The GPS/Maps Discussion Thread (Dedicated Satnav, Smartphones, Tablets, etc)

sgiitk · 21st May 2010, 14:40

My son used good old Google Maps on his htc Hero and was quite happy with the information on the one way system in Bengaluru.

Just got my SatNav u-SD card with adapter. About 131MB of info on the card.

PlaneMad · 21st May 2010, 15:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampere

Based on the site, just installed the maps in Mapsource. Looks pretty impressive. But not sure how comprehensive this is. But initial impressions look very good.
The routes may be updated, but POI would still lack.

Atleast it updates the NH207 correctly. Picture from Mapsource attached.

Mods, please merge the back-to-back posts. I could not merge them. I did not know how to upload pictures in a edit mode.

Attachment 350019

Looks pretty cool. Yup, POIs would lack, but its a collaborative project like wikipedia,, so as time goes on, it only gets better. Its quite impressive considering its totally free.

I also managed to get these maps onto my phone as a java application. the whole data is stored on the phone, so theres no need for gprs or gps. It's got some pretty kickass features like POI searching, routing with voice, map rotation. Its quite a useful thing to have on your phone just in case, should work in almost any java capable phone.

(click for details)

download link (transfer both the .jar and .jad files to your phone)
GpsMid - Free offline maps for various cities and countries

openstreetmap project site, where you can add map data:
http://www.osm.org

blackstallion76 · 21st May 2010, 18:15

Is there any GPS system which comes along with Music System build in as well?
Just trying to save some space inside swift.
OR
Should we buy them separate?

Please advice.

sachinayak · 21st May 2010, 19:17

A quick query.

I got my SatNav Map on the microSD card with the SD card adapter. I put it in my Garmin Nuvi 260W and it does not show up in my map list. Do i need to do anything specific? Can i copy the map directly to the device, assuming that the device is not able to access the SD card? I do not need the US maps setup on the GPS devices currently.

smsrini · 21st May 2010, 20:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackstallion76

Is there any GPS system which comes along with Music System build in as well?
Just trying to save some space inside swift.
OR
Should we buy them separate?

Please advice.

check Satnav site and Garmin site for devices that can do this.

Satnav has a all in one.

GArmin offers a GPS device that will use your double din receiver screen if it allows a external video feed.

You can also consider a 2 DIN Carputer from iRide that will do music, video, GPS, mobile internet, reverse cam etc.,

nkapoor777 · 22nd May 2010, 14:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by sachinayak

A quick query.

I got my SatNav Map on the microSD card with the SD card adapter. I put it in my Garmin Nuvi 260W and it does not show up in my map list. Do i need to do anything specific? Can i copy the map directly to the device, assuming that the device is not able to access the SD card? I do not need the US maps setup on the GPS devices currently.

I had the same issue. I renamed the US mapset to something else and then inserted the SD card. It worked! I don't know how but I used this trial & error since I noticed that both the US mapset and Satguide maps had the file name as "gmapsupp.img". Try it and see if it works for you.

raamki · 22nd May 2010, 14:03

Picked up a Blaupunkt TP Lucca 3.5 from MMI yesterday, here's my story and a couple pictures of the setup:

A week ago, after reading quite a bit about MMI shipping the Lucca as an alternate to Roadpilot, i rang them out of curiosity to check if the Lucca was still available for 8k in spite of their website showing that the RP stocks were back. I got a reply in the negative and was told that the Lucca was now being sold @ its original MRP, which was 14k as the RP stocks were indeed back.

Hard luck i thought and requested for a RoadPilot demo anyway. I've never really used a GPS device earlier and because I have an ice cool shield on my car's front windshield apart from window films on all other windows, i wanted to make sure the device would receive a signal and stay connected at all times on the road (call me stupid, but i have read about window film's interfering with gps reception et all).

