# Sat nav in Thailand



## Gandytron

Evening all,

my firstest ever post :clap2:

I'm wanting to buy a sat nav (GPS) for driving in Thailand.

I could either buy it in Bangkok, or in the UK or USA when I go for my summer holidays next month.

Does anybody have a recommendation on this? Garmin seem to be most popular, but the models fore sale in Thailand seem to be a bit out of date (?) and I'm a bit confused about how comprehensive the maps are for the WHOLE country.

If I buy a Sat Nav in the UK or USA, can I easily get Thai maps? My research on line so far has been a bit confusing.

Thanks

G


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## Serendipity2

Gandytron said:


> Evening all,
> 
> my firstest ever post :clap2:
> 
> I'm wanting to buy a sat nav (GPS) for driving in Thailand.
> 
> I could either buy it in Bangkok, or in the UK or USA when I go for my summer holidays next month.
> 
> Does anybody have a recommendation on this? Garmin seem to be most popular, but the models fore sale in Thailand seem to be a bit out of date (?) and I'm a bit confused about how comprehensive the maps are for the WHOLE country.
> 
> If I buy a Sat Nav in the UK or USA, can I easily get Thai maps? My research on line so far has been a bit confusing.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> G



Gandytron,

New eh? So we can't beat up on you until your next post!  I think you will find your best buy will be in the USA and probably over the Internet. I would go to a store that sells them, try several and see which you like. If anyone is going to have maps of Thailand I would think the makers would - not a firm in Thailand since most purchasers are going to by American/Canadian/European but again, just a guess but I think the developers would have maps for most of Asia. 

Out of curiosity, why do you think you need one? To get to a destination while in Thailand? I've never used one in the USA but I've had no trouble driving to the east coast or to California. In Thailand I find navigating in the big cities - Chiang Mai or Bangkok - fairly easy provided I know the destination. As for driving in Thailand, the maps are good - many in English to the major towns. 

Anyway, you should be able to inquire over the Internet to the makers directly and ask if they have the maps for Thailand [I'm sure they do] and if the info is in English [it should be] but see which model you like best and be sure to buy from a legit seller. The USA is the land of scams so buy on a credit card, not a debit card and make sure you can return if no good.

Serendipity2


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## Gandytron

Serendipity2 said:


> Gandytron,
> 
> New eh? So we can't beat up on you until your next post!  I think you will find your best buy will be in the USA and probably over the Internet. I would go to a store that sells them, try several and see which you like. If anyone is going to have maps of Thailand I would think the makers would - not a firm in Thailand since most purchasers are going to by American/Canadian/European but again, just a guess but I think the developers would have maps for most of Asia.
> 
> Out of curiosity, why do you think you need one? To get to a destination while in Thailand? I've never used one in the USA but I've had no trouble driving to the east coast or to California. In Thailand I find navigating in the big cities - Chiang Mai or Bangkok - fairly easy provided I know the destination. As for driving in Thailand, the maps are good - many in English to the major towns.
> 
> Anyway, you should be able to inquire over the Internet to the makers directly and ask if they have the maps for Thailand [I'm sure they do] and if the info is in English [it should be] but see which model you like best and be sure to buy from a legit seller. The USA is the land of scams so buy on a credit card, not a debit card and make sure you can return if no good.
> 
> Serendipity2


Thanks S,

My reason for buying a Sat Nav for Thailand is because I end up in some pretty obscure places away from the cities and can never refind them (!), or end up taking different routes (ie getting lost) when I go to them.

Also, whilst road signage is generally pretty good here (even in English) I still find myself thinking "Sat Nav would be useful right now!) on some occasions.

I'd be interested to hear from others who have Sat Nav here to find out how good the coverage is.

Best wishes

G


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## Serendipity2

Gandytron said:


> Thanks S,
> 
> My reason for buying a Sat Nav for Thailand is because I end up in some pretty obscure places away from the cities and can never refind them (!), or end up taking different routes (ie getting lost) when I go to them.
> 
> Also, whilst road signage is generally pretty good here (even in English) I still find myself thinking "Sat Nav would be useful right now!) on some occasions.
> 
> I'd be interested to hear from others who have Sat Nav here to find out how good the coverage is.
> 
> Best wishes
> 
> G



Gandytron,

Makes sense! But maybe easier to have a note pad and if you find an interesting village make a note where it was. I hope you find someone with a Sat Nav but I don't think you're going to find too many expats heading off into the bush, worrying whether they can find it again. If it's that good they'll just stay but usually they're just passing through. However you may be on to something. Maybe it would help some expats navigate home after a hard night at the bars? 

Serendipity2


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## gino

I’ve commented on my misadventures with GPS in several posts, which you might find by doing a search on Garmin or GPS. 

