Motorhome satnavs

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EileenandSteve

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Following the decapitation of our satellite tv dome in a Paris underpass, we’ve decided to buy a motorhome-specific satnav. Are these useful and reliable? What are the best models?
 
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MITHRANDIR said:
The only one i can comment on is the pioneer avic series, i have had them for years and used extensively in the uk and europe.
on the whole they are very good, not really put a foot wrong in years, seem to be easy to use and reliable as far as it goes.
I still use one of the new ones.
Downside is they are expensive.
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The SD Card in our Pioneer AVIC was corrupted when we bought the M/home 6 weeks ago. Pioneer weren't interested, and merely replied that they charge almost as much for a £2 SD Card as they do for a new AVIC Unit [£499.95!]. The corruption seems to have been caused by the m/home being sat outside on the Dealer's Forecourt from Oct 20 to Apr 21, with humidity, heat, cold, damp and general inactivity, so we agreed with the Dealer that we would take a stand alone Garmin [Avtex CAMH rebadge] Camper 780 and used it this weekend for its debut. Some of its features are less than intuitive, but we have managed to save the 2 locations we visited as Favourites, so we're on the right track!

Steve
 
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marchie said:
The SD Card in our Pioneer AVIC was corrupted when we bought the M/home 6 weeks ago. Pioneer weren't interested, and merely replied that they charge almost as much for a £2 SD Card as they do for a new AVIC Unit [£499.95!]. The corruption seems to have been caused by the m/home being sat outside on the Dealer's Forecourt from Oct 20 to Apr 21, with humidity, heat, cold, damp and general inactivity, so we agreed with the Dealer that we would take a stand alone Garmin [Avtex CAMH rebadge] Camper 780 and used it this weekend for its debut. Some of its features are less than intuitive, but we have managed to save the 2 locations we visited as Favourites, so we're on the right track!

Steve
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That's odd, i didn't know they ran off an sd card, and i have had the avics for years, i'm not saying you are wrong, but that doesn't sound right?
we have an avic 70 nav in my wifes little runabout car, i had to have that one in bits, to cut to the chase it does not have an sd card internally?
I would update it to the latest firmware, and maps, both free, see if it works, it might
What model is it?
 
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MITHRANDIR said:
That's odd, i didn't know they ran off an sd card, and i have had the avics for years, i'm not saying you are wrong, but that doesn't sound right?
we have an avic 70 nav in my wifes little runabout car, i had to have that one in bits, to cut to the chase it does not have an sd card internally?
I would update it to the latest firmware, and maps, both free, see if it works, it might
What model is it?
Click to expand...
It's an AVIC 160 and the SD Card sits in its own little unit [think Granny Annexe for Satnavs]. I had to send the SD Card back to the Dealer for inspection and they tried to get it repaired/replaced by Pioneer's UK Authorised Repairers, but the latter confirmed that the Card was gubbed. I checked with a specialist car stereo supplier/fitter who emailed back, 'Yes, it's the Unit that's failed, happens often. New Unit incl SD Card £500 and we have the item in stock'.

I'll stick with the Garmin for now [though the SatNav mounting bracket fouls on the windscreen blinds as I discovered on Friday night after Day 1 usage!] andif I decide to return to an audio system incorporating SatNav, I'll probably go for an Alpine 6.5 inch Double DIN Camper and Truck SatNav Multimedia INE-W611DC, because I prefer Alpine kit and I think Pioneer's approach means they don't deserve my custom. Perhaps if they really were the last company on earth, but there are competitors to try first.

Steve

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marchie said:
It's an AVIC 160 and the SD Card sits in its own little unit [think Granny Annexe for Satnavs]. I had to send the SD Card back to the Dealer for inspection and they tried to get it repaired/replaced by Pioneer's UK Authorised Repairers, but the latter confirmed that the Card was gubbed. I checked with a specialist car stereo supplier/fitter who emailed back, 'Yes, it's the Unit that's failed, happens often. New Unit incl SD Card £500 and we have the item in stock'.

