[freedee]

I have just started to look in to buying some kind of sat nav gps system for my Mini, but dont want to spend a fortune, and I don't really understand all the options and there pro's and cons. Would someone please explain the options in simple terms
Thank you all

[Jeep-2-mini]

Personally I've gone the PDA/Tomtom route, mainly because I already had the PDA, so just needed the software, GPS reciever & mounting kit (you can either get the expensive tomtom kit which includes all the above, or save some money & get the bits seperatly). Cost me about £200.

Advantages:
Cheap, if you've already got the PDA, PDA can add £2-400 to the cost above.
Can be moved between cars
Can plan routes when away from the car
Will intergrate with a speed camera database & alerting system for free
PDA still works as a PDA, and if you have the addresses in the right format can use your adress book to select destination
You can have several different maps, and buy more when you need them
easily upgradable

Disadvantages:
Lots of unsightly wires, unless your good at routing behind the trim
Uses up cigeret lighter socket
Depending on car mount, may not be in best position for visability
Volume for spoken directions is not the best/
Directions will not overide radio/cd - so not for those who like their music loud

[freedee]

Thanks for the reply thats exactly the type of advice I need. I dont own a PDA but it might be the way to do it any advice as to which PDA?

[Jeep-2-mini]

Obviously the faster & more memory the better, but the price goes up. Tomtom dosen't actually need much - I'm running it on a HP jornada thats a few years old - and it still works OK.

The only thing to look out for is additional storage, since this is the best place to put all the maps. make sure you get at least a 128mb card, more if you intend travelling in more than one country

[addman]

If you take a look at http://www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk they have some good deals on TomTom with PDAs and non-TomTom GPS receivers (ofter referred to as GPS mice)... I'd recommend going for a 400Mhz PDA, speeds up the route plotting a bit, and try to use SD memory to hold your maps as it's a little faster than CF.

If you have the heated windscreen, it may have a coating that prevents the GPS from getting a good signal.

One thing you might like to look at for TomToms is CheckPOInt - free software that has a database of speed cameras in the UK... works very well.

I haven't found mounting too much of a problem, I got a flexible suction mount from the site above and that works well - I have it sited to the right of the steering wheel above the vent. Other solutions include the Brodit Pro-clip (popular right now for iPod mounting) but I find the positioning then too low.

[freedee]

Thanks for the info. I have seen some "bluetooth" versions, do these work ok?

[moonshine]

try
www.pocketgps.co.uk

gerry

[Windshadow]

Quote: Originally Posted by freedee

Thanks for the info. I have seen some "bluetooth" versions, do these work ok?

I have the socket Bluetooth GPS and it works just fine with Route 66 2004 on my mac Powerbook under OS X 10.3.3 and with Rand McNally Tripmaker under Virtual PC 6.1.1 XP Home... both at the same time in their own side by side windows
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...Fencoding=UTF8

[chris4817]

Hello All. This is my first posting but I have been looking at the forum since I took delivery of my fantastic Mini Cooper at the beginning of April. Everyone seems really friendly.

Personally I have fitted Trafficmaster Smartnav to my Mini which I would recommend to anyone. It is about £625 fitted but you can have the optional screen which I have also fitted. The installation is very professional and actually looks factory fitted.

Have a look at Smartnav's website. www.smartnav.com

Chris4817

[addman]

Welcome to Mini2, chris4817.

I've also heard good things about trafficmaster, but doesn't it involve an on-going subscription? One good thing about a tomtom-like solution is once it's bought, it's bought.

Apart from the near-annual upgrades

Guess freedee you gotta make up your own mind. Moonshine's right, pocketgps is a good site for info.

One systems I wouldn't recommend from past experience is Navman... although the all-in-one hardware solution is nice, the software does not support custom POIs (so no speed cameras, specific petrol stations etc.) and I found it to be very flaky, even with all the updates - turning itself off, rebooting randomly etc.

[chris4817]

Thanks for the welcome Addman.

Yes you are right that it does involve an ongoing subscription. However, you can pay as you go or take out an annual or 'lifetime' subscription.

