Caravan Sat Nav

[rogerthechorister]

OK, my little baby Snooper has GOT to go. On Saturday it took me through a busses only route, along a tram track, and the wrong way down a one-way street (twice). The first two probably had spycams on so that is going to cost me plenty and maybe add points too. The damned thing also took me through the middle of Brixton to get from Croydon to Deptford - two effing hours!!!!

Anyway, truck and caravan limits are I think now the same, so a trucknav will suit me just as well as a caravan nav.

I want: -

1. Live traffic updates - and a "Get me out of here there's a traffic jam" button would be nice.
2. Free speed camera and map updates (or at least reasonably priced ones)
3. Car mode for when I do not have the caravan
4. Truck or van mode allowing me to specify length height and width for when I have the caravan on.

Suggestions please. Reasons good as well.

[davidjpowell]

Originally Posted by rogerthechorister

OK, my little baby Snooper has GOT to go. On Saturday it took me through a busses only route, along a tram track, and the wrong way down a one-way street (twice). The first two probably had spycams on so that is going to cost me plenty and maybe add points too. The damned thing also took me through the middle of Brixton to get from Croydon to Deptford - two effing hours!!!!

You are allowed to ignore the satnav when it's telling you to break the law you know? I don't think you can blame the satnav for costing you plenty.

I've used TomTom on my iphone for years with no bother. Just need to check final route for suitability with a caravan, and ignore it if the road looks unsuitable.

[rogerthechorister]

I'd say what I really think if this site did not have an obscenity filter.

And in case you failed to notice, in most cases you put in a destination postcode once you are in the car and the satnav does not offer a large map preview.

In fact, I think that's about the least helpful post I've ever seen on here.

Remind me to offer you some gratuitous insults some time.

[volvo145]

Originally Posted by davidjpowell

You are allowed to ignore the satnav when it's telling you to break the law you know? I don't think you can blame the satnav for costing you plenty.

I've used TomTom on my iphone for years with no bother. Just need to check final route for suitability with a caravan, and ignore it if the road looks unsuitable.

I take it the routes you have always taken have been alright.
Not everyone has or cares to use an iphone in there car because you don't always get a signal.

[davidjpowell]

Originally Posted by rogerthechorister

I'd say what I really think if this site did not have an obscenity filter.

And in case you failed to notice, in most cases you put in a destination postcode once you are in the car and the satnav does not offer a large map preview.

In fact, I think that's about the least helpful post I've ever seen on here.

Remind me to offer you some gratuitous insults some time.

Feel free, but to blame the sat nav for you turning down no-entry streets etc. is idioitic. You have a mind and the sat nav will reroute you when you ignore it's nonsense advice.

I note the periodic newspaper articles and assume that you are not one of those who would turn down mud tracks, onto trainlines etc.

Originally Posted by volvo145

I take it the routes you have always taken have been alright.
Not everyone has or cares to use an iphone in there car because you don't always get a signal.

Androids have satnav systems available too. I mention TomTom as it's a download so does not rely on a signal.

[rogerthechorister]

If you bothered to find out you'd see that there are MANY places near Croydon where tram tracks DO indeed share the road with traffic - and the "tram only" signs by East Croydon station are about 6 feet up lampposts looking just like parking restrictions signs, and about 8 inches wide by three inches tall against a background of assorted posters. By the time you realise that the tarmac is a funny colour it's too late.

The new bus station pedestrian precinct thing between Deptford and Lewisham Lewisham has as far as I can see NO no entry signs at the point the satnav took me into it - again what alerted me (again much too late to reverse out) was pedestrians wandering about like sheep and a funny tarmac colour - but since they are busily doing things to the roads round there there are patches of road all different funny colours so that was not much of a clue.

And the one way system north of Blackheath Village now comes out where it used to go in.

I know a farm track from a byway from an RUPP very well thank you.

And you, sir, are a sanctimonious little prig. And that is toned down for the sake of the obscenity filter.


A sensible road system would have a series of signs - just like the "new" Chatham bus station has - boldly saying "ROAD LAYOUT CHANGED IGNORE SATNAV AND TURN RIGHT". In letters about a foot high. And satnav maps updated less than a month ago should NOT be telling me to go the wrong way down a one-way street. Or a tram track. Or through a bus garage.

[davidjpowell]

Originally Posted by rogerthechorister

If you bothered to find out you'd see that there are MANY places near Croydon where tram tracks DO indeed share the road with traffic - and the "tram only" signs by East Croydon station are about 6 feet up lampposts looking just like parking restrictions signs, and about 8 inches wide by three inches tall against a background of assorted posters. By the time you realise that the tarmac is a funny colour it's too late.

The new bus station pedestrian precinct thing between Deptford and Lewisham Lewisham has as far as I can see NO no entry signs at the point the satnav took me into it - again what alerted me (again much too late to reverse out) was pedestrians wandering about like sheep and a funny tarmac colour - but since they are busily doing things to the roads round there there are patches of road all different funny colours so that was not much of a clue.

And the one way system north of Blackheath Village now comes out where it used to go in.

I know a farm track from a byway from an RUPP very well thank you.

And you, sir, are a sanctimonious little prig. And that is toned down for the sake of the obscenity filter.


A sensible road system would have a series of signs - just like the "new" Chatham bus station has - boldly saying "ROAD LAYOUT CHANGED IGNORE SATNAV AND TURN RIGHT". In letters about a foot high. And satnav maps updated less than a month ago should NOT be telling me to go the wrong way down a one-way street. Or a tram track. Or through a bus garage.

Maybe. Funnily enough I do drive all over the country and on occasions the sat nav tries to take me somewhere I should not go, so I don't. I'm not perfect by any means and got caught out last year by a similar sign (not following sat nav). I blamed myself though and not a computer - and that's what caught my eye. . I like to think it would not happen more than once per journey though.

[rogerthechorister]

Job of the satnav is to make my life easier, not to lay new traps for me. But touch wood, so far no tickets have arrived...

[rogerthechorister]

But neither has the new Satnav... Paid for it 9 days ago.

[rogerthechorister]

The new Snooper Truckmate S2500 has arrived! Second hand and the bloke even included the receipt showing what he paid for it a couple of months ago and it still had the screen protector on! I have registered it and updated it and subscribed for and loaded the AURA database.

So far I quite like it - it has a "truck" or "car" option when booting and it will take 10 different truck sizes which are readily configurable. BUT it can only store either the AURA car speed limit database OR the truck one so changeover from truk to car and vice versa is not truly "one button".

Being an awkward wossname I can already see some possible areas for improvement - so this is what I've said to Snooper so far

"I thought I'd pass on a couple of ideas for any subsequent software upgrades.

1. Make it possible to store both car and truck AURA database information, so that it's a one button (the "car or truck" option) to switch over - as it works at the moment, to take my caravan on holiday means I load the truck limits, and load the updater onto my laptop rather than my desktop, then when I get on site I need to take the truckmate and laptop down to the pub or other nearest wifi and load the car database, then before I come back again access wifi and load the truck database.

2. Include an option to increase the size of the speed limit and actual speed displays - it's really hard to read both and watch the road at the same time! Another option would be a clearly audible audio warning when I reach speed limit +5%.

3. Automatic increase and decrease in level of audio output according to road speed. Turning it up while accelerating is a royal pain!

4. I'm not yet sure if this is in there or not but a one-button "I'm in a traffic jam, what's the best way out?" function would be useful. As there is live traffic update it should be possible to add this."