[Dave]

OK ideally I want Sat Nav, with built in Gatso, Laser detector, for peanuts money

Would I be right in heading for a cheap PDA with GPS & then loading Tom Tom s/w & download GPS Gatso overlay from net ? Appreciate this wouldn't cover portable spped cameras though.

Anyone advise cheapest PDA with GPS ?

Alternatively is there another product out there that might do the goods, without breaking the bank ?

[Dave]

From quick search this looks tempting ? Mio P350 GPS Pocket PC including Car Kit for £166 . http://www.globalpositioningsystems....scription.html ?

Plus anyone advise how good this is for £69 ? Currys - Shop for Speed Camera Locators - Snooper SD715IS Mid Range Speed Safety Alert System: Gatso, Laser, Radar

[Sonsey]

From memory I think PC World are doing a deal on a Tom Tom car sat nav box at £199... not sure if it would have all the feature's you want, but should be worth having a look

[Dabhand16]

Globalpositioningsystems are Ok, I've bought two Mio 168's from them. Mine running TomTom Navigator 3, and a year later one for my Son with Tomtom navigator 5.

First question - do you want a PDA or a dedicated SatNav? PDA's obviously have other capabilities.

Second - what software? This is tricky, as there are loads to choose from, and they are all a little different. Recommend some research on the pocketgps forum. This is the GPS equivalent of Pixalo - well worth a visit. Personally, I like the TomTom. for instance, when I was researching, and it might have changed now, Co-Pilot required a complete reload of the maps etc if you wanted to update the safety camera database, whereas Tomtom do not, so is much quicker to update.

Maps. Unless you are intending to use it on the continent, the basic package, Britain (can't remember if they still include major European roads in this package) is probably the best value. You can add other maps later if needed.

Third, if you have a windscreen that has demister/sun screen technology, the GPS signal can be blocked. You might find you will have to use the 'exterior' aerial. This can be effective mounted on the dashboard near a corner of the screen, or by a side window, or even the rear screen with an extension.

You can get good offers from unlikely places like Lidl. These are usually clones of the Mio or others, but the software is maybe not as good as the mianstream ones.

Dedicated units that I would consider are the TomTom 1 or 510. The Mio has a built-in GPS receiver, whereas the HP and other pocket PC's and PDA's used to need a GPS mount, or other GPS hardware to work with SatNav. This might have changed since I was looking at the various systems. I think the software is the most improtant element.

I could go on forever. This is a big subject. Don't rush into it, do the resaerch. What is good for me may not suit you. Now I sound like the Godfather!!

[Dabhand16]

Oh, yes, one other thing - laser detectors. The GPS software can have a safety camera database loaded onto it, and updated as needed. The Tomtom five can also give an audible signal. There are loads of plug-ins for voices and other stuff.

The other forms of detection are soon to be illeagal, so you may want to either get a seperate cheap microwave/laser detector that can be binned/kept when the law changes.

[Dave]

Like the idea of free Gatso overlay for PDA, which like you say can be used for other stuff. Did use Tom Tom 3 in past on old PDA, which was quite good.

Is the cheapy Snooper detector I mentioned any good, or are these detectors a bit of a gimmick ? eg, you still get caught

Thanks for advice Graham

[Dabhand16]

I use a Snooper that I've had for around 4 years. At the time it was £170 in Costco, dearer elsewhere, about £250. Probably much cheaper now. It detects most things, and also gives false alarms from traffic lights, alarm systems etc, but is useful for the most part. I've never bothered to update it. The Road Angels are also popular, but personally, bearing in mind the new laws on the horizon, I'd steer clear of a combined GPS/laser/microwave device. If you use a SatNav, or dedicated GPS device you can still use it after the law changes. The only thing it won't tell you is if the camera is active or not. Lasers tend to be hand-held, and often the sites used are not varied a lot, so the GPS can still br effective.

In the TomTom, the camera database can show fixed, mobile sites, temporary (road works), SPECS, traffic light cameras and anything else that the admin decide to incorporate. There are even some continental ones! I only use the fixed and mobile parts of the database. You can also get databases like X car dealers, golf courses, McDonalds and much more.

The TomTom 910 is being given the plugs in the advertising, but I'm not convinced that the features are worth it.

[Dave]

Think I might order the Mio PDA this week, based on your advice plus my own research I know when I was in Paris last year on business, one of the other guys had an earlier Mio with GPS & had downloaded street maps for Paris. Sat Nav on foot .....Very handy

[Dave]

Just found PocketGPSworlds free "speed camera" overlay, is now NOT free

Anyone know a site that provides free equivalent of above ?

[Dabhand16]

The camera database used to be free until fairly recently. You can imagine how much time it takes to administer. When I first got the Mio 168/TomTom Navigator 3, I used to update it every month. Now I only do it when I feel like it as the growth in the deployment of these things seems to have subsided from its peak. I can't even remember the last time I updated. I think it's good value becuase pocketgpsworld do such a good job on it.

I think you can get other databases, and they may be free/cheaper, but as they could be drawn from a smaller contributing community, I'm not so sure that I would trust them. The pocketgpswolrd community do keep feeding info into the database in respect of new cameras, temporary cameras, cameras that are removed etc. I know because I am a member! In reality, if you only downloaded once, or updated every two years I think you could be better off than using a different database.

Of course, things could have changed since I used to access the site regularly, but do be cautious.

[Dave]

Cheers Graham. Just noticed option to pay for one months use of downloads, which should do the trick. Credit card is itching

[Sonsey]

Originally Posted by Dave

Credit card is itching

You need to get a car to put it in first

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Sonsey

You need to get a car to put it in first

I knew I had forgot something

[Dabhand16]

Bumped into a friend today, just back from a touring holiday in France. He bought a GPS for the trip, and was not fussed about the PDA. I know he researched it, and he went for the Garmin 350. He was going to get the UK version and buy the French maps as an extra, at £80!! He then found it in Watford Electronics (I think) for £310 including Eurpoean maps! That was cheaper than the UK + France. He used it for two weeks in France, and never had to consult a map! He is well impressed with it. It even took him down the correct ramp to get on the ferry.

It runs for 5 hours on battery (non replacable except by return to factory), and he showed me some of the bells and whistles, all of which looked good. It covers all of Europe, and other maps are available. He put it on when on the ferry, and the thing even showed that they were right on the shipping lane!!

Garmin web-site gives a UK and European safety camera database that costs 9 Euro a year, (or 9 Euro for life if you don't want to update) and it worked very well.

The unit looks more compact than the TomTom, and can slip into a shirt pocket. It can also be switched into walking(I think)/cycling/motorbike mode.

This seems to be the equivalent of TTG 710, so must be worth a look.