EuroKClub
General forum area => The Euro K Comms & Sat Nav Corner (including Trackers) => Topic started by: Phmode on June 24, 2018, 01:32:55 pm
-
We had a wee chat about camera vans at Dom's yesterday. Er, no, there were no camera vans at Dom's yesterday,
I'll start again.
At Dom's yesterday, we had a wee chat about camera vans. Mick had come across a van festooned with camers and almost died. But it turned out it was an Apple Maps camera van. I was amazed he didn't have a database to warn him of the real thing.
So, for those who use Garmin or Tom Tom devices, or even Androids, one of the best databases is from Pocket GPS World...
https://www.pocketgpsworld.com
It costs £20 a year but is way, way cheaper than a fine or three points.
It covers the whole of Europe, is crowd-sourced by the users on a constantly updated basis with a year's free membership for the first person to spot a new one or a deleted one (and this includes those constantly moving ones on mororway road works which seem to pop up and change every few days).
With new database releases every week, you are never more than a week at risk. No charge for downloading, do it as often as you like and you can use it on up to three devices from memory.
I have never spotted one that wasn't already in the database cos the bloody commuters and reps spot them all first.
It gives all fixed Gatsos, average speed camers and all declared camera van sites (including those on bridges over motorways and Dual-carriageways like the one that 'might' have got me last week cos I was too stupid to tell the difference between the Garmin telling me I was speeding and the Garmin telling me I was speeding toward a camera van site that did actually have an active van in operation).
You can download the European database with or without the French and Swiss sites and it is available for virtually every device out there.
There is also a weekly newsletter on all things to do with sat nags, from the serious like the UK's version of the Euro satellite constellation to the ridiculous, like the inventor of an inflatable Gatso, called Fakeso, who was threatened with 7 years in the clink.
There are other subscription services around but having used PGPSW for the last ten years or so and still, perhaps, with a clean licence, I never go anywhere quickly without it, irritating as it is at times, constantly bonging at you.
-
Or even iPhones:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/cameralert/id336238843
-
There is a bit of a fly in ointment Brian for Tomtom users. I am a user of Camralert which is the PocketGPSworlds App (I have it for Android)
The newer Tomtoms (Rider 400 and up) do not allow for warnings of POIs. You can put the camera
database on the unit but you cannot have warnings as you approach. One of the things I miss about the Tomtom V5.
To expand, the Tomtom database is pretty good, I have a sneaky suspicion but cannot confirm it that Tomtom may use the Camralert database.
-
Or even iPhones:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/cameralert/id336238843
Thanks Rich (although it has not yet been updated for IOS 11).
-
I intend to buy the Scala Freecom 4 soon (as I gave my old Scala G4 to my son) - which really is needed to get any audible alert of course. So I'll soon have a headset again, and then I extract the radar locations from OpenStreetMap. Up to now, I didn't miss one ... yet. Every year, at most a couple of days before leaving home for my summer (bike) holiday, I extract a new version, and insert it into my Garmin. Easy to extract, once you found out how to do it (which I found out here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4_suJMMn90) - shameless link to a youtube video I made of it). Half an hour for downloading the Europe OpenStreetMap database, half an hour of processing time to extract the radar locations, and after one hour, a freshly baked POI file is ready. For free, in this case...
-
I'm pretty sure that the smartphone link on my Zumo has a speed camera database. It seems you get traffic and Safety camera info for free, but need a subscription for other services.
-
Or even iPhones:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/cameralert/id336238843
Thanks Rich (although it has not yet been updated for IOS 11).
Hello Bruno, I hope you're well!.
From the Appstore notes:
> v2.0.1
21 Sep 2017
CamerAlert has been updated to be compatible with the latest versions of the iOS software including iOS11
Although, I notice it only has 3 stars.
You might to take out a monthly sub first (£3.99) to make sure its OK, before committing a lot of money
-
It's only 20 quid for the year, but worth trying it first.
-
To me, the BIG plus point of PocketGPSWorld is that the users update it constantly and there is an incentive for them to be observant, over and above the risk of getting nicked.
I used to use a French gizmo which also used the PGPSW database but it turned out they only got the updated database every month or so and toward the end of their existance, very rarely, as I almost found out to my cost...
I don't update every week because on a weekly basis not much changes in my normal, retired, driving world. But, before every big bike jaunt or car outing to the back of beyond, an update, which takes about 3 minutes in total, is a must have.
And, unlike some other services that try to make money out of their database, PGPSW don't; they make their money from selling devices and other services and the database is merely an add-on service for their customers.
I like the real-time, cloud-sourced data that some folks provide which is based on users hitting a button on their device when they see an actual camera van in operation but I think it only works if you ise your phone as your sat nag.
To be honest, mostly when I get a bong I tend to brake out of a misguided sense of guilt and when I look down I wasn't even breaking the speed limit anyway...this doesn't apply on motorways, duals, 50 limits and the wide-open roads (remember those?) where I am mostly way above the limit M'lud...
-
Or even iPhones:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/cameralert/id336238843
Thanks Rich (although it has not yet been updated for IOS 11).
Hello Bruno, I hope you're well!.
From the Appstore notes:
> v2.0.1
21 Sep 2017
CamerAlert has been updated to be compatible with the latest versions of the iOS software including iOS11
Although, I notice it only has 3 stars.
You might to take out a monthly sub first (£3.99) to make sure its OK, before committing a lot of money
All well thanks Rich. Having downloaded the app, I got a message about the incompatibility. As you suggest it may be that I have to subscribe.
-
I've switched off the safety camera audio warning from my sat nav which used to drive me bonkers. ::)
-
I did that once and nearly bricked myself coming into a village with no warning of the van. I was only doing 30 but even so...
-
Cheers Brian, I don't mind the bongs !! it's the punch in the back from the rear lookout that I don't like ..
Best regards Mick
-
Cheers Brian, I don't mind the bongs !! it's the punch in the back from the rear lookout that I don't like ..
Best regards Mick
Ah, the old double kidney chop.
Google translates that to: 'Stop that or you'll be in trouble. With me and the police.'
-
Pow 4 year necromancy!
I finally signed up to pocketgpsworld and then (yes the wrong way round) went to their compatible devices list.
TomTom 400? Nope. Bugger.
Anybody got a workaround? Forums appear to say nope. As Rae mentions TomTom have their own db so perhaps it's of no matter.
-
You can put them on as a POI file but it's a pain. There is a PocketGPSWorld app for you phone called Cameralert but it only works with phones up to Android 9 for newer phones there is Speed Trap Alert which uses the PGPSW database. I use my phone in conjunction with my Rider 550.