alistair_uk Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 I have noticed that Halfords are selling the i3 for £130 and although basic it has received many good reviews online. I was thinking about a sat nav to get me from my home to the car park (loading the waypont form the PC) and then continue with the good old eTrex to do the caching. I would also like to upload Geocaches and trigs as POIs that some sites say can be done, but none of them appear to have done it. Is this a good buy? Will it do what I want it to do? Would I be better getting another unit that I can use as a car SatNav and Caching? Don’t forget that I am on a budget. Quote Link to comment
+rutson Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 GSAK now has a macro to do this Alistair: http://www.gsak.net/board/index.php?showtopic=1445 Quote Link to comment
+little-miss-naughty Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 i have an i3 an as a sat nav its brill i dont get lost half as much as i used to. i use mine for caching by just putting in the nearest road name to the cache think it works just as well. LMN Quote Link to comment
+purple_pineapple Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 i got one last month for my birthday, and as you say, its basic, but does the job! I can search by post code, it has audible warnings of POIs, and I can upload my own POIs when I want to. Before Clyde wrote the GSAK macro, I used to download them from G:UK as TomTom files and then convert. I still do that with other POIs such as speed cameras, and useful shops etc. I also use it for cache hunting - I simply tell it to go to the appropriate cache, and it takes me down the nearest road and then tells me to turn off at the last minute. Ignore that and look for somewhere to park instead! To be honest, I can't thik of other things I would need it to do, so not quite sure what you get for a more expensive model. what you DON'T get is MapSource on CD in any way - its preloaded. I think thats where the momey gets saved. HTH Dave Quote Link to comment
alistair_uk Posted March 8, 2006 Author Share Posted March 8, 2006 A big thank you for the feedback. I will ponder on it a bit more but with so little bad stuff to say about it I imagine I will be getting one. Quote Link to comment
+Silver-Fox Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 same here it's ace loaded mine with all the uk sites Quote Link to comment
davester Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Staples have these for £120. Quote Link to comment
+geoffenator Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 I got one from Halfords earlier this week. It didn't like whatever Renault have coated my Scenic's windscreen with so it had virtually no signal. Maplin sell an external patch antenna for a tenner that works really well but obviously there are cables all over the dashboard now. It doesn't have a quick way of removing all waypoints. I filled the memory up and spent ages deleting then individually. Buy one, you know you want to. Geoff Quote Link to comment
+purple_pineapple Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 i may be wrong, but if you edit the source poi file on the pc (or delete it completely) then I THINK that those changes are reflected on the SatNav when you next sync... Dave Quote Link to comment
+Silver-Fox Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Yes save using POI file, 1 file, 1 update, 1 delete , so easy, PM me if you need any help and if needs be i will give you my phone number and we can work it. kev Quote Link to comment
+little-miss-naughty Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 (edited) (It didn't like whatever Renault have coated my Scenic's windscreen with so it had virtually no signal. Maplin ) the reasaon why is if you have a heated front screan the signal can get through it. though they always leave a small bit unheated so the gps just has to be in the right place an it should work. or as you say an external arial will do the job. LMN Edited March 9, 2006 by little-miss-naughty Quote Link to comment
EagleOwl Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 (It didn't like whatever Renault have coated my Scenic's windscreen with so it had virtually no signal. Maplin ) the reasaon why is if you have a heated front screan the signal can get through it. though they always leave a small bit unheated so the gps just has to be in the right place an it should work. or as you say an external arial will do the job. LMN The screen isn't heated, just has a tint I think. It worked great this a.m. coming to work through the 'urban canyons'. It no longer thought we were exploring other peoples gardens! The kids think its fantastic that we have joined the satnav brigade - it must earn some brownie points in the playground! Can you use it to get from the parking spot to the cache? I saw a log from someone who said they were using a Tomtom to get to the cache. EagleOwl (aka Mrs geoffenator) Quote Link to comment
