Sat Nav

[wispyerk007]

Moving to Pattaya in September, I have read some topics on here about sat nav and would be interested to here any recomendations about different models especially if anyone has bought one recently, the brand everyone seems to rave about here in the UK is the TOM TOM but dont know if it's available in Thailand, topics on here seem to recommend the Garmin although the Garmin iQue M5 PDA according to Garmins site has now been disscontinued. Also can sat navs be purchased in Tucom in Pattaya or is Bangkok better. Thanks in advance for any info.

[terdsak_12]

http://www.gadgetrend.com/

[corkscrew]

Moving to Pattaya in September, I have read some topics on here about sat nav and would be interested to here any recomendations about different models especially if anyone has bought one recently, the brand everyone seems to rave about here in the UK is the TOM TOM but dont know if it's available in Thailand, topics on here seem to recommend the Garmin although the Garmin iQue M5 PDA according to Garmins site has now been disscontinued. Also can sat navs be purchased in Tucom in Pattaya or is Bangkok better. Thanks in advance for any info.

I have been using the Garmin Road Pilot which I bought at Pontip Plaza in Bangkok. It is very accurate and the commands (written and spoken) are in English. This is the unit that The Conrad Hotel in BKK got for its drivers.

Edited August 9, 2006 by corkscrew

[wispyerk007]

Corkscrew, if you dont mind could I ask how much you paid for the unit please, and would you know if it is possible to just by the Thailand city select 6.7 cd / sd card on its own. Thanks.

[corkscrew]

Corkscrew, if you dont mind could I ask how much you paid for the unit please, and would you know if it is possible to just by the Thailand city select 6.7 cd / sd card on its own. Thanks.

It was about 30,000 baht....but that included everything. I don't know if you can buy what you wanted alone. I am really very happy with the package that I got as it gives me the freedom to drive all over Thailand without getting lost.

[jcgodber]

I use the Garmin 2650 street pilot and it works great for me. Garmin does not make or provide GPS map sets for Thailand. The only map set they have that can be used here in Thailand is their world map.

However- ESRI a cartographer company here in Thailand, has a contract to produce 3rd party software for the Garmin. If you do a Google for ESRI you will get their address here in bangkok. I bought the 10th street pilot sold here in Thailand about 2 years ago and it has never failed me. 2 years ago the price was 50,000 baht. Esri sells and services most garmin and other brands.

Jim

[phibunmike]

Does anyone know the relative merits of the Street Pilot 2720 (47,700) and the nuvi 350 (40,000) ?

The nuvi, although cheaper, apparently offers "new improved" text to voice to read out street names...

Any advice or comments welcomed

[phibunmike]

I use the Garmin 2650 street pilot and it works great for me. Garmin does not make or provide GPS map sets for Thailand. The only map set they have that can be used here in Thailand is their world map.

However- ESRI a cartographer company here in Thailand, has a contract to produce 3rd party software for the Garmin. If you do a Google for ESRI you will get their address here in bangkok. I bought the 10th street pilot sold here in Thailand about 2 years ago and it has never failed me. 2 years ago the price was 50,000 baht. Esri sells and services most garmin and other brands.

Jim

If you buy a Garmin now (from gadget trend anyway) it comes with Thai road maps included in the price (the Thailand City Select v6.7 that wispyer007 mentioned).

[Nemothepemo]

I use the Garmin 2650 street pilot and it works great for me. Garmin does not make or provide GPS map sets for Thailand. The only map set they have that can be used here in Thailand is their world map.

However- ESRI a cartographer company here in Thailand, has a contract to produce 3rd party software for the Garmin. If you do a Google for ESRI you will get their address here in bangkok. I bought the 10th street pilot sold here in Thailand about 2 years ago and it has never failed me. 2 years ago the price was 50,000 baht. Esri sells and services most garmin and other brands.

Jim

I have ESRI City Select V6.7 and Garmin Que. I got them with a Garmin GPS 10 which is a stand alone Sat Receiver. I then install the software and maps on my Siemens SX66 PDA. It never requieres a serial number. The software and maps are great and very detailed. I found my house in Pattaya and can locate any Starbucks or 7/11. I was wondering if I can install the software and maps on a Dell PDA and use another stand alone receiver. Do you know anything about this ?

[Gary A]

I was/am VERY interested in sat-nav unit but unfortunately none of them have a good Thailand map. As previously mentioned the independent company, ESRI has done a good job on the Bangkok area but has neglected the rest of the country. It's understandable because of the limited demand. No demand = no decent product.

[Meerkat]

I was/am VERY interested in sat-nav unit but unfortunately none of them have a good Thailand map. As previously mentioned the independent company, ESRI has done a good job on the Bangkok area but has neglected the rest of the country. It's understandable because of the limited demand. No demand = no decent product.

Fairly surprised by that. We've been using the ESRI data outside BKK and I was amazed how detailed it was. Admittedly no farther north than Khao Yai so far, but it seemed to have all the country lanes and stacks of restaurants/shops/ATMs etc.

