CAMC Edition of Avtex Tourer Sat Nav
Comments
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Then why bother buying a Satnav if you still have to look up the directions? Strangely enough we have Archiescamping downloaded and have used it in Europe and we are taken every time right to the gate for the caravan site.
Using the POIs downloaded from CMC for CC sites and CLs on more than one occasion it has taken us to the incorrect destination. I suspect that the co-ordinates supplied are those for the general post code and not the exact location of the entrance to a site.
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I didn’t buy it. I’d not spend my hard earned on a gimmick .
Spot on in your last para which is what I’ve said before. It takes you to the postcode. That applies to any satnav.
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I have Snooper, this was previously a club recommended sat nav before they changed there allegiance to Avtex, Snooper suffers from many of the lets say "quirky" features of many of the main stream devices, I am on my 3rd all replaced under the guarantee. finally Snooper seems to have come of age and many of the problems i reported seem to have been ironed out, however, i find it much easier to use google earth, zoom in on your destination, note the geo co-ordinates then feed them into satnav, and then maybe pull up google maps on smartphone for the final approaches, works for me. Snooper comes with all the good stuff such as Archies POI,s CAMC, CCC, Alan Rogers etc, so never had a real problem over here or over there.
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I use GoogleEarth lat/long co-ordinates as well.
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The only reliable way of using a satnav is (with Tom Tom makes) is to plan the route on MyDrive - having researched it, if necessary, using Google Maps Street View etc - and then download it to the device. That way it will take you exactly on the route you have planned and so far, it hasn't let me down. It does take some time to plan the route, however.
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My satnav is a TomTom Carminat built in to a Renault Scenic on an SD Card. I plan my routes using a Dutch programme called Trace Your Route Everywhere then transfer them to the SD card, you can change the route to your requirements .Used it for years this country and abroad, free download and has now gone back to using Google maps.
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I agree and Tomtom Mydrive also let's you plan route as a truck you can even put dimensions in, very useful. The preplanned route can then be loaded on to your device. The only problem is if you deviate from that route the device recalculates the route based on its internal setting.......back to square one! Up every narrow lane.
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SatNav relies on the input from a human being. If the CC have the incorrect co-ordinates for their sites I am not sure if the Satnav people can be blamed? Asa said we have never had an issue with camp sites on the continent and commercial sites, it has been an issue with the POIs for CC and Cls downloaded from the CC that has caused us some issues.
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Who’s blaming Garmin? My feeling is that the club’s version isn’t worth the money. That’s it really.
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We have the Garmin version,it was less than half the price of the "avtex?"version (from Aldi)and the only thing it has not got is the cc sites app installed ,but it still lets you enter your outfit size and normally keeps us out of "trouble",, and we always check the directions as printed in the sites handbook for final approach,, we did get a bit worried once but then noted it was a bus route
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That’s the version we were seriously considering, JV, until this MH came along with the Avtex as a standard fitting.
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I've noticed that the lat/long co-ordinates in the handbook are often quite a way off the place they are supposed to point to. Whether that is the Club or CL owners providing duff info, I can't say but I have come across it quite a number of times.
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You can always add the CMC POI's to your sat nav. As it's a Garmin it should be easy enough to do.
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If you use the CC site POIs supplied by the club then more than likely it will take you to the incorrect location. If you use the co-ordinates for the entrance off Google Earth you probably will not have any issues. If Archies can get it right for thousands of sites across the EU and UK, why can't the club get it right for a couple hundred CC sites? The CMC CL POIs is particularly bad.
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The difference between Archies and the Club POIs is that the former encourages and receives user feedback to correct any inaccurate information, especially coordinates, and publishes updates several times a year. We have used Archies for some years all over Europe and every single time have arrived at the front entrance of the site.
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I imagine that it’s because all the Club needs to do is add coordinates for new sites and delete ones for closure which is a very minor task. Receiving and acting on feedback from hundreds of members is a whole different ballgame requiring more staff.
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Same with ACSI....the coordinates are the actual entrance barrier of the site. Usually given by the site owner to ACSI HQ or by.... and tested by the ACSI Inspector. Surely the CaMC site warden/regional manager/HQ staff could carry out this very simple task..
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But there is no feedback loop with that system if the coordinates are wrong. Maybe a disgruntled member may tell the site owner but there is no guarantee that information will be passed on to the correct person in the Club. It’s a system designed to fail.
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I have the Avtex Tourer 2 sat nav which I have not had too many problems with.
A little bit off subject but there is a YouTube channel where they literally just film the last few miles of the recommended route to Club sites and ensure that they are Caravan/Motorhome friendly.
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I got this mail from the person in the CAMC responsible for Products etc!!!
Dear Mr Braithwaite,
Thank you for your email. I am sorry to read you are disappointed with the sat nav and feel the advertisement is misleading.
I have reviewed the Avtex Garmin adverts and confirm it does state the sat navs are preloaded with Club Site data however it does not make any claims it will route based on directions in the Sites Directory and Handbook.
I have reviewed the Prima Leisure website and confirm it does state on the product page “To help you get the most out of your sat nav, we advise customers to familiarise themselves with the route prior to the journey via road map and to use the CAMC Sites Directory and Handbook for final approach directions to Club sites. Please note the sat nav will not necessarily route based on CAMC recommended directions and cannot guarantee all routes will be caravan/motorhome friendly. To help you get the most out of your sat nav, we advise members to familiarise themselves with the route prior to the journey via road map and to use the Sites Directory and Handbook for final approach directions to Club sites.”
The Avtex Garmin sat navs are preloaded with Club site data and uses site latitude and longitude coordinates to navigate to the site. The sat nav will not necessarily route based on our recommended directions and cannot guarantee all routes will be caravan/motorhome friendly.