+Woody's Wanderers Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Thermal Reflective windscreens interfere with the GPS signal, that's probably what you're experiencing with your Renault. The i3 is very good. I've had one for about 5 months now and use it everyday for work (I got out visiting people at home). It's safer than trying to read a map on that's on the passenger seat, whilst driving! It only has a couple of minor glitches: - i) You can't search for an address with characters other than numbers (i.e. 2a, The Street). Not much of a problem in that instance as you'd just put 2 in and hope 2a is near. Not so good when you're looking for 'Rambling Mansions, The Street'. Just have to drive to the road and search for it manually. I accept, this isn't much of a problem unless you need to find a specific house. ii) My has a tendency to freeze up every once in a while. It just requires the power cord and batteries taking out and re-starting. Bit annoying when you're in the fast lane of the M3 though! Other than that, for £120 you can't go wrong. You could pay more for another model, but it the i3 does what it needs to. Quote Link to comment
alistair_uk Posted March 10, 2006 Author Share Posted March 10, 2006 Well guess what. I gave in and got one. I found that a local Staples had two remaining for £120 each and a Dixons 10 miles away allegedly had one left for £99. I asked my local Halfords to price match and they were going to, but after calling Dixons they told me it was actually damaged stock, but we agreed on £114 so I was happy. Now I need to go somewhere to test this out. I feel a Geocaching trip coming on... Quote Link to comment
jo0lz Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Got mine from KwikSave of all places Just after Xmas for £99 Well pleased with it Jo0lz Quote Link to comment
Andys101 & Redfrock Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 (edited) ii) My has a tendency to freeze up every once in a while. It just requires the power cord and batteries taking out and re-starting. Bit annoying when you're in the fast lane of the M3 though! Have you done the upgrade available from the Garmin site? The freezing was a glitch which they have now created a patch for. I did the upgrade about a fortnight after getting mine and haven't had this problem since. I am thrilled with mine - I use it for work as lot, but as you say, its a nightmare not being able to put in house names - sometimes I end up driving up and down a road for ages! Mine was my birthday pressie from hubby several months ago now .... although sometimes I think my birthday was just an excuse for him to buy one! Edited March 12, 2006 by Andys101 & Redfrock Quote Link to comment
alistair_uk Posted March 12, 2006 Author Share Posted March 12, 2006 I have a question. The device is great and I am looking forward to going somewhere I don’t know next week, but when I am scrolling up or down it occasionally scrolls briefly the other way. Is this normal for the i3, or is mine a little iffy? Quote Link to comment
Andys101 & Redfrock Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 I have a question. The device is great and I am looking forward to going somewhere I don’t know next week, but when I am scrolling up or down it occasionally scrolls briefly the other way. Is this normal for the i3, or is mine a little iffy? I think it's when you are scrolling too fast for it to catch up ... but I might be wrong. Quote Link to comment
+Woody's Wanderers Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 ii) My has a tendency to freeze up every once in a while. It just requires the power cord and batteries taking out and re-starting. Bit annoying when you're in the fast lane of the M3 though! Have you done the upgrade available from the Garmin site? The freezing was a glitch which they have now created a patch for. I did the upgrade about a fortnight after getting mine and haven't had this problem since. I hadn't, but I've just loaded it now. Took less than 5 mins, including downloading the software from Garmin. In fact, looking for the CD-ROM took me longer - until I realised it didn't come with one!! Hopefully that'll have cured it and I'll be running free!! Thanks for the advice Andys101 & Redfrock Quote Link to comment
alistair_uk Posted April 7, 2006 Author Share Posted April 7, 2006 If anyone is interested an update to the i3 firmware has been released and can be installed with the webupdater at http://www.garmin.com/products/webupdater/ . Apparently the following have been fixed and/or improved. Apart from the timing I doubt the changes will afect most of us UK onlu users. * Improved address searches to allow for selecting which map to search on when multiple maps are available. * Improved city searches to search across all available maps. * Added support for New Zealand regional settings. * Improved the timing of voice guidance prompts. * Added support for Czech and Flemish voice guidance (Requires New Audio version). * Added WebUpdater support for Voice Guidance updates. * Improved voice guidance for: German, Spanish, and Portuguese (Requires New Audio version). * Corrected a bug where navigating on a roundabout could cause the unit to lock up. Quote Link to comment
+McDeHack Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Can you use it to get from the parking spot to the cache? I saw a log from someone who said they were using a Tomtom to get to the cache. EagleOwl (aka Mrs geoffenator) It might have been me as I have used my 'Tomtom go' to find caches with. In the 'go to' you can select a geocache and it takes you there. Driving most of the way and then on foot. When I get so that I am standing on the cache I then can 'zoom' in, and that gets me closer. But you still cannot beat the etrex. Quote Link to comment