2 days and a couple of phone calls later, this chap from MMI comes down with a Vx130 for a demo. We sit in the car and are searching for a signal, i drive away from the building and in less than 2 minutes, the GPS signal is received, its connected to 5 satellites and the reception status showed up as 'Good', it eventually connected to 8 sats. We took a small drive around the Domlur area and i was super happy and excited about the accurate voice assisted turn direction indicator.

I was going to buy some time and ponder over the RoadPilot in my head for a few days when, to my surprise, this chap pulls out a TP Lucca box out of his bag. He tells me it was supposed to be sold to another customer in the morning but unfortunately, he couldn't get a hold of him! (Fortunate for me, i thought) He claims this was the last piece in stock in Bangalore across all distributors. I ask him for the price and he says, 8K!!

We head to his office and the deal is done!! Amidst all the excitement, I had not even bothered to open the box and find out if the unit was in one piece! turns out, it has a zillion scratches on the side panels, the LCD was intact and didn't have a scratch though! Turns on, works fine!!

Later realize from the 'recently navigated destinations' that it was used twice in Kerala! And yes, it was manufactured and imported way back in august of 2008!!

The navigation is precise & the touchscreen response is great, only 2 grouses though:

The voice-assist lady at the max volume sounds horrible, the clarity is better with the volume bar at about 70-80%.
Apparently, i took a wrong turn into a road that was closed thanks to the Metro work last evening. The navigator kept wanting me to go back the same way after i took a detour. Just wondering, does it not re-calculate and adjust itself to an alternate route based on the current position of the car and the destination position?

Attaching a couple pictures i took of the setup in my car. I must mention, the suction cup holder is awesome!! i vigorously shook it in its place after mounting it and it refused to budge!!

starter · 22nd May 2010, 14:25

Dear Friends,
I am planning to buy a GPS that can help me do my long distance trips without much detours.
So, i was looking at the following site GPS Devices in India,Garmin navigation in India,Marine navigation in India,Garmin Products in India,Rugged automotive GPS devices in India,GPS navigation for India Road,Authorised distributor for Garmin, Oetiker GPS products for India, Two way radio,
This is supposed to be the authorized Garmin dealer in Bangalore.
I see that there is a deal for Nuvi 215 for Rs.9500.
Is this worth the money am spending and will this be helpful, if say, am doing a trip from Bangalore to Leh?
Or, do you suggest another model viz. Nuvi 715?
Would there be any additional charges that one needs to pay, viz usage of GPS or to download maps or for some extended coverage (remote places)? Sorry, if these questions sound stupid.
Thanks a lot for this information.
Cheers,
Deepak

Samurai · 22nd May 2010, 14:36

Deepak, buy it from 20North.com, you can get recent models for cheaper prices.

Thad E Ginathom · 22nd May 2010, 15:24

raamki, thanks for your pics and description.

For safety, I recommend you not to mount this unit in the centre of your windscreen, but to move it to the bottom edge. which is, I think, the more usually chosen position.

starter · 22nd May 2010, 19:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai

Deepak, buy it from 20North.com, you can get recent models for cheaper prices.

Thanks a lot for your message Sharath!
I shall read up a little bit, will try to understand how this works.
Will collect my questions and maybe post here.
Could you suggest a model for me Sharath?
Thanks a lot!
Cheers,
Deepak

sidkun · 24th May 2010, 11:41

sorry, duplicate post, posted in http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post1901543

smsrini · 24th May 2010, 13:58

Got my Satguide maps and working with Nuvii.

First impressions are good. Routing working fine, and any changes from suggested route, the re-route is completed in less than 10 secs. Tried my office route from Hennur to Dairy Circle in Bangalore, and though it first suggested the ORR, once I crossed Hennur cross roads, it re-calculated the route and showed my daily route. It opted to route via Manipal Center and Trinity circle for some reason, which would have been a longer route, but again re-calculation was fast enough.

No city map details after Yellahanka in the north. was able to go upto Sarjapur and NH207 ( Indus intl school ) in the south.

Loading maps is a tad slow, and I want to check how I can copy the maps to the device rather than keep it on the SD Card.

