Sat Nav

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ianjohnsonws14

ianjohnsonws14

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SWMBO, and a drive across Paris on Monday has finally persuaded me that satnav would be a reasonable investment - possible xmas present.

Am looking for a system that can be transferred from car to car relatively easily (do not want to change head unit and would prefer to avoid hard wiring - Accord is leased) and preferably gives verrbal instructions. Would be used in her A2 and my Accord.

Have used the Volvo and Jaguar OEM systems but they are built in.

Advice on systems and their usability would be appreciated.

Ian

2002 1.4 Petrol SE, silver with climate control for SWMBO (1.4 Petrol SE, Ebony Black, grey leather, heated seats, climate, opensky, five spoke alloys on order) Honda Accord Tourer 2.2 iCDTi for me.
 
Makro are selling a Garmin system for £350 + VAT. I have an earlier Garmin system and it does all you are wanting. It's portable, gives verbal instructions (in a female voice!) and has yet to get me lost! One memory card holds all of the UK maps and mine came with full European map coverage and a weighted holder which sits nicely to the right of the A2 instrument binnacle, so it's level with your eyes, but not directly in your field of vision. Only downside with mine is you need an address, just entering a postcode is not possible so finding addresses can take a while, but this may have changed now.

Alternatively you can get a PDA based system to run on a Palm or Pocket PC.

Drove down to Cardiff yesterday and found out the Garmin GPS doesn't like fog! The signal must have kept being interrupted as for most of the journey we appeared to be driving through fields and the system kept recalculating the route.
 
Should have read the other threads first - anyone used Kirrio?

Ian

2002 1.4 Petrol SE, silver with climate control for SWMBO (1.4 Petrol SE, Ebony Black, grey leather, heated seats, climate, opensky, five spoke alloys on order) Honda Accord Tourer 2.2 iCDTi for me.
 
Am probably going for a PDA based system - has more uses than a sat nav only system.

Ian

2002 1.4 Petrol SE, silver with climate control for SWMBO (1.4 Petrol SE, Ebony Black, grey leather, heated seats, climate, opensky, five spoke alloys on order) Honda Accord Tourer 2.2 iCDTi for me.
 
Talking about Paris and satnav:

Are you guys aware that _any_ satnav product will have have great difficulty operating in Paris?
Well, maybe not once you're really 'inside', but coming from the 'peripherique' you have to negotiate lots of tunnels and viaducts and that can really cause problems with the gps loosing its track of the satellites!
So make sure you find a very good location for the gps receiver, in order to get the best view of the most satellites. Solutions with built in receivers are nice, but the location within the interior (near the vents) blocks a lot of the view (roof) and the heat-reflecting windshield does not help either!

This is valid in any location of course, but 'Paris' just reminded me of a colleague here who tried to go to a hotel in Paris and who almost got into a fight with his girlfriend over the gps loosing signal all of the time ;)

Personally, I have my gps receiver on the lower edge of the rear window. Works great there (and I didn't want it smack bang crushed into a corner of my dash, in full sight (for me and interested burglars!)

Pictures available, if you're interested.

Cheers,

Edo

--
(2003 Silver 1.4 Tdi Exclusive(SE), 95bhp/235Nm chiptuned by ABT, black interior, sport seats, heated mirrors, TomTom3 PDA Satnav, JVC KD-SH909RB cd-receiver, Infinity Kappa 63.1 + Vifa on-dash tweeters, 12" Subwoofer on 300w Amp)
 
Swiv,

VDO systems use other means than the GPS reception. It also uses a compass, gyroscope and wheel rotations. I can drive for one half hour without reception before it loses it's way. It's the question if that's worth paying over two times more then a tomtom system......

Dennis de Held

Amulet Red 1.4 Tdi
 
Do all aftermarktet VDO-like systems have those features?

I mean, I know that factory-built in systems will have something like a speed sensor (and probably a host of additional ones like you mention), but I do assume too that if you buy a 'simple' VDO in-dash radio/headunit replacement, you're not getting any of that, are you?

Anyway, I can only speak for PDA based satnav. And for that I go by the rule: bad reception = lots of frustration!

Edo

--
(2003 Silver 1.4 Tdi Exclusive(SE), 95bhp/235Nm chiptuned by ABT, black interior, sport seats, heated mirrors, TomTom3 PDA Satnav, JVC KD-SH909RB cd-receiver, Infinity Kappa 63.1 + Vifa on-dash tweeters, 12" Subwoofer on 300w Amp)
 
quote:Originally posted by swiv

Do all aftermarktet VDO-like systems have those features?

I mean, I know that factory-built in systems will have something like a speed sensor (and probably a host of additional ones like you mention), but I do assume too that if you buy a 'simple' VDO in-dash radio/headunit replacement, you're not getting any of that, are you?
Click to expand...

I honestly have no idea. I have a MS5000 which is now three years old. It has a external GPS antenna and a builtin compass and gyroscope. I assume that everything is builtin to the units.
What else would be the advantage of having a builtin system instead of a PDA one.

Dennis de Held

Amulet Red 1.4 Tdi
 
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