City Select

[+behindthepub]

I have used in car gps navigation systems and been very impressed, enter a postcode and off you go, Flossie shouting instuctions through the radio to keep you honest.

 

My question is if I bought a Garmin GPSMAP 60c or cs and the city select software would I be very diaspointed in the automotive navigation side of it.

What can you expect of it, door to door navigation, would it find a street in a village in North Wales or just the county? does it do postcodes? Just how good is it?

 

I will start the clock now and see how fast a response I get.

 

1,2,3.........

 

Ted

[Remote Part]

You can use the map viewer on Garmin's website to see how much detail it includes.

Make sure you choose more detail, and zoom in far enough to see all of the detail.

 

I've not used it myself, but I don't think it has postcodes, though it does have street names and house numbers.

[+M3ZPY]

I use city select with my 60cs and it is pretty much bang on to taking you to places although it has got a terrible habit of sending you up through back roads and you have to get out the car and open gates/ kick sheep out the way when travelling around the lakes plus Garmin still don't know that the Bingley by-pass exists as yet!!

Otherwise it is a fine addition to the 60cs/c although a bit dear (£175 on last check)

[gekocacher]

On the 60c & cs, you can turn the unit into a in-car navigator, but it requires a automotive kit @ the cost of approx another £150, includes city select for europe, 12v & cradle etc.. The only difference between this and a streetpiolot is it is not voice commanded, it it visual turn by turn guidance, but you have 56mb to store yr info.

[+Larry_Rymal]

Honestly, though, how about the accuracy? Here in the U.S., I have read reviews that some of the data can range from 1 year to 20 years in age.

[+behindthepub]

Thanks for the feedback folks

one more question,

if you stray from the route does it atomatically recalculate a new one or does it throw a wobbly?

 

Thanks again

Ted

[gekocacher]

recalculate.

[+stu_and_sarah]

Honestly, though, how about the accuracy? Here in the U.S., I have read reviews that some of the data can range from 1 year to 20 years in age.

Ours certainly knew about a road that wasn't there last time we passed about 4 years ago, so it doesn't seem too out-of-date. It goes 'bilbbleybip' and you have to read the screen, rather than voice prompts, but we've found it to be a huge boon to the ongoing harmony of our marriage when travelling.

 

Sarah finds it a bit cumbersome for caching - but we kept the yellow eTrex, so she can carry that one, while I keep the 60CS on my belt clip.

 

Cheers,

 

Stu

[+Sue and Bernie]

You have to keep an eye one the whole picture - you cannot simply blindly follow the box.

 

We have a Streetpilot 3 and a Vista C both running City Navigator V6 (that came with the SP3). While most of the map and routing instructions are very accurate, there are many junctions and turns where the priority has changed or bits where the road category is wrong.

 

This means that the box sometimes tells you to "turn left" when the road now majestically follows that already as the priority route.

 

If the original mapping data shows a change in road category, you can get an instruction to turn off a perfectly nice straight main road onto a smaller side road because the next part of the main road is listed somewhere as being at a lesser category! (Chalk Lane from Narborough, Norfolk Sout-East to the B1122 using Garmin Metroguide is a fine example).

 

As with all computers - garbage in.....

 

The answer, for me, is to keep an eye on the warning diagram of the next junction that comes up, check it with distance and time to go and, when it goes back to the normal larger scale display, I check that the directions are not too stupid!

[+Larry_Rymal]

One problem here is that I live close to Houston, Texas. New roads keep popping up faster than weeds. Ah well........ common sense and a wary eye.