Newbie needs help

coolerbob · Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:26 pm Post subject:

When you say "through your ignition", do you mean the car's built in cigerette lighter?

Problem is, it's not the stationary speed cameras that ever get me. It's the mobile ones!

mikealder · Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:38 pm Post subject:

You only need power to the devices when they are in use, so an Ignition fed supply is best (it saves draining the car battery over a long unused period).

If you want to go the PDA plus external BT GPS route then make sure it has a hardware Power On/ Off switch (not all do this - Holux GPSlim236 is an example that does include the true hardware switch).

I would still go for the PDA with integral GPS or PDA based phone with integral GPS, as either way its less hardware to carry about, and either option can simply plug into the ciggy socket for power whilst moving in the car - Mike

CliffEdge · Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 3:28 pm Post subject:

I started my GPS experiences a few years ago with a Garmin 305??? receiver in its own cradle, connected to a palm pda, in its own cradle, both connected to the lighter socket, with wires everywhere..... and a phone, in a cradle. It was a good job it was accurate as I couldn't see out the windscreen!!!
I longed for true integration, & the day when it didn't have to rewire the car every trip.
I played with lots of different units, recievers, maps, phones, mp3 players since, but the one thing that's shone through, is that the best phone is a stand alone, the best GPS is a standalone, the best screen resolution is on a pda etc etc..... all in ones are compromises.
I currently use a Sony K800i phone, a Garmin 660 (which will happily talk to each other), an ageing, but reliable palm T3, & a JVC Exad head unit & 200w amps in the boot, which link to my mp3 /video player. I still havn't found a single unit which does all of these as well..... and yes I'm back to stripping down the car each night... progress!!!
I did buy a slim wall safe & bolted it into the boot, which does buy some piece of mind when in town, & not wanting to walk around like a branch of Comet.

coolerbob · Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 12:05 pm Post subject:

CliffEdge · Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 5:10 pm Post subject:

My Sat Nav is a Garmin Nuvi 660. I upgraded from a Road Angel Navigater 6000 which was terrible, & a waste of £250 at the time. I'm really impressed with the Nuvi.... although it is one of the more expensive units at £310. If you go down that route, I'd recommend getting it from globalpositioningsystems.co.uk as their delivery & after sales (replacement) is excellent.... & a good price too. It all depends on your budget, but I wasted money on a "cheaper" at the time unit, & regreted it.

coolerbob · Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 9:41 pm Post subject:

TheM · Frequent Visitor Joined: Mar 21, 2005 Posts: 277

coolerbob · Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 9:03 am Post subject:

if i was to go on holiday to canada, south africa or america... could i buy maps for those areas?

Also, I've decided on the Navman (just not sure which one yet). I dont want to attach mine to the window. Can you use those suction cups to attach them to the dashboard?

robertn · Frequent Visitor Joined: Feb 06, 2005 Posts: 564

Navman wouldn't be my first choice with the recent ups and downs of the parent company and sale/purchase. However, the products are good and brand is strong so could be around for a while. Personally I have taken a shine to the Garmin Nuvi.

As for brackets for dash mount, a crowd called Brodit do a very nice range. When deciding what unit to purchase, check if they do a bracket for the device and your car. There system is 2 parts - one for your make and model of car and one for the PDA/PND/Phone you want to mount.

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