Still worth buying over other manufactures?

Popeye_ali · Occasional Visitor Joined: Nov 10, 2011 Posts: 1

As per title.

Looking to buy my 1st unit and upon doing research the active 10 looks like it is now a little dated and knowing my luck if I were to buy one the active 11 would be just realised! Lol

Opinions please use will be for country side walks out with the dog and camping and trekking holidays.

Thanks all.

spudsocks · Occasional Visitor Joined: Apr 16, 2011 Posts: 19

I had the same problem with DLSR cameras, Love my photography but got too involved in having the latest gear and lost sight of the main reason that I had a camera. Same with Gps. Love my walking and the satmap is a non fuss GPS without all the Gimicks that follow every upgrade. The Satmap is very good, in my opinion is still the best out there. Shows how good it was when it first came out as its still up there.

Don't wait for a replacement. There will always be another GPS around the corner as soon as you have purchasd yours..

FrequentFlyer · Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 2:44 pm Post subject: +

Definitely, go for it...I'm into year four with mine....great bit of kit, and more to the point...what a great company Satmap are to deal with or talk to...a major plus.
(ps And you have definitely come to the right site, because you will have questions which will be answered on here...without doubt!)

Gibbo10 · Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 9:10 pm Post subject:

Great GPS. Satmap are touring the country I believe visiting cotswold outdoor stores, may be there is one in your area. http://www.satmap.co.uk/meettheexperts.php
_________________
Satmap A10. Platform 09.02.21, Software version 1.50 Satsync 1.50
GSAK / Quo Mapping
Geocacher ID The K9 Crew
My Blog Geocache Trails

spudh · Occasional Visitor Joined: Aug 16, 2011 Posts: 11

Satmap have one huge advantage over manufacturers. They are small. This means they are still very personal to deal with. Their support is fantastic. You try and get some satisfaction out of Garmin or Tom Tom, even try getting to deal with the same person twice! With Satmap you will quickly find yourself on first name terms with the people you are dealing with.

We have 3 units in our engineering business. After years of garmin product purchase every new unit will be Satmap from now on. We use the custom mapping service all the time. This is an unbelievable service for professionals. We are able to get ortho rectified aerial photography overlayed on historic maps, overlayed on discovery mapping overlayed on proposed infrastructure for each of our new projects - for £75 a project!!. This is a game changing piece of kit for ecological surveying, habitat mapping, archaeological surveying, site reconaissance, initial site layout etc etc

Our intensive use has thrown up some shortcomings in the design, the biggest use issue being reading the screen in direct sunlight, but nothing insurmountable. The biggest machine issue being the USB cover and screen scratching (from crap getting in between the screen outer cover and the actual screen) but the customer support/warranty process has been top notch.

I've watched the GPS scene develop over the last 10 to 15 years working in a business with an acute need to know exactly where the hell you are. The Active 10 features wont become outmoded anytime soon. What will change is the interface. The proliferation of iPhone technology will filter down fully to GPS once they've made it robust enough to deal with full outdoor conditions but the actual working features wont change. Satmap are already ahead of the game with the features I've described above.

The only thing that would move me from Satmap would be a machine with the same features but with an open architecture to allow me put my own mapping on instead of sending it off to them for processing onto an SD card. As a professional user the £75 doesn't matter so much as the time (not Satmaps fault, they turn it round in a day but I've postage to Ireland to contend with) but that would soon get expensive for a casual user.

If they do release an updated model it will be to fix the design issues such as screen and USB protection but the Active 10 is so feature packed its hard to see much else you could need or desire in a rugged compact GPS.

FrequentFlyer · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 11:31 am Post subject:

The only other 'weak point' I would address is the battery terminal....they need to go the mobile phone route, easy to put in and take out, but apart from that.............

Goldfrog · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 07, 2005 Posts: 10

FrequentFlyer · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 5:13 pm Post subject:

Only the wife....I'll stick with Android thankyou very much. Laughing

spudh · Occasional Visitor Joined: Aug 16, 2011 Posts: 11

Gibbo10 · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 9:46 pm Post subject:

I'd add needs better sound for a louder bleep.
_________________
Satmap A10. Platform 09.02.21, Software version 1.50 Satsync 1.50
GSAK / Quo Mapping
Geocacher ID The K9 Crew
My Blog Geocache Trails

LostMike · Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 4:51 pm Post subject:

And I would add the ability to save your settings so that they can be restored after a service or the like.
_________________
LostMike
Satmap A10. Platform 21
Software version 1.5.9193
Satsync 1.525

sussamb · Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 5:20 pm Post subject:

Service? They need servicing?

I'll stick with my Garmin then, never gone wrong, no service necessary and freely available and free mapping for both car and walking Wink

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