Destinator 3 licencing key

madmom · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 13, 2006 Posts: 2

Hi I dont know if anyone has had this prob but I would appreciate any help. I bought an Acern35. with destinator 3 in july 2005 for my hubby and he has had a great year driving with it. That is until we came to load the maps of France. I finaly got them on an sd card but cannot load them on the acer it keeps telling me I need another licencing key. The Destinator web site is useless and they hazve'nt answered my e-mails. Anyone got any ideas?

MikeyF · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 7:11 pm Post subject: destinator

As I see it you have 2 options.

Firstly - Use another piece of software like tomtom (expensive option)

Secondly - you can cut out a section of the France map using the destinator console and use this without a new licence.

It's not the best method, but if you can't get a new key from Destinator they are really your only two options.
_________________
Mikey

_______________________________________
Acer N35
Tomtom ver 6.010(7720)
Tomtom map UK & IE Plus v675

jimbo_hippo · Frequent Visitor Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 444

Madmom (great handle BTW!)

I'm pretty sure that you are thinking that you have European mapping when you have a licence for only one territory. This means that you had one activation key at time of purchase and chose to use UK maps but any subsequent maps are extra. I can't be certain of this because the packages for the N35 shift more often than desert sand but it sounds likely. And unless your Package said specifically that it did European routing then its unlikely.

What you might have is a base map of Europe which will let you navigate around the major roads but not at street level.

I bought an N35 for my GF and she ended up buying Tom Tom mainly because D3 is a right royal pain in the butt compared with other programs. D3 is pretty old now and I wouldn't recommend spending money on upgrading it without considering some alternatives.

If you want street level mapping for the N35 I would suggest either the soon to be released software-only Tom Tom Navigator 5 with european maps (try some of the ads at the side of this page) or if you are on a budget and can live with the nightmare of setting up Cameras then Destinator PN with European Maps is available for around £95.00 including VAT and Delivery which is hard to beat. (about £50.00 cheaper than TTN5 with european maps). Also PN maps for USA are quite cheap too by comparison if thats a consideration.

For European navving, PN is good. I would argue better than others as it loads maps automatically as you drive across Europe. But there are some pros and cons. Tom Tom vs Destinator depends a lot on where you want to go. If you study the countries covered by the different applications there are some key differences. Southern Ireland stinks with Tom Tom, good with PN. But I've just signed up new dealers for Poland and Czech Republic which is covered in Tom Tom but not Destinator and I'm going to have to do some driving over there.

Do some research using your own criteria.

I think I'll end up with both at this rate! Ouch..... that was the sound of my credit card.
_________________
Tom Tom GO 720
Orange M3100, Orange SPV M5000
TomTom Navigator 6, Destinator 6
Holux GPSslim

jimbo_hippo · Frequent Visitor Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 444

Hey Mikey,
I just read back my post and it sort of reads like a longer version of yours! Sorry bout that. Guess I have too much free time today!

BTW are you saying that by cutting a map in D3 you don't need the licence? i.e. if you cut a map in 2 and load the two parts would you have full coverage?

Not an issue for me as I have full European maps anyway but found that interesting.
_________________
Tom Tom GO 720
Orange M3100, Orange SPV M5000
TomTom Navigator 6, Destinator 6
Holux GPSslim

TheRock · Regular Visitor Joined: Aug 24, 2005 Posts: 126

Hi madmom:

You could visit the Destinator web page support area, download the newest available patch (like the one for PN Wink

) and try it with your maps.
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D7
loox n500

MikeyF · Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 12:46 pm Post subject:

Jimbo,

I haven't done much playing around with cutting maps, but when I tried it so see what all the bother was about, it worked. So I suppose if you cut several section of the european maps out and load them onto your sd card it should work.

and Yes I tend to agree your reply was a lot longer than mine, but I liked the bit about the shifting sand !!! Laughing Out Loud

.

