Road Angel Navigator

[littlebrooklyn]

I was looking at the new Road Angel Navigator online and just wondered what people's thoughts were on it.

We've got soooo many new speed cameras where we live, I am sure they are breeding overnight

All the new ones are the type that face you, I forget the name of them

 

[television]

All the new ones are the type that face you, I forget the name of them [/QUOTE]

specs, is what them is called.

Before you buy, do you want a sat nav, or only the camara info.
A sat nav will warn you of camara's in both directions,so you get a bleap warning for a camara on the other side of the road.

I fitted a Road Angel camara detector only to my brothers BM that only shows camara's on your direction, not expensive, neat and easy to hide.

Room for thought ?

Malcolm

 

[littlebrooklyn]

Well I'm not really sure if we need Sat Nav, I certainly never go very far and I think I can navigate Watford fairly well :lol:

My partner however does travel around a bit with work and also going to train fairs and such like. I usually get him the directions from the AA website, but I think their directions are pretty crap.

Everytime I put in something like Watford Heath to Oxted, which is where my sister lives, their directions take me all through the town centre, right down Hempstead Road and onto the M25 from there. Fact is it's much quicker to go down through Batchworth and pick the M25 up at Maple Cross and I am guessing a Sat Nav would give the quickest route, or maybe not, who knows

 

[television]

My partner however does travel around a bit with work and also going to train fairs and such like. I usually get him the directions from the AA website, but I think their directions are pretty crap.

:[/QUOTE]

It depends on how the unit is programed under preferences

quickest
avoid
use

Malcolm

 

[littlebrooklyn]

quickest
avoid
use

Malcolm

Yeah I hadn't thought about putting all that into it

I need to save up some money before I can even think about getting the Road Angel Navigator, I think they are about £500. I will wait and see how much money I get for my birthday later this month :grin:

One of them would look very nice inside our new Golf

 

[BFM]

The best all in one unit I have found!

After just finding out that it's cheaper to sell my CL and get one with an updated COMAND than to buy the head unit and get it fitted (thanks 'jberks ) I have started looking for an all-in-one device myself.

The best by far system I have found today is the NavMan iCN550 with TMC and Safety Camera database.

So basically you get a portable SatNav with a remote control (??), speed camera detector and best of all, a TMC traffic module which does not require a subscription (and before anyone asks; yes TMC is available in the UK but mainly on the M and A roads!).

Details can be found here :

http://www.navman.co.uk

&

http://www.handnav.co.uk/product_details.php?id=416

£550 is quite a lot but it's at least 4 times cheaper than trying to sort my ageing COMAND out!

Hope this is of interest to you as it currently is to me!

 

[television]

After just finding out that it's cheaper to sell my CL and get one with an updated COMAND than to buy the head unit and get it fitted (thanks 'jberks ) I have started looking for an all-in-one device myself.

The best by far system I have found today is the NavMan iCN550 with TMC and Safety Camera database.

So basically you get a portable SatNav with a remote control (??), speed camera detector and best of all, a TMC traffic module which does not require a subscription (and before anyone asks; yes TMC is available in the UK but mainly on the M and A roads!).

Details can be found here :

http://www.navman.co.uk

&

http://www.handnav.co.uk/product_details.php?id=416

£550 is quite a lot but it's at least 4 times cheaper than trying to sort my ageing COMAND out!

Hope this is of interest to you as it currently is to me!

I have had one for 6 months, nice big screen, apart from the car it is the best thing I have ever bought, its a dream for an SL owner as it clips onto the top spectacle box, and fits inside it when parked. will put up some photo's

Malcolm

 

[philharve]

Hi All

I have an incar navigation system but it's based upon an IPAQ PDA (a Hewlett-Packard HP5550) and Tomtom's Navigator 5 GIS mapping software. The GPS unit is Fortuna's Clip-On dual-mode, 12 channel satellite tracking system. It's a wireless system using Bluetooth connectivity. It's also demountable and I can use the PDA for many other things such as emails, Internet browsing and, of course, as a fault code analyzer.

This nav' system is extremely accurate and will easily take me to within a few yards of my chosen destination. But you never trust it 100 percent as it can mislead under certain circumstances, for example, changes in road layouts or one-way systems.

It has never let me down but it once showed me travelling along a road which I knew for certain wasn't the road I was actually travelling along. Later, when I retraced my route on an Ordnance Survey map I discovered the road had been recently straightened. The nav' system is only as good as the accuracy of the digital maps upon which it relies.

I have downloaded overlays of various points of interest, including locations of both static and mobile speed cameras and police traps. The nav' system will give an audible warning sound whenever a camera or trap is approached regardless of the direction of travel. The beep frequency increases then decreases like a simulated doppler effect as the point is passed.

I have seen many adverts for Road Angel and every motorshop seems to be selling GPS systems these days. It's THE gadget to have. I'd be lost without GPS.

If you take a wrong turning, Tomtom will compute an alternative route within a couple seconds. Be careful of waypoints though. If you use them but pass by them, Tomtom will re-plan a reverse route to ensure you pass through them. Annoying, but it sometimes happens, even to the most experienced of users. That's why it's importantant to learn the nav' systems strengths and weaknesses.

If you regularly travel through unfamiliar territory, a GPS system will prove to be an invaluable tool.

