Navigation GPS Systems

mazda6iguy · August 2005

As I understand it, you just 'plop' the TomTom on the dashboard and plug it into the cig lighter and go? Is there any special mounts or anything. What about orientation of the unit (IE seeing satellites, etc.) I'm sure it is all in the manual, but I just wanted to get your input.

pbchoclovr · August 2005

Yes, the unit just plugs into the cig lighter/power outlet and when you turn on the car, it will automatically turn on. It also comes with an internal rechargeable battery that last about 4 hours for running without an external power supply. There is also a DC adapter for use inside the house/charging the battery. The unit comes with the car adapter, DC adapter, and a suction cup window mount. There are also cleaning cloths to clean the screen, since the unit is touch screen for programming. There is available as an extra option a mount that hooks into the AC vent and an external antennae if you live in an area with signal difficulty. I use the suction mount and place it beside the rearview mirror to make it easy to glance at as I'm driving and so it doesn't block my view. The unit will tell you how many satellites are locked onto your position. Usually it takes a minute or so for the satellites to lock onto the unit. I've only had it lose the signal once while I was driving. Within a few minutes it had locked back onto the GPS. The faster you're driving, the harder it is for the satellite to lock onto the unit, but once it's locked you're good to go. There is an instructional DVD/CD (I don't remember which) that comes with unit. I didn't really use it, since it was so easy to program.

akaristos · August 2005

I am in the market to buy a Honda Accord 4 cyl. but I am finding prices of options almost prohibitive and that could add more than 10K to the car price. Hence, I am interested to investigate aftermarket options for premium sound system and navigation system in particulars. I trust that this is a topic of interest to many people in these forums. Any comments, recommandations, priming and suggestions will be appreciated.

muggins · August 2005

I have the Lexus ES330. The navigation manual is a bit confusing. Does anyone know of a book or alternative manual on this navigation system?

tidester · August 2005

You may be interested in this:

Sound Systems - Aftermarket & OEM Upgrades

tidester, host

olddave · August 2005

My 2005 ES330 came with a CD/Interactive CD-ROM that I used 2 or 3 times to help me get a good start with my nav system. When played in the car it gives step-by-step instructions for many of the nav features. It can be played on a PC also, but of course, it is not interactive in that environment. It contains 14 tracks of "How To" information. Very, very, helpful. Part number is MDC 00205-NAVCD-2006. I hope this is helpful...

mdchachi · August 2005

If you have any specific doubts or questions, please ask here. I've explored most of the nooks and crannies of my Toyota nav and should be able to help you with any questions you might have. Did you just start using the nav? Make sure you have the region set (go to Dest screen) to your area. Some people miss this and get confused when the addresses they try to input don't appear.

ateixeira · August 2005

I doubt these will create a problem. I've installed at least 3 stereos myself and never had a problem with any of them. Especially if you have a harness that's plug-n-play, it's pretty simple. Getting the dash apart is the hard part. The stereo connections are a piece of cake.

-juice

nautica91 · August 2005

I recently purchased a 2005 Acura TL without navigation, could not justify spending an extra $2000 on something that I would rarely use. However, I have the opportunity to purchase all of the components for the Navi system for about $700 (screen, upper clock/temperature display and steering wheel controls, etc. ). Just wondering if this is idea is feasible, or would it be more trouble than its worth?

navguy1 · August 2005

In addition to the screen, steering wheel controls and temperature display you most importantly need the navigation computer, GPS antenna and associated harnesses.

Unless the car was prewired you will have a heck of a time interfacing the components to the car.

nautica91 · August 2005

is there any way to tell if the car is pre-wired?

vpmutta · August 2005

Can anyone suggest what is best navigation system available in the market to install in 2002 Honda Civic Sedan ?.

ateixeira · August 2005

What price range? What features are you looking for?

Because they go from about $300 for simple portables to $2000 or so for in-dash units.

Do you want:

* voice commands
* portability
* built-in
* battery power
* extra memory slot
* whole country or just one region

Help us narrow it down a bit.

I ordered a Garmin StreetPilot c320 for reason mentioned in a post above. $424 delivered.

-juice

medicman25 · August 2005

Along the lines of this question...i am looking for a portable GPS system that I can take with me in the car that is battery powered and can do the whole country, the rest of the options i don't know anything about and i am not sure if i would need them or not..

Can you suggest something under the $500 range??

Thanks.

