Anyone Else Find Challenges Putting Address in Garmin Satnav?

[The Dark Lord]

Hi fellow forum members, 

 

i am seeking some advice of if I am a technological Luddite or there really is a problem when trying to enter a Thai address into a (Thai approved) Garmin sat navy because for the life of me I just cannot find anywhere with it.

 

my solution right now is to drive to the place I want to find (yes and get hell from Mrs Dark Lord for not turning immediate right crossing four lanes of backed up Bkk traffic)  then using the "Where am I." Function, enter the destination.

 

it does not somehow seem the right way...........

[sumrit]

Compared to just using the postcode-house number system in the UK, yes it is more difficult because you're expected to input the full address. And the biggest problem is trying to second guess the correct spelling that Garmin have chosen for that address. If my only choice is to use the address and I've got the spelling wrong I tend to leave that section blank then search through all the options that come up to find it. But for me Garmin's places of interest menu is comprehensive so most of the time I look for a landmark in that is near where I'm going then select that. Hotels, banks. Petrol stations, Tescos, Bic C's, etc,etc are all listed so there's usually something very close to where I want to go. So I input that then, if necessary, use the maps on my phone for the last couple of hundred yards. Not ideal but, for me, its the best way I can find. 

 

[KhunBENQ]

No sure...

 

Do you expect to find a house/location from it's street address?

I am not aware that any company/office/website has an electronic database that supplies this?

To my knowledge only the local post office and the village/tetsaban administrations have paper/drawn maps.

As you know numbering of houses is completely random/chaotic.

House numbers are assigned chronologically usually.

We live in 340 / 1, next house is 8 / 1.

But it seems you can even buy your favorite house number, a family lives in some apartment in Samut Phrakan with (lucky) house nr. 999.

 

Or do you simply fail due to the even more chaotic transcription of location and street names to English?

Example?

 

Would you find this (from an official website)?:

1032 Phaholyothin Road, Chom Phon, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900.

or

1032 Phahon Yothin Road, Chom Phon, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900.

 

Some stuff for testing:

https://www.bot.or.th/English/FinancialInstitutions/WebsiteFI/pages/instlist.aspx

 

?:

191 South Sathon Road, Bangkok 10120, Thailand

Edited October 11, 2016 by KhunBENQ

[KhunBENQ]

36 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

1032 Phahon Yothin Road, Chom Phon, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900

In the end you have to resort to GPS coordinates:

(basically the " "Where am I."  that you mentioned)

 

13.7990582,100.5518139

Departement of Land Transport, Central Office Bangkok

Found by the map on their website.

Degrees Lat Long                13.7990582°, 100.5518139° Degrees Minutes                  13°47.94349', 100°33.10883' Degrees Minutes Seconds 13°47'56.6095", 100°33'06.5300"

Edited October 11, 2016 by KhunBENQ

[Gary A]

Provided that you have to coordinates, push the where to selection. Scroll down and choose the coordinates. You can easily enter the coordinates. I always use the decimal format. It gives you a choice of formats. If you don't have the coordinates you can choose where to, then browse maps. Put the arrow on where you want to go and press save. You will then have a favorite that you can name whatever you want.

[KhunBENQ]

Simply agree, without coordinates you are most likely lost.

I could give you my address and you would hardly come closer than a mile or so (and only if you understand the Thai administration divisions).

(adding that in the villages only few houses have a number sign attached)

 

For private addresses:

most if not all smartphones have a GPS (location) function with which people can determine their coordinates (tell them).

 

Public places, offices and others:

for those the navigation systems often have "points of interest" to select from.

Otherwise you have to search in the internet whether you can find a map to extract the coordinates from.

Requires some learning.

 

Edited October 11, 2016 by KhunBENQ

[ballpoint]

You can try searching for it, or a place nearby, on google maps, which seems less sensitive to spelling than most sat-navs, then left click on where you want to go on the map and a box will come up with the co-ordinates. Enter these into your sat-nav.

