Can't enter addresses with n & w coords at same time

[tru_blue]

Hi

I'm actually looking to get a new TomTom, but only if they've solved the address problem that I've encountered for the last 6 or 7 years of ownership. I can enter in my aging TomTom One addresses only if there is one n/s/e/w coordinate, but not two.

So if the address is 3500 N Smith Street, it's not a problem. But if the address is N3500 W2850 Smith Street, it will not accept the address - it will accept the street name and then prompt the user to enter a cross street. I don't know which cross street to enter - that's why I bought a GPS.

When entering addresses on Google or Bing maps it's not an issue, but it has always been an issue on my TomTom. I've looked & looked at page after page of FAQ's, no answer that I could find. I called TomTom direct; the person I spoke to didn't know. You're my last resort.

Does TomTom make a GPS unit that will allow me to get to the address without having to consult Google maps first? Thanks.

 

[canderson]

Hi
So if the address is 3500 N Smith Street, it's not a problem. But if the address is N3500 W2850 Smith Street, it will not accept the address - it will accept the street name and then prompt the user to enter a cross street. I don't know which cross street to enter - that's why I bought a GPS.

We've solved this problem before, but it has been so long since this came up that I've forgotten the city that uses that exact format, and will need to actually solve it on one of my units to refresh my own memory.

The trick was always one of getting the first street name entered with both the N/S and E/W compass information as a part of the street name.

Salt Lake City is famous for another variation on this addressing scheme.

So give me a sample of a real address in a 'problem' city and I'll see if I can't sort it for you again.

 

[tru_blue]

So give me a sample of a real address in a 'problem' city and I'll see if I can't sort it for you again.

Here's three examples:

N86 W15698 Riverside Bluff, Menomonee Falls WI 53051

S97 W13801 Stonebridge Way, Muskego WI 53150

W235 S5856 Big Bend Road, Waukesha WI 53189

 

[alfie67]

tru_blue, I'll give you my take on your question about alphanumeric house numbering based on what I've read, and what my own GPS's capabilities demonstrate to me.

SuperMod mvl addressed this topic several years ago, and if I can quote him:
- - - -
Tomtom launched alphanumeric house numbering with some of the June 850 maps.

To get alphanumeric support, you need:
- Application 9.x or later
- Map 850 or later
- Map must end in a P (eg: Usa_Canada_Mexico_P or North_America_P)

Currently, these maps will be included in the Latest Map Guarantee with the new purchase of the following models:
- EASE
- ONE 140 or higher
- XL 335 or higher
- XXL 530 or higher

If you already have one of these models, upgrading to map 850 will add alphanumeric support.

I finally had a chance to check with someone who had this map, and all the prior reports of problems in Hawaii and in rural Illinois are fixed.
- - - -
See HERE for further detailed info.

My 4-yr old ONE XL does not support what you are trying to do even though it is upgraded as far as possible.

I do have capabilities to do what you are doing by using my newer XL 340S with USA_Canada_and_Mexicao_P v895 (notice the "P"). That's the good news - it will accept the addresses you gave above as examples, but with a caveat. The first address you have is the only one that got "close;" it didn't accept the W15698 exactly (maybe several houses away). The same or worse was demonstrated in the 2nd and 3rd example, with each 2nd set of numbers quite a ways physically off. I don't know if that means that the map is incomplete, inaccurate, or if you have given phantom house numbers. But at least I can confirm that I can enter alphaneumeric numbers with a degree of sucess in the newer GPS.

Hope that helps.

 

[canderson]

Good thing you were awake on that one, Alfie... I hadn't paid attention to his model, and you are correct that a unit of that vintage can't have its firmware updated to 9.X. However, this may well be confusing for people who DO have firmware 9.XXX and above, so I'll take a moment to describe how it's done here. The trick is knowing when to shift the unit into alphanumeric mode...

For an address such as N86 W15698 Riverside Bluff, Menomonee Falls WI 53051, it's a matter of selecting, in order:

Navigate to
Street and house number
Wisconsin
Menomonee Falls
Riverside Bluff Rd
(switch to alphanumeric keyboard with the "ABC" button in the lower left of the screen) <<< This is the key!
Touch "N" and you immediately get N86W15600, but you can continue entering the characters for N86W15698 and it will eventually find that entry.

 

[alfie67]

. . . Touch "N" and you immediately get N86W15600, but you can continue entering the characters for N86W15698 and it will eventually find that entry.

canderson, thanks for clarifying I was too impatient with my first entry attempt and hadn't entered the entire address.

Works great!

 

[tru_blue]

To get alphanumeric support, you need:
- Application 9.x or later
- Map 850 or later
- Map must end in a P (eg: Usa_Canada_Mexico_P or North_America_P)

So it sounds like good news and bad news. The bad news is that my TomTom One is not able to be upgraded to the extent that I can navigate to alphanumeric addresses.

The good news is that newer models can do so. That makes my decision to upgrade a whole lot easier.

Thanks so much canderson & alfie. Now I know EXACTLY what the issue is and what to do!

 

[alfie67]

Very good. Don't hesitate to ask on TomTom Forums for advice on the best choice of new models based on what your wants and needs are. You might also want to consider looking on the Forum for a spreadsheet someone has posted (can't remember right off where it's at). Excellent sourse of comparision of TomTom models past and present.

Good luck in the new purchase!

 

[tru_blue]

Thanks!