What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Navman iCN 510 or a Tom Tom? - buzbee
I have a friend who is asking for advice and is about to buy SatNav, having looked at Tom Tom and the 510, on paper. He travels mostly in the UK (retired) with a few holidays in France.

He likes the idea of post codes, roads at street level and voice prompts and the fact that the 510 has a storage slot of 512MB to take maps. He says at £349.45 Inc. VAT it looks to be the better buy. Except for the £200 he looks like having to pay for a map kit in order to get one for France.

I think he should also look towards using scamera data (yes I know there is talk of banning.

The colour range of the 500 has a wider spec. but whether this translates into it having a better display in practice is another question?

So, which should he buy? If he bought the Tom 300 would it be possible to swap the map chip, for another pre-loaded one, when he got across the channel -- he can understand French if need be.

RF: .the bubble aerial you mentioned (elsewhere). Is it active or passive and is it coupled into the car cab via window glass?
Navman iCN 510 or a Tom Tom? - Altea Ego
Buzbee

The bubble aerial is active. Its a plastic block with a lead. Waterproof and magnetic base it can go on the roof, or on the rear window ledge. You get a cigar lighter plug to power it (it has the type where you can plug another socket in the end - kinda pass through - so you can hve two things plugged into same socket) YOu get a small re-radiating aerial with a velcro tab to stick near (as near as you can) your device.


It works - goona with a heat reflective screen, can get about three, aerial powered on gets at least 8 all good strength.

Re the TomTOm it has a cf card slot to load other maps (france)

I tested the nav man icn 610 and it didnt know my post code. It didnt know a lot of post codes (KTxx's)
Navman iCN 510 or a Tom Tom? - buzbee
Thanks for that. I wonder what a Tom map-on-card costs? He can ask TT I suppose.
Navman iCN 510 or a Tom Tom? - Armitage Shanks {p}
Scamera information based on a GPS system is not, and will not be illegal, SFAIK
Navman iCN 510 or a Tom Tom? - Altea Ego
Confirm, GPS & database systems are legal and no plans for banning (unlike detectors)