Perhaps the end for Tom Tom Sat Navs?
There is an interesting BBC news report here saying that Tom Tom have reneged on providing life time map updates on many of their devices. They cite the fact that many of the devices that had lifetime maps can no longer accommodate them from a memory point of view. They now seem to be concentrating on built in devices rather than stand along products which have been falling in popularity in recent years.
As a TomTom fan of many years it does seem to be the end for me. I think I will have to follow Peedee down the Co-Pilot route. Maps and a cheap tablet a lot cheaper than a new TomTom anyway!
David
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Then again DK some of us saw the writing on the wall a couple of years ago & jumped on board with the ‘Tomtom go mobile’ App for £14 a year. It’s far superior to my old bulky device. I now have a 4K screen👍🏻😊. Go Tomtom I say😊
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What I would like to know, as I know nothing about the App, is can you add POI files like Archie's? I ask because it is becoming more and more difficult to add such POI's to stand alone traditional TomTom devices.
David
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also the latest cars apart from having internal sat nav on their 'infotainment' screens also have Apple carplay and Android Auto which mirrors your smartphone’s screen and you can use its internet connection for sat-nav or music streaming.
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Garmin make a big thing of lifetime mapping and it would be surprising if they stopped doing portable satnavs. POIs are also simple to load and the speed indication and speed limit notification is excellent but needs clear visibility which is difficult to achieve with an iPhone or iPad running Co-pilot. I guess also that Co-pilot would take up a fair amount of memory with street level mapping for the whole of Europe?
A useful free satnav is maps.me which I have used successfully in places like South Africa. You need to load the maps you want and the delete them afterwards to keep memory usage down.
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We have received the official email telling us TomTom will no longer update our ancient machine, so we'll be looking to get a new one, the more so as we head to France later this Spring.
Since we don't run a smartphone or i-pad, it'll need to be something happy to work standing alone.
From the above, it sounds as if Garmin is a useful breed to go for - any other strong contenders recommended, please? (Preferably without breaking the bank!)
We prefer using old fashioned paper maps, but satnavs definitely have their uses too.
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The most annoying thing is the lack of prior notice. My TomTom Go700 was bought about eight or nine years ago off eBay. It didn't have lifetime maps and I've never got around to updating them but was wondering whether it was time to pay for a years worth of updates as the maps must be at least ten years old by now. The absence of any warning of withdrawal of support means that this is not possible.
Fortunately my MH has a built in satnav, again TomTom, but now it makes one wonder how long it will be before it becomes an obsolete part of the dashboard.
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My 'new' XXL classic 5" is in the unsupported group.....my older One v3 went that way years ago....
i have considered other forms of navigation...i even have a flashy built in one in my MH, but i know my Tomtom, how it works, how to load my hundreds of POIs, etc...
i have my eye on a Via 62, 6" screen, lifetime world maps, lifetime traffic, wifi updates, Halfords are selling display ones off cheap and they sent me a nice discount voucher so not a bank breaker...
i dont like the idea of paying an ongoing rental for Tomtom software, my phone is too small and my ipad too large....
i might pick one up today, if its any good ill post back, if not they can refund me....
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I've had a Garmin Sat Nav for about eight years. I would have to pay now if I wanted the latest mapping. So it's not just Tom Tom.
The only time I use it is to find a CL which I've never been to before and as the roads in the countryside rarely change, the Sat Nav has been spot on every time..
K
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Sorry DK I have no idea☹️, I just use it as an A to B device any POI’s I research on arrival. Mr Google would no doubt have that knowledge👍🏻😊
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I was bought a Garmin a couple of years ago for a birthday present, as it was one of only a few which came with full European maps - for its' lifetime.
Since owning it, I have received 3 emails telling me updates are available and these were easily done via a usb connection to the computer.
I tried it out to Austria and twice to Croatia as well as various points in the UK. Each time it has taken me to the door. The handsfree phone system which is included, also works fantastically well.
Fantastic bit of kit.
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Thanks Rocky
My car has a built in TomTom and that is fine for A to B stuff but when touring with the motorhome (and caravan) especially abroad it is very helpful to have precise location of the campsite and, as with my Start 60, the ability to review the destination. I must admit that I don't update the maps that frequently and I don't have automatic updates (missed those by six months!!!)
I am reluctant to change over the Garmin as I have had a bad experience of that brand in the past albeit not one of their all singing, all dancing models. My Start 60 is 6 or 7 years old now and whilst it is excellent it can play up a bit at times.
I think what is sad about TomTom is that they started out as the enthusiasts sat nav but have gradually become less and less user friendly in terms of owner input and even when you use their forum you get a sort of hard cheese reaction when something that once you could do is no longer possible.
