Perhaps the end for Tom Tom Sat Navs?
Comments
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Hey BB, I thought you would have been in BP by now. My mate txt me this morning saying they are heavily overbooked and have a waiting list for gold pitches. Apparently, the site took a late booking for a large rally group that is causing ructions. BillC
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Hi Bill, change in circumstances means we wont be 'away' till later in the year....we will still be using the van every other week in the uk and have a couple of longer uk trips in mind, but its likelto be france, late summer now.....kids, eh?
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I had Tom Toms in the early days and I think that they may have been one of the first companies to supply affordable units. Don't regret my switch to Garmin which I have used successfully in both cars and boats.
Both of our cars are fitted with built in sat navs of different manufacturers but both cost a fortune to update.
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Hi could anyone tell me what sort of tablet i would need for co-pilot and also is co-pilot any good for abroad
Thanks
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Co-Pilot produce navigation software for all three of the major platforms but I would stick with either an iPad or an Android tablet with a memory of at least 16Gbs and preferable with an SD card slot. My own preference is for an Android tablet there being a wider choice of make, sizes and prices. With respect to size keep in mind any mount you use should not obstruct your view of the road. I find a 7 inch tablet a nice compromise but I am not sure these are available any more and you may have to settle for an 8 inch model.
Mapping is available for most countries.
Hope that helps.
peedee
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7" Android Tabs cheap as chips in the local 'exchange' shops.....around £40.
however, no point in paying this plus the CoPilot fee if im getting a new 6" Tomtom with lifelting maps and traffic for £107..
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but you cannot input your caravan/motorhome size on a standard tomtom. just downloaded co-pilot caravan for £49 lifetime maps and 12 mths live traffic. already had a 10" tablet so going to make bracket to fit in front of car satnav so no blocking view. win win.
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but what difference do you think doing that will make?
how many roads have actually been measured to alow comparison with your input?....only those (few) with a formal width restriction sign are 'known' to the mapping databases...
i can assure you that there are many a (unclassified/unmeasured) droves around here that would still be fair game for any satnav.
by far the best way to avoid small (slower) roads is to set the devic to fastest route.....and then check where its sending you....
now, a 'proper' trucking satnave with trucking maps is a different scenario, but just inputting your dimentions wont save you (or anyone else) from taking a narrow road....this is down to eyes and instinct..
the 'input your size' satnavs dont yet have the detailled mapping behind them to be of any significant benefit.....IMHO, of course.
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Hi thanks for your replies i will keep a look out for a tablet thanks for the information
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twas an email sent for completing a survey (or somesuch.....)
it must be used online, not in store....but due to my not being able to find one reasonably local, i had to get customer services to find (and reserve) it for me.
i also had to email the code to my son who picked it up for me....
you can try the code at a dummy online 'checkout' if you wish.. .although im sure it will be known to the system....
WELCOME998943352912
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the app (and traffic/speed cameras data) has to be rented...apple devices are a pain to get personal POI data onto...
the Tomtom Via 62 ive just got cost £107, 6" screen, lifetime maps, traffic etc, easy to load POI, hands free calling, 8gb memory, SD card slot...i reckon that stacks up well (say, over 3 yrs) against cost of app/traffic and a cheap android tablet to run it on...
for Garmin lovers, Lidl have one for sale at the moment....not familiar with their range but free maps and traffic apparently and available online if not in store.
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BB
It sounds like a good buy. Can you add the Camper maps if you want to? One thing that concerned me, reading something on the TomTom forum was that you can download third party POI's but you can no longer download a graphic file so that the can group POI's under their name like, Archie, ACSI etc. It will be interesting to know how you get on.
David
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David, just checked the 'camper map' page on TT and it says that Via models with certain serial numbers are compatible. i wont be getting the device from my son in Bristol toll next wee so cant check the serial no till then....Ill report back.
similarly, ive watched the TT video on how to load POIs (via the my Drive app) and will let ypu know of it does what i want...
BB.
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i didnt quite understand, what bit was £49?....
i have google maps on my iphone (and ipad of i want something a bit larger) realtime/lifetime maps, hands free calling, costs nothing other than my phone sim contract which i pay anyway...
i dont want a samsung tablet, my apple devices all talk to each other and could use either with Tomtom or Co pilot apps of i wanted more (POIs) than with googlemaps...
however, i prefer to have a dedicated device, sitting in the bottom right of my dashboard....just suits me...
there are plenty of options out there. its good to explore them and for each user to go for the one they feel most comfortable with.
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David, this is the data from the Tomtom Via 62 web page, showing the mapping.
Croatia appears under 'detailed mapping' with only Bosnia/Herzegovina and Macedonia showing 'interconnecting roads'.
hope this helps...
Map Coverage
Detailed Coverage
Albania
Andorra
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria 75%
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madeira
Malta
Moldova 52%
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russian Federation 82%
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain (including Canary Islands)
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey 92%
Ukraine 65%
United Kingdom (including Channel Islands)
the Vatican City
Connecting roads / countryBosnia and Herzegovina
Macedonia0 -
Hi all just been reading this discussion and would like to say as a truck driver and caravan er I have tried tom tom,garmin, Co pilot, Google maps but must say that a few years ago I purchased a caravan club edition snooper because I was told by other truckers how good they were and can honestly say I would not go back to any of the others a little more expensive maybe but never let me down worth every penny
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The somewhat arbitrary withdrawal of map updates on older models augurs ill for those who have an inbuilt satnav and are wont to keep their vehicles for a prolonged period. Eventually they could have a blank space on the dashboard where the sat nav should be.