-medicman25

ateixeira · August 2005

I just ordered one of those, it seems to meet your criteria. Mine should arrive next Tuesday. I paid $424 delivered from DigitalDelivered.com, though they'd been slow so I hesitate to recommend them at this point. Add to that the cost of a 1GB SD card, so I can fit the whole country, and you come to about your $500 price range.

Here are details on pros and cons as I see it:

ateixeira, "Navigation / GPS Systems" #259, 4 Aug 2005 4:08 pm

-juice

navguy1 · August 2005

I am not sure how you would tell... however my first impression is that your vehicle does not have the harnesses installed. The factories generally do not include unnecessary cables or wires if the vehicle was not designed for the navigation system.

vpmutta · August 2005

Looking for $1000 - $1200 range on dash board.
VP

ateixeira · August 2005

Mine cost a little less than that.

I think the 2620 comes preloaded and has a bigger screen, though I haven't tried one so I can't recommend it.

-juice

paisan · August 2005

For my Car-Computer. Basically it gives you a front-end that looks, feels and acts like an OEM Nav/stereo/etc unit. Heck some of them even allow you to hook up XM and radio tuners so you essentially have everything at your fingertips. After tweaking my system it's finally getting nice.

Just have to buy an external GPS unit for the roof and I'll be all set. It will be nice to have almost all my DVDs loaded on the hard drive and just choose what movie I want from a menu rather than swapping in DVDs.

-mike

bat1161 · August 2005

Mike-

Sounds like you are going to have the ultimate road trip ride! Enjoy it.

Mark

ateixeira · August 2005

I want to see it when you're done, keep us posted.

-juice

pao · August 2005

both garmin and magellan make portable ones in that price range....you will have to add the larger memory card to the cost of the unit....but they are getting cheaper every day...

sailorstac · August 2005

I have a nav system in my 545i, and can't figure out how to turn off the nav directions once they've started. In my last car, there was an option to "cancel navigation" and it would stop talking. I can't find a similar feature on the BMW. Help? :confuse:

sunilb · September 2005

Did your c320 ever arrive??
I'm curious as to how you like it... thinking of ordering that or the c330 from Costco (stopped by Circuit City, but those guys were useless as no one could help me to even look at the item-- it was behind a glass display).

ateixeira · September 2005

Last night, actually. Programmed all the maps and about 20 "favorites", addresses for home, work, friends, family, stuff like that.

I drove in today using it to try it out. Keep in mind I have a Miata and the top was down, but glare was a little worse than I thought. The volume isn't quite loud enough with all the wind noise and the stereo blaring, but when I turned the radio down a tad I could hear it. Integrated ones mute the stereo while giving commands.

I don't think these will be a problem in our Subaru Forester or my wife's Legacy. Both are 10 times more quiet and the roof should reduce glare significantly.

The satellite is very accurate, it had me at intersections pretty much on the spot.

The unit also found every address but one, and I think it may be a mistake in the address because it's a new community. I'll look for the nearest intersection and double check the address later. The other 20 or so it nailed on the first try.

You first enter state, in my case it you hit V and it finds Virginia and Vermont, then you hit Virginia and you're golden. So just 2 touches to find that state. For Maryland I entered MA and then chose Maryland from a list, so 3 touches.

Compare that to iDrive or MMI, which takes about 700 inputs. Much simpler with a touch-screen.

Street address you have to enter as well, the whole street number. It's cake with the big touch screen inputs. 12345 and Done.

Most cities it also finds with 2-3 letters. DEM found Democracy, for instance. Then you get a list and choose from that.

It was great after that, with the city, street number, and street name (without the suffix), it nailed every single address, even inserting the zip and everything else.

So far, so good.

As for the actual directions, I come in on Canal Rd. and it kept wanting me to take MacArthur Blvd. I have it set to find the quickest route, not the shortest. Not sure why it did not like Canal as that is very quick. So it didn't help me, but then again I've been driving the local roads for years. And it would get a first-time out-of-town driver to the destination just fine.

I will try it again going home, and then have my wife sample it tomorrow.

So far I'm happy, it's about what I expected. Very easy to use. Takes a long time to load the maps, but then you're golden.

I'll get pics up later.

-juice

sunilb · September 2005

awesome... thanks for the review! keep us (or least me) posted on how you like it over time.
Couple of questions--

1- the price difference btwn the c320 and c330 is ~ $100, which is pretty much eaten up if you upgrade to a 1gb card. Is your preference for the c320 b/c of the ability to take this overseas (Europe), or are there other benefits that you see for the c320 (ie, flash-based vs. hard-drive)?

