Sat Nav for UK and US

m_thomp · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 26, 2008 Posts: 6

Hi all,

I'm a newb to the world of Sat Nav, and have been interesting in getting one for here in the UK for a while without ever pursuing it. However, I'm due to go on a road trip to the States in Sept and thought that if I got one now then it would be handy for over there too. I've driven before in the States, and although I've never had an accident, it can be pretty stressful in getting from A to B, mainly because I'm always shouting at my passenger/navigator for sending me in the wrong direction.

I've had a brief look at the market and I'm looking to pay anything upto about £175, but obviously the cheaper the better.

In terms of what features I would require, it would simply be the ability to get me from A to B effectively and reliably. Points of Interest would be nice too as would speed cameras for here in the UK. Anything else, and I'm not really an expert on Sat Nav functionality, might be nice but inessential.

So far though, the only Sat Nav device I have found is the Garmin Nuvi 270. This comes with Amercian maps pre-loaded which is a bonus.

The other option is to buy a device without pre-loaded maps and buy them separately. I've seen that Amazon have the Tom Tom One v3 for £95 and was wondering how much US maps would cost to be loaded onto that? Would that be cheaper?

Also advice around which would be the best, for using here and abroad, to go for out of those would be really appreciated? But, if there's any better devices out there some pointers on those would be great too....

I know this might be a tired topic, but I've done a few searches and could not find anyone who was new to the Sat Nav world AND cover off the UK and the US with their first foray.

Hope you can help.

Mark

portman · Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 12:30 am Post subject:

The USA map from Tomtom is £30 at the moment. The Tomtom ONE is as good as any other satnav but without the bells and whistles. The only disadvantage is that you will have to buy the European version of the TT ONE because that has 1Gb of internal memory(UK version only has 512mb) and the USA map is 800mb, so you will have to unload the Europe map to put the USA map on, takes about 45minutes. Easier if you get a satnav with a SD card slot like the TT ONE version 2, it makes putting extra maps on much quicker but both options put you in the same price bracket as the NUVI 270. The advantage of the Tomtom is that they will be more upto date maps.
http://www.tomtom.com/products/maps/index.php?Lid=1
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m_thomp · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 26, 2008 Posts: 6

mikealder · Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 9:57 am Post subject:

What about the One Third Edition Europe version, you can copy the Europe map to the PC then remove it from the device, install the US map for your trip then replace it with the Euro map on return? or see if you can locate a One XL which does have the SD slot - Mike

m_thomp · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 26, 2008 Posts: 6

mikealder · Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 12:51 pm Post subject:

Just to add further confusion the new One XL doesn't have an SD slot but the old ones did have, the new ones have a different mounting system and are often refered to as ONE XL 22 or One XL 30 (I think).

The 520 offers far greater capability than the Oe range, you get the mp3 player, handsfree for the mobile phone as for reliabilty I doubt there is any difference though. The x20 can use both internal memory and SD card at the same time which does make life easier when porting a different map to the device - Mike

m_thomp · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 26, 2008 Posts: 6

Thanks Mike. The ones I have found are the Tomtom ONE XL V1 Great Britain for £147 - this is described as having an SD slot. So this (hopefully) fits the bill.

And the TomTom Go 520 with UK & Ireland Mapping for £164.

I'm a bit confused by you mentioning x20. Was this a typo and you meant the 520 or did you mean as part of the new ONE XL range?

I hope it's the former as then I think my mind's made up.

Andy_P · Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 4:00 pm Post subject:

m_thomp · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 26, 2008 Posts: 6

Thanks guys. I went for the GO 520 in the end, along with a 4gb SD card to put my North American map on.

Another dumb question from a Sat Nav novice: if I get the North Amercian map, download it, store it on my SD card. How will I know that the map works unless I'm actually in America at the time with the device switched on? What I mean to say, is there anyway I can check to make sure it is working, and will work, before I'm actually in America?

mikealder · Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 10:37 am Post subject:

You can go to change preferences/ Manage Maps/ Switch Map and select the USA map from the presented list.
If you fully update the device to the version 8,010 software once you get it as soon as the device achieves a GPS position fix in the USA it will pop up a warning message that you have the wrong map selected and offer to alter it to the correct one - Mike

Andy_P · Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 11:11 am Post subject:

m_thomp · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 26, 2008 Posts: 6

Thanks guys,

That certainly makes sense and is quite reassuring.

My device hasn't yet arrived, but I have been trawling round your forums to get some key tips on what to do and what not to do for when I eventually get my hands on it.

So far I know that when I get my 520 the first thing to do is back up the files onto my computer.

Also I've heard that I should try and avoid using the the Tomtom HOME system (I don't know why but everyone seems to say this).

However, as I will be getting the North American map I had a quick look at how I would receive this on the Tomtom site. The instructions were that this available through download and that I would need to access HOME to do it. Is there a way this can be achieved without using home?

Are there any other DO's and DON'Ts to bear in mind when getting a Sat Nav device or a Tomtom in particular?

The things that are springing to mind at the moment are:

How good are the UK maps that come with the device initially? Will I need to update them straight away? I've read that maps for Tomtom devices higher up in the range that include Advance lane guidance and IQ route planning work on a 520 also. Would it be wise to get these?

What is Navcore?

I would like to include quite a few Points of Interest. Do these take up much memory?

How do I receive map updates without using Tomtom HOME?

Any other top tips you've got would be most gratefully received.

Mark

Andy_P · Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 2:19 pm Post subject:

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