I think there are now mor versions of D3 than all the other programs put together.
_________________
Mikey

_______________________________________
Acer N35
Tomtom ver 6.010(7720)
Tomtom map UK & IE Plus v675

madmom · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 13, 2006 Posts: 2

Thanks to everyone who replied to my posting. Since I posted this I have e-mailed Destinator at least 4 times for a licence key. They have sent me back everything from my device ID to my original licence key. In the latest e-mail they have advised me to buy destinator PN. Now I dont know about any one else but if I buy something I like it to at least try to work or the support services to try to help. Wild horses couldnt drag me to put more money in their pockets. I will now go and look at other options like Tom TOm. But for any one thinking about buying any Destinator products I would advise against. Once again many thanks

jimbo_hippo · Frequent Visitor Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 444

Madmom,
Do you still need European mapping?
_________________
Tom Tom GO 720
Orange M3100, Orange SPV M5000
TomTom Navigator 6, Destinator 6
Holux GPSslim

jimbo_hippo · Frequent Visitor Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 444

Madmom,
If you just want to say 'sod it' and get Tom Tom then this is coming soon http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php?xProd=148&xSec=45&jssCart=8a9d46a746cf38a5a443692abc339b0c

£140.00 all in for European maps and the latest software. Has its niggles but will be a painless and easy to troubleshoot solution.

If you want to save some cash then this is a real bargain. http://www.totalpda.co.uk/Destinator-PN-Personal-Navigator-GPS-Euro-Software-ex-demo.aspx I know its putting money in Destinators pocket but I still think its the best value solution for trans european navving. I use it across Europe all the time. Its way beyond D3. The speed cameras need you to work at them and I personally opt to use POIObserver even after the improvements in the recent update.

From the mood you're in I would fork out the extra for Tom Tom (remember you might need a bigger SD card with either of these if you go European with more than one additional map so allow for that in your budget). I looked at CoPilot Live too but it seems that the European option pushes the price way up because you can't buy it all in one go. i.e. the maps for Europe cost £100.00 on top of the cost of UK making it VERY pricey for Europe).

Or you could buy UK version of Tom Tom Navigator 5 then just buy the France map from the website but its an expensive way to get just one extra map.

In summary, I lost my patience with Destinator when I first got it. You'll see some of my rants on here. But I have learned to live with its quirks and accept that the support team are all dead with a mystery virus or under seige from gunmen. Who knows. But I have access to Tom Tom Navigator 5 (UK vers. on an N35 as it happens), D3 (never again), Navman Smart ST V3 (makes PNs user interface feel like heaven - entering addresses will have you kicking the cat up the drive), and a stripped down Co Pilot on step-son's Gizmodo. For UK-only its close between some of 'em but for full European mapping, painful as it is for me to say, I've grown fond of my PN. There,..... I said it..... now I'm gonna lie in a darkened room.
_________________
Tom Tom GO 720
Orange M3100, Orange SPV M5000
TomTom Navigator 6, Destinator 6
Holux GPSslim

allmen · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 20, 2006 Posts: 49

Sorry but you can cut the map but you'll still not be able to use it as it comes up saying the map is not registered. If you purchase the full map/s then when you register it/them you can then cut as many sections of the map/s as you want and they will then work because you registered the full map/s.

jimbo_hippo · Frequent Visitor Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 444

Madmom

Getting cheaper! http://www.easydevices.co.uk/pp/Software/DESTINATOR_PN_SOFTWARE_UPDATE_-_WESTERN_EUROPE.html
_________________
Tom Tom GO 720
Orange M3100, Orange SPV M5000
TomTom Navigator 6, Destinator 6
Holux GPSslim

Robin2 · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 2:14 pm Post subject:

Is this an upgrade price, assuming you have an earlier version of Destinator?
Robin
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TomTom One v3 Europe, Navcore 7.903, Western Europe 835.2420
TomTom Go 720 Europe, Navcore 8.351, Western Europe 855.2884
Satmap Active 10
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