Sat nav

[alun100]

I have got a TomTom Go Camper which I have found very good. Quick with routes and very quick to correct if you go wrong. Tried to take me under 2 bridges, 1 in Spain and 1 in UK that were just on my height limit so I increased the height on the TomTom and have been ok since. Regular free Europe map updates every 3 months or so (well there is with mine)

 

[Codge]

I too am still looking for a "branded" satnav that is worth the extra outlay for the camper or motorhome version.
For the last few years I have been using a 'cheap' Xgody truck nav with a 7" screen.
I use it in car mode with the van dimensions and limits added in the advanced settings and so far it has worked a treat.
HOWEVER, the downsides are annoying and some will find them a game stopper.
The screen is not very bright and requires a fiddly plastic shield to keep it shaded even on dull days. In bright continental sun it becomes almost unreadable especially when mounted on the dashboard in an A class front bay window.
The real frustration for most tho is the map updates, they are free a couple of times per year but require you to download an extract zip files from a server drop box.
There is no auto update, you need to delete map files from the satnav for each country and replace them with the new version individually then reconfigure the unit to access the file store.
I hadn't done this the year we went to France after their rural speed limits had been lowered to 80kmh and picked up 2 speeding tickets 'cos I thought I could still do 90!
That said, if you have reasonable computer skills and a shady van cab it's a very capable unit for peanuts(I paid £38 for mine on eBay).
It offers a wide range of alternative routings. Easy being particularly good for larger less maneuverable vans.

 

[GMJ]

One thing I forgot to mention on the Garmin 760 camper is that it came preloaded with ACSI and MHF campsites or stopovers plus a more generic search facility for 'Campsite'.

I don't know if this is still there on the later Garmin's or is common across all camper sat navs tbh.

 

[marchie]

One thing I forgot to mention on the Garmin 760 camper is that it came preloaded with ACSI and MHF campsites or stopovers plus a more generic search facility for 'Campsite'.

I don't know if this is still there on the later Garmin's or is common across all camper sat navs tbh.

780 has it, Graham, but as a downloadable extra, IIRC. Chews up storage, so I put it on a Micro SDHC Card

Steve

 

[Jo001]

780 has it, Graham, but as a downloadable extra, IIRC. Chews up storage, so I put it on a Micro SDHC Card

Steve

I take it you don’t use the Ixeo’s built in sat nav then? We don’t like it either, nor the reversing camera but I’m not sure whther that’s an issue with the camera or the Pioneer display. Any thoughts?

 

[Val54]

Most of the time, Garmin 760's and later work fine if you recognise their limitations. Any satnav is only as good as the mapping info so don't rely on inputting vehicle dimensions and hoping for the best. In the UK the mapping info usually reflects any highway restrictions on height and width that are imposed by the Highway Authority on classified roads but its not 100% for every country lane. My biggest bugbear is a satnav's ability to lose GPS, usually at a crucial moment, and then take a while to recalculate................................................................Meanwhile we've been lapping the roundabout
That said, I'd only change our 760 if I found an alternative with faster and more stable GPS tracking.

 

[Geek]

I too am still looking for a "branded" satnav that is worth the extra outlay for the camper or motorhome version.
For the last few years I have been using a 'cheap' Xgody truck nav with a 7" screen.
I use it in car mode with the van dimensions and limits added in the advanced settings and so far it has worked a treat.
HOWEVER, the downsides are annoying and some will find them a game stopper.
The screen is not very bright and requires a fiddly plastic shield to keep it shaded even on dull days. In bright continental sun it becomes almost unreadable especially when mounted on the dashboard in an A class front bay window.
The real frustration for most tho is the map updates, they are free a couple of times per year but require you to download an extract zip files from a server drop box.
There is no auto update, you need to delete map files from the satnav for each country and replace them with the new version individually then reconfigure the unit to access the file store.

The software the Xgody uses is a (very) old version of iGo You can install newer versions onto an Android tablet to get a decent screen, online traffic info, better sound volume. It'll cost a lot more, though, unless you already have the tablet
For map updates, the Xgody updates are best avoided. Get them from the Nozatec Facebook group.

 

[Phantom]

I use a Garmin 760 Camper but don't use the campsite feature. I like it but like most you just have to take a look to make sure that it han't chosen any narrow lane shortcuts for you. On the way back from Cheshire yesterday it got two roundabout exits wrong, it said forth instead of third, and another it counted a pub entrance as an exit! This has reminded me to see if there is an new mapping update.

 

[SimonM]

One thing I forgot to mention on the Garmin 760 camper is that it came preloaded with ACSI and MHF campsites or stopovers plus a more generic search facility for 'Campsite'.

I don't know if this is still there on the later Garmin's or is common across all camper sat navs tbh.

In addition to this, I deleted all of the ACSI and MHF files, but they re-insert each time I do a map update, and need to be re-deleted.