In your email you mention the ease of loading the destination, did you also input your outfit details (size and weight) and/or did you select ‘shortest’ or ‘fastest’ route as this may have overridden the caravan/motorhome mode. If you require support in inputting these details we recommend you contact Avtex directly who will be able to assist you. Additionally, if you believe there is a mapping error please contact Avtex directly who will investigate the issue directly with the mapping company. You can contact Avtex directly on 02920 847 670 (select option 2 and then ask for a Sat Nav Engineer).
Kind regards,
Laura
Subject: Thank you for your email to The Caravan and Motorhome Club
Thank you for contacting the Caravan and Motorhome Club. We aim to reply within the next two working days. Our working hours are 08.45am - 17.30pm Monday to Friday with the exception of Bank Holidays.
If your enquiry is urgent please call 01342 318813.
We will be in touch soon.
Caravan and Motorhome Club
EMail from CustomerDate: 03 April 2019 10:39:35
From: brdavid21@gmail.com
To: enquiries@camc.comSubject: Avtex Tourer One - CAMC Edition
I recently bought the subject Sat Nav device based on the adverts that appeared in your magazine. I bought it as I thought it would provide me with the best routes to the CAMC sites bearing in mind we are towing a caravan. I also selected the Plus version for the integrated Dash Cam.
Last week was our first caravan outing of the year, we went to Chatsworth Park which is a favourite of ours and not too far from home. Whilst I know the route well I thought that I would try out the CAMC App on my new Sat Nav. I was quite impressed with the ease of loading the destination and all went well until we approached the first gate into the Chatsworth Estate - guess what the Sat Nav wanted to take us in there - I was shocked but thought I might have selected something other than the CAMC Site address, so when we were settled on our pitch and out and about in the car I tried using the CAMC App again but from a different direction - guess again what happened, it took me into another gate into the Chatsworth Estate - by now I was a little angry.The adverts in the CAMC Magazine promoting the device clearly state that it:
“will guide you to your destination avoiding height etc”
and it has:
“Three Exclusive Caravan and Motorhome Club Data Bases”Clearly neither the manufacturers nor yourselves have validated the routes and I have been told quite bluntly by your online retailer Prima Leisure that “Avtex, PRIMA or the Club do not claim that the sat nav will use the Club’s recommended approach to sites, as stated in the product description”.
I find this response incredible, why do the adverts fill the consumer full of promise and then not deliver and why does the advert NOT state that the device will not follow the CAMC’s recommended approach to their sites - it’s totally wrong.
I have completely lost faith in the device but I have been told that I cannot return it as it has been used - again it is totally wrong as it does not perform as the advertisements claim it should.I would welcome your feedback and I will post something similar to this on the CAMC Discussion Page to alert other potential purchasers.
Regards
_____________________________________________________
Moderator Comment: Contact details from email removed. If you have a query for the Club please send it to memberenquiries@camc.com and it will be sent to the right team.0 -
Typical get out clauses by CMC and supplier. What is wrong with inputting the co-ordinates for the gate to the site? Then there is no argument.
It seems that they may use the co-ordinates for the middle of the site so any roads passing in the vicinity will be eligible for the Satnav to select when calculating a route.
Again why can Archies get it correct and they are not remotely connected to the CMC?
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Well as I'm new to having a motorhome and travelling on my own, I did not want to be stuck trying to reverse a 7.5m long motorhome on my own. So I purchased the latest version of the GPS, and a reversing camera and think they are excellent.
I have put in my motorhome details and it has happily directed me from Lincoln to Dorset to Blyth in the past couple of weeks, warning me of sharp bends, high winds, road speeds (over 3.5t) and taken me directly to sites without any problem. The reversing camera has been excellent as well.
Yes I do look at google maps before going somewhere, but there again, everyone should do that, so you have an idea of where you are going before you set off, as its common sense.
Yes I do know about GPS as I'm a surveyor by trade.
Yes I have had GPS's before.
No, the latest version has not led me down a little lane, or under a bridge I cannot get under, or a corner I cannot get round (unless I ignore the warnings).
So as far as I'm concerned, thanks to the club site, I have an excellent, highly recommended GPS that for someone that travels on their own has been superb and is fully loaded with all the club sites and has taken me to the entrance of 4 sites so far with no issues.
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Couldn't agree more. Disappointed in this device as it has led us into some difficult situations. Chatsworth one and Bolton Abbey another when we were sent down a single track road for 6 miles.
Works sometimes but I would use with caution and double check any proposed routes it gives you. It will not as a matter of course give you the club preference for site approaches.
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I too have this product, has performed well on our 1700 mile trip to Scotland & NC500 & I do generally research routes using google maps & street view.
Bends, inclines & cross winds are informative & turns etc are given approx 1 mile before required & repeated on approach....
Got too confident with it & instead following my head & instincts followed routing to Bolton Abbey.... I got some very strange looks from folk in the small villages I went through
As others have said with todays technology it can't be difficult to transfer the hand book approaches to the relevant club sites that are pre installed if you are using them.....
The other option is to add a 'stop' or 2 to route you that way to be sure!
Just my pennies worth!
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I don't think any of the SatNavs are perfect. I've got a TomTom Camper yet it still manages to select a 'narrowish" road rather than a slightly wider one just to save a mile or so. Fortunately I didn't encounter another vehicle coming the other way necessitating a "Mexican standoff". I have less confidence in this one than the old standard TomTom that I bought second-hand off EBay with maps that were over ten years out of date. The only "enhancement" I can honestly detect is that it advises me that I have a "traffic delay" to look forward to.
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