Omega Owners Forum

Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: pscocoa on 07 July 2013, 22:20:24

Title: Dynamic Sat Nav
Post by: pscocoa on 07 July 2013, 22:20:24
Travelled from Manchester down M6 this morning and motorway signs came on saying delays between 16 and 15 southbound. Radio stations are all saying motorways running fine and so you start to think that signs relate to a cleared incident. Phaeton sat nav system also showing clear and then with just literally 30 seconds to go before J16 it comes up with the divert around Stoke A500.

Luckily we took it and then as we rejoined a quiet M6 at J15 to hear on radio that all 3 lanes had been closed. A lot of people must have been tied up  in that in such heat.

Thank heavens for the system but surely if Mway signs on for at least 20 minutes before we hit the incident, the services could get the message onto radio and avoid immense discomfort for many.
Title: Re: Dynamic Sat Nav
Post by: chrisgixer on 08 July 2013, 10:01:58
Travelling the m4 regularly sees a complete distrust in motorway communication signs. Often left on for days at a time after an incident. Or there's an incident and no signed warning at all.

What source does the nav use for traffic on the Phaeton? :)
Title: Re: Dynamic Sat Nav
Post by: biggriffin on 08 July 2013, 13:41:08
Garmins come with life time traffic master, some tom-toms do aswell,
. If you have digital radio there traffic on those which is better than sally the slapper :)
Title: Re: Dynamic Sat Nav
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 08 July 2013, 15:17:29
The Futon uses TMC as per the other OEM setups (including my mum bus)
Title: Re: Dynamic Sat Nav
Post by: TheBoy on 08 July 2013, 17:58:30
I think the signs are the first, by some margin, to come on when there is an incident. But sadly, all too frequently left on, so we never believe.

I think the radio is so far behind, (local) travel info is useless. When I used to travel to Snorbs most days, I'd be sat on the M1 with engine off and handbrake on, and 3CR would still say the motorway was clear.  Used to take at least half an hour for them to report such incidents.
Title: Re: Dynamic Sat Nav
Post by: biggriffin on 09 July 2013, 07:33:26
Lokal radio is normally about 15mins behind the incident,were as radio 2 is about 1hour minimum. Lokal radio website have very uptodate travel,.
Title: Re: Dynamic Sat Nav
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 09 July 2013, 08:06:26
Not convinced, think its dependent on the local radio station.

As an example, Radio leicester seem to be 1 hour behind, you often hear of isues on the M1 or A46 on Radio 2 before they announce it.
Title: Re: Dynamic Sat Nav
Post by: chrisgixer on 09 July 2013, 08:42:42
Travelling the m4 regularly sees a complete distrust in motorway communication signs. Often left on for days at a time after an incident. Or there's an incident and no signed warning at all.

What source does the nav use for traffic on the Phaeton? :)
Also, MUCH to my annoyance, there are no warning signs before getting on the the motorway. Many a time I drive up the slip road to be faced with stationary traffic, when I could so easily have taken the back roads.

Google maps traffic is probably most reliable source I know of, yet the m4 is so busy its difficult to tell the normal crawl home traffic from the almost normal stopped still waiting to move at all traffic.

Thankyou GM for the omega auto box. :y
Title: Re: Dynamic Sat Nav
Post by: chrisgixer on 09 July 2013, 08:44:47
Should add, I don't have tomtom traffic, which is supposed to be good, but are they all based on the same info anyway?
Title: Re: Dynamic Sat Nav
Post by: pscocoa on 09 July 2013, 09:18:16
http://www.which.co.uk/technology/computing/guides/sat-nav-live-traffic/ (http://www.which.co.uk/technology/computing/guides/sat-nav-live-traffic/)

I must just be on TMC.
Title: Re: Dynamic Sat Nav
Post by: zirk on 09 July 2013, 13:55:23
Another option could be to get a old Nokia Smart Phone, Symbian type N8, E7 etc, which no one seems to want anymore, Download Nokia Maps for the Sat Nav feature (Free World Wide) which are download on the phone and use as a stand alone Sat Nav or slap a Sim in and get free Live Traffic and use that aswell as Google Traffic.

Payg Internet Sims can be had for £5 pm or £20 for 6 months, so free live updates, Traffic and Camera Hot Spots for a couple of quid a month.  ;)