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navtrav
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Joined: 03/01/2003 19:00:24
Posts: 122
Location: United Kingdom
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 Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 12:55 pm Post subject: |
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Andy-P wrote:
Buy a real compass and stick it on the dash. you'll see it agrees with the TomTom.
I don't want a real compass any more than I want a map of the sky at night to steer by the stars.
All I want to know/check-out is that, say, I'm travelling the RIGHT way (east, 3 o'clock) instead of the wrong way (west, 9 o'clock).
Instead I've got to be distracted from the usual mayhem on the roads while, for eg, I think: Oh yes, the pointer is pointing north when it's at 7 o'clock. Where the hell am I going? Sort of southish, I suppose.
Come on. Can't this technology help us any better than that? |
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mikealder
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Joined: Jan 14, 2005
Posts: 19638
Location: Blackpool , Lancs
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| Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 1:00 pm Post subject: |
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| If you want to know the heading information select it as one of the displayed items in Change Preferences/ Status Bar Preferences - Mike |
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Trevor1234
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Joined: Apr 30, 2005
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Location: Milton Keynes
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| Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Folks
My heads in a whirl after reading this topic on the compass. I thank God that when using my Tomtom I haven’t the slightest interest in looking at any type of compass, magnetic or the Tomtom one. I’m always following the route planned by my device and cant for the life of me see the reason for having a compass displayed. Can someone enlighten me please.
So far (I have been using GPS for a few years) my Tomtom has never sent me North when I wish to go South and its never sent me West when I have wished to go East. So, can someone explain why the compass is so important.
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Darren
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Joined: 11/07/2002 14:36:40
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Location: Hampshire, UK
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| Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 5:03 pm Post subject: |
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Good question! Some seem to consider a compass should be some magical pointer to destination or perform other tasks and get quite annoyed when it does what it is supposed to do, point North!
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PaulB2005
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Joined: Jan 04, 2006
Posts: 9323
Location: Durham, UK
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| Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | All I want to know/check-out is that, say, I'm travelling the RIGHT way (east, 3 o'clock) instead of the wrong way (west, 9 o'clock). |
How would it help? There are many times on journeys where you are travelling in the wrong direction to your destination. For example on the way to my in-laws there's a section of the M1 where i am travelling away from them for a short period rendering this information usless. Same again on some sections of the M25. In fact the first 4-5 miles of my route are spent travelling south on a journey from London to Newcastle. How would the compass pointing at my in-laws house help? |
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navtrav
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Joined: 03/01/2003 19:00:24
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Location: United Kingdom
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| Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 5:25 pm Post subject: |
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Trevor1234 asked:
can someone explain why the compass is so important?
For me, in a big motorhome, following TomTom down obscure unnamed roads with occasional passing places, or through city centre alleys only designed for a horse and cart (as has happened in Europe) I cannot blindly follow computer-generated Kate or whoever's instructions - I have to deviate but still know I'm heading in the right direction.
This will apply to folk towing caravans, people in hired vans, people with horse boxes, lorry drivers...the list goes on. As far as routing goes, TomTom only sees as their market people on motorbikes or in Noddy Smart cars.
Darren totally forgets that on old TomToms, the 'compass' was as he would say 'magical' - ie configurable so users could overcome the present short-coming and get it to acutally point in the direction you are travelling. |
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Mullet
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Joined: Dec 12, 2005
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| Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 5:51 pm Post subject: |
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| navtrav wrote: | | I cannot blindly follow computer-generated Kate or whoever's instructions - I have to deviate but still know I'm heading in the right direction. |
I have never paid much attention to the compass so forgive me if I am missing something.
But since the TomTom will re route you whatever deviation you make, you will always end up going in the right direction irrespective of the compass reading.