I'll stick with the Garmin for now [though the SatNav mounting bracket fouls on the windscreen blinds as I discovered on Friday night after Day 1 usage!] andif I decide to return to an audio system incorporating SatNav, I'll probably go for an Alpine 6.5 inch Double DIN Camper and Truck SatNav Multimedia INE-W611DC, because I prefer Alpine kit and I think Pioneer's approach means they don't deserve my custom. Perhaps if they really were the last company on earth, but there are competitors to try first.

Steve

​

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aah i see, none of mine are like that, yours have a stand alone unit for the nav, poor show from pioneer and the dealer though, whatever you do, don't get the alpine with the large screen, looks good, but they are rubbish, i know someone who has one, and it's just not fit for purpose.
 
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Sorry for stating the obvious but do you know the height of your van? I have our dimensions in imperial and metric on a note in the visor and still have an added tolerance in case the road has been resurfaced and signs not updated. I don't entirely trust the satnav. Sorry for your situation.
 
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Sillious Sodus said:
Sorry for stating the obvious but do you know the height of your van? I have our dimensions in imperial and metric on a note in the visor and still have an added tolerance in case the road has been resurfaced and signs not updated. I don't entirely trust the satnav. Sorry for your situation.
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I entered the m/home dimensions [with an allowance on both width and height 'to be on the safe side'] on the pair of Satnavs [one I bought pending the outcome of the Dealer's decision on the multimedia Satnav [they sent me another Garmin Camper 780!]] and I have details on my phone as well as carrying the Burstner Owner's Manual which also has the dimensions. So, that's roughly 5 places where the data are available, and even if my phone dies or is stolen, I should still have enough sources for a 'Belt Braces and Sock Suspenders' approach, because you can never be too careful ... :ROFLMAO: :dance2:

Steve
 
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MITHRANDIR said:
The only one i can comment on is the pioneer avic series, i have had them for years and used extensively in the uk and europe.
on the whole they are very good, not really put a foot wrong in years, seem to be easy to use and reliable as far as it goes.
I still use one of the new ones.
Downside is they are expensive.
Click to expand...
And expensive to update the maps, it's just cost me £140.
 
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We use a Blaupunkt New York 835.

It knows about our 'van. All dimensions, weight, etc.

Seems OK, so far. But very expensive. Good job it plays DVDs on the TV screen to make up.

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The gory details coming up. Our van height is 2.9 but with the tv dome it’s 3.2. The damage was done by the very first set of height warning “curtains” hanging down from the top of the underpass announcing a height of 2.9. We were at them before we could do anything (Friday night rush hour in Paris! Now, there’s a lesson for the future) and we expected a light brushing like you get from the ones at the Eurotunnel but they absolutely whammed heavily onto the roof like they were made of chain link and smashed off the dome! We saw no height warning before we reached the fatal height warning but maybe we didn’t look carefully enough, what with negotiating the Paris traffic. We’ll pay more attention in future.
 
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I've been using Tom Tom Go app on the phone for a while for the car ...just started using it too for the MoHo... however the caveat is that you can't set MoHo dimensions In the app But....you can if planning online and sync to the app....so far so good... I also check out Street view to be sure on planned routes...I never take owt for granted. Safe Journeys wherever they take you
 
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When I bought my Outlander it was missing the CD which runs the sat nav radio music centre. Wait for it...............almost. £1500 the dealer went white and ordered a new one as they are specific to each vehicle they tried contacting the previous owner who denied taking it out. So beware if you buy an Outlander PHEV

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sgl5gjr said:
I've been using Tom Tom Go app on the phone for a while for the car ...just started using it too for the MoHo... however the caveat is that you can't set MoHo dimensions In the app But....you can if planning online and sync to the app....so far so good... I also check out Street view to be sure on planned routes...I never take owt for granted. Safe Journeys wherever they take you
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I also use the TomTom app (on an Android phone) - having tested a wide variety of these apps I've settled on it as way the most reliable and accurate. However, I'm intrigued by your "But....you can if planning online and sync to the app...." comment. Is there a way of planning on a PC and then synching it to the phone app? Mr Google has failed to provide an answer on this one. Potentially I could find this very useful.
 