We'll be taking it on a road-trip to Chiang Rai next month, so will post how we get on.

[Gary A]

I was/am VERY interested in sat-nav unit but unfortunately none of them have a good Thailand map. As previously mentioned the independent company, ESRI has done a good job on the Bangkok area but has neglected the rest of the country. It's understandable because of the limited demand. No demand = no decent product.

Fairly surprised by that. We've been using the ESRI data outside BKK and I was amazed how detailed it was. Admittedly no farther north than Khao Yai so far, but it seemed to have all the country lanes and stacks of restaurants/shops/ATMs etc.

We'll be taking it on a road-trip to Chiang Rai next month, so will post how we get on.

I'll give you an example. We live in a village called Nong Gik. We have friends in Si Chompu. I can easily go south on highway 201 to highway 12 then east until until 2153 then back north. I can do that with a road atlas. What I want is a good enough GSM that it will show me how to get there without going way south and then going back north. The last time we went via the small roads but without my wife I could not have done it. If the routes are on a road map, why do I need a GPS?

[HDRIDER]

Hi

Maybe you dont need a GPS, but belive me when i drive from Phuket to Chaing Mai its nice to have, and going to BKK, i always get lost there, and i dont have time to look in the road atlas, the GPS will tell you where to go, save hours when you drive a lot, even use one on my motorbike as well, great help. i like going on the small roads, and when i get lost, not many can show me the way (i dont speak Thai that good)

Edited September 11, 2006 by HDRIDER

[Meerkat]

I'll give you an example. We live in a village called Nong Gik. We have friends in Si Chompu. I can easily go south on highway 201 to highway 12 then east until until 2153 then back north. I can do that with a road atlas. What I want is a good enough GSM that it will show me how to get there without going way south and then going back north. The last time we went via the small roads but without my wife I could not have done it. If the routes are on a road map, why do I need a GPS?

Ah OK, I get your drift. I think this might be the reason.

In the case of the Garmin 2720 I use, there are two options in one of the menus: quickest route or shortest route (or IIRC an option to prompt you on each trip which you'd like to use). The default setting is quickest route.

The map data assigns each class of road with a nominal speed (e.g. highways might be 100 km/h and back roads 50). The GPS then works out two routes, both by time and by distance. It sounds like in the example you gave if the system was working in "quickest" mode, it would take you south, east, north.

Living in the 'burbs of BKK, I've obviously usually got the GPS in that mode too (elevated highways etc.). We did an experiment in Khao Yai by putting it in "shortest" mode to get from somewhere in the middle of nowhere back to our hotel. We already knew the main-road route as we're up there fairly often, but the machine took us a totally different way - even on a dirt-track between two Chockchai farms!

But sure enough, it got us there, and was probably quicker as well, seeing as the nominal speeds assigned to roads take no account of traffic congestion. The Garmin unit (with a small add-on module) will take traffic into consideration as soon as Thailand starts sending radio traffic data. Probably not much use to you in the north, but will be a boon in BKK.

The unit, teamed with the ESRI data is not flawless (again largely due to thinking things like being able to stream down Sukhumvit Rd in rush hour at 90 km/h!), and the transliteration of some Thai names can be...um...imaginative, but we've been pretty happy with it.

Maybe try and get hold of test unit and put it on "shortest distance" mode.

[Mosha]

http://cars.uk.msn.com/accessories/article...umentid=1009370

Just saw this at msn.co.uk "Road" testing sat navs.

[corkscrew]

Now if the Garmin could just find a motorcycle free route.

[skippybangkok]

OK.....

Got the Garmin GPS from Pantip ( Dinosaur ) and it came with a disk with 2 maps, the thai one and the "english". There is no clear documentation what to do with this disk and how to do "english"

1. copied the english data to a SD card, and put it in, nothing happend, and no menu's to select this map

2. did a real no no and backed up the old 92MB file on the GPS, and replaced it with the "english version".

No noticable change.

Map all in Thai. Can read Thai, but Enligh can read quicker

any tips.

Got the POI loader working last night. Using google earth, checked out the car park entrance to the office and it was spot on the mark ( to my surprise )

[percy2]

OK.....

Got the Garmin GPS from Pantip ( Dinosaur ) and it came with a disk with 2 maps, the thai one and the "english". There is no clear documentation what to do with this disk and how to do "english"

1. copied the english data to a SD card, and put it in, nothing happend, and no menu's to select this map

2. did a real no no and backed up the old 92MB file on the GPS, and replaced it with the "english version".

No noticable change.

Map all in Thai. Can read Thai, but Enligh can read quicker

any tips.

Got the POI loader working last night. Using google earth, checked out the car park entrance to the office and it was spot on the mark ( to my surprise )

I bought one of my units from that very shop.

Had them set it up in english for me.

Take it back.

I find the service from Gadgetrend better.

Cheers

[skippybangkok]

OK.....