The annual sub is £10 per month which is ovbiously £120 per year. However, it is good value as it is regularly updated so no new software to buy. I read somewhere that 15-20 per cent of the UK road network changes in some way every year so to keep up to date would need a new mapping disc. I am not sure how much this is but have been advised it is about £150 for a DVD so smartnav is quite good value.

[Jeep-2-mini]

Upgrades for tomtom 2 to 3 are £40 - you don't have to pay full retail every year
That gives you new maps plus new software featues, so good value IMO.
A new feature this year is linking via GPRS to traffic reports - to direct you round the jams - dont know how well this works, since I dont intend to subscibe, no GPRS om my phone

[addman]

I've read in some of the reviews of v3 of TomToms that already some roads are out of date but overall I've found it pretty good, it's only once taken me down a road for about three miles that at the end was closed

But I'm still of the mind that TomTom's is better value. Being able to move it from car to car, plus the speed camera warning (otherwise I'll never be able to insure a Cooper S in the future - still working off a TT99) are the big selling points to me.

But as always (and here's a lot of the fun of MINI2) it comes down to personal choice, and you'll always get advice on all options before you make up your own mind

[Beastmaster]

I have posted on this already so here is a link.

Basically it is a pocket PC with built in GPS and sat nav from Copilot Live. £450 for the lot and includes chargers for car and mounts. It is a full ready to go system and works a treat. Portable too.

http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthrea...ighlight=mitac

[devilsushi2000]

You could also go for something like the Garmin StreePilot III. I got mine in the UK for just over £600. These are meant to be top pieces of equipment. Im taking delivery of it on Wednesday. Ill let you all know what its like!
Dale

[chris4817]

I have a friend who has the Garmin Street Pilot and I have to agree it is a very good bit of kit. It is very quick and very good at rerouting quickly if you go off route.

Further to my comments about Smartnav. They also have speed camera warnings which are updated regularly.

[diverse]

i'd think about upgrading your stereo to the Alpine INA333 (something like that) under £1000 but you get top quality HU, DVD maps of most of Europe, TMC, which you won't get on any PDA! MP3 changer is just over £100!

I tried the PDA's the cold locking could take an age, they were a lot slower than Alpine and the Alpine is 1U, can work fully with MFSW!

www.mcs-direct.co.uk for the best prices!!

[addman]

The cold or warm locking with the Navman was pretty pants, it's true - but the performance of the Haicom GPS mouse I now use is very good, even in heavily built up areas.

Diverse, you mention 'TMC'? Can you elaborate?

I have to be honest - I've seen both Alpine and Blaupunkt 1U sat navs in operation, and the biggest drawback is the small screen. Camparing the small, mono display to the typical dispay on a PDA or something like a Garmin, there's no real contest. Sure you can add a really good screen to the Alpine, but then you're looking at the £2000 mark... plus, as mentioned in previous posts, the DVD upgrades can be very expensive.

For me, Sat Nav isn't just useful at junctions. I've found mine useful on twisty roads, to see any unexpectedly sharp bends coming up, especially at night. You need the sort of detail a PDA or similar offers to do this. Plus, the positioning of the head unit in a Mini makes looking at the screen while driving much more difficult.

Having the sound through the regular speakers, mixed with your regular audio source is nice though.

[devilsushi2000]

I cant wait for my garmin to arrive, i am just so sick of getting lost now. I must have one of the worst senses of direction on mini2!

[diverse]

The 1U screen on the Apline is superb, honest but you will rarely use it as the voice prompting is SO accurate!

The Alpine screen has to be seen, the detail of ANY roundabout shows up, you really don't need to spend another £1000 on a colour large screen!

TMC is traffic information that is broadcast on Classic FM i think, it works as long as you are listening to CD Changer or Classic FM, otherwise you need another box that listens to Classic FM for you, picking up on the TMC codes.

It is supposd to divert you away from traffic, allegedly it's the future!

Also, the usage in the rest of europe without having to buy another map disc will also save you a fortune if you travel out of the UK.