Satnav/GPS recommendations (or good websites for info?) [Archive]

JaCe

18-09-2006, 11:11 PM

Just wondering if there are any good websites which cater for Aussie GPS/satnav systems. I wanna buy one but haven't got much clue about them. I tried my mate's Voxtrack (quite old) and it wasn't too shabby- it got me where I wanted to go but I saw the limitations (eg. wants me to u-turn when i miss a turn, no option to go on roads with no tolls, no easy way to recalc route if there's an accident, asked me to do illegal turns several times, etc...)...

I heard Tomtom is pretty good- except the review in NRMA magazine of the Tomtom One getting confused in the multilanes approaching harbour bridge did concern me- I wonder if this applies to the more expensive 710/910 models. Anyone got these?

Are there any good sites which review these things or any personal experiences?

jamchen

18-09-2006, 11:23 PM

there are few active threads already on GPS... search is ur friend...

davecash

18-09-2006, 11:32 PM

i'd recommend road angel which i jst bought for my 06 civic. Had no problems at all and hasnt tried to make me do any crazy shit... yet

whtteg

19-09-2006, 03:36 PM

navman is good but whichever u choose make sure it accepts sd cards so maps can be fully upgraded and new 1s 4 different places can be added

kleung

19-09-2006, 10:32 PM

http://www.mtekk.com.au

Lots of good stuff there, but it's not a site that's specific to satnav. Lots of stuff about GPS/PDA/mobile phone etc.

JaCe

23-09-2006, 04:14 PM

Thanks.

I did a search but didn't find any "excellent threads" regarding aftermarket and current models.

Has anyone had any experience with Tomtom? In particular the 710? That's the model I'm looking at.

Thanks for the feedback guys. The Voxtrack one I'm using now, whilst not too bad, it got totally confused when I was driving in the Sydney CBD! It kept losing it's place as to where I was (it said I was on totally wrong streets) and every few seconds it would totally change... at one point I was driving in a park apparently! I was also hoping that the one I buy will be a little bit faster/better at making routes, offer an easy way to generate alternate routes (eg. in event of an accident and traffic buildup), and hopefully, navigation in the city!

J-MuN

27-09-2006, 04:19 PM

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52138&highlight=navigation

Quickly IMO, go either Tomtom or Garmin. Both use 'Sensis Where Is' mapping/software. Very userfriendly and detailed.

FIT

27-09-2006, 06:59 PM

best ones to get are the top of the range GPS system not the entry level ones! always get the sensis maps as they are more reliable.

J-MuN

27-09-2006, 07:09 PM

best ones are top of the range navman and Mio's.I definitely disagree with that. I sell them at work, all the brands. They would be the most unreliable units around. We get majority of them come back for repairs or credits. The specs are definitely impressive but performance wise, useless.

kleung

28-09-2006, 11:07 PM

SatNavs losing accuracy in 'urban canyons' like Sydney CBD is not uncommon. While you're driving through the city, the GPS has limited view of the sky, which limits it's effectiveness. Your best bet is to look for a model that has the latest chipsets, such as the SiRF Star III. They are more sensitive and more likely to be able to work effectively in such environments.

Incidentally, most Australian GPSes use Sensis data. What's interesting is that the accuracy still varies so widely between them.

JaCe

01-10-2006, 08:24 PM

A guy at JB told me that the Tomtom 710/910 are quite good at navigating the CBD... any thoughts?

kleung

01-10-2006, 09:41 PM

The 510, 710, and 910 are all SiRF Star III-based, so that's a good thing.

Tomtom has a really slick, easy to use interface, so based on reputation, I don't really think you can go wrong with any of those two. They're not cheap though...

I have had any direct experience with either of those two products, but I have done a fair bit of research (I'm in the market for a Bluetooth GPS receiver myself).

J-MuN

02-10-2006, 08:43 AM

kleung

02-10-2006, 02:52 PM

The design doesn't bother me so much, but that's subjective I guess. I'm more intrigued by the price. Organiser World has the 910 listed for $1149. That's an awful lot of money to pay for navi+mp3+BT car kit IMHO.