For the money paid, its definitely VFM.

cheers!
Srini

MX6 · 24th May 2010, 14:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by starter

Would there be any additional charges that one needs to pay, viz usage of GPS or to download maps or for some extended coverage (remote places)? Sorry, if these questions sound stupid.
Thanks a lot for this information.
Cheers,
Deepak

No additional charges for use of GPS. You need to buy maps from either satnav (currently at 990 bucks) or MMI (7000 bucks).

There's nothing like extended coverage. As and when MMI/ Satnav add more cities and POIs to their map, they release an upgrade (once a quarter) and you may feel free to upgrade to the same at a nominal price. I guess it would be a good idea to upgrade to the next version once a year or so.

amitoj · 24th May 2010, 14:28

Ok, from my recent trip to Chikmaglur, i realised that MMI has pathetic coverage of state highways. Lesser said about roads smaller than SH, the better.
On the Bangalore - Magadi route, after some time it started showing that i was not driving on a road anymore. I am not talking about it showing me driving next to the road or like that. It showed that i was in the middle of nowhere
Same story on the interior roads of Chikmaglur too.

21st May 2010, 14:40	#961
sgiitk Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Gurugram Posts: 7,971 Thanked: 4,809 Times	My son used good old Google Maps on his htc Hero and was quite happy with the information on the one way system in Bengaluru. Just got my SatNav u-SD card with adapter. About 131MB of info on the card. Last edited by sgiitk : 21st May 2010 at 14:56.
	() Thanks

21st May 2010, 18:15	#963
blackstallion76 BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 349 Thanked: 80 Times View My Garage	Is there any GPS system which comes along with Music System build in as well? Just trying to save some space inside swift. OR Should we buy them separate? Please advice.
	() Thanks

21st May 2010, 19:17	#964
sachinayak BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 785 Thanked: 3,188 Times View My Garage	A quick query. I got my SatNav Map on the microSD card with the SD card adapter. I put it in my Garmin Nuvi 260W and it does not show up in my map list. Do i need to do anything specific? Can i copy the map directly to the device, assuming that the device is not able to access the SD card? I do not need the US maps setup on the GPS devices currently.
	() Thanks

22nd May 2010, 14:03	#967
raamki BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 395 Thanked: 97 Times View My Garage	Travel Pilot Lucca 3.5 Picked up a Blaupunkt TP Lucca 3.5 from MMI yesterday, here's my story and a couple pictures of the setup: A week ago, after reading quite a bit about MMI shipping the Lucca as an alternate to Roadpilot, i rang them out of curiosity to check if the Lucca was still available for 8k in spite of their website showing that the RP stocks were back. I got a reply in the negative and was told that the Lucca was now being sold @ its original MRP, which was 14k as the RP stocks were indeed back. Hard luck i thought and requested for a RoadPilot demo anyway. I've never really used a GPS device earlier and because I have an ice cool shield on my car's front windshield apart from window films on all other windows, i wanted to make sure the device would receive a signal and stay connected at all times on the road (call me stupid, but i have read about window film's interfering with gps reception et all). 2 days and a couple of phone calls later, this chap from MMI comes down with a Vx130 for a demo. We sit in the car and are searching for a signal, i drive away from the building and in less than 2 minutes, the GPS signal is received, its connected to 5 satellites and the reception status showed up as 'Good', it eventually connected to 8 sats. We took a small drive around the Domlur area and i was super happy and excited about the accurate voice assisted turn direction indicator. I was going to buy some time and ponder over the RoadPilot in my head for a few days when, to my surprise, this chap pulls out a TP Lucca box out of his bag. He tells me it was supposed to be sold to another customer in the morning but unfortunately, he couldn't get a hold of him! (Fortunate for me, i thought) He claims this was the last piece in stock in Bangalore across all distributors. I ask him for the price and he says, 8K!! We head to his office and the deal is done!! Amidst all the excitement, I had not even bothered to open the box and find out if the unit was in one piece! turns out, it has a zillion scratches on the side panels, the LCD was intact and didn't have a scratch though! Turns on, works fine!! Later realize from the 'recently navigated destinations' that it was used twice in Kerala! And yes, it was manufactured and imported way back in august of 2008!! The navigation is precise & the touchscreen response is great, only 2 grouses though: The voice-assist lady at the max volume sounds horrible, the clarity is better with the volume bar at about 70-80%. Apparently, i took a wrong turn into a road that was closed thanks to the Metro work last evening. The navigator kept wanting me to go back the same way after i took a detour. Just wondering, does it not re-calculate and adjust itself to an alternate route based on the current position of the car and the destination position? Attaching a couple pictures i took of the setup in my car. I must mention, the suction cup holder is awesome!! i vigorously shook it in its place after mounting it and it refused to budge!! Attached Thumbnails Last edited by raamki : 22nd May 2010 at 14:18. Reason: Typo
	() Thanks

