I've been getting used to my new Garmin 1490T. As it's very differently programmed from the Tomtom it's replaced, I'm not finding it as intuitive as hoped.
Anyway, the traffic icon that's supposed to be on the screen whenever the charger/antenna cable is plugged in, has vanished. I know the traffic data isn't always there (or accurate, apparently) but the icon should be visible all the time. Garmin haven't replied to yesterday's email and tomorrow I'm going back to Halfords Darlington where I bought it. I shall be taking the box and all the bits in case I need to stamp my foot and invoke the 28 day returns policy.
I have to go to a village near York tomorrow to pick up an Ebay purchase and I really want it to work.
:-(
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Don't know anything about Garmin satnavs, all I can suggest is that you may have inadvertently switched it off in an obscure menu option.
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Whether or not the "traffic" is working,it should still take you where you want to go.They are completely separate functions.
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I have to agree with you on the TT and Garmin difference. I have a BMW badged Nuvi 660 that came with my bike, I have bought a proper Garmin car mount for it and experimented with it in a trip to Swansea last week. Nowhere near as good as TT's interface. This is the second unit I've had the first one cooked itself and was replaced under warranty. BMW use Garmin's Helplines and I have to say they were very good when I phoned them to help with setting it up. Phone them maybe ?
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You could always use dare I say it a map they are things with roads and towns and depending on quality tell you everything you need to know and have guided people all round the world for many years and they cost very little.
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Not been kicked by a malevolent horse has it?
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I had a Garmin 1200T. With traffic. The icon should be there all time while ant. plugged in. Green, grey or red. Reset using the button on the unit, or orrifice. If that doesn't cure it or bring the icon back on, take back to shop and exchange. Garmin are really good. I had a unit that froze on holiday. Took it back to Halfords and Garmin told them to replace with next model up.
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On my new TT XL 'Live' that I have only used on its internal battery so far, I lose the road reports etc. once the battery level falls to a certain level.
Plugging it in to the charger whether that be the car's or the mains via the adapter, I immediately regain that function. In all other repects, the navigation is not affected.
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Traffic icon doesn't appear till the machine has received a signal, turn it off and it might take 20 mins before anything close enough to receive is er received.
Have you plugged it in to the 'puter to check for any software updates.
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Icon now present and correct after using Webupdater to reinstall the software.
Not been the victim of horseplay AFAIK.
Maps; that old chestnut. Ho ho ho. Perhaps you would like to change your car for a pair of 7 league boots; they do the same job, don't you know?
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I am beginning to wonder, after only a fortnight's ownership, whether my purchase was worthwhile. I bought, as a plaything really, a TomTom XL 'Live' IQ routes.
Admittedly, I'm testing it over routes and journeys with which I am very familiar but I do ask myself why, oh why does is keep on suggesting routes that involve so many narrow country lanes and such lanes that I would never take because of their narrowness, bends etc. etc. They're fine for me as I know them, generally speaking but for complete strangers it is a complete nonsense
This routing occurs whether I use 'Fastest' or 'Shortest' routes, to some degree.
Yesterday, as an example, I was sitting in one of my favourite pubs alongside the A25 in Bletchingley (Surrey) and upon leaving set it to take me home to Bromley (my destination) some 16 miles away. The planned routes told me, within a 100yds or so to take a country lane/s which led all over the place and which would involve pulling in frequently to let oncoming traffic pass i.e a thorough irritation.
The obvious journey to anyone with a map (and a stranger) would be to follow the A25 through Godstone, Oxted (bypass), Westerham, Biggin Hill and Bromley. All major A and B roads.
There is another alternative using the A25/A22 and then more minor roads to go through Sanderstead, Selsdon etc.
But why does TT keep on choosing roads that I'd steer well clear of?
Most disappointed, to be honest.
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That's interesting and a bit disappointing Oldgit.
SWMBO's Tom Tom One does a pretty good job, much better than the built in Honda one I have. "Shortest" is always a bit risky, because that's what it means - if the roads are difficult to barely existent, if they make the shortest route you'll be sent down them. OK when you fancy a voyage of discovery, preferably without a caravan attached!
