GPS and Satnav

 I know the satnav has been discussed before and I believe that having a satnav with GPS in the window on the driver's side in Spain is frowned upon, nay, even illegal.  (I keep mine on the central well with the sound turned up).  However, it has been stated that the bit where it warns you about radar traps (in UK, they automatically come with fixed speed trap warnings) should be disabled in Spain as they are illegal.  If this is the case, how come Carrefour are selling a radar warning device which alerts you to both fixed and mobile radars?  Radar Alert

Can't see a warning that you can buy it but can't actually use it in Spain.  It just says at the bottom that the guarantee conforms to current legislation.

That's news to me.  I bought mine in a Media Markt store here in Spain and it came with the speed camera functionality as one of it's selling points.

If it is illegal then I would assume most sat nav owners would be breaking the law .

I'd never heard of that so I would assume it's not illegal.

But thinking about it, mine doesn't detect cameras, it only warns me of ones that have been pre-loaded onto it.  Maybe that's the difference.

Justin

 http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2009/06/spain-cracks-down-on-radar-detectors-laser-jammers-and-sat-nav/

http://www.1stradardetectors.com/radar-detector-laws.php

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_26423.shtml

http://www.euroadlegal.co.uk/country/spain.html

It was also discussed on this very forum back in 2008 and several posters stated that radar detectors were illegal in Spain which is why I brough it up.

Well, that probably doesn't apply to the one I bought as it doesn't actively detect speed cameras, it just alerts you to known ones.

But it would be good to know what the actual law is if anyone knows?

Justin

 Radar detectors and/or inhibitors have always been prohibited.

Navigation systems are OK as long as the driver does not manipulate them while driving the vehicle.  What the law says is that manually using a communications device such as a mobile phone, navigation system, etc. while driving the car is prohibited.  Therefore the general interpretation of the law is that you can use them as long as you do not manipulate them while driving the vehicle.  The law is trying to eliminate the distraction of programming the devices or dialing the phone or holding them in you hands.

Hands off speaker systems for the mobiles are ok while driving and the use of navigation systems is OK as long as you only handle them while stopped in an appropriate place.

As to your question on GPS devices that identify camera locations previously loaded and therefore not detected nor inhibited, I am afraid I don't know what the official position is.  But if you interpret the legislation in a restrictive way, the seem to be allowed as long, of course, as you do not manipulate them while driving the vehicle.

 Sorry forgot to add the actual wording of the legislation:

"4. Son infracciones graves, cuando no sean constitutivas de delito, las conductas tipificadas en esta Ley referidas a:
f) Conducir utilizando manualmente dispositivos de telefonía móvil, navegadores o cualquier otro sistema de comunicación."

That loosely translates to: 4. These are serious violations: [...] f) Driving manually using mobile phone devices, navigation devices or any other communication systems.

What problem is there of useing a sat nav with Speed camera alerts, all they do is make you think twice about if you are within the Speed limit, the traffic police are out with mobile speed traps all the time anyway, so go over the speed limit and you may pay the consequences.

I use a Tom Tom sat nav and pay about £35pa to keep my maps up to date.  There is also an option to continually update speed camera  locations to which I don't subscribe.  However, the programme still has speed camera locations built in and the noise the satnav makes when approaching a speed camera is such that I jump out of my skin every time.  I wouldn't mind if I was a habitual speeder, but what is the point of announcing the proximity of such a device when I am rarely exceeding the limit, it will even wail like a banshee when for some reason I am doing say 50mph in a 70 mph zone.  The only effect is to momentarily take my attention from the road, just to check.  There is a disable icon in the facilities programme, but that simply does not work and the noises remain the same.  I think sat nav's are a great idea and now find mine indispensible, but there are many features that irritate me, like wiping the destination memory  every time I do a map update.

M.

 The legality/illegality of fixed cameras by satnav has been discussed over and over.  However, my original post was about the item of kit for sale by Carrefour which detects radar traps, not fixed cameras.  In UK, after a court case, the use of these is legal.  The case for their illegality was under the Wireless Transmission Act and was overruled.  In Spain and Germany the use of these detectors is illegal as they are in Ireland as well.  

So, the original point is, does Carrefour inform you that you can buy one (which is legal in Spain) but that you cannot use it (which is illegal in Spain).  In virtually all other European countries the actual possession of one is illegal let alone using it.

COUNTRY	POSSESSION PERMITTED	USE PERMITTED
England
Spain
Germany
Italy
Denmark
The Netherlands
Belgium
France
Switzerland
Austria
Luxembourg
Sweden
Turkey
Hungary
Slovakia
Latvia
Lithuania
Bulgaria
Norway
Romania
Albania
Poland
Portugal	?	?

are you sure you cant change the sounds..I have a GO700 which has about 20 different options for warning sounds,  i downloaded the Speed camera locations for 1 year plus weekly updates, i  agree its a pain that the destination memory being wiped on Map updates.

I have a TomTom GO720, so I guess I can change the sounds, but I really don't want to know about speed cameras as I try to stay within speed limits anyway.  I used to be a keep map user, but particularly when driving alone, or navigating towns like Madrid, Zaragoza or Bilbao with their interlinked autoroutes, the satnav is a lot easier and safer.

M.

I always try to stay within the speed limit but the warning just makes me double check.

 I think a lot of confusion is about the active monitors (such as Snooper that looks/ monitors for radar signals) and sat nav which are passive and use a built in database. The cameras are programmed into the unit in the same way as hotels, railway stations, shopping centres and any other POI's. All the sat nav is doing is using a pre- programmed co-ordinate o display an image. I would suggest that the cameras are treated in the same way as the other POIs.

I use mine on every journey with updated camera locations. I have been stopped by the Guardia and followed for quite a few kms with no problems (unless they didn't need funds for the Christmas party at that time ).

Mark

Boboal, your 1st post was about gps with speed camera location whicch is not the same as your second post which is about detectors.

sat-nav with  speed camera loctions just warns you of the location of fixed cameras. Most can't detect mobile units.

Camera detectors detect portable radar/laser cameras &warn you that you are being targeted. If you have a jammer, theses scramble those received signals & return to the sending unit multiple false readings & this is what the court case was about.

The prosecution case was that someone using a jammer was transmitting without a wireless licence , required under the wireless transmission act.

The case was thrown out when it was proved that these units cannot send wireless transmissions but only relay a signal sent from elsewhere . Therefore they were legal to use in the UK.

I used to use both a radar detector & a  jammer in the UK, not to speed, but for peace of mind. It was possible to buy vehicles with this system built in from new

P.S. Jammers are not only illegal in Spain but they might well shoot you, they hate them that much !

 Sorry gus, my first post might have mentioned the GPS and fixed camera location (which I said had already been discussed) but it was really about the device being sold in Carrefour as the words in blue point to.  That is a mobile radar detector and is not incorporated in the satnav system.

The last line in 'More information' says that it conforms to current legislation.

La garantía de este producto es conforme a la legislación vigente

Which seems to indicate that it's legal.

 Legal to own.  Not legal to use.

 @ 'guslopez'

interesting! ...Do you have any links to the quoted court case to which you refer?

ds8819  No, sorry  I used to have it some years back . I'll see if I can dig some info up. Off the top of my head it would have been in the mid to late 90's . You might get some info on the Association of British Drivers site as they reported on all the developments.