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Author Topic: Sat Nav- a recent convert!  (Read 3025 times)

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Varche

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Sat Nav- a recent convert!
« on: 10 March 2015, 10:50:22 »

I have managed without sat nav until recently when I got one for Xmas.

It has been brilliant in the UK and yesterday we used it (in anger) for the first time over in Spain.

I dare say they have faults especially if you rely on them and don't put any thought/logic into where you are going. It did get confused once under a concrete Spaghetti junction - maybe loss of signal.

Yesterday we visited about 10 shops on various industrial estates in Malaga ,for the first time, just by inputting the addresses.

Two features that are good are knowledge of speed cameras / prevailing speed limit and what lane to be in on multi lane roads.

When it calculates your estimated arrival time is that from an algorythm based on typical speeds to speed limit OR does it learn from your driving style which might be Miss Daisy or Alonsolike ?

What do other people feel about them?

 

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Diamond Black Geezer

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Re: Sat Nav- a recent convert!
« Reply #1 on: 10 March 2015, 11:19:59 »

They're brilliant, and compared to a driver actually reading a map whilst driving (which I think safe to say we've all seen, and possibly even done) they're a godsend. My gripe, though, is that the TomTom I've used has the nasty habit of having absolutely no concept of distance - ie: you're told you're 50 yards from a turn, two seconds later you're told 'turn left' (!) this has the annoying result of one of two things
1. You miss the turn, as you can't realistically, safely turn in the given distance, then get it whining in your earhole for the next five mins as you make a 'round the block' manoeuvre.
2. You make the turn, hard lock with passengers thrown about the cabin, driving like an 18 year old the day after passing his test and being given a Scooby. Also means doing that oh-so-pleasant thing where you indicate as you perform the turn, as opposed to mirror, signal, then manoeuvre, like what we're supposed to.

As I say, they're your choices. You have to reconcile/compare which you prefer - making the turn, and being moaned at by your other half 'why are you driving like that?' vs 'you missed the turn! Why did you miss the turn?'  ::)

I am assuming that the newer models have at least partially rectified this. Also as you say, getting confused which road you're on when you go over/under another road.  :)
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Shackeng

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Re: Sat Nav- a recent convert!
« Reply #2 on: 10 March 2015, 11:24:50 »

I've been using one for a few years, and find it very useful, particularly as you say for visiting industrial units, as even though I know my local town quite well, it can often get me across town quicker. I also find it very useful for meandering off a long journey to explore unknown areas, and not relying on SWMBO trying to get us back on track peering at an upside down road map.
As you have pointed out, it still requires a bit of common sense in use. There have been many cases of idiots arriving at the wrong town with the right name! :y
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zirk

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Re: Sat Nav- a recent convert!
« Reply #3 on: 10 March 2015, 11:34:50 »

Rarely use mine unless I specifically need to know how to get to an address, even then tend to use for the last leg of the journey.

Sometimes switch it on in Just Drive Mode (Here Maps) on a journey just to remind me of Speed Limits and Cameras, but we all know we shouldn't rely on that, and a Live Traffic Feature is handy.

Absolutely useless in Central London in terms of getting to A to B, just just end up sitting in Traffic with the rest of the boys, but Londons always been a bit of a 'you need to know the shortcuts in terms of traffic hotspots otherwise your on a lost cause'.

Yep, handy toys, bit like your first Dish Washer syndrome, when you think why didn't I get one of these years ago.  :y
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Field Marshal Dr. Opti

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Re: Sat Nav- a recent convert!
« Reply #4 on: 10 March 2015, 12:19:38 »

Sat Nav was invented because girlies are unable to read maps. :)

Not merely my humble opinion......more a statement of fact. :)
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Kevin Wood

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Re: Sat Nav- a recent convert!
« Reply #5 on: 10 March 2015, 13:37:32 »

It has been brilliant in the UK and yesterday we used it (in anger) for the first time over in Spain.

We navigated around Spain using a freebie sat nav based on OSM and it worked very well. Can't remember how close it got us to your gaff - possibly as close as the bar? ;D

It's a godsend when trying to navigate through cities and it's also handy when on a run in the kit car, as long as you can plan a route in advance and make it stick to it. Sadly, many these days seem only to want to navigate you to a postcode and woe betide you if you actually want to choose your own route. :-\
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05omegav6

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Re: Sat Nav- a recent convert!
« Reply #6 on: 10 March 2015, 14:11:41 »

They're brilliant, and compared to a driver actually reading a map whilst driving (which I think safe to say we've all seen, and possibly even done) they're a godsend. My gripe, though, is that the TomTom I've used has the nasty habit of having absolutely no concept of distance - ie: you're told you're 50 yards from a turn, two seconds later you're told 'turn left' (!) this has the annoying result of one of two things
1. You miss the turn, as you can't realistically, safely turn in the given distance, then get it whining in your earhole for the next five mins as you make a 'round the block' manoeuvre.
2. You make the turn, hard lock with passengers thrown about the cabin, driving like an 18 year old the day after passing his test and being given a Scooby. Also means doing that oh-so-pleasant thing where you indicate as you perform the turn, as opposed to mirror, signal, then manoeuvre, like what we're supposed to.

