Motorhome SAT NAVS

State-of-the-art satellite navigation for motorhomers? Yes, it does exist. John Sootheran investigates

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What is a sat nav?

Basically, a sat nav is an electronic device that relies on GPS technology to act as a digital map.

Regional maps are preloaded into the system, and the device uses satellite signals to find your vehicle’s location on the map, and display its speed and direction of travel. The more satellites the sat nav can ‘see’, the more accurate the information it delivers.

In ideal conditions, it will show your position to within a few metres and its speed display will be more accurate than your vehicle’s speedometer.

Some sat nav manufacturers, such as Snooper, Garmin and TomTom, make systems designed specifically for leisure vehicle users.

With one of these, you just input the dimensions of your ’van, and only suitable routes, with regard to highway width, bridge heights and weight limits, will be recommended.

They also typically have campsites, attractions and other holiday-oriented information programmed into them.

What are they for?

As well as their navigation function, sat navs can deliver all sorts of other useful information. They can be used to find petrol stations, highway services or points of interest (POI).

They can also alert you to upcoming speed cameras, keep you abreast of the current speed limit and inform you of your estimated time of arrival.

The best systems are interactive, so information on traffic conditions, accidents, hold-ups and so on can be received in time to make effective diversions or reduce your speed. When problems occur, the best systems will redirect you around any obstructions, by the quickest route possible.

Note that in France, speed camera detectors are illegal. Be mindful of that fact if your sat nav incorporates this feature, because you will need to turn the function off if you tour there.

Types of sat nav system