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I can read a Map why would I need
Sat Nav?
In short it's fun! Easily plan trips and know how long they will take. It makes
driving far less stressful, and can even help avoid -
"you should have taken that exit!" arguments.
Ok, but we have managed for years reading maps and our passenger reading the map. Yes but it was never all that fun let's be honest, it usually involved at some points arguments and frustration.
Many friends that said 'I can read a map', have subsequently travelled using SAT NAV (Satellite Navigation) and have been converted.
So what can SAT NAV do for me?
“Are we nearly there yet?” A major benefit of SAT NAV is the constant updating of
your arrival time on the screen. So you can estimate with a high degree of accuracy
how long your journey will take. I really do like this feature when the voice from
the back aka the kids say "Are we nearly there yet"?
Directions are spoken clearly,
and it doesn't talk all the time so no problems there. Imagine you are travelling
on a main road through a town; it actually stays silent at all the sets of traffic
lights as you continue straight on.
It only speaks to make a turn so it doesn't get annoying. Of course you can turn the volume off, however spoken instructions are a safe way to handle directions. Most units allow you to choose a voice of your liking male or female.
The obvious benefit is ease of navigation. Once you type in where you want to go, it does the entire map reading for you. It gives clear directions on screen and spoken should you not wish the potential distraction of the screen. In busy towns and cities I have to say it makes driving a lot less stressful.
Sat Nav is not just for the car either, some units allow you to show walking or cycling routes, handy for the handbag or pocket in the city.
Easily plan day trips and journeys
Not so obvious but very handy is the ability to sit at home with a portable unit and let it calculate journeys or day trips for you. Say you're holidaying in the Lake District and want to see how long it would take to visit Blackpool for the day; you can quickly see what route it suggests and an estimate of how long it will take.
It's like using a computer based mapping program but much easier to use and you don't need a PC. In a friends or rental car while on holiday portable Sat Nav is invaluable.
Have a look on eBay, Amazon and don't forget the likes of Tribal for latest prices.
High Street stores like Halfords, Dixons, Comet and PC World tend to have better deals online than in store. Don't miss your turn again, leave the map in the boot; let the Sat Nav do the work for you.
Watch your speed!
The Illustration above shows a fairly typical TomTom display.
Many Sat Nav units can display your actual speed which is a plus point. Ok you have
a speedometer so why have two? The Sat Nav is highly accurate, your car speedo will
likely read faster than your actual speed.
For example on one car I was in the Sat Nav read consistently 10% lower than the speedo. Don't blame me for any speeding tickets I'm just pointing out how accurate the speed function is.
Car manufacturers usually err on the cautious side showing you going faster than perhaps you are. They don't want sued for your speeding tickets because their speedo was wrong.
On that note many come with Speed camera warnings. I have my Tom Tom One connecting to my phone which then updates mobile speed cam positions, traffic information and even gives the weather should you want to know.
It doesn't make the weather forecasts any better though, they are still a hit and a miss.
You can usually pay for map updates should you require them in a few years time. You could always sell your old Sat Nav on eBay and buy a new model giving you the latest mapping.
Find cash machines and petrol stations fast.
Tom Tom like most other manufactures provide a handy store of 'Points of Interest' such as hotels, petrol stations, parking and cash machines. Looking for a cash machine? Just navigate to the nearest one in the Points of Interest category. P.O.I is a useful feature when visiting unfamiliar towns and villages.
Sat Nav units aimed at Road Users have limited walking & cycling routes. You don’t normally get detailed mapping for rambling or hill walking.
To use detailed mapping of say the Lake District National Park you would need a separate Sat Nav / GPS unit aimed at outdoor activities or a combination Sat Nav which does both.
What about away from the car?
Handheld Outdoor GPS devices are more rugged than road only versions. Many come supplied with a number of detailed walking maps, look for a memory card slot to purchase or download new maps.
I work with a Magellan hand held GPS for hill walking, but I can see advantages of using an all in one unit such as the superbly featured Road Angel 7000 shown above.
The 7000 now has the optional functionality of going OFF-
This is a true combination Sat Nav device for in the car or on the mountain.
Mobile Phone Sat Nav is it any good?
Watch if you have Sat Nav on your mobile, costs can spiral if you are required to use your GPRS connection to download new maps. Try to download them to your PC first then onto the phone from the Manufactures web site.
Mobile Sat Nav is great walking in the city but not the best in car as the screen is just a bit too small.
I hope you have gained a super insight into this fascinating subject.
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Glossary:
SAT NAV -
GPS -
GPRS -
Sponsored Links
Sat Nav / GPS
Amazon
Argos
BT Shop for Sat Nav
Comet
Currys
Dabs
Dixons
eBay
Empire Direct
Halfords
John
Lewis
Maplin
PC World
Saverstore
Tesco -
Toys-
Tribal -
Woolworths
