Sat navs

Do any of you own one? Do you use it often? Have you found it useful?

I have had a Garmin Nuvi for some years and wouldn't be without it, especially when driving through unknown territory. I do have maps and try to look at them before driving off, but I do sometimes need that electronic help. However, mine let me down on Thursday when leaving Colchester Zoo and somehow had got into a locked position, so wouldn't guide me! I'm driving around the roads of Colchester itself, frantically trying to reset the device, typing in the postcode of the holiday camp, but each time I did that, it wouldn't work. I then pulled up somewhere and flagged down a lady motorist, asking for directions to Clacton. She told me where to drive and when I got so far, went round a roundabout, down a slip road and found myself where I'd ended up on Monday - in the exact same place - when I went wrong on the WAY to Clacton, FROM home! Fab, I thought. At least I recognise where I am. So I switched off the satnav, rebooted it, and thankfully it started to work.

Still about 17 miles from Clacton at this point, so despite leaving the zoo around 5pm, it took an hour and half to get back to St Osyth.

But saying that, I'd never be rid of my satnav. It has, in the past, got me out of a pickle and got me to my destination. It had just had a little hiccup, that's all.

Re: Sat navs

We love ours but there are some areas of the country it just has a nutty moment in and won't work no satellites recognised no roads shown. So we always carry a map book too after one rather exciting time just outside Birmingham when neither of us knew where we were or when we were heading for (stored the address we were travelling to in the sat nav ! )

Re: Sat navs

Mine is great when in unknown territory........I wouldn't be without it.

Re: Sat navs

Frankly in Australia you don't need them for getting from town to town there are not that many choices. Where you do use them is getting to the motel/address at the end of the journey.

I use mine occasionally for getting about Sydney but again the main routes are well sign posted. They are a useful device and I wouldn't be without mine.

Personally I find the maps and navigation in my mobile phone gets more use because I do a lot of walking especially in Sydney - so handy for getting about in unfamiliar territory, finding bus stops, short cuts, landmarks etc. My mobile phone is brilliant and probably even more used than a dedicated sat nav.

Re: Sat navs

If you have a tablet or smart phone there is a very good free sat-nav app navfree. We downloaded it and used it in England on our recent trip there and saved £70 on the cost of having one in the hire car. And no extra maps to pay for.

Re: Sat navs

You need something in Perth,that city is a nightmare,i use my iphone when needed,in the bush i have just a portable Garmin,no maps just a way to find your car in the scrub.
Better than having a map book or street directory on the passenger seat,or worse a navigator who cant navigate! lol.

Billy

Re: Sat navs

I love my Tom Tom. Had a Navman some years ago but it was so slow, at times I'd be almost at my destination before it read the satellites!!
The Tom Tom reads in a few seconds...also, never have to pay for maps as I get free lifetime map upgrades four times a year. Usually there is some sort of update every day, I usually download them once a week.