2- where do you store this once you've parked your car (trunk, glove box, or take it with you)? does it come with a bag that you can place the unit in when not in use?

ateixeira · September 2005

I already had some SD cards (camera and other uses), so it cost me less to get a C320. And yes, I could buy maps for Europe and load those on a different SD card, so I would not have to delete maps for the US.

c330 fits all of North America, though, my 1 GB SD card could only fit about 3/4ths of the USA, and none of Canada or Mexico. That's OK for me, as I don't drive to those places, and even if I did I could re-load them or put them on my other SD card.

I was concerned with speed, but it turns out to be very quick, recalculating routes with ease, no problem.

It does not come with a bag, so I'll probably place it in the glove box.

It does come with a 110v charger for home, a mounting bracket for the car as well as a car charger, plus a 128MB SD card, so if you buy a bigger one then you could have two (one for travel, maybe).

I was impressed, usually a 2nd charger costs extra.

Cons? So far glare was pretty bad in the convertible, though I'm not sure any other system would be better given it was a sunny morning with an open cockpit.

Also, when you load one address, there's no easy way to just start loading a 2nd. I ended up hitting GO and then cancelling the trip, then starting over. Basically I would have liked a Main Menu button that took me back to the beginning.

Keep in mind I have not read the manual yet, so just by winging it I'm getting along just fine and have saved about 20 addresses in memory. It is very easy to use.

-juice

paisan · September 2005

Good stuff. My carputer is running well. Now I'm looking for programs so I can rip DVDs onto the HD so that I can essentially have about 20-30 movies stored on the HD that I can call up at any time. Also waiting for via to get the bios upgrade so I can see 800x400 on the video card cause 1024x768 is a bit small.

-mike

sunilb · September 2005

thanks, again. good point about the cards, I have little need for mexico and a bunch of the US states at this point.

I just noticed that they've come out with a c340-- primarily adding text-to-voice (so it reads the street names) and traffic-ready.

How are you finding the voice instructions? Do you think the text-to-voice would be worthwhile? (admittedly, it's a steep upgrade... the going price is $700 on amazon).

ateixeira · September 2005

Yeah, the c340 says the street name, instead of just saying "turn in point-two miles" then "turn in 300 feet". To be honest mine is so accurate that I don't feel the need for that, it pretty much nails every turn.

Also, the street name is on the display, it always tells you the road name where you will make the next turn. So you already know that if you have glanced at the screen.

Neat addition, but I would not pay extra for it.

Used it last night coming home in the convertible, again the volume was not that loud so I had to turn the stereo down.

But then I moved it to my Forester and used it with the wife. We entered an address for a restaurant and relied on the NAV to get us there, which it did nicely. You drive very relaxed, too, it can contribute to safety in that way because you don't worry about missing an exit or something.

Volume in a closed car was more than enough, we actually turned it down a couple of notches. I had to play with the mounting position so it would not block my view, I ended up liking it near the base of the windshield. I have long arms so I could still reach it, plus you program the address before you leave anyway, then just listen to the commands.

Very neat, very useful little toy. Call me a convert, I used to think these were a waste of money but the first time this helps you not miss a turn it pays for itself in time saved, aggravation, and nowadays, gas saved.

-juice

sunilb · September 2005

Thanks for the feedback... ordered the c320 on costco.com last night-- hopefully it arrives soon. Will try it out and let you know how I like it.

paisan · September 2005

Ok so I found a nice simple front end software for playing MP3s and DVDs with nice big buttons for the touch screen. Delorme is working well now, other than the reciver reception being blocked by the touch screen every now and again. Still planning on ordering a mag-mount GPS reciever for the roof to eliminate that. Downloaded Power Toys from microsoft so that I don't have to put a password in on startup. Finally, I set the machine to hibernate when the power button is hit (which is triggered at a jumper definined interval after you turn off the ignition) so that it comes up quickly when you turn on the car.

Next will be to get some DVD ripping software so I can start to upload to the HD all my movies and start downloading more MP3s for it. Also in the works is upgrading to the 2006 version of Delorme street atlas and loading in a version of the Topo-maps as well for when we want to check that out!

It's very nice having a full PC in the car because you can totally tweak things the way you want it. I also have put in Outlook so I plan to upload my Blackberry phone contacts to it as well. Later this year or early next year I'll be looking at getting the Satellite TV antenna for it as well.

-mike

ateixeira · September 2005

Go mike! You gonna market the system later on? You probably could...

-juice

paisan · September 2005

Still tweaking everything. As you always know we test out stuff for a long while before marketing anything. We are just now coming to market with the 4th stage in our security systems for the subies. Took 6 months to do stages 1-3 between testing and everything.