"Fastest", though, should produce reasonable routes. I find a tendency to divert too far on to motorways sometimes, but a good compromise is to use "limited speed" set to 55 or 60, which reduces this tendency.
I wonder if the IQ and / or the Live features are overdoing it a bit.
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>> Yesterday, as an example, I was sitting in one of my favourite pubs alongside the
>> A25 in Bletchingley (Surrey) and upon leaving set it to take me home to Bromley
>> (my destination) some 16 miles away. The planned routes told me, within a 100yds or
>> so to take a country lane/s which led all over the place and which would
>> involve pulling in frequently to let oncoming traffic pass i.e a thorough irritation.
>> The obvious journey to anyone with a map (and a stranger) would be to follow
>> the A25 through Godstone, Oxted (bypass), Westerham, Biggin Hill and Bromley. All major A and B roads.
>> But why does TT keep on choosing roads that I'd steer well clear of?
>>
>> Most disappointed, to be honest.
>>
Knowing those roads your on about, I have to agree 120%!
My better 1/2 uses them as shes a local, but myself? I keep well clear!
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I always review the route suggested by my Garmin - If I know a better way, or think the route suggested is not the best way I just enter a few waypoints to force it the way I want to go. It doesn't know that the country lane it is suggesting has grass growing down the middle!
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>> I always review the route suggested by my Garmin - If I know a better
>> way, or think the route suggested is not the best way I just enter a
>> few waypoints to force it the way I want to go. It doesn't know that
>> the country lane it is suggesting has grass growing down the middle!
>>
The whole point of a sat-nav is to help direct you, when you don't know the way!
I admit I use my smart phone sat-nav when I don't really need to, and in doing so it shows its weaknesses.
Surely the default setting should be to keep off green lanes?
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The whole point of a sat-nav is to help direct you, when you don't know the way!
Well yes but a quick review of the suggested route its always advisable. Satnav mapping inevitablyy makes assumptions that all roads of the same class are equal. It doesn't know that one local road is a single track with grass sprouting in then middle and another is fine. It assumes that you will be able to travel at equal speed on both. To plan the truly best route the mapping would have to hold a detailed analysis of the quality of the road, what the bends and junctions are like etc.
A satnav ill always get you where you want to go. However to find the best route you still also need a decent map and a bit of common sense. In my opinion satnavs are at their best in towns. Cross country check on a map!
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Thanks for all your inputs. Salients points such as the satnav will always get your there, is very true but I'd hate to be a stranger to an area and be inveigled into using very unsuitable almost dangerous 'c' roads which these devices seem to choose.
Maybe my TT's live traffic updates and knowledge of road hold-ups affects decisions made, at the time of planning. It will often flag up an alternative route if something has happened somewhere.
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The silly routes reinforce how artificial - and poor - the artificial intelligence is of the gadget.
Handy, I imagine, for finding a street in a strange town, but to get to the town you may as well use a paper map.
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>>
>> Handy, I imagine, for finding a street in a strange town, but to get to
>> the town you may as well use a paper map.
I was given a SatNav as a present.
Handy for finding unknown streets in nearby towns - trouble is the houses need to have been built 5+ years ago - the maps are so out of date.
Not just my SatNav which is 3 yrs old - my sons 6 month old BMW has factory fitted SatNav (£1500 IIRC ) It does not have his own house /street and he has lived there 4 years.
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you may find you can cajole the sat-nav more to your way of thinking by altering the settings for expected speed on a given road type.
Set it to only average 10 mph on an unclassified road, 30 mph on "A" roads, and a 60 mph average on dual carriageways and motorways.....
Before motorways it took some spirited effort to average much above 35 mph on a journey (up in the north), unless you were only counting things like the A1 when it was empty.
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The value of a good tomtom?
Just completed 1500 USA miles across two states, using my trusty tomtom 720 with a recently purchased US road map downloaded to it.
It was utterly unfailingly superb in every respect. Using a single roadmap & the tomtom to plan routes, distances and driving times, and the tomtom to guide me, it was blessed simplicity itself.
Roadtrip report to follow
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Welcome back ! TT was as good for me in Floirda and New England - completely faultless !
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New sat nav has a wobble - Old Navy
