Sat Nav
Hi there, me and the wife have just joined up and just purchased our first caravan. It is 8ft wide. I am lead to believe there is particular sat nav systems available that will whilst guiding you avoid narrow roads. If this is correct can anyone please advise me of the best one. Many thanks in advance. And I am sure I will be asking loads of questions so i apologize in advance for this lol
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Welcome to the Club and CT
Both Tom Tom and Garmin have sat navs that will accept your outfit length and hieght ,,that can be of assistance that mostly keep you awy from roads that are not suitable for caravans/motor caravans ,we have a garmin that is fairly accurate,
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Hi, G&D, welcome.
JVB has given you good info. Only you can decide if those sat navs are worth the price. We have the Garmin Avtex as it was supplied with our van. It works well but I’m not sure I would fork out for it otherwise.
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I have recently purchased an Aguri rv720 dvr
https://aguriworld.co.uk/product/caravan-rv720-dvr-deluxe-sat-nav/
I've not used it in anger yet, (for obvious reasons) it has 30,000 sites in its database, it is also a dashcam and can act as an ipad type device to download apps etc ( I have added the CAMC app satellite alignment, van leveller and tv aerial alignment tool so far), if needed you can also connect a reversing camera to it. I guess you could play games and watch tv etc if you wanted to. free lifetime maps UK and Europe (including Russia!) and free traffic data, its made in the UK. They do a smaller version which might be more suitable for the tow car.
IMO compared to the other mainstream satnavs, a lot of bang for your buck
Sorry forgot to mention you can input the vehicle and trailer/caravan dimensions including weight and axel weights to help avoid those tight spots.
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I would be interested to know how you get on with it. I assume this one also comes with a dash cam? I liked my old TomTom with Camper Maps on. It performed really well right across Europe. Trouble is now that it is more difficult to add POI's to the newer TomTom's. I know its a facility that many like but I am never convinced it is necessary to put outfit size into a sat nav. If the routes are designed for the use of the vehicle there shouldn't be a need.
David
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I am never convinced it is necessary to put outfit size into a sat nav. If the routes are designed for the use of the vehicle there shouldn't be a need.
The variation in height and width especially the former make it necessary for some outfits. There are some awfully low bridges on some major roads especially on the continent. I think it sensible to use a sat nav designed for the vehicle, they are by no means perfect but they are better than one which majors only on a car.
I use a truck sat nav on a Android tablet, currently running Co-Pilot but I hesitate to recommend this App since they changed to a subscription service. I suppose one advantage is at least it is kept up to date and you can load your own POIs?
peedee
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Yes the Aguri is a dashcam which you can also use to take single photo's if you wish, it is an all round device, the feedback says the maps are accurate and sensible across Europe.
the 720 is a bit large to use in my Fiat Panda properly but if get the MH out for a day trip at some point I will type an update on how it fares.
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I have the Aguri 720 with the dashcam purchased in August 2018. Aguri has an extensive database of UK and continental sites and attractions along with free map upgrades. The unit is very very slow to use from switching on to programming a location. More recently I have found that it takes the unit a considerable time to find satellites and without these there is no navigation. I was attracted to Aguri because of the built-in dashcam. However to get the best from the dashcam function the unit has to be positioned facing directly forward. This means that when driving your are looking at the screen at an awkward angle.
Would I buy it again? Probably not.
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I use the sat-nav with the Volvo, but will look at the route before going so have basic direction and plan.
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I have the Avtex Tourer 2 which is made by Garmin. It has the Club sites on it as well as the CL's. I always exaggerate the units length and height and have found it fairly accurate but it is expensive. It can be undated with WiFi and no computer needed and shows text messages when in use.
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Our Motorhome has a factory fitted sat nav built in that is supposed to avoid narrow roads. Its mostly right but on 2 occasions (in 12,000 miles) it has badly let us down, on both occasions it led us down a road that was a dirt track that even a tractor would find difficult.
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this is exactly what we are trying to avoid. we see a family with there rig wedged in in Cornwall last year. Probably not to hard to get out of the situation but the back up traffic both ways and heckling from the now trapped traffic did not help them, yes there was tears It was clear to see how they got like this. But we just wondered if there was modern technology to prevent it. The sat system in my Discovery has lost my faith long ago. So i tend to use my phone for direction now.
Anyway thanks for your reply's so far. I will look at the systems mentioned Thankyou
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Nothing is foolproof. Living in Cornwall, we witness such events on too regular a basis. Common sense and keeping your eyes open are the best preventive measures. Sat navs are great if set up correctly but never follow them to the exclusion of all else, especially once away from major roads.
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Not that I want to make a habit of it 😉 but I agree completely with you. If you're driving or towing a huge outfit you need to use common sense more than blindly following the sat-nav. How quickly have we forgotten how to follow a map & road signs?
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😱😱😱 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
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Another reason I bought the Aguri is to reduce the windscreen clutter, instead of 3 screens (dashcam, sat nav and reversing/rearview camera screen) blocking the view I now just have the one and with the van cab there is no issue with it being towards the front of the deep dashboard. obviously in a car it might be awkward which is why I think the smaller 520 may be more suited
I powered it up last night to make sure its ready to go, updated software and maps over wifi which took about 15 minutes and also checked my email works on the device which it does.
A Jack of all trades but can't be perfect I suppose.
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First use of the Aguri 720,
took the MH for a warm up drive of about 80 miles, to get her up and running and to try the new satnav. I stuck the supplied disc to the center of the dashboard and used this for the mount rather than directly to the windscreen.
The dashcam is clear and has a reasonable wide angle (150deg) for the van, the dashcam runs unobtrusively in the background
I agree it does take a bit longer to start up than a stand alone satnav about the same time to warm the engine, although finding the satellite gps signal from all locations was very quick. Even after passing under bridges or tunnels it seemed to pick up very quickly.
started using it without a route, gives good clear speed limit warnings most within a meter of the speed limit post, if over the limit by your own preset percentage it sounds a pleasant to the ears bong to remind you. it also does the same at speed trap area's. I am not to keen on the current map colour's, so I will see if this can be changed, at the moment its all pale green and grey with a programmed route in a pale yellow
A nice surprise was the cross wind warning as it was gusting 40-45mph, the pleasant voice states after the bong 'Warning lateral wind ahead' novel but useful in a high vehicle.
On our return journey i set the route for 'Home'. Pre-warning of turns roundabouts etc is in good time and clear, when a turn is reached a large arrow points in the direction to turn. I went off the programmed route to see what would happen, my Garmin always states 'Make a U turn where possible' sometimes for a very long time before deciding a route to take you back to the point you went of piste which I find really annoying, of course in a MH or towing a caravan this statement and programming is useless anyway. The good news is within a couple of meters of missing a turn or taking the 'wrong' turning from a roundabout with no fuss, the Aguri just sets up a new route to carry on your way without any annoying back tracking.
So for a first outing I like what i have bought and think it well worth the money
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Hi George and Dawn
How are you find your 8ft wide caravan, have you had any issues towing or on sites
M&T
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Thanks for that review. I quite like the idea of the Aguri not only because of the built in dashcam but also I understand that extra POI's can be loaded via a drop and drag system as you could with previous TomTom models so you only have to have it connected to our computer rather than the internet? On a point from Prescot46 about needing the dash came to face forward I suppose it's worth pointing out that with most built in sat navs you don't have the option to change the position.
David
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