# GPS Navigation



## gino (Jul 20, 2009)

Is anybody using GPS to navigate through Bangkok or other areas of Thailand? 

I have a Garmin nüvi 265w which will accept SD cards for other nations (although none is available from the company for Thailand) and an unlocked iPhone for which I plan to get data service in Thailand. Or I could buy a GPS device locally. I speak and read some Thai and plan to study further, so language shouldn’t be a huge barrier.


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## Acid_Crow (May 11, 2009)

I used the gps on my Nokia phone when I were in BKK last time. I didn't get lost, so I guess it worked pretty well.


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## shazi1 (May 4, 2010)

you may use GPS application on your iphone .


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## gino (Jul 20, 2009)

*Maybe*



shazi1 said:


> you may use GPS application on your iphone .


I’m reluctant to use GPS on my iPhone since I have a Chinese model and True Move gives me only one Gb of data per month. And that still leaves me with the problem of entering goofy addresses, such as 45/5 Sukhumvit Soi 83. I don’t think I can even enter a slash on my Garmin and it doesn’t know what to make of sois. I can take a taxi and use the “Where am I” feature to record the location for future reference, but the taxi drivers can’t always find the addresses either and with some of the thoroughfares blockaded by the red shirts, taxi rides sometimes entail lengthy detours.


Actually, I have a discontinued Southeast Asia SD card for my navigator. A lady in my Thai class had some other programming uploaded locally in Thailand which might be more adept with Sois.


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## mark131v (Apr 16, 2010)

ginocox said:


> Is anybody using GPS to navigate through Bangkok or other areas of Thailand?
> 
> I have a Garmin nüvi 265w which will accept SD cards for other nations (although none is available from the company for Thailand) and an unlocked iPhone for which I plan to get data service in Thailand. Or I could buy a GPS device locally. I speak and read some Thai and plan to study further, so language shouldn’t be a huge barrier.




Gino,

you can get microSD cards off amazon etc i have the same garmin and use the 2009 ESRI Thailand works fine, cant remember what i paid but it was less than buying from garmin and i thought it was reasonable.Just search for GPS mapping Thailand

Mark


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## gino (Jul 20, 2009)

*Thanks*



mark131v said:


> Gino,
> 
> you can get microSD cards off amazon etc i have the same garmin and use the 2009 ESRI Thailand works fine, cant remember what i paid but it was less than buying from garmin and i thought it was reasonable.Just search for GPS mapping Thailand
> 
> Mark


Since posting, I found a discontinued Garmin SD card for SE Asia on E-Bay. It works fine, if you can enter the address. But it doesn't seem to be able to handle Soi addresses or addresses with slashes. If I'm somewhere I might want to visit again, I can use the Where Am I feature and save the location to memory. It can find simple addresses on major thoroughfares if the spelling is consistent. But if the transliteration is off or you enter the address with a space that Garmin doesn't expect or vice versa, it doesn't recognize the street. 

And it isn't only Garmin. Most of the time if cut and paste a Thai address from a company's web site into Google maps, I get a message indicating Google can't find it. 

I know there are other GPS mapping solutions and I've never tried to navigate with my iPhone, so I haven't exhausted all possibilities.


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## mark131v (Apr 16, 2010)

Nothing is ever simple but the copy i got was the ESRI Thailand one and the Garmin works Ok with it but if i mispell something (and most of the time its hard to find the proper spelling!!) it is painfull. If you have a UK unit and read and understand Thai you can download thai voices and keyboard off Garmin dont know whether that will help but good luck anyway.

Mark


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## KhwaamLap (Feb 29, 2008)

I used to use my GPS phone with Google Maps until I bought a local satnav. Used that, though it often tried to make me turn where there was no turning. I think it because they are programmed with mao data that is not updated like it is in the west. Roads are forever changing here. Anyway, I used it everytime I went anywhere until I broke it last year. Now I don't need it - it held me back from learning the way around. Sure I got lost a few times, but paper maps in the car/bike help then - so does asking (that is always fun - everyone is so helpful here they will point out where to goi even if they have no idea themselves!). The none I had allowed for both Thai and English input and still navigated in English. It also had a large memory of local places and shops.

I have to concur with Mark though as to spelling. It is really inconsistant here - Google Mapos gives different spelklings, as do paper maps, compared to that which the device took - and I mean in both Thai and English. Often Thai places have prefixes etc, that are in the machijne, but not on maps, addresses etc. Also some roads close at certain times and can be a real pain when the satnav is determined to take you down a closed road. 

The other issue I had was the way roads change here. A perfectly straight road may changenames a dozen times in a Km - and I don't kow if it was my machine or what, but I forever got turn left into blblblblblblr Road etc, when it was actually straight on - I got used to looking at the screen to confirm each spoken command in the end - never a great policy when in town.


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