It is a bizarre fact that many purchasers of new cars are willing to pay several times the true value of a satellite navigation system in order to have it installed by the maker. It is true that the car's manufacturer normally does an excellent job of installing the unit, but then you are paying through the nose for it.
If you purchased the sat nav unit separately and had it fitted by a third party, you would get it for a third or a quarter of the cost. Still, it is part of the idea of having a new car to have all the latest gadgets built in to it. Satellite navigation, commonly called sat nav, is a real boon, if you buy a system that is up-to-date and that is frequently updated.
It is not necessary to have the sat nav installed in the car factory in order to have it fitted well. Many third party installers are quite capable of making a good job of it too without having to have your radio/CD player taken out.
Many auto navigation systems are fitted to the dashboard by means of rubber suction cups anyway. Buying a sat nav unit that does not have to have holes cut for it will also keep the cost to a minimum without having to sacrifice quality or safety.
An important issue to remember is that there are many types of GPS systems, each with rather specific applications. GPS for an ocean-going yacht does not have to have road maps, whereas GPS for a bicycle may not give enough advanced warning for the speed of a car.
Even if you buy a GPS sat nav device for a road vehicle, there are several types. The three fundamental types are: stand-alone, such as you see fitted at the car factory; hand-held and systems that are intended to be used with a laptop computer or similar device.
The stand-alone systems are the most popular, because they have certain advantages: they are made for the job of getting you from A to B via C, D and E, if required; they hold a database of landmarks which will help you know that you are on the right road; a voice will give you directions so that yo do not have to keep referring to the screen and it will memorize and integrate previous routes.
Hand-held sat nav systems work, but require more thought and sometimes supplementary software to be provided by the user. The screen is usually too small to be of much use and some only create voice directions. Others only provide graphic directions. However, they are better than nothing if you are walking or cycling in unknown terrain.
Laptops and PDA's offer an excellent service, especially if you already had the apparatus for other purposes such as office work.
So, it is not just a question of getting hold of a cheap sat nav system and thinking that they are all the same, you have to see it working so that you can weigh up whether it is going to be of any use to you in your situation.
If you purchased the sat nav unit separately and had it fitted by a third party, you would get it for a third or a quarter of the cost. Still, it is part of the idea of having a new car to have all the latest gadgets built in to it. Satellite navigation, commonly called sat nav, is a real boon, if you buy a system that is up-to-date and that is frequently updated.
It is not necessary to have the sat nav installed in the car factory in order to have it fitted well. Many third party installers are quite capable of making a good job of it too without having to have your radio/CD player taken out.
Many auto navigation systems are fitted to the dashboard by means of rubber suction cups anyway. Buying a sat nav unit that does not have to have holes cut for it will also keep the cost to a minimum without having to sacrifice quality or safety.
An important issue to remember is that there are many types of GPS systems, each with rather specific applications. GPS for an ocean-going yacht does not have to have road maps, whereas GPS for a bicycle may not give enough advanced warning for the speed of a car.
Even if you buy a GPS sat nav device for a road vehicle, there are several types. The three fundamental types are: stand-alone, such as you see fitted at the car factory; hand-held and systems that are intended to be used with a laptop computer or similar device.
The stand-alone systems are the most popular, because they have certain advantages: they are made for the job of getting you from A to B via C, D and E, if required; they hold a database of landmarks which will help you know that you are on the right road; a voice will give you directions so that yo do not have to keep referring to the screen and it will memorize and integrate previous routes.
Hand-held sat nav systems work, but require more thought and sometimes supplementary software to be provided by the user. The screen is usually too small to be of much use and some only create voice directions. Others only provide graphic directions. However, they are better than nothing if you are walking or cycling in unknown terrain.
Laptops and PDA's offer an excellent service, especially if you already had the apparatus for other purposes such as office work.
So, it is not just a question of getting hold of a cheap sat nav system and thinking that they are all the same, you have to see it working so that you can weigh up whether it is going to be of any use to you in your situation.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on various topics, but is currently concerned with the Snooper sat nav system. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at Escort 8500.
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