I have a two-year-old Garmin nüvi 265W that I purchased in the States and a discontinued Garmin SD card for SE Asia that I found on E-bay. I also have an iPhone with GPS capabilities, but have never used it because True Move only gives me 1GB/month of data since it’s a Chinese model (not to be confused with a Chinese clone). Also, True Move doesn’t have very good coverage. 

Among the problems I’ve encountered:
1.	The Garmin nüvi does not handle Thai. It has thirty-two languages, but Thai is not one of them. 
2.	There are at least half a dozen transliteration systems. ถนน (road) can be transliterated as tanon, thanon, tha nohn, tà-nŏn, etc., and it’s a simple word, two syllables, three letters. Unless the address is spelled and spaced exactly as it is in on the SD card, it won’t match. 
3.	Thai addresses are confusing. There may be a main street, an alleyway off the main street, a lot number and a unit number. A typical address might look like 83/27 Sukhumvit Soi 92. For good measure, they may throw in the name of a district and/or a ward. The nüvi doesn’t recognize sois or subdivisions. 
4.	I don’t understand Thai abbreviations. Thai is not noted for its brevity. The formal name of Bangkok (กรุงเทพมหานครอมรรัตนโกสินทร์มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลกภพนพรัตน์ราชธานีบุรีรมย์อุดมราชนิเวศมหาสถานอมรพิมานอวตารสถิตสักกะทัตติยวิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์) is the longest geographic name in the world. But it’s usually shortened to กรุงเทพฯ or กรุงเทพ. If I see a couple of characters followed by a period, I’m at a loss. 
5.	The addresses on Google maps do not match Garmin addresses or addresses found elsewhere on the Internet, such as the organization’s web site.
6.	The shortest distance by car is not necessarily a logical path. Bangkok is not big on intersections and has a lot of boulevards where traffic lanes are separated by various barriers. Going across the street may entail driving several kilometers to make a U-turn. 
7.	If you ask three different Thais for directions, you are likely to get four different answers, all of which are wrong. 

There are other SD cards that fit the Garmin and undoubtedly other units. 

I would look for a Thai GPS navigator with Thai and English capabilities. If nothing else, you might have occasion where a Thai could enter an address for you and facilitate your journey.

Use the Where Am I? feature to find the coordinates of locations you frequent and record them to your favorites.


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## Bangkockney

Bangkok in particular has been notoriously hard to map; klongs are always being diverted, filled in and road placed etc. It's just so hard to produce accurate, up-do-date maps. 

I knew of a company looking for venture capital as long as 10 years ago to bring GPS mapping to Thailand and failed for exactly this reason.

The most common complaint I've heard from Thai is that GPS directions will stick to routes on main roads and will have you stuck in traffic for eternity.

I however have no personal experience of using one in Thailand. I've thought about getting one, but the above puts me off. Especially given the quite high price tag. 

I would be interested in hearing people's experiences too and the OP's, if you go ahead and buy one.


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## THAIsw

*Sat Nav in thailand*



Gandytron said:


> Evening all,
> 
> my firstest ever post :clap2:
> 
> I'm wanting to buy a sat nav (GPS) for driving in Thailand.
> 
> I could either buy it in Bangkok, or in the UK or USA when I go for my summer holidays next month.
> 
> Does anybody have a recommendation on this? Garmin seem to be most popular, but the models fore sale in Thailand seem to be a bit out of date (?) and I'm a bit confused about how comprehensive the maps are for the WHOLE country.
> 
> If I buy a Sat Nav in the UK or USA, can I easily get Thai maps? My research on line so far has been a bit confusing.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> G




Hi there, 
Well I have this before. I bought a sat nav in the UK (Garmin), then I did a google product search for map software and hey presto a working sat nav in Thailand.


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## JWilliamson

Ask the member on here named GINO. He has all the information you are in need of. JW


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## caseyrunning

*buy in Thailand*



Gandytron said:


> Evening all,
> 
> my firstest ever post :clap2:
> 
> I'm wanting to buy a sat nav (GPS) for driving in Thailand.
> 
> I could either buy it in Bangkok, or in the UK or USA when I go for my summer holidays next month.
> 
> Does anybody have a recommendation on this? Garmin seem to be most popular, but the models fore sale in Thailand seem to be a bit out of date (?) and I'm a bit confused about how comprehensive the maps are for the WHOLE country.
> 
> If I buy a Sat Nav in the UK or USA, can I easily get Thai maps? My research on line so far has been a bit confusing.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> G


5,200 baht for a very nice GPS in Bangkok reads out in English or Thai, has Thai land maps installed. If you want more info I'll look up the shops web address. Joe Casey


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