Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Best Sat Nav

Having read the Miscellany article on Garmin Basecamp, can anyone recommend the most suitable garmin sat nav model with UK and Europe maps an SD card slot, please?

Not up to date with current Garmin offerings, but I have been using their GPS products for nearly 30 years on the sea, air and land without issue.

I can't speak for Garmin car GPS systems either as I have never owned one. I have had several TomTom sat nags over the years and find them indispensable. The only thing to watch out for is what we call the TomTom shortcuts where every so often an impossible road is proposed. In general terms the mapping is constantly being corrected and these are becoming few and far between.

When I last needed to replace a TomTom I had a good look at the Garmin and I found it not very intuitive to use. No doubt if I had come to it without having owned a TomTom I would have learned how to use it. It took me a while to come to grips with the new system when TomTom changed their operating system some years back too. In the end I decided to stay with TomTom.

If I had to replace my existing navigator I would probably get a TomTom GO Premium. Whatever I got it would have lifetime map updates and live safety cameras (SIM included in the system). If you have to pay for map updates and safety cameras it soon adds up that you might as well have paid the extra in the first place.

I have had a Garmin Nuvi 1490 for 10 years trouble free, including free-forever updates. If selecting a new one I would look for free updates covering UK, Ireland AND Europe. Some of the cheaper models do not include Europe and it can get expensive to keep purchasing updates. (That’s where they make their money)

Or update the Garmin you have from their site , £70 approx for lifetime updates for UK and Europe. Cheaper than buying new .

Make sure whatever you buy tracks both GPS (original American) and GNSS (new European) satellites for quicker, more accurate fix. I think most do but worth checking.

I had almost the exact opposite experience. I had been a Tom Tom customer for many years and really liked its simplicity. Then one day it failed and I got no help whatsoever from Tom Tom customer service (NL from memory) who wanted large amounts of money to even look at it to see if it could be fixed. Made no sense so went to buy a new on and really disliked the change in map features and operation which seemed to undo all the simple to use features. By luck a good Morgan friend mentioned he had just bought a Garmin Nuvi from ALDI, full EU mapping, lifetime free updates, live traffic data and all for £70 (can’t remember exactly how much but around that price). He let me have a play and without reading any instructions I was using it no problem, so easy and user focused. I went to the local ALDI and thru had 2 left so I bought both and replaced the wife’s one as well. She worked visiting vulnerable families and loved the way it could not only daisy chain a route between visits it could suggest a simplest route and even give timings. Amazing piece of kit. My only comment on updates is even with an ultrafast broadband connection it takes an age to update, I just start it off and get on with something else but it’s not a click and wait process. I would try and borrow one and see if you like it if possible.

BR
Colin

We have Garmin. It works well but whatever the setting it will try to find the shortest route. So it will try the rat runs in cities.

I use a Garmin Zumo 595lm motorcycle gps. It is clunky but easy to read, weather resistant, designed for use in daylight, and pairs with a Bluetooth earpiece.

I haver a Garmin Nuvi 2548. I downloaded the Garmin Basecamp last year and used it to test. Still in learner stage though! Just take your time and move forward in stages. I used a nearby destination that I knew the route for as a test subject to compare what Basecamp does to what I know of the route.