Is any brand TMC GPS worth buying?

[Vodka_Redbull]

I have a very old PDA based satnav (Tomtom 5) that needs replacing. I have only ever used Tomtom before and am very happy with them but I am trying to decide if TMC is worth it.

I mostly travel in the North West of England but do travel nation wide and have been reading reviews and forums regarding TMC with mixed reports. I have read the TMC unit for Tomtom 510,710,910 seems to be very poor and have started looking at a Navman F20 or N20 with T1 unit. I am aware of the Tomtom Traffic subscription but I would like to use TMC if it works well. I dont want to spend loads of money on it and dont need bluetooth dialing functions or Europe maps.

Allowing for minor modifications of antennas do any of these systems actually work well for anybody? If yes can anybody give any advice about working combinations / tips. Also if anyone that has previously been used to Tomtom and have changed to Navman how does it compare?

Just to throw a curve ball I did read a review of a Medion GoPal PNA465 ? That included TMC and seemed to be liked. Has anyone purchased one?

Any help / ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance,


Vodka_Redbull

[swing]

Wow, lots of questions there! There is no "good" portable TMC unit (in my opinion) on the market today - TomTom have problems, and are redesigned their unit, Garmin's popular unit isn't good enough, and Navman, along with most of the others, generally seems to need a connection to the car external aerial (or it's own external aerial) to function correctly.

However, allowing for that, there are 2 main service providers of TMC in the UK, and if you have a preference, this limits your choice of SatNav manufacturer.

Saying that, my Nuvi with GTM12 works pretty well, although my GTM10 works better (directly connected into the main car aerial).

If you can hold off for a few months, you will be able to wait and see how well the new TomTom TMC receiver works, which may be the best option. However, I would also recommend actually trying the different SatNav units out if you can, as they all work differently, and have different functions available on them.
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Please don't be offended if I do not reply to a PM - please ask questions via the forums.

[Vodka_Redbull]

Many thanks swing for taking the time to reply. As you suggest I will try and hang fire for now to see what happens.

[keithjeffrey]

I've got a Navman T1 with my F20 and once I had gone the " external aerial " route it does'nt miss a beat.
NOW , it is a very handy bit of kit to have !!!
( Although I did have to spend another £ 35 for the external aerial and adaptor )
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Keith
TomTom GO 730T App 8.392 (1909/091109) , W and CE 2GB v835.2419

[Vodka_Redbull]

Thanks for your comments keithjeffrey, you have got me wondering what to do now. Do you know if you can hang the unit of the car stereo aerial?

Thanks.

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