• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

GPS help anyone? (1 Viewer)

Metermaid

Metermaid

Well-known member
Not strictly computers - but you guys haven't let me down with advice yet so thought worth a try !!

I really want to get a GPS system for the car (moving to Milton Keynes in a couple of weeks - I NEED ONE !!)

I know absolutely nothing about them - and wondered what sort of things I need to look out for - noticed on TV last night that Halfords have one on special offer at £249 - am I likely to get anything decent at that sort of price? - it's pretty much my budget.

Grateful of any insights !

TIA

Rita
 
Metermaid said:
Not strictly computers - but you guys haven't let me down with advice yet so thought worth a try !!

I really want to get a GPS system for the car (moving to Milton Keynes in a couple of weeks - I NEED ONE

Greetings Rita
I have a Garmin iQue3600, which suits me.

I suggest first you browse Halfords' website, they seem to have 2/3 models in that price range.
Then visit a shop to view each model.

Appearance of the screen, size of text and ease of use of the buttons need assesing. This can be personal. In general they all do the same thing, with minor variations.

A type of installation which allows you to remove it, from your car, and pop it in a handbag etc. will prevent car thieves being attracted.

If sole use is to find your way around Milton Keynes it does seem a rather expensive investment. Hopefully you will have more use for GPS than that.

JIM
Click to expand...
 
Metermaid said:
Not strictly computers - but you guys haven't let me down with advice yet so thought worth a try !!

I really want to get a GPS system for the car (moving to Milton Keynes in a couple of weeks - I NEED ONE !!)

I know absolutely nothing about them - and wondered what sort of things I need to look out for - noticed on TV last night that Halfords have one on special offer at £249 - am I likely to get anything decent at that sort of price? - it's pretty much my budget.

Grateful of any insights !

TIA

Rita
Click to expand...

Hi Rita, I have had Sat Nav in my last two cars and found it really useful - both for work and birding. The top things I think you should look out for are postcode address entry (avoids having to type a full address!) and clear, easy to use display and controls. Jim's advice for a removable system is a very good idea and do go to a shop to try the systems.

Have a look at http://www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk/ and the top 15 In-Car systems.

My better half has the TomTom system for her iPaq PDA which I have found excellent and I know a couple of people who are very pleased with the TomTom GO system. The colour display on these is clear and the touch screen controls work well. Good luck in your search!

Cheers Mark.
 
Hi metermaid, MK eh urgghh what a place, but someone has to live there, sorry I digress. I havn't bought GPS yet as I'm waitng for the new Garmin 2720 to come out in November but as with all things of this type you must not rely on it entirely. Use it as an aid to a map as there are many errors in this type of product. If it was the Tomtom go you have been looking at then you may have to have an external arial fitted so the device can pick up all the satellites. If you have a modern car and it has an Athermic screen then you will almost definitely need an external arial because the screen prevents the signal going through to the device.
There is a wealth of information on these devices on the net, try pocket Gps world or the Expansys website. There are forums there that can go into a lot of detail before you purchase, I hope this has been of some help. metroman.
 
I really want to get a GPS system for the car (moving to Milton Keynes in a couple of weeks - I NEED ONE !!)


HI metermaid,,dont know about gps but,Mk devours tyres and suspension so build it into your budget! |:d|
 
These things shouldcome with a Government health warning.

"Use at your own risk"

As has been said above do not entirely rely on them.

Pete ex GPS user
 
Hi Metermaid

I have the Tom Tom 500

I can highly recommend the system. They are very useful for the obvious task of navigation but the added benefit being that you can download points of interest inc all the speed cameras around the UK.

It is fully portable and comes with FULL postcode search something which most do not (most give only 5 digit postcode search)

Two links are as follows

http://www.tomtom.com/products/category.php?ID=0&Language=1&TT=83o0k2403pj3fierki5ssg6bp5

http://www.mytomtomgo.com/

The 500 comes with Bluetooth phone hook up and major roads of Europe

Also consider the 300 and 700 model.
 
they are a great tool to have.

you can pre-program destinations, and they will give you the exact milage, time etc to get there.

they even tell you what side of the road the destination is on, very impressive.

i have the navman iCN 510, was £399 from halfords in april, although there is cheaper options available now.
 
Last edited:
A sobering note and crime prevention tip - don't leave them in the car - not even the mounting bracket visible when leaving the vehicle unattended. We have a mini-crime wave of such thefts which is following a National trend.

Instead of stealing car radios to sell for £10/£15 the reprobates are particularly targeting vehicles with GPS which they sell for £50/£100 depending on model. Even if they see just the mounting bracket they still break in just so as to check the glove box and under the seats for the device itself.
 
If you want the best then I would thoroughly recommend the Navman 600 series. I bought it specifically for birdwatching/twitching and used in conjunction with Birdguides text alert has proved invaluable for chasing new birds whilst out in the field.

Regards

Dave
 
Hello , have a look at this website , it doesn't sell GPS equipment , it advises , tests and helps you make a calculated decision, http://www.pocketgpsworld.com, you can sign up for free and they will email you a newsletter every now and again .

Ashley
 
Many thanks for all the really helpful replies - like the look of the Tom Tom 30 - so currently seeing if I can stretch my budget - the GPS site links have been really helpful - thanks folks

Rita
 
Metermaid said:
Many thanks for all the really helpful replies - like the look of the Tom Tom 30 - so currently seeing if I can stretch my budget - the GPS site links have been really helpful - thanks folks

Rita
Click to expand...

A couple of questions for you to put to the salesperson, which may help your choice:-
1. How often are map updates issued?
2. How much are they?

Jim

PS They can be infrequent and expensive.
 
Has anyone tried the TomTom GPS recently,please? Hubby bought it a couple of days ago, but after paying for the speed camera addon, has had horrendous trouble and no customer support worth the name. What has their past support been like? Thanks.
 
IanF said:
A sobering note and crime prevention tip - don't leave them in the car - not even the mounting bracket visible when leaving the vehicle unattended. We have a mini-crime wave of such thefts which is following a National trend.
Click to expand...

Sound advice from IanF. This is becoming a major problem, even removing the mounting bracket leaves a circular mark on the windscreen which is enough to suggest that there may be one of these in the car.

Buy one small enough to take away with you, in a pocket, handbag or brief case and get yourself a marking kit which will allow you to label it and UV mark it. Won't stop it getting stolen if you are unlucky enough but will identify it as yours if recovered.

DW
 
A cheap and effective tip is to leave an A-Z in a prominent place in the car - on the dashboard or in a door pocket so a thief looking in will see it and move on to the next more likely hi-tech target ;)
 
Warning! This thread is more than 17 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

A
Help needed with RX10-iv workflow
Replies
11
Views
1K
andrewsheerin
A
S
Help - I've found a injured Juvenile Cormorant
Replies
14
Views
699
Fritz73
Fritz73
I
Analysis Paralysis- Please help me choose!
2 3
Replies
42
Views
2K
Patudo
P
delia todd
What to upgrade to
2 3
Replies
48
Views
3K
delia todd
delia todd
R
Analysing Binoculars
Replies
6
Views
646
beacon hill
beacon hill

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top