Another Sat Nav Thread

[vinyljunkie]

hi all,

when it comes to in car Pc's for mapping i am a complete novice!! i have been trying to understand some of it from other threads i have read but end up looking at the screen a little on the perplexed side

I love the idea of being able to use Memory map alongside road navigation software with the long term intention of being able to use it for challanges ect.

i am not that keen on having too much on display in the car as it would be vunrable to say the least ! so toughbook or alternative would be a plus.

so if anyone fancies explaing this to me as simply as i would have to explain how to use the internet to my mother, then please feel free to either

direct me to a shop or website that supplies such eqipment or if your feeling really brave please try and explain to me

any help would be greatly apprieciated

Thanks

Dan

[LandyManLuke]

In car PCs can range from a laptop on the passengers seat, powered off an inverter, right through to a built in 12v DC-DC powered PC with built in screen.

What would you like explaining? the machine needs spec'ing up like any normal PC, then you need to decide what form you want the PC to take, though the spec will often depend on the form you choose.

There's plenty of different paths people on here have taken to reach the same (or similar) end. If you ask specific questions you'll get answers from across the board i reckon.

Mods/admin - is it time for a dedicated electronic equipment board? carPC/Laptop/software/GPS/CB/Nanocom etc?

[Hybrid_From_Hell]

Hi Dan

I should be ok explaining this to you, as I have about as much Elecrtical knowledge as your mum - erm prob a tad less

Righty ho then.

Thi s is my take on things and where I am so far, what I have looked at and what I have discounted and why.

What I wnat it for.

I wnated in 90 "Something" that would give me the ability to have the megatune software - the diagnostic software for Megasquirt (on my V8) and , and prob more used - the ability to have a decent mapping software so I can use for greenlanning, finding my way on roads (I have less sense of direction than a drunk Forrest Grump) and something that was a reasonable size, so it doesn't feel like I have just nicked and then bolted the Plasma tv in from the lounge, similarly not too small either so I can see whats what easily.

What I looked at

The hand helds which can be pod mounted - discounted cos too small

Toughbooks - discounted mainly due to the fact that there is a keyboard sticking out and about - cheapish on ebay but too bulky

Fujutsu 3500 3400s, very good value for money, spec is a tad old, but mainly discounted due to sellers on e-bay being businesses selling loads of them many with bits missing and the feedback wasn't that wonderfull, for the prices they were going for (circa £100 = / -) there was more for a few quid more.

iX104 - IP67 and rare and go for £1000+ - too much for me and can't find one anyway

I spent a raft of time on e-bay "Tablet PC" and Tablet Laptop bring up a load.

I decided early on that maybe best was to buy from a private seller, with good feedback, and where I could drive and collect, the £15-20 P&P then going into the kit spec not postage.

I also decided to buy a PC that was complete, and looked as though it was looked after, ie all the kit there and thats inc the recovery discs etc etc.

These DEFINATELY go for more £££s. others must do the same maybe ?. Anyway have watched and bid on loads and lost out some machines going for silly money

In the end I have finally picked up a HO COMPAQ TC1000 Tablet, (10.4 inch screen and windows xp tablet os) these are around 1MHZ processor, with RAM at 256

but can be upgraded to 768. 30GB Harddive 2x USB and detachable keypad.

This means then the "Pen" is used to acess everything on the screen, the other attraction for this PC is it has an "Active" pen, this means that the pen has software in it to tell the PC to react, as opposed to acdently touching the screen with something - mud hand etc and having the PC do something, the PC ONLY takes input from the pen touching the screen.

This one I have came very complete, clean tidy, fully working, all CD Discs AC Charger Pen etc etc etc,

the range of prices is amazing you just have to be pateint and do your research ..........and then pick, I did mine the same day the Buy it Now appearred a quick e-mail and discussion around price and job done, collected yesterday

Software.

