Looking for Camera Updates - Are They Still Free?

[sa_20v]

www.pocketgpsworld.com still do these, but there's now a small subscription fee. I'm tempted, unless of course there are any free map updates which I can take advantage of. It is for a TomTom Go 720T - I have read that the TomTom safety camera subscription is about as much use as an umbrella in a nuclear strike.

[Ranger 6]

Don't know about any other freebie ones, but I've subscribed as I reckon £19 isn't bad for the year as it's a well known, repsected source of accurate info. It also includes the European ones, which at the mo' are only an irritant but in the future will become significant.

[sa_20v]

Ranger 6 said:

Don't know about any other freebie ones, but I've subscribed as I reckon £19 isn't bad for the year as it's a well known, repsected source of accurate info. It also includes the European ones, which at the mo' are only an irritant but in the future will become significant.

Thanks for the info, do you know if they cover all cameras?

[Ranger 6]

Yes, fixed, specs, laser sites etc.

Have used it for the passed few years and have always been happy with the data.

[ScoobieWRX]

I was never aware pocketgps was free. I have been a member for a couple of years now and i think £20 for a years subscription that can potentially save your licence and keep your dosh in your pocket is a very small price to pay.

They are well worth it and are updated regularly, which reminds me, time for an update on the TT Nav6.

[motco]

The only criticism I have of Pocketgps is that the database gets updated by addition sure enought, but redendant sites are left on and you get "specs" warning on motorways where roadworks have long gone. The voices are obtained from a link on the same site IIRC.

[ScoobieWRX]

And it's up to us as users of their database to help them update it regularly as it benefits all of us. In any case they delete plenty of old camera sites everytime it's updated, so if something hasn't been reported to them they cannot update it.

Perhaps the next time you come across that anomaly you'll make a note of it and pass it onto pocketgps as i do

[motco]

ScoobieWRX, I would, and have tried, but when you're on the M1 or M6 and it happens, unless you have a passenger to note the waymarker number it's difficult to define the area. I cannot remember what caused me to fail to get an update logged now, but it failed anyway.

[ScoobieWRX]

Sorry to hear I think the only way right now is to write down roughly where you were on a pad and try to find it on the tomtom afterwards, then report it. That's the only way at the moment i think. thats what i do anyway.

[kybo]

To some degree I agree that the price is not a lot of money but when you consider that it is us, the paying subscribers, that have to update it ourselves, it does seem a tad cheeky (but still worth it IMO). The main problem with a lot of Pgps members, at the same time as the subscription charge came in, was that one of the founding members was gonna draw a wage (subsidised by the then £19 subscription no doubt) to help update it county by county, which became a bitter pill for some to swallow. Wonder if he ever did?

Speed Cheetah do a free camera database(was free when I did it - registration required). It was OK with cameras in the midlands. Not used it for about a year or more tho.

[ScoobieWRX]

I'll stick with PocketGPS, they are UK based and i quite like the community. Plus you get plenty of anoraks on there giving their viewpoints and reports on various bits of software and hardware, as well as ordinary folk that are just interested that go there to pick up hints and tips as well as using the speedcamera database.

This other site is US based and to be honest having now had a good look at it, and purely from a personal preference point of view, i think the UK based site serves UK drivers better.

[Russ35]

I use www.poihandler.com  which is 12 Euro per year for the speed camera data, all the other POI's are free. Then with another program called POIWarner you can interact direct with the data, so if you pass a camera that isn't there or get a warning about about a camera that is not there you, can then add/remove it (you can do that with any POI that you have installed). Then next time you sync your device it auto-updates the master database back at POIHandler and you also get any changes that other people have added.

I use this on a PDA running Navigon Satnav, it also works with other sat-navs, but not sure about the standalone TomTom Go's

The 'pocketgps' database was free for along time, but other people/sites were then selling it on. The other draw back with it then was the time between updates, cameras were being installed a lot quicker than the updates were being released, which is why I used the POIHandler one, as long as you sync frequently you are upto date.

Edited by Russ35 on Thursday 21st February 18:00

[ScoobieWRX]

I use the POI warner on my PDA too so i can delete add sites. Touche!!

[kybo]

I believe Speed Cheetah are UK based but I agree, Scoobie, that pocketgps is much better than the others. I have not heard of POIHANDLER and warner before. I'll check them out. I take it poiwarner is a bit like CheckPOInt? Do you need to be registered at POIHANDLER to be able to update changes you have made yourself (obviously you have to to get updates from others)? Will it work on the speed cam files from pocketgps?

Thanks for the links.

Thanks,
Scott

[Russ35]

Scott,

Had a quick look at Checkpoint. Yes it appears to work much the same as POIWarner and PoiHandler. PoiWarner is the program that sits on top of the sat-nav to display the POI's and audio warnings etc, and POI Handler is the site to download the POI's from/to. You need a yearly subscription to POI Handler (only for the speed related POI's, all others are free) and POI Warner is a one off purchase for the correct version for your PDA/sat-nav.