Just ordered the TripNav BU-353 waterproof magnetmount GPS reciever for the Armada, hopefully by the end of the week I won't have to worry about the GPS reciever signal anymore.

-mike

sunilb · September 2005

Hey juice--

Got the system last night and a 1gb sd card at Staples for $60. Loaded it up (took ~ 1 hour to transfer all of the data) and tested it out a bit.
I used it at night and it worked quite well. Except, that the suction mount didn't seem to stick in my car (it was cold last night so perhaps that's why it didn't stick?). It stuck fine in the wife's car this morning though.

Pros:
- smaller and lighter than I expected, but the screen is very clear
- voice guidance is good
- programming is easy

Cons:
- really wish it had a QWERTY keyboard; much more difficult to enter data the way it's laid out (how bizarre is that?)
- I don't know why the power cord is integrated... 8hrs is plenty of time for most of my trips. It would be nice to have the mount with out the cord being mandatory.

The real test comes over the next few days, as I've given it to the wife to test out. If it works for her, then it's a keeper!

What's the story with getting updated maps? The box says there is a way to get the latest maps since I bought this after the release of the June 15th edition. But then it talks about lock/unlock codes... what are these?

ateixeira · September 2005

Make sure you pull back that tab, mount it, then push the tab back in. That sort of locks it in place. It sticks well to all 3 cars in our fleet.

Yeah, the keys are laid out alphabetically, which makes you type slower. However, you only ever have to enter an address once, plus in most cases the first 2-3 letters is enough, so you don't end up using the keyboard very much at all. I save every address I use, about 30 so far.

Yeah, the power cord should unplug.

But - one neat thing is that it turns on automatically when you start the car, and turns off after 30 seconds when you turn the ignition off. I really like that, you never have to touch it at all to use it.

I registered but did not get updated maps. If you do it before me let me know, OK? :-)

How much were you able to load with 1GB? I have most of the country and some of Canada, but it would not fit all of North America.

-juice

bat1161 · September 2005

But then it talks about lock/unlock codes... what are these?

The Lock/Unlock codes is the way Garmin allows you to update the software. Certain units use only certain map software (I know- I got the wrong one on my update and am waiting for the correct map to come in.) When you get the updated maps you will have to go go Garmin's website to "Unlock" the map in order for full access. It is pretty easy, and only takes a few minutes. This way Garmin can just send out the data disk, so you have to register in order to unlock it.

Enjoy - NAV is fun. I'll be using it at the end of the month for Commercial directions when I move someone form upstate NY.

Mark

ateixeira · September 2005

So do you just go to the web site to get the updates?

Also, are the updates loaded on your hard drive, or directly to the NAV unit?

-juice

bat1161 · September 2005

Sorry for the delay in answering.

You go to the website to order the update disk which gets shipped out seperataely to you. Once you receive the disk, you have to load it onto your computers hard drive. In order to do that, you have to go back to the Garmin website to get the disk unlocked.

When you put in the update disk, it will walk you through all the steps.

Once it is unlocked, you can transfer the maps to your NAV unit.

Mark

ateixeira · September 2005

Follow-up question - don't we get one free update, or is there a charge for it. I guess I want to make sure I got the most updated maps I can get for the money I paid.

-juice

paisan · September 2005

Came in the mail yesterday. It's the something or other Gen III chip so it apparently tracks like 27 sats. Anyway it's waterproof and is a small disk with a magnet. Slapped it on the roof and it get signal instantly.

No more issues like I had on the dash mounted unit from Delorme.

Now if I could get my centrafuze skins to load properly I'd be in business.

It is great to have the nav working fast and full time now. The spotty reception of the other unit made it almost unusable.

-mike

ateixeira · September 2005

So far on 2 occasions we've lost signal. Mostly in heavily forested areas, but it can take a while to recover the signal. One time it took a good 5 miles or so to get back on track.

We've been using it for a few weeks now, so most of the time it's quite good.

-juice

jrynn · September 2005

In response to ATeixeira's 9/7 post about his Nav. not recognizing Canal Road (in the Washington, DC area) -- my Acura Nav system has the same problem. And ... it also fails to recognize Rock Creek Parkway other major local commuting roads that are two-ways most of the day, but that are one way in and one way out in morning and evening rush hours.

My theory is that the lawyers for the Nav system companies have told their clients to deliberately OMIT these roads from their databases and route suggestions. I think the lawyers want to avoid any chance that people will be directed onto a road going the wrong way at rush hour.

