|
|
18 Aug 2010
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,598
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bertrand
in a word... yes!
(but if you mean you have the Garmin GPSMAP 640 ? - have you switched to automotive mode from marine?)
|
Nope I mean what I say 1640WT satnav.
|
18 Aug 2010
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,598
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by backofbeyond
Every £50 entry level sat nav that you can buy from Halfords will do exactly that. It's exactly what they are built to do.
I'm running TomTom software on a PDA (Mio P550) and it has taken me all over Europe doing exactly that. You start it up and in a minute or so it knows where it is. Tell it where you want to go - you can enter a postcode (I only have the UK postcode database), an address or you can click on a point on the map. It will then calculate a route - either the shortest or the quickest (you choose) and if there are toll roads it will ask you whether you want to use them or not.
If you stray off the route it will recalculate automatically without getting in a strop and with a few free add-ons it'll tell you where just about anything you want is and take you there - stuff like hotels, supermarkets, landmarks etc - including speed cameras. It will do this all over Western Europe, or other places if you have the maps. It cost me £70 for the software (I already had the PDA).
If you decide that the routing function makes things too easy you can switch that bit off and just have the "you are here" moving map bit on the screen. At night or in poor vis you can use that part as a poor mans night vision system. You can see when the sharp bends are coming up on the screen long before you can see things in the headlight.
|
It may well do that in the UK where postcodes nearly equate to houses. My postcode in France is a 10 mile radius circle.
Tom Tom (and most others) seem to work much better than Garmin.
With the Garmin I mostly had to have the lat/long in order to navigate to somewhere.
for instance my home.. Le Frene 79200 Viennay. you can't find it on a garmin. Neither could I find my friends village 'le gros chataignier' or the small town of 'pussy' in eastern France.
Maybe you can do better ?
How do you obtain update and at what cost ?
|
19 Aug 2010
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Oxford UK
Posts: 2,116
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldbmw
It may well do that in the UK where postcodes nearly equate to houses. My postcode in France is a 10 mile radius circle.
Tom Tom (and most others) seem to work much better than Garmin.
With the Garmin I mostly had to have the lat/long in order to navigate to somewhere.
for instance my home.. Le Frene 79200 Viennay. you can't find it on a garmin. Neither could I find my friends village 'le gros chataignier' or the small town of 'pussy' in eastern France.
Maybe you can do better ?
|
My French postcode, 38750, covers the whole town as well! Just to check if I was talking cr*p in my last post I timed how long it took to locate our French address before I started this reply. Navigating to it with the TomTom software took just over 20 secs. It also found both Le Frene and Le Gros Chataignier in a similar time - around 30 secs each.
I've always has a feeling that TomTom was better in Europe and Garmin in the States but thought that while it may have been like that years ago, they must be much of a muchness now. Maybe not.
|
19 Aug 2010
|
-
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,342
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldbmw
Nope I mean what I say 1640WT satnav.
|
hmmmm - I am trying to help you but I cannot seem to identify your unit :confused1:....and I just called Garmin UK and they can't either . The mystery thickens!
Can you pm me its serial number? then we'll be able to figure out the best/cheapest way for you to get what you need-
Continue in private msg - cheers
|
19 Aug 2010
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 1,377
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldbmw
So in Two weeks time I am off across France, Italy and Austria to eastern Europe with a £12 map.
What I want is a device that will navigate me to a destination, avoid Peages and recalculate the route if I stray from its preferred route. Without the need for days of online downloads.
|
While I would certainly keep the map, I think that that doing that kind of trip with only such a map is a real shame, as such maps do not show the smallest roads, which are most interesting to me. On the other hand, the GPS is perfect for directing you to your destination over even the smallest roads, even dirt roads.
I have the Garmin maps and have used them extensively in Germany, Austria, Hungary, France, and Spain. They are certainly not perfect (some towns missing, directing me down a 15km dead-end gravel road, etc.) but I really enjoy riding with them. The only exception was the Garmin map of Morocco, which was a complete waste.
|
19 Aug 2010
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,598
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bertrand
hmmmm - I am trying to help you but I cannot seem to identify your unit :confused1:....and I just called Garmin UK and they can't either . The mystery thickens!
Can you pm me its serial number? then we'll be able to figure out the best/cheapest way for you to get what you need-
Continue in private msg - cheers
|
I returned it Bertrand, after spending two weeks online over a period of 6-7 weeks trying to get it to install the maps.
The company 'Satnav easy' were very good about it and i can recommend them. It took five weeks to get any response from Garmin themselves. and they werent any help even then. Satnaveasy took it back without a murmur.
I know I can find my home and the other addresses with a tom tom, but I could not with the Garmin. Of the first 5 places I tried to find, 4 failed. Someone on this forum managed to find a way to find one of those places, but not the other three. I was not trying to trick the machine into failing, was genuinely trying to plan a route. The place it could find was Ouistreham. (ferry port). The place that was tricky (ten minutes to find) was St jean pied de port.
I have deleted the 20GB or so of crap from Garmin and all the correspondence as I dont want to be reminded of it. Butthe model was a 16 or 1340WT 4,3" screen , supposedly with 2010 maps etc pre installed. I have non broadband connection so the downloads if they could actually complete (their server cuts you off after about 10-14 hours) still did not work as the files arrived locked and Garmin just kept telling me to spend another day or three downloading it again.
I would ONLY now buy a device that came with downloads on media, be it memory stick, dvd or whatever.
Update, I just found the invoice. Sorry wrong model.
It was a Nuivi 765WT FM Uk & Europe serial number 1AH072423
|
19 Aug 2010
|
|
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: England
Posts: 649
|
|
I used to find my way all over Europe with an A5 atlas and just hoped that when I got to a city, someone would know where the address that I wanted was and that I'd understand their directions.
I now have a Zumo 550 and a little Geko201 but still like to look at a paper map and do a little route card just in case the Sat Nav has a hissy-fit. Also, they sometimes take you on some pretty daft routes.
A paper map gives a better overview of the area you are travelling and you might see something near your route that is worth a detour. I find GPS gives me "tunnel vision".
Last edited by Big Yellow Tractor; 19 Aug 2010 at 19:54.
Reason: Usual one......carrnt speell
|
19 Aug 2010
|
|
Gold Member
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Atlanta, GA / USA
Posts: 295
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by HillbillyWV
...
Why take a GPS?
...
|
Huh...! Never given it much thought :confused1:. I've been using GPS since the mid '90 in general aviation. Just like flying, you don't depend on it solely. But, it's convenient to have. No more and no less...
The world will keep turning without it too...
__________________
Thomas
"Hey, ...I'm just ridin' shotgun"
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 1 guests)
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
Next HU Events
ALL Dates subject to change.
2025 Confirmed Events:
- Virginia: April 24-27 2025
- Queensland is back! May 2-4 2025
- Germany Summer: May 29-June 1 2025
- CanWest: July 10-13 2025
- Switzerland: Date TBC
- Ecuador: Date TBC
- Romania: Date TBC
- Austria: Sept. 11-15
- California: September 18-21
- France: September 19-21 2025
- Germany Autumn: Oct 30-Nov 2 2025
Add yourself to the Updates List for each event!
Questions about an event? Ask here
See all event details
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)
Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.
Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia
"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK
"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia
"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA
"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada
"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa
"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia
"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany
Lots more comments here!
Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook
"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.
Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!
New to Horizons Unlimited?
New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!
Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.
Read more about Grant & Susan's story
Membership - help keep us going!
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.
|
|
|