I have looked at the options, Memory Map for the UK seems to be the top winner hands down, again this is what I am currently doing (loading) and hopefully can learn how to use, I will hopefully have both 50:000 : 1 mapping and 25,000 :1 too, this does take up HUGE amounts of harddrive (around 7GB+) so hence the really old Tabletys not having enough space, the MM Version 5software itself is not that big

And what else ?

Well somehow I will need to mount the tablet screen in the 90, (thinking) with a DC power supply (ordered) and a GPS reciver which I took advice from Jez and bought a specific one off ebay (marine grade) for aboput £29 (see my post on this same subject)

Still have a way yet to go - but thougfht the above may help ?

HTH

Nige

[4.6-90]

there is a system that will do all you want on d44 web site

[missingsid]

Hi Dan,

I am also looking for a Sat Nav solution and am interested in the Road Angel Adventurer as this has Memory Map plus road directions and cameras as a bonus.

I have no idea on cost yet or how good it is but the advvert seems to suggest that it is hand usable as well as in car plus very water proof?

If any one has information on this I certainly would be interested?

PS

Sorry not trying to nick the thread.

[Les Henson]

The latest Road Angels don't have MM installed, but offer a 30-day free trial of it, so it obviously can be installed permanently if you require. I wanted MM for off-road use, and in general, most GPS only have 'normal' road use and MM can't be installed on them. I bought an Ipaq PDA and V8Freak installed the MM on it as well. I now use normal road mapping for every day use and can then switch over to MM for off-road use.

Les.

[missingsid]

Had a look last night at the RA Adventurer spec in Halfrauds, it has MM with 1:50,000 OS parks maps installed.

Also looked at a MM website and only found parks maps.

So a question about MM if I may?

Can you get ordinary Landranger 1:25,000 maps for any reagion of the UK?

By the way the price for the RA Adventurer is £250 which is where I thought it might be.

[GBMUD]

Can you get ordinary Landranger 1:25,000 maps for any reagion of the UK?

Yes.

Chris

[missingsid]

Yes.

Chris

Cheers. fast reply

Where from OS?

[GBMUD]

I think that MM sell them, don't they?

Chris

Edited. Having looked, they only seem to do a limited number. I am sure that they used to do them all.

[vinyljunkie]

Thank you all very much for you help on this and i think Hybrid_From_Hell covered a fair whack of the answers i was looking for.

could you use a flip screen in the dash as a monitor for example one of these although an expensive option but just for examples sake ??

Thanks again

Dan

[pongo]

Memory Map do 1:50000 for the whole GB, or in smaller regions if required. GB is broken into 6 regions, so you can buy the region you want, or half GB which is a set of 3 regions. If you buy the whole GB on DVD it is about 3Gb in a single file. Sounds big, but works really well.

If you want 1:25,000, then you need to buy Memory Map select. You pay for an area i.e. 5000 sq km, 10000 sqkm etc. They send you a CD with a 1;250,000 OS map, and on your PC you ddraw the coverage you want. Send it back, they send you the exact area you want (so any shape, not just a square block) on CD.

As for the Road Angel Adventurer. It comes pre-loaded with fully functional OS 1:25,000 of the National parks. You can simply buy the other mapping you require and add it. You can add bigger SD cards to the Road Angel to up the memory capacity.

Another option. If you have an O2 mobile, or are thinking of getting one, get the XDA Orbit. It has a built-in GPS antenna SIRF 3), and comes with co-pilot sat-nav software for GB, and a windscreen mount. You can then add Memory Map (it will take a mini SD card up to 2Gb, and they are working on software to take a bigger miniSD). So you then have your on-road sat-nav, and Memory Map for off-road. Works a treat.

[western]

1 to 25,000 maps are split into 12 areas

http://www.memory-map.co.uk/maps_uk_onland_1_25000.htm

[vinyljunkie]

Sorry to drag this up again but would one of THESE with memory map installed and a decent screen be capable of doing this ? and how easy is it to install one of these into the car. Like the landrover background they can supply as well !