I am spending longer on this than is healthy! I think that TomTom have woken up a bit as this is from their latest route planning software.
I agree, to get the best out of a GPS you need to live with it over time and miles, find the good and bad aspects, work with route planning applications etc. This isn't going to happen trying one over a few trips. Forums aren't much better as owners tend towards being loyal having invested the cash, time and use into the device/brand that they own. I'm guilty of this though I did also own a TomTom car unit for a while but couldn't really get on with it. I also use CoPilot on my phone, Google Maps in the car via Android Auto and also my car native VW Sat Nav.
I don't think that this will necessarily carry across to the GPS. Have a look at the ITN file exported from the planning software to the TomTom. Traditionally these are just a series of GPS coordinates. Garmin GPX files from Basecamp aren't really any different but do have a lot more intermediary points than an ITN file for the same route. Maybe the newer TomTom units and planning software has changed? For both TomTom and Garmin it's the way that the GPS interprets the route file, calculates the route between the various coordinates that make up the route file and interprets things like junctions and changes of road number using the mapping data on the GPS. Garmin has been closer in the past due to the planning software using the same mapping data as the that on the GPS along with the same routing algorithm (although there are options on both the GPS and in Basecamp to influence these). Solutions for TomTom have, in the past, used the Google Maps API for both mapping and route calculation algorithm on your PC, the mapping and algorithm on a TomTom will be different though maybe only subtly, this does create greater chance of anomalies. Maybe the new TomTom planning software addresses this?
I'm sorry PerryL, but at the risk of me coming across as a bit dumb here. Traveling in the direction you give, could you please tell me to whom would you have to give priority to, you just indicate to the left for the benefit of those wishing to join the A40 but you just go straight on, so who has priority ?
You are going straight on but turning off the A40 as it bends to the right. If you were around the position of the screen shot then you would be indicating left (although you are travelling straight on in pure direction. My satnav does not consider this a junction and gives no advice. A fundamental flaw in my opinion.
I'm not sure about Garmin but I think Tom Tom record and keep details of every route (and speed) taken by their products. TB
Yes, Garmins do the same. Though if concern about this being evidence for a regular speeding offence is a concern one of my previous Garmin GPSs recorded a speed of over Mach III on my VFR which was a little wide of the mark. Admittedly this was only on one point in the track where it lost its location and then caught up from where it previously thought it was. In a serious RTA I'd expect accident investigators to use this data to help get a clearer picture of what happened. Maybe in extreme speeding cases as well. Not sure on the rights of the police in the latter though.
The one thing that I have not been able to clarify, is that with modern TomToms, you can use TomTom MyDrive, which is a browser based utility to plan routes. This app, as opposed to Tyre or BaseCamp, has live traffic information so that you can see road closures, hold ups, etc, that may help you decide on the route. I can't find a Garmin equivalent. Anyone know if there is one?
Surely live traffic is variable by the hour, if not the minute. Point being if you're sat in front of your PC then by the time you get out on the road the whole situation is likely to have changed. Though I supposed scheduled roadworks maybe relevant when planning a route. The live traffic on my Garmin (via the Garmin Smartphone Link app) is useful but reported traffic issues are frequently resolved by the time I get to them. There's a lag in getting the data onto the system and visible by you and also a lag in getting it off. Reports like debris in the road in 25 miles are next to useless TBH. MyRouteApp Gold (subscription) shows Google traffic on the map along with your route but won't calculate around it. MyRouteApp uses HERE mapping for routing as an option that seems to mimic the Garmin algorithm. It also uses TomTom too. Basecamp doesn't show any such traffic data currently.
@Bumpkin I have to say I am impressed, it seems as though you've put a lot of homework regarding Satnavs
Thanks, I've been using GPS since the early Mk1 Garmin Quest back in 2004 and always enjoy fiddling with tech. I tend to update behind the curve and snap up bargains on the outgoing models. Have owned quite a few of the bike specific Garmin models since then and have picked up a lot of knowledge on the subject along the way (and probably forgotten most of it).
The road that I illustrated has been closed for weeks. It's that type of thing that was of interest. Yes, you will get the crap about hold ups due to heavy traffic, accidents, etc, that would be gone by the time you get there and would be of no interest in route planning. I think that I am being a bit anal about this now. I will be going with Garmin and I will shut up!.
So to complete the story on the tomtom repair.... the Mount was sent off and indeed did come back fixed within the week turn around as promised. All working now which is great. The only slightly worrying / annoying point in addition to what I previously post d re the faff in dealing with ‘support dept’ to get them to actually look at it was when they received the mount in the post they sent me a mail saying I would be responsible for any costs if the unit was deemed not to be faulty. Found this odd / annoying as I’d followed the process they advised me to do. So all in all happy I’ve got it back and working and do like the Tom Tom user experience (on the bike) but the repair process was a bit too painful for my liking. Next sat nav purchase time will do some proper checking of what’s on the market. Cheers.