Got the Garmin GPS from Pantip ( Dinosaur ) and it came with a disk with 2 maps, the thai one and the "english". There is no clear documentation what to do with this disk and how to do "english"

1. copied the english data to a SD card, and put it in, nothing happend, and no menu's to select this map

2. did a real no no and backed up the old 92MB file on the GPS, and replaced it with the "english version".

No noticable change.

Map all in Thai. Can read Thai, but Enligh can read quicker

any tips.

Got the POI loader working last night. Using google earth, checked out the car park entrance to the office and it was spot on the mark ( to my surprise )

I bought one of my units from that very shop.

Had them set it up in english for me.

Take it back.

I find the service from Gadgetrend better.

Cheers

Thanks. What are the differences ? My mrs kinda likes the thai version ( gone from total " we dont need this shit" to "waow... can i put it in my car" )

[glassdude007]

ask board member.....zzz.....

he is an expert at navigation......

[CbrLad]

Old thread I know, but does anyone know if you can get a map of Thailand for a TomTom One XL?

[Bpraim1]

try rotweilermaps! they may have something in the way of a map for you? or goto tom tom website and see what they have?

I just got my map from ESRI, Is pretty good. Hits the wallet hard but I haven't been lost for a week now. maybe I'll make the money back on saved fuel.

[mikethevigoman]

Moving to Pattaya in September, I have read some topics on here about sat nav and would be interested to here any recomendations about different models especially if anyone has bought one recently, the brand everyone seems to rave about here in the UK is the TOM TOM but dont know if it's available in Thailand, topics on here seem to recommend the Garmin although the Garmin iQue M5 PDA according to Garmins site has now been disscontinued. Also can sat navs be purchased in Tucom in Pattaya or is Bangkok better. Thanks in advance for any info.

Garmin through their dealer esri in bkk have just released a cracking unit for 14000 baht, the map to buy ( and no one else has it ) is 12000 baht which makes this unit a bargain,.

[mikethevigoman]

I was/am VERY interested in sat-nav unit but unfortunately none of them have a good Thailand map. As previously mentioned the independent company, ESRI has done a good job on the Bangkok area but has neglected the rest of the country. It's understandable because of the limited demand. No demand = no decent product.

Not true any more, they have just released a new unit with full thailand coverage for 14000 baht,, a bargain, the map to buy for another unit is 12000,.

[LivinLOS]

Moving to Pattaya in September, I have read some topics on here about sat nav and would be interested to here any recomendations about different models especially if anyone has bought one recently, the brand everyone seems to rave about here in the UK is the TOM TOM but dont know if it's available in Thailand, topics on here seem to recommend the Garmin although the Garmin iQue M5 PDA according to Garmins site has now been disscontinued. Also can sat navs be purchased in Tucom in Pattaya or is Bangkok better. Thanks in advance for any info.

Garmin through their dealer esri in bkk have just released a cracking unit for 14000 baht, the map to buy ( and no one else has it ) is 12000 baht which makes this unit a bargain,.

Not true the Rotwieller maps are (i am told) pretty much as good as the garmin ones..

[CbrLad]

Thanks guys I will have a look at some of the others, I wasn't sure if they would work on a TomTom. BTW TomTom don't have a Thai may, that was obvisously the first place I checked.

[Gary A]

Thanks guys I will have a look at some of the others, I wasn't sure if they would work on a TomTom. BTW TomTom don't have a Thai may, that was obvisously the first place I checked.

I had a lot of email communication with Rotweiler and in fact use his maps. They will NOT work on anything other than Garmin units. The maps have some glitches but as I understand, so do the ESRI maps. Rotweiler will issue you two passwords to be installed for two units if you own two yourself. ESRI, only one unit. The best thing about Rotweiler is the ability to be able to look at different route and transfer information between your PC and your GPS unit. ESRI maps won't work on your PC without paying a whopping 32,000 baht for a disk.

[Bpraim1]

GaryA,

What did you pay for the rotweiler map?

[mikethevigoman]

GaryA,

What did you pay for the rotweiler map?

and where from ?

[Gary A]

The maps are free ( ) BUT you must donate to be able to download them. If you Google Rotweiler GPS maps the site will come up and you can read the details. The download for the All of Thailand is about 95 MB and I found that the 128 MB memory card that came with my unit wouldn't hold it all. I upgraded both my units to one GIG memory cards. The donations are $25, $50 and $100 US. He answers emails very quickly and you can work out with him what you want to do. His advice to me was right on the money and accurate. The $100 option gives you all the maps and future updates. I'm quite satisfied. It's quite surprising how many goat paths are on the map. It has never failed to find me an accurate route back home when I am out exploring. Both of my units have options for the types of roads I prefer. I have now set my devices to favor medium roads and avoid minor (goat path) roads. I was very hesitant to spend the money if I could find the same roads on my road atlas. Fortunately that is NOT the case. The best road atlas I could find doesn't even list the road I live on and it is a pretty good paved road.