+AntarcticMan Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 I'm pretty pleased with my I3. I also have a Medion PNA 150 which has a bigger screen and a slightly less irritating voice - but it cost £220, has been back to Medion twice, and the map 'freezes' quite often. The I3 seems to do the job pretty well- and the interface is amazingly simple and well-thought-out. But did you know that if yours came with the version 7 maps you can send the little transflash card back to Garmin UK for a free upgrade to ver 8?? I don' t have the details to hand but a quick search on Google should expalin all... Try searching for 'Freepost Garmin' or look around on www.pocketgpsworld.com Quote Link to comment
+pieces_of_8 Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 I bought one the other day based on peoples comments on this forum. So far i'm really happy. I've got the speed camera database on there now AND my nearest 607 caches, and i've even manage to sort out the correct on-screen icons for the caches. I got mine at Halfords for £129 BUT they were in the process of putting them up to £139 for Easter...nice of them. Mart Quote Link to comment
+purple_pineapple Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Well, after I exported a number of caches from GSAK to the i3, I noticed that the macro I used to do this deletes the entire content of my POI folder first, so I've just lost all my other POI files Not a major problem, except I can't find the UK Speed Camera database anymore - anyone got a link or anything? PM or e-mail through profile if necessary! Many thanks Dave Quote Link to comment
alistair_uk Posted April 10, 2006 Author Share Posted April 10, 2006 Not a major problem, except I can't find the UK Speed Camera database anymore - anyone got a link or anything? PM or e-mail through profile if necessary!Sadly the one everyone recommended to me is no longer free to download and I missed the fee download by days apparently. If someone has a copy of the pre-chargeable version then I would mind a copy as well. Not that I have any need for it, it just adds a bit more of the WOW factor to the SatNav. Quote Link to comment
Andys101 & Redfrock Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 I'm pretty pleased with my I3. I also have a Medion PNA 150 which has a bigger screen and a slightly less irritating voice - but it cost £220, has been back to Medion twice, and the map 'freezes' quite often. The I3 seems to do the job pretty well- and the interface is amazingly simple and well-thought-out. But did you know that if yours came with the version 7 maps you can send the little transflash card back to Garmin UK for a free upgrade to ver 8?? I don' t have the details to hand but a quick search on Google should expalin all... Try searching for 'Freepost Garmin' or look around on www.pocketgpsworld.com http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=157996 Quote Link to comment
+pieces_of_8 Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 Well, after I exported a number of caches from GSAK to the i3, I noticed that the macro I used to do this deletes the entire content of my POI folder first, so I've just lost all my other POI files Not a major problem, except I can't find the UK Speed Camera database anymore - anyone got a link or anything? PM or e-mail through profile if necessary! Many thanks Dave I dont thinks its the macro thats doing it its just the way the i3 does things. You have to make sure that everything you want to upload is in the same folder. So in my folder i have the speed camera data base and the nearest 607 caches, so when i sync it it uploads the lot. When i update my caches i just get GSAK to export them to into the same folder as the speed cameras, it says these files already exist do you wish to overwrite...which i do...so it then puts the caches in the folder ready to upload with the camera data base at the next sync. Quote Link to comment
+pieces_of_8 Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 Well, after I exported a number of caches from GSAK to the i3, I noticed that the macro I used to do this deletes the entire content of my POI folder first, so I've just lost all my other POI files Not a major problem, except I can't find the UK Speed Camera database anymore - anyone got a link or anything? PM or e-mail through profile if necessary! Many thanks Dave I dont thinks its the macro thats doing it its just the way the i3 does things. You have to make sure that everything you want to upload is in the same folder. So in my folder i have the speed camera data base and the nearest 607 caches, so when i sync it it uploads the lot. When i update my caches i just get GSAK to export them to into the same folder as the speed cameras, it says these files already exist do you wish to overwrite...which i do...so it then puts the caches in the folder ready to upload with the camera data base at the next sync. Ok Ok so my last posting was wrong i've just noticed that the same thing has happened to me, it DOES delet the entire database DOH!! Luckily my POI's are in a different directory to the one i finally sync from..... Mart Quote Link to comment
+purple_pineapple Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 Ok Ok so my last posting was wrong i've just noticed that the same thing has happened to me, it DOES delet the entire database DOH!! Luckily my POI's are in a different directory to the one i finally sync from..... Mart sorry Mart - I saw your post as I was about to leave this morning, and thought I'd reply later - could have saved you a bit of hassle!! There is a way round this, by editing the macro, but then you need to be careful with creating new GSAK exports... I'll post onto the GSAK forum as well, so that Clyde knows... Dave Quote Link to comment
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