 

 

[yellowboat]

We talked about this year ago.  At that time there way no reverse geo coding for most of Thailand.  That is a database that associates GPS coordinates with an address.  Not sure if that is still the case

[mettech]

I ust got a garmin nuvi and I amfamiliar with the North american way on how to use it but here it is all in Thai writing and I manage to find where I want to go even close to the address i am looking for .

Am sorry it is not in English menu but the wife could read Thai and help sometime. 

I carry a paper map with me just in case.

 

[yardrunner]

I look for the place on Google maps get the coordinates and then enter the coordinates on the sat nav but be aware google maps aren't always accurate

[recom273]

It's a nightmare isn't it .. Just trying to guess the spelling of a town.

 

My garmin use is limited to either a) guiding to pre-researched GPS coordinates, b ) nearest gas stations or hotel names c) go to google maps and compare the maps and manually "dropping a pin" on the garmin, zooming in,  cross referencing with my phone, moving the pin and repeat until I get it close.

 

You also get quite religious in logging your waypoints for future reference.

[ujayujay]

Use your Telephone as Navigator with Google Maps:Easy and Precise. Garmin is the most used Navigator in Cars,but in my Opinion unusable and complicated .In my new Mazda I have it not installed.

[canthai55]

Going from where I live 20km North of Chiang Mai, there are 3 signs directing you how to go to San Kamphaeng. Each sign has a different spelling. I gave up on Thai / English spelling and use the coords as above. For road trips I use the address for the Amphur - usually right downtown.

Edited November 16, 2016 by canthai55

[guzzi850m2]

Yes I also uses the coordinates on my Garmin when searching for something out of the ordinary.

 

Sometimes I find what I am looking on Goggle Earth and and it will provide the cordi's.

 

I don't want/need a data plan for my phone but I do have the Here Maps installed just in case and it can be used off-line.

 

Many cars now comes with sat nav installed but I heard the updates cost a fortune for most brands.

[Gary A]

Using the Thai zip codes is nowhere near precise enough to find your destination. You'll be lucky to be within several kilometers of of where you want to go.

 

Sometimes I buy used items and want to go to where they are located. I ask the seller to carefully mark on Google maps where they live. Using those coordinates usually allows me to find their house.

[Gary A]

15 hours ago, guzzi850m2 said:

Yes I also uses the coordinates on my Garmin when searching for something out of the ordinary.

 

Sometimes I find what I am looking on Goggle Earth and and it will provide the cordi's.

 

I don't want/need a data plan for my phone but I do have the Here Maps installed just in case and it can be used off-line.

 

Many cars now comes with sat nav installed but I heard the updates cost a fortune for most brands.

 

I have a 2015 Isuzu with the in dash GPS. I complained that the map was seriously out of date. After about four months they told me they had a new map available. They charged me 200 baht to install it. It is better but my cheap Garmin is still much better. The in dash unit is missing a lot of roads. It will get you where you want to go but not always the best route. No way would I order the in dash unit if I buy a new vehicle.

[KhunBENQ]

3 hours ago, Gary A said:

Using the Thai zip codes is nowhere near precise enough to find your destination. You'll be lucky to be within several kilometers of of where you want to go.

Absolutely.

Our zip code is 529 km² (about 200 square miles).

30 km north/south (18 miles).

In cities smaller of course.

 

[yardrunner]

3 hours ago, Gary A said:

 

I have a 2015 Isuzu with the in dash GPS. I complained that the map was seriously out of date. After about four months they told me they had a new map available. They charged me 200 baht to install it. It is better but my cheap Garmin is still much better. The in dash unit is missing a lot of roads. It will get you where you want to go but not always the best route. No way would I order the in dash unit if I buy a new vehicle.

I use street map in my Garmin which is free and best of all their are regular free updates

[NE1]

Using Google earth co-ordinates will read out N13.44.23.02 E100.27.43.57 for example.

When I punch these into Garmin Nav. I don't get the option of putting the last figure in. 

Is that last figure important where as I might miss a building in Bangkok then spend 30 mins trying to get back to that same point.