GPS - City Navigation

Submitted: Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 13:41

ThreadID: 78696 Views:4275 Replies:10 FollowUps:6

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Sand Man (SA)

What hope have us mere mortals got?

I had an occasion today to enter an address into my (preferred) city navigation device, which is a Tomtom Go 720. This device has been kept up to date via the Map share application you get each time you connect to the Tomtom web site.

For any of you who wish to check their device against my search criteria, do a search to select Light Crescent, Mount Barker, South Australia.
Tomtom could not find this address in its database. Bugger! This device is my "bible" for City Street Navigation.

So I pulled out my Hema Navigator and fired up Route 66. This application (from my blog on the Hema Navigator 5) is somewhat clunky, but Lo and Behold it found the address which I could load into the Favourites database.
This is actually very pleasing for those of you who have a Hema and, like me, have frowned upon this navigation application. Yes, it is clunky and maybe the route it chooses is sometimes "strange". But at least it found the address I required.

Now, just to take things a little further, I pulled out my "redundant" Dell Axim PDA which has CoPilot Live version 7.7.0.139 installed. I last purchased and loaded this application some 2 years ago and have not used this device since purchasing the Hema Navigator. (The PDA also runs OziExplorer)
Lo and Behold again, CoPilot Live also found the address I required.
Hmm. I actually like the CoPilot application and its interface, but the parent Company (in the US) have decreed they will no longer support or provide updated software for Australia after this version (7). A great pity as this application is actually very, very good and with the ability to select an Australian voice for guidance is a winner IMHO. (Jessica from memory and she is so pleasing to my ears)

So, the point I am trying to project here is that the people amongst us who have to make a choice of ONE single device to provide their navigation needs may be well and truly disappointed as it may not give the accuracy in direction desired, or simply not "up to date" enough to find a required address.

Next weekend, I intend travelling to this destination and I will use both CoPilot on the PDA and Route 66 on the Hema Navigator to determine which one is the more "user friendly" and accurate in its initial routing and ability to reroute as I travel, as I know my preferred route to Mount Barker from home and it is only the final destination of the street address I require navigation to.

If Route 66 performs adequately, I will update my blog on the Hema Navigator to reflect it's accuracy and suitability for purpose of City Navigation as I have not as yet found this application to be as good as either of the other two I have access to.

As far as Tomtom is concerned, BUGGER, as this device has been my preferred solution for City Navigation needs and I have sprouted how good it is for this purpose.

Anyone with a Garmin care to try this address mentioned above?

Bill.

Bill

I'm diagonally parked in a parallel Universe!

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Reply By: Member - Tony V (NSW) - Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 14:49

Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 14:49

Bill,

I used to have a Tom Tom, until someone decided to offer it a new home, possibly via a pub or a location close to an injection room....

I currently have a Garmin 760 and now and again find a similar issue with addressing. This quirk can sometimes be attributed to the suburb, which can be the issue, sometimes a street may be listed in the next suburb?

I also have iGO on my in car entertainment (china special) unit and although looking a little chunky is one of the most accurate systems I have used.
Give many more options and has many of the off road track as well. Unit also runs Ozi Explorer and has Route 66 which has the worst interface of all.

I have on occassion set the same address on both systems and let them "fight it out" .

Preference - iGO for information and flexibility.

AnswerID: 417801

Reply By: Member - Tricky Dicky (NSW) - Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 14:51

Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 14:51

Hi sandman

i use a navman and just punched in that address and it found it strait away, i,m in Sydney and it gave directions and estimated drive time
Tricky

AnswerID: 417802

Reply By: Member - The Bushwhackers -NSW - Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 16:53

Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 16:53

G'day Bill

Just punched it into my Garmin 60CSx, not really a street routing machine, running Oztopo.

The Garmin tells me its 1198.05 km from where I'm sitting.
My old Tomtom oneXL couldn't find it, but must admit, the maps are not up to date on that.

Cheers, Dave

AnswerID: 417823

Reply By: Notso - Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 17:52

Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 17:52

Garmin Nuvi 250W City Navigator 2009

Found it no problems.

AnswerID: 417840

Reply By: WBS - Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 18:09

Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 18:09

There is a simple answer.

There are at least two Mount Barkers in Australia. One in WA, usually spelt Mount Barker and the other in SA usually spelt Mt Barker.

Using a Tom Tom Go750
If you type in Mount Barker, the default for Tom Tom is the WA Mount Barker. If you then try Mt Barker, Tom Tom has no problem locating Light Crescent. In fact it tells me I'm 741km from there and its going to take me 8:02 hours to drive there.

Using a Garmin Nuvi 255W.
With this device you are asked if you wish to change the state/country. your are then asked to Spell State/Province. As soon as you type in "S" it recognises you mean SA. You then type in Mount Barker and guess what?the Garmin can't find Mount Barker either. It identifies only Mount Bryant and Mount Burr. if you type in Mt Barker , no problems.

The moral of the story is simple, if you don't succeed with "Mt" try "Mount" and vice versa

WBS

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AnswerID: 417844

Follow Up By: Sand Man (SA) - Monday, May 24, 2010 at 18:34

Monday, May 24, 2010 at 18:34

Bingo!

You are quite right WBS.

Entering Mt Barker instead of Mount Barker indeed resolved my "problem" and Light Crescent was indeed found.
You have restored my faith in Tomtom.