David
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Always have been if they obscure the view the driver has of the road. However, 1/3rd of the screen is usually taken up by a view of the bonnet, so it is fine to obscure that.
This year one of the police forces in England (it may have been Buckinghamshire) agreed that displays adjacent to the rear view mirror were acceptable as non-obscuring.
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I find that comment rather strange .....I was watching a TV programme last night & several vehicles in it had sat navs on their windscreens plus various other pieces of equipment .......Police intercepters 8pm channel 5 .😇
I think you'll find that as long as any device isn't blocking your main view it should be ok , common sense dictates placement of anything on your windscreen .
It according to the internet its not illegal .👍
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I have been using Co-pilot Caravan on a tablet, in my case a mini iPad that has a 7" screen. The app can be but on a phone but I wanted the larger screen.
It is the best SatNav I've had and I've got through a couple of Garmins and Tom-Toms over the years.
The Co-Pilot costs about about £50 for the app and lifetime downloads. I downloaded the latest European maps this morning.
If you are worried about using memory you can down-load just the countries you need.
I think it good value if you already have a phone or tablet to put it on.
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I think the area covered by the wiper pattern is generally a good guide for where to avoid and that’s what your diagram shows, Rocky.
When we bought our MH, the dealer had mounted the satnav smack in the middle of the windscreen. That got moved right away!
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Several people have mentioned using an iPad - but how do you keep it in view without it falling off the dashboard?
We’ve got two Tom Toms, both with lifetime map updates. The oldest is about 4 years old so I’m hoping it’ll last a bit longer. I think the problem is with the older ones. My original one was a Go v2 and had a data card with the maps on. I wonder why they don’t put cards in which could be overwritten with a new map and, when that became inviable (is that a word?) you could get a new one.
Nora
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I gave up on Tom Tom years ago when they stopped selling just the software. I prefer to use my own hardware for the very reason DK points out.Initially I used a PDA and now an Android 7 inch tablet for which you can buy vehicle mounts for. Got mine from Halfords.
Full mapping of Europe and the Co-Pilot Ap uses just under 4Gbs. The Ap is only about 60Mbs and you can chose what maps to download e.g. the whole of France is about 575Mbs. You can choose where to store the maps either internal memory or on an SD card if your device has one.
I get free map updates and store the maps on an SD card.
peedee
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I think it's more likely to be phones rather than pads, TL, but there are brackets and holders available for both. Amaxon lists dozens.
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There is a mount (availabe in different sizes) that fits in the CD slot. I use it for a big tablet with Ordnance Survey maps on it. Any CD already in will still play.
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my Ducato dash has a flip up adjustable cradle on the top, can easily hold an ipad...
had a look at Co pilot, but see it 'interfaces with itunes' to load POI files. mine are on my old Windows PC (AFAIK, you cant download user POI directly to the ipad) so I wpuld need to connect the ipad to the PC and load via itunes....
far more clumsy than drag and drop which I use now....
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I changed our aging Garmin Sat-Nav for a top of the range Garmin Nuvi about 15 months ago. Despite having the latest free upgrades installed (via an additional SD card) it has let us down big time more than 4 times when in mainland Europe. On these occasions we've reverted to Google Maps through an IPhone, thankfully this has never let us down.
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yes, i guess it would be, just liKe i wpuld from a PC....
A cheap,android tablet might be an answer....
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If you are going for Garmin then pick one with lifetime maps and the largest screen you can afford. You can of course go for the camper version through the Club but personally I cannot see that the extra cost is justified particularly if you load Archie’s POIs on the standard Garmin which are fantastically accurate. The speed indicator and speed limit information is very useful in Europe as it translates to mph not kph. My Motorhome dash board has poor driver visibility so the SatNav is almost essential. You will need extra plug-in memory for European street level maps but it’s very cheap.
We have travelled many thousands of miles through Europe and the Garmin has been good although as with any SatNav you will get occasional problems and will often not give the route you want. With any device it is better to plan your route using a good map and adjust the SatNav to suit. They are most useful around towns and approaching your destination.
Surprising that with all the updates there are still sometimes roads and junctions that are not properly mapped.
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"i have my eye on a Via 62, 6" screen, lifetime world maps, lifetime traffic, wifi updates, Halfords are selling display ones off cheap and they sent me a nice discount voucher so not a bank breaker..."
these display units are like gold dust, but my son managed to get me one at his local store....
'new stock' original price £169, reduced to £149 in the sale, display models priced at £119 with my 10% voucher paid £107....cant be bad..
ps, full Euro maps not World as in my comment above, this was for the Go model i believe.
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