Satnav Which one is the best?

[trulytruly66]

I plan to buy a a Satnav. Does anyone have any thoughts on either the Garmin Zumo 550 or the tomtom rider?

[Frank Warner]

How long is a bit of string?

You'll have to give a bit more of a cue .. best .. for what ?

Price?

Maps? .. of where ? TomTom does not have maps of various places .. garmin has at least 2 choice for maps of the world ..

Best ... in what way best? What is your intended use..?

Possibly better on this forum http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...s-compass-gps/ ...

[Belle]

I've just bought the Zumo and am well pleased with it. It's easy to use, maps are excellent, downloadable, uploadable, extensive etc and the keypad is easy to use with gloves on, in the pouring rain and gusting wind. Of course, you can use it when its nice too but haven't seen much of that this year! Well worth the money IMO - a top bit of kit.

Regards

Belle

.

[monsieur]

Bit more info is needed - bike? car? truck? boat? Europe? UK?

I've recently sold my zumo 550 which I used now and again on my bike and have now bought a garmin nuvi 250 for 1/5 of the price I got for my zumo.
The money saved I'll use to buy some decent michelin maps and fule for my bike!
I enjoy 'getting lost' on the bike and then getting the satnav out and pressing 'home'. Unless you will use the satnav a lot on a bike I can't see the point in spending too much on one.
Wait till after christmas when satnavs may be a little cheaper.

[trulytruly66]

Hi,
thanks for your replies to my post. Apologies though, I should have been clearer about my intended uses.
I need a Satnav for a motorbike for daily use in the UK and hopefully when I can get the time, Europe. I would also, some time in the future like to tour Australasia.

Mark

[JimOD]

Originally Posted by trulytruly66

Hi,
thanks for your replies to my post. Apologies though, I should have been clearer about my intended uses.
I need a Satnav for a motorbike for daily use in the UK and hopefully when I can get the time, Europe. I would also, some time in the future like to tour Australasia.

Mark

I've got the Zumo 550. I've used it all over Europe. It's great. You need a speaker system for it so you can hear the directions in your helmet. I've got a system I bought from Sportouring Bike Accessories It's paty number sh-550. It's speakers and a microphone with the correct plugs for the zumo.
The Zumo's volume isn't the loudest though and you need to make sure the speakers are directly in front of your ears to get best results.

[leevtr]

Just to put a little balance into this thread, I am seriously recommending the Tom Tom V2. Been around europe, through the alps etc, and it has never missed a beat, nor got me lost.
For the RTW stuff the Garmin appears better, but i honestly cannot rate the Tom Tom highly enough for the UK and europe.
I have two of them ( one in my van ) and they are Brilliant!!

[leevtr]

Originally Posted by leevtr

Just to put a little balance into this thread, I am seriously recommending the Tom Tom V2. Been around europe, through the alps etc, and it has never missed a beat, nor got me lost.
For the RTW stuff the Garmin appears better, but i honestly cannot rate the Tom Tom highly enough for the UK and europe.
I have two of them ( one in my van ) and they are Brilliant!!

Also the Rider V2 comes with the Scala headset, and the volume is loud enough to hear even with earplugs or ipod going full whack. Plus you can answer the phone on the move ( which can be really handy, or a pain in the arse, depending!! )

[weaklinks]

Just finished riding through South Africa and part of Namibia using a Zumo 500. Worked great--only advantage I could see over TomTom is worldwide map availability. I also own a Nuvi 660-but it isn't near as rugged or waterproof as a Zumo.

[trulytruly66]

Thanks for all your replies

[exrm193]

Zumo is much better IMHO. Plan a route on your PC. View it in "Google Earth" (Top trick that one) Upload to the Zumo & off you go.
As far as I know, it`s not possible to plan routes on your PC for the TOM TOM.

I could be wrong.

Get a zumo

[trulytruly66]

After reading several reviews I will probably spend my hard earned cash on a Zumo 550. But one thing concerns me is that in a lot of the user reviews people complain about the 'jerkiness' of the display. Has anyone found this to be the case?

[leevtr]

Originally Posted by exrm193

Zumo is much better IMHO. Plan a route on your PC. View it in "Google Earth" (Top trick that one) Upload to the Zumo & off you go.
As far as I know, it`s not possible to plan routes on your PC for the TOM TOM.

I could be wrong.

Get a zumo

What happens when you're already on route with no computer?
Went on a road tour this year, planned the next days route sitting in hotel with a map. Mate with Zumo 550 couldn't put the waypoints in. Probably not sat nav's problem, think he didnt know how to use it. Donut!!

[exrm193]

Originally Posted by leevtr

What happens when you're already on route with no computer?
Went on a road tour this year, planned the next days route sitting in hotel with a map. Mate with Zumo 550 couldn't put the waypoints in. Probably not sat nav's problem, think he didnt know how to use it. Donut!!

It can be done on the unit, but it takes ages and is a right pain in the arris.
I`ve just bought an Asus EEE and keep the software on that. If I need to change/plan a route for the next day, I use that.

It can be done by hand, but as I said, it`s NOT user friendly.

[JimOD]

Originally Posted by leevtr

What happens when you're already on route with no computer?
Went on a road tour this year, planned the next days route sitting in hotel with a map. Mate with Zumo 550 couldn't put the waypoints in. Probably not sat nav's problem, think he didnt know how to use it. Donut!!

Putting waypoints into a zumo whilst on the road isn't difficult. You can either enter it by its address, its co-ordinates or simply scroll the map on the Zumo and put it in the screen direct.