But to each, his own, I say.

muhhan

05-10-2006, 05:14 PM

I have been looking at the Tomtom units as well. I think the main difference between the 710 and 910 is that the 710 uses sd memory car to store the maps where as the 910 has a 20gb hard drive to store maps, mp3s, videos. The 910 also felt slightly lighter than the 710. The 910 can is hooked upto the computer to upgrade the maps and transfer data to the unit.

I agree that both are pretty chunky. Apparently the speaker is better quality and louder compared to others on the market.

Also, a lot of the navman systems have been reported to be inaccurate, only by about 50m but that's enough for you to miss turns, which is annoying. When I was trying out the Mio system in store it showed that I was in NSW in some place I never heard of (i'm in Adelaide) and it was extremely slow. If it can't perform in the store when its brand new then what hope has it got after I buy it?

Personally, I'm leaning towards the Tomtom 910.

kleung

05-10-2006, 09:51 PM

It's actually not surprising that it can't perform in-store, given that it can't see any satellites...

Even the SiRF 3-based GPS receivers only *barely* work indoors, if you're lucky. Most GPS receivers need a good view of the sky to get a good lock.

The TomTom software is very fast when calculating routes though, and it reroutes fairly quickly when you miss a turn too.

Regarding the spoken instructions - I find that a female voice is more easily heard and understood while you're driving. No idea why. It might be to do with the pitch of the voice?

Ferrarista

05-10-2006, 10:12 PM

I used a Mio today, very easy to use and cheap too

$599 RRP

Being in the electronics business i get good discounts though :)

Limbo

06-10-2006, 12:55 AM

i'm running the Tomtom software on my PDA thru bluetooth and a GPS unit.
I also got the female vioce. It just sounds better i think. And yes with the TomTom it seems to be great at rerouting especially when you take the wrong turn. ANd yeah my GPS unit has trouble inside the house but driving around its fine.

All you need is a cheap PDA with bluetooth, a GPS antenna and then just get the software off the net. Works like a charm

TypeRice

06-10-2006, 01:07 AM

im getting a GPS too... but for no particular reason... just to make my car look nice when driving at night.. ppls will see many lights comming from my car...

and they are all LEGAL !!!!.. who needs neon lights (illegal)... when i can have a blue lit aftermarket Tacho, a Orange background wallpaper on my PSP, and watever colour light the GPS is emitting.. ahhaha

kleung

06-10-2006, 03:46 AM

muhhan

06-10-2006, 05:36 PM

Hmm, not seeing the gps unit indoors is valid for an inaccurate positioning, but suggesting that I am halfway across the country?!? I was under the impression that gps units may lose some accuracy indoors but not that much.

This probably applies to most units, what happens when you go under tunnels and are driving in mountainous regions with lots of trees, over growth, and rock walls/valleys? I can think of several areas in the Adelaide Hills and on Great Ocean Road where these environments occur. Are any of the systems better in positioning in this regard?

kleung

07-10-2006, 01:08 AM

muhhan: It probably defaulted to the location of whatever is set to 'home'. Most of the satnav software I've used either defaults to the last fix location, or the 'home' location, until it gets a new fix from the GPS receiver.

A GPS receiver requires good signals from at least three satellites to get a position fix. But the more good signals it receives, the more accurate the positioning.

The SiRF3 GPSes would cope better with poor signal areas.

Going through a tunnel will cut off the GPS signal, but since you're not likely to spend more than a few minutes at most in a tunnel, the GPS will lock on again within a few seconds of leaving the tunnel. The longer a GPS receiver is turned off, the longer it will take to get a position fix when turned back on.

TypeRice

11-10-2006, 12:30 AM

Limbo: Apart from the fact that downloading TT off the 'net is illegal... :) So...you running TT6?

TypeRice: If you're just after the bling, why not just get a DVD screen? It'd be cheaper than fitting a GPS-enabled screen...

yo yo bcoz leaving a DVD screen on whilst driving is ILLEGAL yo !!!!

but having a GPS on isnt !!!!