Taxi Driver Online

I know sat navs are heresy to the pure cabbie, but I need one & I need a bloody good one!!

At the moment I have a sat nav built into the Aussie originating dispatch system that the radio system I am on supples as part of the installed equipment, but I have given notice to come off that radio circuit, hence the need for a stand alone sat nav.

I know my licensed area really well & don't need sat nav to get me to pick-ups & destinations in Brum. But I now work, & for the next 4+ years expect to be working, predominantly from Birmingham International Airport. Fares from there can go anywhere, with about 50% of hirings terminating outside my licensed area. It is for these hirings that I need the sat nav.

A few drivers on the airport have recently bought the Garmin 1690 sat nav, which has some brilliant features, especially for out of area work.

For instance; the international passenger, speaking very little or no English, gives you a piece of paper with an incomplete address & wants to go to some company or firm in a obscure office building on an industrial estate say 30 or 40 miles away that you've never heard of. The Garmin allows you to do a Google search on the company or firm on the obscure indusrtrial estate & when you find it, you just select it, press Go & the sat nav takes you to the company or firm on the obscure industrial estate 30 or 40 miles away. The Garmin also has flight arrival information, amongst other features.

Now those are just two highly useful features for a airport cabbie!!!

The problem is that I don't know too much about Garmin sat nav reliability & most people are telling me to stick to TomTom.

Does anyone know if any TomTom sat navs have a similar facility, because I can't find one that does?

Is anyone using a Garmin 1690 or a sat nav with the same facilities & features?

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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I don't use that particular Garmin but I have used various Garmin sat navs over the years and I have found them to be very good.

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Grandad,

Brum you have given the game away, you said you where getting a new cab, so you went for the skoda superb after all, for PH work :
With a TOM TOM you can update them on line almost daily useing map share

Garmin and Navman are better than the Tom Tom's IMO. Don't scrimp when buying one it's only false economy, the ones at the cheaper end of the market are as good as useless. You get what you pay for get nowadays I'm afraid.

Garmins good its simple and accurate and its user friendly when it comes to Garmin Website updates.

Tom Tom was a bit to complex to use and every time I tried to Update mine via the Tom Tom website the damned thing would freeze up solid...horrible thing it is!!

That said...both still work and the Tom Tom is about 6 years old now but it is slow in re-finding a signal if you go ander a bridge or thru a tunnel....where as the Garmin fixes itself straight away..

I've only ever had smartnav in my vehicles with the option to ring an operator to find things for you when needed

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

I use "SAT-NAG", ....its a wonderful system for keeping you right..just sit SWMBO in the car anywhere and you'll never want for directions again..

I'm a Tom Tom man.

Better by miles IMO.

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IDFIMH

No problems with my tomtom go. I don't use it in Aberdeen but it's good for finding obscure places in the sticks. Great for finding my way home from the back of beyond as well.
It also saved me having to install an mp3 player

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

I use Co-Pilot on my phone. Don't need it that often but it performs well enough when I do use it.

Orange maps and google maps also available on the same device, if needed for any reason.

I dont drink Brum, but someone said that all the hacks had been kicked out of brum airport and that the PH had moved in

And the someone's name is . . . . Monsieur Merde à la Taureau!!!

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

Order!! Order!!

No....




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