Modern satnav

I have a Avtex Tourer Two Club Edition which is a Garmin and I am very pleased with it although it's difficult for me to justify the £300+ price tag.

In addition to all the benefits of a modern satnav, already mentioned,  it also shows tight bends which it calls 'curves' and strong wind conditions.  What is a lateral wind by the way ?

If I use it to go to a particular address I tend to use it blindly but if going on a journey I tend to check the route it gives in advance.

In addition to all the benefits of a modern satnav, already mentioned, it also shows tight bends which it calls 'curves' and strong wind conditions. What is a lateral wind by the way ?

I think they just mean a side / cross wind. It's a bit like mine keeps telling me to drive over the roundabout.😂 The terminology often leaves a lot to be desired.

I assume it links to an App on your phone to get weather info re wind speeds?

What is a lateral wind by the way ?

Useful to know when you’re attempting one of those tricky landing procedures, I think we can blame the yanks for that one. Sometimes I use a mobile gps App overseas complete with irritating american voice which is constantly telling me to “slide right”. I’m often tempted to give it a go.

I decided to brush up on the status of Mapfactor navigational software. Last time I used it was truck version 10 on my PDA which I think I purchased in 2011 and ditched about 3 years ago. It is now version 15 and is available for most platforms  and has no doubt been improved. The Android version gets good reviews and certainly looks easy to use. I note it uses Tom Tom data. You can get a free version and I have downloaded the Android one from Playstore to play around with. I note the Europe wide truck upgrade cost is £49.99. Not sure how the Android version interfaces with Map Explorer if at all but I'll play some more.

peedee

Not sure how the Android version interfaces with Map Explorer if at all but I'll play some more.

According to Map Factor, Map Explorer can only be used with a PC version or the Actis 7 package which is a shame. It would have been good to be able to plan routes on the PC and transfer them to a tablet for use. I also notice the latest version for a PC is 19 not 15 as I stated earlier. The free Android version I downloaded from Playstore gave the option to use Tom Tom maps or Open Street.Maps. I chose to use Open Street Maps which I have always found to be rich in detail. I have noted it does show Club sites but It may well use more memory than the TT version.

peedee

When I purchased my motorhome last year I also bought the Aguri 720 with the built in dash cam.  The database has the majority of UK and continental sites built-in.  The problem I found is that it is very slow to start up with numerous steps to go through before getting to the directions.  Recently it has been very slow to find the gps satellites.  Not a problem when leaving home where you know the roads but I would be concerned in an area I did not know.  To get the full benefit of the dashcam the unit has to be placed in the middle of the dashboard which means you are looking at the screen at an angle.

The free Android version I downloaded from Playstore gave the option to use Tom Tom maps or Open Street.Maps. I chose to use Open Street Maps which I have always found to be rich in detail. I have noted it does show Club sites but It may well use more memory than the TT version.

I've been playing some more with Mapfactor's Navigator using the free version of Open Street Maps on a Samsung Tablet. I have also tried loading the Tom Tom maps onto Navigator none of which are free but are cheap compared to buying a TomTom package. £19.99 for standard map data and £49.99 for truck maps so I am continuing  to play with the free version for the time being. There are also a number of low cost add ons that can be purchased e.g. alternate routing, traffic etc. It is very easy to use but I have found some of the POI data on Open Street Maps to be out of date. It is stated by Mapfactor that you can load your own POIs and routes using the GPX format but so far I have not succeeded. It may be a constraint of the free version? If I can find out how to do that it will be worth a punt to try out the truck version given you can no longer buy Co-Pilot outright and sooner or later I am going to have to ditch it . I have GPX files of POIS but none of routes. Can you get GPX routes out of Google Maps?

peedee

I still use Map Explorer as a planning tool but I have not been able to transfer routes to the Co-Pilot sat nav.

It is stated by Mapfactor that you can load your own POIs and routes using the GPX format but so far I have not succeeded.

Can you get GPX routes out of Google Maps?

Solved all the problems of transfering route information including all waypoints from one different sat nav App to another by using >this little gem<  I can now easiy plan routes even on my PC and move them to any of my sat nav Apps. Doesn't help the OP much unless he as a tablet or smart phone he can use to run a sat nav app. If the OP has then it has to be worth a £50 punt to buy TomTom Truck maps for Mapfactor Navigator.

peedee

Thank you to everyone who has made a contribution.

Given that my current Garmin has free for life European map up-grades, has user input lorry settings and accepts POI updates easily, then I think I may as well stay as I am until it expires.

If the OP has then it has to be worth a £50 punt to buy TomTom Truck maps for Mapfactor Navigator. 

These maps are currently on offer at half price.

peedee