Sat-nav

I have seen them advertised but don't really know anything about them. I use a TomTom 710 and it generally does what I want it to do. I suppose if you were in the market for a new sat nav then they would be worth a look.Unlike other popular makes I assume you can't nip into Halfords and have a demonstration? Regardless of the system I expect it would be wise to check the route against a map or Google Earth/Maps to check you are happy with the route. On some some CC sites we turn our sat nav off just before we arrive and follow the site directory instructions!

David

I use a 5" screen Navman, bought from Halfords - had the funny situation that the A421 to Milton Keynes had been upgraded and the sat nav kept on telling me to get back to the nearest road, as I was driving through a field! Fortunately I had bought the sat nav with a deal to have the maps upgraded, and now they are more up to date.  I would still go for the CC instructions for the final approach to sites, as so many of them are down tricky lanes or complicated routes.

In response to the question on the snooper, I too have been trying to sort out which of the sat navs would be any use whilst towing, especially as my Car Tom Tom took me down some really unsuitable routes last year.

I have also emailed the Club and phoned them as there is  some confusing issues between the S5000 which you can get a better deal on than the 5450 as advertised by Capital. I am trying to find out when the CC will release the down load for the snooper S5000 which apears to be the identical unit and which many firms are offering apparently with all the CC sites and many more caravan and camp sites included. I am waiting for a reply. I will be somewhat dissapointed that as a member if  this down load has been offered to the commercial world first prior to being made available on our site. The tech department did kindly offer me a spread sheet so I could load them onto an S5000 as POIs but this seem to defeat the object of having everything on the unit ready to use.

Also reading the add from capital there appears  some clever marketing as if the 5450 has been specificaly developed for the CC, if it has then I would like to know what the spec difference is between the two units, It may be just the Database, This is not a cheap unit so I need to make sure I am getting the right product and value for money. I would like to hear from any members  who have been  using the S5000  or other really good unitI for use when towing.

Personally I would say any sat-nav that has an itinerary function is OK for towing. I agree that it's important to follow the published route, but if you put the route into the sat nav as an itinerary then it will take you down the correct route. There is free software available on the web that allows you to create itineraries so even that's not difficult. My sat nav is probably about 5 years old or more and I've used the itinerary function to get to some very restricted access sites with no issue.

I purchased the Snooper S5000 whilst at the Manchester show. I have not used it with the van as yet, but it has a wide range of POI, not just caravan club but Europrean sites as well, and for a small fee you can get safety camera POI which are updated on a regular basis. The mapping works well and it provides me with more information on the screen than my Garmin. It cost the same as the CC one. When programmed for use with car and caravan it re routes to avoid any potential problems but not sure how accurate this is.

Simon

help can anyone help with finding a front gas locker lid for an avondale rialto 550/4 ,or help where i can get mine repaired one of the lock holes has broken ,thanks

I have a 5" Garmin 1490T, its a good unit with traffic and bluetooth but it does tend to take a routing that, when checked on a map, is not the best if your towing. So we use both the sat nav and a map supported by the site details from the CC. It would be much better if you could select Motorways as a preferred route rather than fastest route.

help can anyone help with finding a front gas locker lid for an avondale rialto 550/4 ,or help where i can get mine repaired one of the lock holes has broken ,thanks

Write your comments here...The club have details of the firm who bought up the spare parts, if you ring the helpline they should be able to sort you out.

 I have recently purchased the Snooper Ventura Lite S900, described as suitable for ‘Caravans and Mobile homes’. It is easy and intuitive to use and allows you load the details of your vehicle (height, width, weight) so that routes will avoid low bridges etc. I thought it would be great as invariably the last part of the journey is where you need the help to avoid going down narrow lanes or needing to turn around. I selected a couple of CC sites from the handbook that I know well to see how well the sat nav would do. It recognised the sites from its POI database; however, checking the routes turn by turn, it did not follow the CC recommended route and in one case took me down an unsuitable road. There is a work around in that you can avoid certain roads until you get the CC route. But, the whole point for me was to avoid having to customise the unit for every journey! Personally I am disappointed as it did not meet my expectations.  Snooper produce a range of units with different features, if you are in the market for one, I suggest that you check that it meets your requirements first with a practical demonstration.