As ATeixeira says, if you are familiar with the area, it's no issue. But the point of a Nav system is to get the best possible directions when you AREN'T familiar with an area. And by omitting major commuting streets, some of the routes suggested as MAJOR time wasters.

Anyone else find that in other cities reversible roads are omitted from Nav databases? (Or is Washington unique in the number of reversible commuting routes it has?)

swingerjay · September 2005

It has been many years since I have driven Rock Creek Parkway, but I have experienced the refusal of a system to construct a guided route over similar roads several times.

I am convinced the problem comes from two facts. One is that wherever there are trees that overhang a roadway, the aerial (or satellite) photos cannot show a continuous roadway and the nav systems show an end on both sides. Second, I believe that the only parts of the maps that are "certified" are the parts with commercial establishments. That means that park lands are left out.

mdchachi · September 2005

The Toyota nav I have will only take Rock Creek Pkwy if you have the "Allow Time Restricted Roads" route option on. However I did a quick test and it seems to prefer to make the parkway an alternate route, not the primary route. I suspect it is because that's a curvy road that causes the distance to be slightly greater than more direct routes. Check your Acura and see if has a similar option for time restricted roads.

ateixeira · September 2005

Good catch, I'm sure that explains it.

I did get satellite reception, despite the tall trees. It just kept telling me to get off that road.

Maybe it thought I was going the wrong way. :surprise:

-juice

dalcolli · September 2005

This is the first time I have gotten on this forum , but already it seems that navguy1 is the person to ask. So navguy1, if youre here, please take a look. This is probably a very easy one for you.

I have a 2005 Toyota Avalon with the factory nav system, which I absolutely love (it keeps even me from getting lost). However, my area, like most cities, is always growing and changing.

My point being, what would be the current version of my system and is there a more updated one out there? If there is a more current version, how would I know if I am getting the right one and can I purchase it from somewhere besides Toyota for a cheaper price?

Im sure this question has already been asked many times, I am just paranoid about not buying the right one and I appreciate your patience. Thanks for any and all replies and info!

mdchachi · September 2005

Toyota is the only place you can purchase navigation updates for Toyota vehicles. (Unless you can find discs on the used market which would be unlikely for the latest version.) I would call Toyota to find out if there is a navigation update for your system and find out what the part number is. Either call the national number or your local dealer.

Also, if it were me, I would try to verify that certain streets or local places are listed in the new version. I'd hate to spend the money only to find out that the new version doesn't cover my area any better than the older one.

navguy1 · September 2005

For the newest map update you will have to purchase it from a Toyota dealership. The other map discs available from private parties will most likely be older versions which would downgrade your map database. You can verify which version you have by pressing MENU and then move the cursor to highlight Map DVD. Finding an alternative source that has the newest version that isn't damaged, is trustworthy, and works with your Avalon would be like winning the lottery.

Prior to purchasing the DVD map disc I would ask the dealership if you can verify what is included on the new map disc. Inside the jewel case the included pamphlet shows illustrations of what areas are covered. I have heard of some service oriented dealerships allowing you to load the disc in your vehicle to see what has been added. Others will let you look at a newer model Avalons to see if certain addresses have been added. The willingness depends on the dealership so look for someone that is interested in your satisfaction. Don't worry the update disc is just a reference disc with the maps... nothing will be changed in your navigation system when you reinstall your old map disc.

The next annual update for your Avalon will occur in late October or early November. The new update's MSRP will be approximately $249.99... this varies by dealer so shop around. The Toyota part number should be 00125-DVD05-CY; this is not known precisely since it hasn't been released yet. The software version should be ver.05.1.

Lastly, please be aware it takes the map suppliers up to one year to get some of the newest data in the new DVD update disc. Regardless of who the map supplier might be they are constantly gathering information from various municipal, local, state, federal and private organizations to produce the freshest data.

paisan · September 2005

Well I finally got the new external GPS with mag mount. It's AWSOME. Tiny little disc magnetic on the roof of the Armada. Now Delorme gets full lock in about 10 seconds or less. It rarely ever goes to 2d fix and only time it's been out of touch is in a tunnel. So the little tweaks are coming together nicely. Now with my 1GB USB drive I just program in my routes at home before I leave and copy the file over onto the HD when I get in the car. Works out nicely.

For those who are not getting the routes, I bet it may be due to the travel speed for that type of road. I know I had to re-program in the speed for my roads to force the GPS to route me onto interstates v. national roads.

-mike

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