REGARDS Phil

 

[190e-nut]

I use a tom tom....it warns approaching most Gatso's...but not some ? i was wondering if it doesn't warn of the one's that aren't switched on/sending signals...I am told by a very reliable source that 40% of speed cams are not working.. due to running costs and so-on....you got no-idea how much i wanna stick my lead foot down to test whether they work or not....

 

[television]

I use a tom tom....it warns approaching most Gatso's...but not some ? i was wondering if it doesn't warn of the one's that aren't switched on/sending signals...I am told by a very reliable source that 40% of speed cams are not working.. due to running costs and so-on....you got no-idea how much i wanna stick my lead foot down to test whether they work or not....

These units only use the camara's as way points, perhaps you should up date the camara data base

Re camara's not all gatso have film, but Tom Tom does not know that.
Spec are active the whole time.

<malcolm

 

[Retired]

190e nut.


Thr GPS system knows where you are and it knows where the cameras its been told about are. If you get near a camera it knows about it lets you know. If you go past a camera and it doesn't say anything it probably isn't aware of the cameras existence. If its a camera you pass often you can probably enter the location yourself. As new cameras are installed and some removed (not often I guess, mainly roadworks) your system needs to be told of these changes, usually achieved by downloading a file from the systems vendor and installing it on your system.

Not familiar with Tom Tom per se. How doea it deal with speed averaging devices? As these devices are speed averaging between camera locations you need not just to be told that you not just that you are near to a camera but are travelling a stretch of road along which your averagespeed will be measured. Could be done by inputting a series of locations along the road thereby giving a nearly continuous warning.

 

[Silver Arrow]

How doea it deal with speed averaging devices?

These are totally passive, ie they emit no radiations which can be monitored, so any GPS unit has to be told about them. These can be downloaded from the internet either via the subscription which the user payed when the unit was bought or from several other sites which exist. (I looked at a few). I pop the cruise control on at the start of the SPECS and drop it out at the end.

I have a Snooper S1 for the active devices, including Laser and mobile units.
It put the wind up me the other day as it lit up like a christmas tree when it spotted a low flying Hercules overflying my position!

PS Anybody got any experience of the Navman icn 320? (No PC connection, but can the memory card be updated via a PC card reader?

 

[Silver Arrow]

Wandered into Halfords to browse the offerings. The cheap Navman icn 320 has the highest returns, So perhaps not such a good deal.

 

[television]

Wandered into Halfords to browse the offerings. The cheap Navman icn 320 has the highest returns, So perhaps not such a good deal.

I have a Navman , very good maps and menu's, very pleased with it.

Malcolm

 

[mercmonkey]

I have a Snooper S1 for the active devices, including Laser and mobile units.
It put the wind up me the other day as it lit up like a christmas tree when it spotted a low flying Hercules overflying my position!

wonder what it would do if it met one of the AWACS planes then?

 

[Silver Arrow]

Them things are brilliant!

We were once sailing from Norway to Scotland and the weather went pear shaped. A Nimrod came over at tea time and we chatted on the VHF with him saying that we were in for a rough night and he would be back at breakfast to see if we were still afloat. True enough, on the dot of 8am the VHF greeted us with a "good morning, - smile!" and he dropped out of the 1Kft cloud base with his wing lights on, and I have the photograph hanging on my wall!.

 

[cyps]

after many hiours of reasearch i decided upon a bm6300 system http://www.bluemediagps.com/bm6300t.htm

I get camera updates every two weeks sat nav works fab everything in the box including holders car charger mains charger usb leads etc

Can also be used on foot too great for in the city centers for finding that office

and a reasonable cost of about £260.00

Touch screen and lasts about 4 hours on the battery

 

[philharve]

These units only use the camara's as way points, perhaps you should up date the camara data base

Re camara's not all gatso have film, but Tom Tom does not know that.
Spec are active the whole time.

<malcolm

Hi 190e-nut

Malcolm is perfectly correct. Tomtom is not a 'detector' like a speed trap detector. Tomtom overlays the position of cameras onto the road map displayed on the PDA. These camera positions (or waypoints) are held in a database which you can download. If new cameras are introduced and the database is not updated to reflect their position, Tomtom will have no knowledge of these cameras and therefore cannot issue any warnings as you approach them.

I believe Tomtom users can update the database themselves if they spot a new camera. I've never done it myself but I understand it is a simple and straightforward process. You just need to know the location of the cameras in terms of their geographical coordinates.

I guess the simplest approach is to drive up to a new camera and record the location with Tomtom then convey these coordinates to the body that maintains the database.

If the camera is a mobile, siting inside a police car or van, then driving up to it may attract the wrong kind of attention. I guess this is were camera positions are best estimated.

REGARDS Phil

 

[Silver Arrow]

The snooper S1 indicates which Gatsos are active. It can also be added to the GPS systems. I get indications of laser sites from reflections around bends before I arrive.

 

[Stephen Brooks]

Indago is the best for Nav + Cameras

I use a Snooper Indago. It has the snooper camera database plus excellent navigation. Most importantly it warns you of the camera, type of camera, the speed limit and tells you if you are exceeding it.

Currently £500, it is more expensive than TomTom but the camera data is better - so saving on one ticket makes it worthwhile. Navigation is very good and quite pragmatic