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For the people with AVIC units there is a gent on ebay.com who provides the updated maps for a greatly reduced price, i cannot confirm the legality but i can confirm they work.
 
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We bought an OHREX sat nav that does all sorts of vehicles where you enter dimensions etc. Has map updates etc and navigation using gps/postcode is spot on. Not expensive (£70 ish i think), and seems to ne very reliable.
 
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EileenandSteve said:
Thanks - really helpful. Will probably avoid reliance on internet connection and go for dedicated satnav. The Garmin one you mentioned has some good reviews - do any other Funsters have views on Garmin versus Tomtom or other make?
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We have a truck style Sat Nav from CM Navigation. We put in our van dimensions and preferred method of travel and away we go. It was less than £150 with a built in dash cam, free updates for life, and it gives me bluetooth for hands free phone calls.
cmnav.co.uk

7" CMNAV TURBO Camper (Android, Wi-Fi)

Quad Core Fast Processor + 512mb RAM - NO FREEZING. WiFi Internet Connectivity and Netflix pre-installed on device. Capacitive HD Display
cmnav.co.uk cmnav.co.uk
heck the feedback from many satisfied customers, the customer service was also great.
1622703761430.png
 
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We use ‘Maps Me’.
free to download and use and no internet connection needed, you just download the open source maps you’ll be needing ( world wide) before you start. Gives basic turn by turn navigation, by car, bike or walking. You can plan routes, add stop points etc. Available to iOS and Android, I use on an iPad. Also have a back up on the phone. Sometimes it has a ‘funny’ but as long as you check the route it’s fine.
 
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We have an Avtex (Garmin) 780 Camper. The only problem is that set up for camper, it often takes you on a much longer route, avoiding roads that you could easily go down.
It's a nice unit but we (and friends of ours) are using them on car settings and try to check the route in advance. It is possible to add points to chose the route you want.
 
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EileenandSteve said:
Following the decapitation of our satellite tv dome in a Paris underpass, we’ve decided to buy a motorhome-specific satnav. Are these useful and reliable? What are the best models?
Click to expand...
Dont trust height warning restrictors before you go into tunnels in france

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Before I lashed out good beer money I thought I’d try Copilot on an iPad. I can input my Murvi data and it finds a “safe” route for me. So far so good. Only used it in the uk but the maps are comprehensive for all of Europe, others can be purchased for the world, infinity and beyond! So far I’m up to a small brewery…..
 
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EileenandSteve said:
Following the decapitation of our satellite tv dome in a Paris underpass, we’ve decided to buy a motorhome-specific satnav. Are these useful and reliable? What are the best models?
Click to expand...
We have a AGUI RV700,we find this great it is designed for motorhomes, put in the length , height,width, weight and it will warn you of any restrictions including low bridges,it also has a built in dash cam , regular updates are FOC, will cost you about £250.but well worth the money,
 
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Widening the scope of the discussions I'd be interested in recommendations for one to put onto a 7" Android tablet. We did use Co Pilot but is there better?
 
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dle54 said:
Before I lashed out good beer money I thought I’d try Copilot on an iPad. I can input my Murvi data and it finds a “safe” route for me. So far so good. Only used it in the uk but the maps are comprehensive for all of Europe, others can be purchased for the world, infinity and beyond! So far I’m up to a small brewery…..
Click to expand...

Interesting because I bought Copilot for my iphone and for the first go I thought I'd try it out locally and it wanted to take me down a really narrow lane that is so narrow no-one locally uses it even as a cut through.
I think the problem with sat-navs is that the good ones will know what roads have height restrictions and width restrictions, but not if a country lane is narrow and pretty well single track if there is no width restriction on that lane. I'm fed up with satnavs deciding for me that to save a little bit of distance we have to dive off down country lanes that we have to crawl along for miles and miles. I'd really oped to find a more 'intelligent' satnav that somehow evaluated that minor roads and lanes are not suitable for larger vehicles regardless of whether they are width restricted - so far I've not found such a satnav. I am wondering if a dedicated trucker satnav might be able to do this as they do, nowadays, seem to avoid the narrow short cut problems.

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