I'll have to remember little tricks like alternative spelling of some place names.

Interestingly, the two other Navigation applications (CoPilot and Route 66) both found the correct Mount Barker.
With CoPilot, you enter the suburb and receive both Mount Barkers' in SA and WA, selecting the one you want..
With Route 66, you enter the State when entering the search criteria so it knows which one you want.
With Tomtom, it assumes as WBS has suggested, Mount Barker, WA by default and therefore "correct" spelling in this case is critical.

Bill.

Bill

I'm diagonally parked in a parallel Universe!

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FollowupID: 688025

Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 18:12

Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 18:12

Hmm,

I will attempt to set things right and edit the street name into Tomtom's Mapshare function when I get there.
That means I'll need to take Tomtom with me to do the edit.

An interesting exercise anyway:-)

Bill.

Bill

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AnswerID: 417845

Follow Up By: WBS - Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 18:34

Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 18:34

I wouldn't give up on the Tom Tom. They are very good units and have advantages over the Garmin in some respects although the opposite is also true too. Both are good units its just that the information the units have to work with (ie the Data) can be unreliable on the odd occasion. I suspect the reason some software finds it no problems is because both places may be abbreviated to Mt Barker or more likely not abbreviated and so are both entered as Mount Barker and the next default is the alphabetic order they are listed in (SA being higher on the alphabet that WA). Just my opinion of course.

WBS

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FollowupID: 687909

Reply By: mikehzz - Monday, May 24, 2010 at 07:46

Monday, May 24, 2010 at 07:46

Sygic on iPhone found that address

AnswerID: 417895

Reply By: Member No 1- Monday, May 24, 2010 at 09:03

Monday, May 24, 2010 at 09:03

Cant find the name in my nokia....but it shows the crescent on the map

probably the same with your tom tom...the name is not actually in the data base for some reason

AnswerID: 417904

Follow Up By: Members Pa & Ma. - Monday, May 24, 2010 at 12:22

Monday, May 24, 2010 at 12:22

Hi, to all of you involved in this discussion. A very interesting discussion, as we're trying to choose our Navigator. It confirms what we have been thinking.
That is that not one of them is the perfect machine. It all depends on what is typed into it too.
To all those who answered my query before, we're one way one day and the other the next but we just want the best one for accuracy and ease of use for dummies. The answers we received are equal for Tom Tom & Garmin.
Member no 1.
I've always liked your image and your last quote, but only some married men may be more willing to die and it applies to some married women too!...LOL.
Take care,safe travels to you all.
Regards Ma.

FollowupID: 687974

Reply By: Member - Laurie K (WA) - Monday, May 24, 2010 at 19:10

Monday, May 24, 2010 at 19:10

Hi there

I use a Magellan Crossover GPS, and have the navigation map, Topography maps, and Outback Tourer (by Hema). It, with the free downloadable Computer software (Mapsend Light or Vantage Point) covers all my needs. It really doubles as a Nav GPS AND handheld unit. It doesn't handle OziExplorer, but then again, it doesn't need to. And it's easy to use.

I found your address, but did need to enter MOUNT, not MT.

I am astounded that this GPS doesn't crop up very often in discussions. Maybe it isn't funky enough. It could do with a bigger screen ........ that's about it I think.

As with all GPS navigational units, it does sometimes take you to interesting places, but that is what I love about these things. I've been past places I would never have thought to travel, and never once regretted the "tour". LOL

I have no commercial interest in this unit.

Cheers

AnswerID: 417977

Reply By: Member - Graham H (QLD) - Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 10:45

Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 10:45

Well you must be doing something wrong because it comes up on my 730 which has the same maps as yours.

I did find out how to make an easy mistake in Melbourne when I put Elizabeth

St MELBOURNE instead of Elizabeth St COBURG.

Was fun towing a 21ft van up Swanston St in peak hour.

I found you have to put the suburb in NOT THE CITY

So if you put Adelaide in for the city it wont find it

I have Copilot 8 and its update but dont like it.

You cant understand the horrible computer voice

AnswerID: 418035

Follow Up By: Member - Graham H (QLD) - Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 14:35

Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 14:35

Have had a further play while waiting for Telstra to answer me.

I put Mt Barker in and also just Adelaide and it found it both times.

LIke fixing computers

I have found the most common problems are caused by the connection between the mouse and the chair.

LOL

FollowupID: 688109

Follow Up By: Sand Man (SA) - Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 18:48

Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 18:48

Graham,

You probably don't use CoPilot now that you have got the Tomtom, but the Australian voice of Jessica is the best I have ever heard on any of the navigation programs I have used.

The voice is not "toffy" like the British ones and more amiable and clearer than even an Australian male voice.

I just wish I could have it on Tomtom.

Bill.

Bill

I'm diagonally parked in a parallel Universe!

Member
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FollowupID: 688153

Follow Up By: Member - Graham H (QLD) - Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 19:42

Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 19:42

The only text to speech voice I could get was a computer synthisised robot that was hardly understandable but i will look at it again.
Version 10 has several TTS voices but wont be available here.

It also kept freezing so gave up as $264 wasted

As far as Garmins are concerned I had a Nuvi 310 and got rid of it cos it was always 50m too late for turnoffs from Motorways so I got the Tom tom with predictive lane guidance which is far better.

FollowupID: 688158