Sat Nav

[evelyn]

Views on sat nav anyone.
I'm planning a trip and wondering whether to use sat nav or chance getting lost!!!!
Would appreciate any input, views or tips.
evelyn

[changilass]

I just use a map or the rac or aa route planner for journeys, can't justify the cost of sat nav up here and having heard stories of folks being directed through rivers etc, it make me wonder wether it would be worth it anyhow.

[emszxr]

i wouldnt get one, a good old map and auto route is just as good. i dont think i could handle the silly voices on the thing. and yes it is true about being put through rivers. my sister in law's partner has one and on the way up to ours it wanted to take them over a ford, which is ok when the river is low but not too handy if there has been a lot of rain.
are you travelling far, or searching for an address. i use auto route to find addresses, its great. but you need to keep an updated version cause of all the new housing schemes that keep popping up everywhere.

[Rheghead]

I'm a competent map reader but I still think it is worthwhile investing in a navsat as you can't read a map and drive at the same time. Also, if you do make a duff turn while using navsat, you will soon know about it before it is too late.

However, if you are just going out of the county just for one trip then it probably won't be worth your money.:eek:

I've never been put though a river yet...

One big advantage is that Mrs Rheg doesn't do any map reading anymore so it saves a lot of arguements and time being lost.

[MadPict]

Sat Nav systems can be picked up quite cheaply now and I have never ever been directed through a river or up a goat track by it.
And I think my brain might just say "Hold on a moment, this does not look right" if it did try to take me up such a route. I mean come on, are you just blindly following the voice that you don't notice that you really should be in a 4x4 by now?

I have a TomTom Go 300 and it has worked well for me - I think the TomTom range gets a good write up for ease of use and a good GUI. The TomTom ONE is about £150 - worthwhile if you get the use out of it.
They reduce the need to be constantly looking at a road map or reading a AA printout (which many drivers seem to think they can do whilst still driving) and for driving in busy towns they are a real help.

[Tugmistress]

Before moving up here i had a job as a delivery driver and i ran all over the country, a good scale atlas is all you need and a good memory.
work out your route to the town you are going to by road numbers then when approaching your destination look at any other print out of auto route or whatever you use (i use mapquest for the last details to a new addy though i used to buy A-Z of whatever area i was in then) for the last bit of the journey in a layby or some other stop.
easy.

[j4bberw0ck]

Satnav has a major advantage over notes written on paper; you don't have to resist the temptation to read the notes or look at the map while you're on the move. It talks to you (usually!) and if you find a road closure or unexpected one-way system, it'll find you a way round it.

I use it on the bike - earpieces installed inside the helmet - and it's fantastic. Especially for foreign touring.

[emszxr]

Satnav has a major advantage over notes written on paper; you don't have to resist the temptation to read the notes or look at the map while you're on the move. It talks to you (usually!) and if you find a road closure or unexpected one-way system, it'll find you a way round it.

I use it on the bike - earpieces installed inside the helmet - and it's fantastic. Especially for foreign touring.

i could have done with one when i was in holland on the bike. couldnt find the hotel and it was extremely wet as it is in holland, ended up paying a taxi to guide me the way to the hotel.

[jaykay]

I would highly recommend the satnav. No more hassle with trying to read maps (especially when its dark) and no more falling out with the other half who has never been much use as a navigator. For hassle free driving get a satnav!!

[sweetpea]

Not convinced by sat nav I'm afraid, had a loan of one to go to Glasgow once but still hadn't got the thing going by the time I got there and it kept telling me to take a junction that would have put me to Greenock. I use my intuition and guesswork and sometimes print off a route from AA and it's never let me down. If all else fails I stop and ask. Not very technical but.....

[Penelope Pitstop]

I've got a stand alone Tom Tom 600 (? I think that's model) other car has sat nav "built in" - don't know what make it is. Tom Tom is the better of the two. Tom Tom makes it easy by inputting the post code of destination.

What I would say is make sure you can work it properly - I'm not that great at it!! lol. Make sure you have it set whether you want the "fastest" route or the "shortest" route - it can make a difference. Also, I would say have a good look at the map before you set off so you have an idea about the direction you should be heading in.:lol:

[jimbews]

Satnav has a major advantage over notes written on paper; you don't have to resist the temptation to read the notes or look at the map while you're on the move. It talks to you (usually!) and if you find a road closure or unexpected one-way system, it'll find you a way round it.


If not a subscriber to Which magazine you won't see all the report, but some information at:
http://www.which.co.uk/reports_and_campaigns/cars/reports/running_a_car/accessories/Satellite%20navigation%20devices/satellite_navigation_essential_574_64529.jsp

One aspect is security - if you buy one, never leave it in view, and even remove the holder and clean off the mark left by the rubber sucker on the windscreen (otherwise no window and your glovebox gets rifled).
OK - not a problem in Caithness, but if you're travelling...

JimBews

[Kaishowing]

Got a Garmin Nuvi 300 for when we drive south.(cost us £160 brand new) Even in areas where you're not familiar it's handy to have for the audible directions. It's never given us wrong directions, but I keep in mind that there's always a first time...Just as long as you show some more common sense than some Essex ambulance drivers (http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=27512&in_page_id=34) then you'll be fine!!

[Royster1911]

Used mine to take me to my sons house in Birmingham. Took me right to the door and this was my first visit. Try getting that from a map without stopping. Has to be used with common sense though as it once tried to put me up a one way system flowing the other way.:confused

[nicnak]

Well we have a Garmin Nuvi too and it is fantastic, I certainly wouldnt set off anywhwere i didnt know without it. Having someone tell you directions rather than trying to read while driving is an absolute blessing and also a lot safer.
Definately go with the sat nav well worth the money!

[Alice in Blunderland]

After many times getting lost in the Birmingham area my other half invested in a Tom Tom. It has been money well spent and would recommend one. We once got lost in Glasgow which we are familiar with, we just pulled out the sat nav and used it until we got our bearings again then it went back into the glove box until next time, saved a lot of agro. :)