22nd May 2010, 14:25	#968
starter Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: My city Posts: 1,140 Thanked: 930 Times	Need help in deciding which GPS Dear Friends, I am planning to buy a GPS that can help me do my long distance trips without much detours. So, i was looking at the following site GPS Devices in India,Garmin navigation in India,Marine navigation in India,Garmin Products in India,Rugged automotive GPS devices in India,GPS navigation for India Road,Authorised distributor for Garmin, Oetiker GPS products for India, Two way radio, This is supposed to be the authorized Garmin dealer in Bangalore. I see that there is a deal for Nuvi 215 for Rs.9500. Is this worth the money am spending and will this be helpful, if say, am doing a trip from Bangalore to Leh? Or, do you suggest another model viz. Nuvi 715? Would there be any additional charges that one needs to pay, viz usage of GPS or to download maps or for some extended coverage (remote places)? Sorry, if these questions sound stupid. Thanks a lot for this information. Cheers, Deepak
	() Thanks

22nd May 2010, 14:36	#969
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 26,008 Thanked: 49,827 Times View My Garage	Deepak, buy it from 20North.com, you can get recent models for cheaper prices.
	() Thanks

22nd May 2010, 15:24	#970
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,443 Thanked: 30,027 Times	raamki, thanks for your pics and description. For safety, I recommend you not to mount this unit in the centre of your windscreen, but to move it to the bottom edge. which is, I think, the more usually chosen position.
	() Thanks

24th May 2010, 11:41	#972
sidkun BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 38 Thanked: 11 Times	sorry, duplicate post, posted in http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post1901543
	() Thanks

24th May 2010, 13:58	#973
smsrini Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,129 Thanked: 443 Times View My Garage	SatGuide Maps on my Nuvii 265W Got my Satguide maps and working with Nuvii. First impressions are good. Routing working fine, and any changes from suggested route, the re-route is completed in less than 10 secs. Tried my office route from Hennur to Dairy Circle in Bangalore, and though it first suggested the ORR, once I crossed Hennur cross roads, it re-calculated the route and showed my daily route. It opted to route via Manipal Center and Trinity circle for some reason, which would have been a longer route, but again re-calculation was fast enough. No city map details after Yellahanka in the north. was able to go upto Sarjapur and NH207 ( Indus intl school ) in the south. Loading maps is a tad slow, and I want to check how I can copy the maps to the device rather than keep it on the SD Card. For the money paid, its definitely VFM. cheers! Srini
	() Thanks

24th May 2010, 14:28	#975
amitoj Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Windham, NH USA Posts: 3,406 Thanked: 3,502 Times View My Garage	Ok, from my recent trip to Chikmaglur, i realised that MMI has pathetic coverage of state highways. Lesser said about roads smaller than SH, the better. On the Bangalore - Magadi route, after some time it started showing that i was not driving on a road anymore. I am not talking about it showing me driving next to the road or like that. It showed that i was in the middle of nowhere Same story on the interior roads of Chikmaglur too.
	() Thanks