So, I'm in the middle of Wigan about 300yds from my destination, but down several narrow streets and various turns. Sat Nav working very well until the screen goes blank and then the whole system re-boots from scratch as if the car was being used for the first time.
It reset the whole system and apart from working out eventually where I was, it thought I was searching in Belgium for my destination! Got it all working again eventually after spending more than a few minutes resetting all my preferences although there is one thing I need to sort out still.
I wonder why?
In case you don't know, its a built in Kenwood SatNav within a Subaru Outback.
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but whereabouts were you in Wigan - there are parts that have never seen sunlight, let alone satellite signals !
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Go on, get out of the car...
www.mikes-walks.co.uk
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Sounds like it lost all power (inc. back-up supply) - perhaps a poor connection somewhere.
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sounds like it got a spike to me
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Yes, Wigan. Still, at least you couldn't have been in hurry. Nothing of importance occurs in Wigan. Do satnavs actually have maps of Wigan? My satnav stopped working in Mankchester recently, fortunately, it's only a small town so I drove around in circles for 10 minutes until I found my destination. Which was Bolton.
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I pride myself on my sense of direction, but I have never, not once, driven in and out of Wigan by the same route. I don't believe it's possible.
This is reason enough for me never to go there and your story confirms my suspicions that there is a worm hole between Wigan and the Bermuda Triangle. It would explain the tacky shirts you see the menfolk wearing there on a Firday night.
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As a true southerner I have to admit to not knowing where Wigan actually is!
However is it merely a coincidence that the failure of your Sat Nav has occurred with the return of Life on Mars?
;-)
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pmh (was peter)
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I pride myself on my sense of direction, but I have never, not once, driven in and out of Wigan by the same route. I don't believe it's possible.
You too? I thought I was the only one. I can get in by the same route every time, but getting out is just puzzling frankly. It actually explains why there are people there at all: they can't escape.
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Yes, it's definitely the Wigan factor. Everyone gets lost there. Probably the town planners hoping we'll give up, stop and shop.
The only time I have been there was about 50 years ago; I was a child of 8-ish, my mum was driving and we got hopelessly lost - the only place I can remember we got lost in a long north-south journey. We ended up only just avoiding going the wrong way up a one-way street and my mum vowed never to go back there.
She's now 89 not out and has kept to her vow. I've never had any reason to go there and if others are to be believed, I probably never will. Adam, late of this forum, I believe lives there, but he's no longer around to come to its defence.
But all in jest :) in case anyone lives there and is seething. Come and be rude about Reading - I certainly shan't mind!
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I've only been to Wigan once (trying to get to Telewest regional HQ) and you guessed it got lost. Got very near and then could not find a turn that took me to the building. This was a few years ago now. And I very nearly went down a one way street the wrong way too.
Not gone back since :-) No need thankfully as it was business.
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What's the best thing to come out of Wigan?
The railway line!
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Was in Birmingham once and set my TomTom to go to north Wales. A very interesting 2000 mile route via Portugal. Think that it must have been trying to tell me something
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I too have a loathing of driving into and out of Wigan. Why it's in Greater Manchester I do not know, as its impossible to reach it from Manchester without going via narrow country roads clogged with pie-eaters driving at 3mph.
Nothing else on the car went faulty at that time of the problem, so it must have been the local air.
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Nothing to do with your duff Subaru, but dont get too adicted to satnav. The Americans can, and do, switch the system off occaisionally "for maintenance".
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What will happen to the road-pricing system when there is a "spike" or someone wants to get to Wigan? Will there be free days, when the system is closed for maintenance?
BTW I never have understood why Wigan apparently has a pier. Brighton, Blackpool, even Westminster, yes. Perhaps I should read the book.
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"Perhaps I should read the book."
That won't help you; he never found it. It does exist, though.
V
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Nothing to do with your duff Subaru, but dont get too adicted to satnav. The Americans can, and do, switch the system off occaisionally "for maintenance".
Err no they don't, far to many things are reliant on Sat Nav to "turn it off"
Even when the gulf war was on they didn't make any changes or turn it off. They actually use a more accurate variation from the same satelites.
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tr7v8, I hope you dont think that the americans only have one satnav system. They never release anything with a military use until they have someting better for there own exclusive use.
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I think the position is they downgrade the accuracy of the information to non-military users. The GPS system is the GPS system and there is only one of them, beloging to the US. Europe is trying to put up their own at huge expense which will be late, over budget and un-useable but that is a different system!
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Recently was in Sheffield - turned on sat nav (Tom Tom) - took nearly 10 misn to get a signal and find where I was - moved 100 yards - lost signal - drove towards city centre and took approx 20 mins (and a few reboots) to find me again.
Went to buy a 306 from a village called Ashley (Leicestershire) - I live in Nottingham. Seller advised me to head towards Market Harborough (A6 London Road in Leicester). - Easy I thought - as its a straight forward to Leicester and then the A6.
Turned on Tom Tom - tod me to bypass Lecister - go through Melton mowbray (I, like fool trusted the sat nav and thought it had found a quicker route). - Tight twisty country lanes (fun, but slow, and not a direct route) - amazing.
Funny thing - found a diifferent route there and on the way back (to view car) - different route on the way to collect the car and finally the proper route on the way back?
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No offence to the OP or anyone else, but who else saw the pratnav joke in Private Eye this week (which was entangled with a badly drawn wrecked jet dragster and the name TG)?
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Saw it! Loved it! Sadly, not accessible on line. My favourite is SatNag!
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e Prof
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Taking the mick out of both TG and satnav in one sentence....don't you know how dangerous that could be here?
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So, I'm
American, obviously.
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I din't have a Satnav, can't afford one and probably wouldn't understand it anyhow, But, are they affected by stray signals from, say, Wireless computers, mobile phone masts etc.?
I once visited Wigan Pier and enjoyed it.
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It's well worth a visit to the mill with the very large steam engine. It's quite near the pier.
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T'Steam engine's broke at the mo - back online for Easter apparantly.
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I was impressed by the sheer size of the flywheel and the number of ropes. When it's running I'm sure that the average car engine is louder.
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Where's Wigan? Is It oop North?
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Had the misfortune to be in Wigan, 60 miles from home, on a spacesaver, fruitlessly looking for a tyre dealer which didn't exist, in the dark and snow recently.
Was a long and slow journey back home...........
I hate Wigan.
Steve
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