 

[GMJ]

I have them and I use them and have a near 100% success rate finding sites with them.

I can only repeat what I have said previously: the Garmin 760 has never let us down and we are abroad 3 times each year (for around 4 months) and tour for at least 6-7 months in total each year. I'll be looking at getting a newer version when mine gives up the ghost.

 

[SimonM]

i fully understand your requirements for sites where I never do and so I delete them to remove a bit of the clutter. I also wish some of the other icons were switchable, eg the supermarket trolley and car parks.

 

[marchie]

I take it you don’t use the Ixeo’s built in sat nav then? We don’t like it either, nor the reversing camera but I’m not sure whther that’s an issue with the camera or the Pioneer display. Any thoughts?

Hi Jo,
The Pioneer SatNav had a corrupted SD Card when we bought Brunhilde and a replacement Card was £449! So we asked the Dealer for a Garmin Stand alone model instead; they faffed about so I bought one myself, so now have 2 x Gain 780s, and they're both equally useless ...

Steve

 

[wildebus]

I've had a variety of Sat Nav units over the last 20 odd years, including Factory Fit units, aftermarket in-dash Radio Replacements with Sat Nav capability, Android Auto in-dash units and standalone Sat Navs.
Pretty well without fail the units I have liked using best have been Garmin based.
In the motorhome the in-Dash radio has Sat Nav capabilities but I still use the Garmin 660 Camper for navigation.
The car has Android Auto, but I keep an older Garmin Nuvi in the glovebox in case I need Sat Nav (don't tend to do unfamiliar journeys in the car so don't tend to bother with Sat Nav).

 

[Codge]

The software the Xgody uses is a (very) old version of iGo You can install newer versions onto an Android tablet to get a decent screen, online traffic info, better sound volume. It'll cost a lot more, though, unless you already have the tablet
For map updates, the Xgody updates are best avoided. Get them from the Nozatec Facebook group.

Thanks for the info, I shall be investigating the Nozatec site and also the tablet/app option.
I am just wary that the satellite detection (GPS/Glonass/Galileo) of android (or other system) tablets won't be as accurate or robust as a dedicated navigation device (even a cheap one)?
Any recommendation here would be welcome.
I first came to this group via the Wild Caping site after a chance meeting with Terry on an Aire in Dive-sur-mer and we had a long discussion about refurbished Tomtom units and the navigation disaster I had experienced with a basic Garmin unit. Also I was keen to access the wildcamping POI database to experience off-site motorhoming.
I also got quite adept at updating my Peugeot car's built in unit with mapfiles and OS updates from GPS underground but since the demise of that group I had not really found a reliable/compatible map source again.

 

[Rodders1234]

We have a CMC Avtex Tourer 2 which is based on Garmin Camper 780 but preloaded with CMC sites etc. and when its working its great. However we had terrible problems in France recently when the weather was very hot. It freezes during use for no reason and takes several goes (hard restarts) to get it started. This is very frustrating when you want to start travelling or are travelling and it freezes.

Before we went away it was brilliant. Now not sure how to fix it. I did notice using Garmin Express we were at 97% of memory so I have bought a micro memory card but this has not sorted it.

Support does not seem as easy as I would like as it was bought from CMC, supplied by Avtex and Manufactured by Garmin! It out of warranty but I would pay to get it fixed.

 

[Ardachaidh]

@Rodders1234 Have you tried the Garmin Support on their site? You can enter your serial number and proceed from there. Or enter Camper 780. You can Chat with them, phone or email. I have emailed them a couple of times and they’ve always replied after a day or two.

 

[Geek]

Thanks for the info, I shall be investigating the Nozatec site and also the tablet/app option.
I am just wary that the satellite detection (GPS/Glonass/Galileo) of android (or other system) tablets won't be as accurate or robust as a dedicated navigation device (even a cheap one)?

My experience is that it is better with a tablet, but I tend to only buy quality tablets, such as Samsung or Huawei.

 

[Molly 3]

Absolutely right, Molly 3.

I have the Aguri with built in dash cam but I can't recommend it. It's so, so slow to boot up and operate. When used on a daily basis, as we did recently on a trip to Orkney, this becomes very frustrating. I'll continue to use it until it breaks or I throw it out of the window.

[/QUOTE I .like the easy read display and free downloads ,,boot up time is bad the downside is the vehicle width. , It dose not work and was the reason I chose aguri

 

[GMJ]

My experience is that it is better with a tablet...

Yes I agree...




Oh sorry, we are talking about tech stuff are we?

 

[TR5]

Absolutely right, Molly 3.

I have the Aguri with built in dash cam but I can't recommend it. It's so, so slow to boot up and operate. When used on a daily basis, as we did recently on a trip to Orkney, this becomes very frustrating. I'll continue to use it until it breaks or I throw it out of the window.

I returned two of them, as I wasn't happy with the performance.