My recently acquired MH has a built in TomTom and is, at the moment, able to obtain map updates, or at least it would be if I could get the wretched downloads to work properly. I've wasted three days this last week going backwards and forwards with a USB stick trying to get the latest map to download properly.
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my MH inbuilt satnav (not even sure of brand) is updated by disc, i think. it doesnt have all my POI files either so havent bothered with it.
New 6" Tomtom is here now, will be playing with it in next day or so, getting hands free and latest map/traffic/POIs on it.
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Our Ford Mondeo built-in SatNav was out of date even when the car was bought new! There are roads around here which have existed for several years, but are not on the SatNav map which shows you driving across a grey space. One quite major road in Leeds is still in the old format of roundabouts - and has been non-roundabout for as long as I can remember driving on it! We've never bothered to buy a disc (£81.90) to update the files because how do we know the updates are any more 'up to date' than the original information. We very rarely use the SatNav anyway.
I have to say our cheap and cheerful £39.00 Garmin from Home Bargains was a godsend in Greece and is much more up to date than the Ford system and came with lifetime updates!
.
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Hi CY, have you tried TomTom support? Try emailing them and if necessary ask them to ring you. I have used them a lot and think it is vgood support. Drill down on their support pages to find the email option.
All,
Three years ago I bought the TT Caravan & Camper version satnav and whinged to TT for two years about the lack of correct speed limits for anything but cars throughout Europe. In the end they gave me a free brand new Truck Go 6250 worth £370. But again it did not show correct speed limits, so eventually I got to speak to a director in their development dept and he agreed it was a map programming issue and promised to get it fixed, so now I am waiting patiently for a major TT map upgrade to see if they have correct speed limits. Apart from that I am very happy with TT, especially their traffic.
Also, I have realised for some time that lifetime anything is impossible for free. These companies are not charity's!
BillC
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I have an inbox full of exchanges with the helpdesk!
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Hmmmmmmm ?
Every police car in reality series on tv seems to be festooned with gadgets on the windscreen to catch the bad guys.
car sat nav screens are placed down in the dashboard, so viewing them , the driver has to take their eyes of the road longer than having a screen at a higher level.
zAs said, most bbuilt in satnav systems are very basic, and have no ability to be updated usefully, nor react with traffic conditions.
that said, I have seen some sat navs virtually stuck at eye height directly in front of the driver.
Mobile cell phones are pretty useless once the signal drops away, the satellite chip does get enough signal and fails to provide any position.
Ask the mountain rescue teams, who have to go out and find the dick-heads that venture out with inappropriate equipment.
Garmin may make a better job of staying in business as they serve the aviation, marine and hiking fraternity. Not sure if Tomtom is in that league.
Rgds
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Well I said I'd report back.....
OK, plenty of fun and games with new Tomtom, some due to my IT equipment choices (old PC and some Apple kit) and some due to Tomtom's decision to manage POIs differently to in previous models....
so, first thing to set up a MyDrive account, so that iPad mapping can be sent to the device, no probs here, nor with connecting device to iPhone to collect traffic info...
feeling good but now the fun starts....
the device needs to be updated for software and mapping. I (mistakenly) thought this unit was wifi connecting....no....
ah, no probs, I'll connect to PC by wire....loaded MyDrive Connect and plugged in the unit....
firstly, it has to find the hardware and set up the drivers....device not known, no drivers found.....old XP box probably the issue...
a google found the Tomtom 'fix'....the driver is squirrelled away in the downloaded app, but an address is given, so eventually we have lift off...
downloading software/maps took around 90mins and then have to be transferred to the device, another 90 mins....
upload failure at 80 mins, so start again....luckily, no download needed this time...
so, we know have a unit with maps and traffic....looking good...just the POI files to load...
so, I'm thinking, how do I get files on a Windows box onto the Tomtom when 'drag and drop' onto the map has been killed off...
well, MyDrive on the iPad is the interface for routes, places etc....but, alas, no files there, and no way of getting them there....and not supported anyway....
so, eventually find the 'nav/Drive ' link from MyDrive Connect (the PC update interface) to MyDrive browser page, I was confused too...especially when Firefox wouldn't open the page, nor would Safari or Chrome.....
ah, that old out of date XP box again.....all old non-updateable versions.
at this point, I should add that I don't use this old box for anything other than the Tomtom updating, POI file management and the odd spreadsheet...
so, a call to Tomtom got me a charming lady who helped me Untick a few boxes which got me to the MyDrive webpage and the chance to sort those pesky POI files....
at this point I would be dragging them in one go onto the map.....
no chance with this 'new' method....you have to load them one at a time (I had about 25 to do) so pretty boring....
but now the (really) dumb bit....there is no way of transferring the associated icons (red flag for CC site) onto the device...even though TT themselves use .bmp files for filling stations etc....
they do have a choice of 5 'colour/shape' icons which can be assigned (again, one at a time, yaaaaaaaawn......) to group like icons together.
so, put all Aires on one colour, CC on another, ACSI on another, along with CCC and LPG stations on the remaining ones....
so, blooming long and hard work to get this up to where I wanted it to be, a lot of the pain due to my old out of date PC, however TT haven't done themselves any favours with this slow and clumsy interface...
ok, building and sending maps will really useful but I'll have a bit of a go and if it's too much like hard work they can have it back.....
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