal desirability

Navigon 6350 Live £243.75 via Amazon (Avides Media) Funky 3D terrain maps 80% discount off the £79.99 for 2 yr map updates

Navigon 6310 £229 (same as above without live services module and can be upgraded)

Navigon 4350 Max (£159 Halfrauds)

Tom Tom 750 Live £218.76

Then I found the refurbished Navigon...6310 £149 ...

http://www.navigon.com/portal/uk/shop/refurbished/index.html

Navigon offer of 80% off freshmap updates for 2yrs...= approx £16 so give s2yrs of future proofing
I can also decide to upgrade the 6310 to the 6350 live at a later date for £99 - not sure I use sat nav enough for live services...I can get most of the stuff on my mobile or my RoadPilot subscription.

Only downside of the 6310 is that the TMC Traffic Module antenna is in the power lead...