My first few trips to Florida I found a compass essential to get orientated with paper maps due to the entry and exit layouts of interstates, and city grids for example, but now with sat nav I find that is no longer necessary. |
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alanji
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Posts: 179
Location: Somerset
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| Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Darren wrote: | | Good question! Some seem to consider a compass should be some magical pointer to destination or perform other tasks and get quite annoyed when it does what it is supposed to do, point North! |
Nothing 'magical' about it and I have previously pointed out why I liked it. So, to answer Trevor (apart from the reasons Navtrav has mentioned). It is sometimes fun to set the destination and, with the compass pointing there. to meander in that general direction, taking whatever road looks interesting. Also, in the Pyrenees, I have found myself with 10 miles to travel by road and heading East, but my destination is West with the distance to destination showing on the cld compass as 2 miles, which can be quite amusing.
Maybe Roussillat could incorporate it in Tripmaster? Or some other clever soul write a programme to display the old type compass?
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Alan
Go 750 LIVE Europe Map 870.3406
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DennisN
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Joined: Feb 27, 2006
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Location: Keynsham
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| Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 10:13 pm Post subject: |
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Personally, I always look out for the moss on the trees - it ALWAYS grows on the East side. Or maybe that's the West side? 
| alanji wrote: | | in the Pyrenees, I have found myself with 10 miles to travel by road and heading East, but my destination is West with the distance to destination showing on the cld compass as 2 miles, which can be quite amusing. |
I think navtrav might disagree with the classification "amusing"! But I think it would make a good You've Been Framed clip to film him doing the Matterhorn in a camper van in order to travel in the right direction!
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PaulB2005
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Joined: Jan 04, 2006
Posts: 9323
Location: Durham, UK
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| Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 10:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Personally, I always look out for the moss on the trees - it ALWAYS grows on the East side. Or maybe that's the West side? |
Come on Dennis. You should know all Moss points North until TomTom said it should point to your destination..... |
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Trevor1234
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Joined: Apr 30, 2005
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Location: Milton Keynes
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| Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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Hi navtrav
I must point out that I do drive a large vehicle and never, never follow blindly the route that Tomtom has planned for me. I always go to map Mode and check the route that has been generated and if it does not suit me I soon enter a waypoint to take me the way I want to go.
I agree that folk like Captain Scott needed a compass (and look what happened to him) on his journey to and from the South Pole but in this modern day and age I think that a Tomtom without compass facility wins hands down.
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Darren
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Location: Hampshire, UK
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| Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 11:02 pm Post subject: |
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Perhaps we need some distinction here between the features that used to be present under the TomTom 'compass' and that have now been removed and the features of a compass in general?
Yes we acknowledge that TomTom dumbed down the compass in software updates, to the extent that it now only functions as a compass.
Complaints that the compass as is does not offer the features that were once available are understandable. But that does not change the fact that as it now stands it operates in exactly the way a compass is intended to!
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Trevor1234
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Location: Milton Keynes
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| Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 11:07 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Darren
I apologise, I appear to have wandered off the original question as posted by jksinrod.
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Andy_P
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Joined: Jun 04, 2005
Posts: 19991
Location: West and Southwest London
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| Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 2:17 am Post subject: |
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| navtrav wrote: |
All I want to know/check-out is that, say, I'm travelling the RIGHT way (east, 3 o'clock) instead of the wrong way (west, 9 o'clock).
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OK, this my last try, then I'll give up...
I can leave my house and go east or west:
If that's not clear, put the heading on the status bar.
We would all like the old "pointer" back where you could set it to show the direction towards your destination, but that's simply not on offer at the moment. |
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alanji
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Posts: 179
Location: Somerset
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| Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:13 am Post subject: |
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| Andy_P wrote: | OK, this my last try, then I'll give up...
I can leave my house and go east or west: |
How do you know which way your house is pointing?  Maybe you have trees with moss on them?
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Alan
Go 750 LIVE Europe Map 870.3406
Go 720 W Europe Map 865.3245
One XL W Europe. Map 715.1689
Dell Axim & TT3
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