As I say, they're your choices. You have to reconcile/compare which you prefer - making the turn, and being moaned at by your other half 'why are you driving like that?' vs 'you missed the turn! Why did you miss the turn?'  ::)

I am assuming that the newer models have at least partially rectified this. Also as you say, getting confused which road you're on when you go over/under another road.  :)
A couple of issues here...

Firstly, at 30 mph, two seconds will see you about thirty yards up the road, so no real surprises there ::)

Secondly, turn the voice off. It's distracting and generally unnecessary. If a voice tells you to "turn left now" you might just do it without thought... all those stories of people driving the wrong way into one way streets or into tram lines or canals... all doing EXACTLY what the idiot box told them ::) Use the picture as a reference, read the road ahead and pay attention to your immediate environment :y This also avoids situation 1 in your example.

Situation 2 should never happen unless a) you're totally retarded, or b) you're trying to be a complete Tuesday :y

My current TomTom is a year old Go6000, with live updates, live traffic and google search, all free for life. It's a bit big for an Omega due to the windscreen/dash space, but the only thing that has come close was the factory Nav in the E Class... Well worth every penny imho :y

The only grumbles with sat navs in general is that their very use detaches you from your journey; look at a map and you know where you are in relation to places around you... on a sat nav, you're merely a splodge on a line. Also some rural postcodes are bigger than whole Lundun boroughs ::)


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Varche

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Re: Sat Nav- a recent convert!
« Reply #7 on: 10 March 2015, 14:55:11 »

It has been brilliant in the UK and yesterday we used it (in anger) for the first time over in Spain.

We navigated around Spain using a freebie sat nav based on OSM and it worked very well. Can't remember how close it got us to your gaff - possibly as close as the bar? ;D

It's a godsend when trying to navigate through cities and it's also handy when on a run in the kit car, as long as you can plan a route in advance and make it stick to it. Sadly, many these days seem only to want to navigate you to a postcode and woe betide you if you actually want to choose your own route. :-\

Yes that is what we have found. Strangely it has a lot of country dirt roads on over here which is quite handy for us.

Anyway does the device "learn" how fast you drive when it is calculating journey times? Ours is a TomTom.
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05omegav6

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Re: Sat Nav- a recent convert!
« Reply #8 on: 10 March 2015, 15:03:25 »

ETA is always a simple speed/time/distance equation :y

Speed up, your ETA becomes earlier, slow down and it becomes later. Similarly, take a short cut you might arrive sooner, take a detour you might arrive later.

Also worth noting that the shortest route is often not the quickest, contrary to popular belief  ;D
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chrisgixer

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Re: Sat Nav- a recent convert!
« Reply #9 on: 10 March 2015, 15:17:40 »

Wait til you get a mobile internet. Google/search your destination address, copy and paste into Tom tom "copied address" and away you go. Don't even need a pen V :)

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Kevin Wood

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Re: Sat Nav- a recent convert!
« Reply #10 on: 10 March 2015, 15:35:22 »

Wait til you get a mobile internet. Google/search your destination address, copy and paste into Tom tom "copied address" and away you go. Don't even need a pen V :)

Home internet is still a novelty at chez Varche. ;D
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Varche

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Re: Sat Nav- a recent convert!
« Reply #11 on: 10 March 2015, 15:46:18 »

Ah the joys of living in a third world country. ;D ;D

Even the weather is rubbish,  http://www.eltiempo.es/zagra.html

ETA is always a simple speed/time/distance equation

I suspect that the algorythm is a simple and fixed.  e.g. 68mph on 70 mph motorways etc but wondered if you habitually drove everywhere at say 40mph if it would adjust and calculate ETA from that.?
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05omegav6

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Re: Sat Nav- a recent convert!
« Reply #12 on: 10 March 2015, 15:49:07 »

It does :y
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Re: Sat Nav- a recent convert!
« Reply #13 on: 10 March 2015, 17:15:18 »

Ah, the good old ETA, some see it as a guidance message and some see it as a challenge.  ::) ;D

The joys of mobile Internet. You can even get someone to send destinations to the car and accept it as a destination now. A big step from having the route written down on a bit of paper stuck to the dash.  ;D

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Re: Sat Nav- a recent convert!
« Reply #14 on: 10 March 2015, 17:38:00 »

Ah the joys of living in a third world country. ;D ;D

Even the weather is rubbish,  http://www.eltiempo.es/zagra.html


Wassat round orange thing, then?
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