In Dash GPS

Submitted: Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 18:27

ThreadID: 91553 Views:8714 Replies:8 FollowUps:8

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Member - Vern

Hello All

I am thinking about installing a In Dash GPS to my New Patrol. I was thinking firstly of a VMS and was advised by a 4x4 centre not to. No real reason other than they are not that good. So I rang around about the Polaris GPS and was told they are to unreliable and was advised to get a Garmin in Dash. So my question to you all is what in dash GPS do you use and what about there reliability or should I just got to a window mount GPS version.

Thanks in advance

Vern

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Reply By: Robin Miller - Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 19:14

Reply By: member - mazcan - Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 19:21

Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 19:21

hi vern
imho the dash units are a safety concern to me as you have to take your eyes off the road to look down at the center of the dash and the gps
it doesnt take many seconds to lose concentration of the road ahead and for that reason i will not have an indash gps
where-as a windscreen mounted unit can be placed on the drivers side where you still have the road in your peripherial line of vision and are aware of whats going on in front of your vehicle
the lastest hn5i gps sold on this site has had very good feed back from happy users also i have been told the vehicle supplied units mapping is always older and then they charge you an arm and leg to get the map update from the dealer
im surprised the popup add didnt come on the screen when your thread come on in relation to a gps question
cheers barry

AnswerID: 476406

Follow Up By: Member - Vern - Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 19:38

Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 19:38

Thanks Mazcan for you response. I did not think of the Safety aspect and to this you make a very good point.

Thanks Vern

FollowupID: 751467

Follow Up By: Member - Captain (WA) - Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 21:57

Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 21:57

Hi Mazcan,

I have a 7" indash GPS (Polaris) and find it FAR safer to use than my Garmin Nuvi windscreen mount one. I find the larger screen makes it far easier to see and comprehend the information, the smaller Garmin needs a lot more eye time and concentration to take it in.

As for the Polaris, while I find it good to use, there are better and cheaper models out now, like this one from autodvdgps - its what I would buy today if buying again.

Cheers

Captain

FollowupID: 751489

Follow Up By: Member - Alan H (QLD) - Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012 at 08:09

Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012 at 08:09

I agree the larger screen is safer to look at.

If I need to consult the screen it is usually at an intersection and I pull up. Otherwise it would be a quick glance to check we are on route or how far to go to some point.

Often checked by passenger anyway.

Alan

FollowupID: 751515

Reply By: Mark C - Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 19:57

Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 19:57

Hi Vern, I have two in dash chinease 7inch units in my two vehicles, the odest is 3 years both have worked faultlessly, although mike for bluetooth could be better. Also had 5inch dash mounted and 7 inch dash mounted semi portable units like Hema etc, they all worked well too. Have a friend who paid big bucks for the clarion and found he cannot load aussie explorer as it doesnt have a separate sd slot.
Its a matter of preference but as a starter I would recomend the 7inch portable units on flea bay for $89.00 delivered, they come with Igo on the SD card, all you need to add is ozziexplorer if you want and you have all you need for minimum dollars.
At the end of the day they are all made in china and badged here. Have a look.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-7-inch-CAR-GPS-NAVIGATION-FM-MP3-MP4-TOUCH-Scree-4GB-New-MAP-Bluetooth-AV-IN-/300566855400?pt=AU_Electronics_GPS&hash=item45fb2e3ee8

Regards

Mark.

AnswerID: 476408

Follow Up By: Member - Roy E (QLD) - Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012 at 08:57

Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012 at 08:57

Mark,

which in dash units do you have and what kind of $, I take it you have Ozi on them as well?

Thanks,

Roy....

FollowupID: 751521

Follow Up By: Mark C - Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012 at 20:00

Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012 at 20:00

Hi Roy, the older unit has standard definition screen and analogue tv (never connected an aerial) the newer unit is HD definition screen with digital TV (connected aerial).
Both units have Rev camera BT, DVD, radio, TV, SD usb aux and ipod connections. I run an extra camera for my caravan through the aux in put screen which comes up on the GPS screen in pic in pic mode or full screen.
I find the best part is I do not have several gadgets on the dash.
I run Ozi on both with no probs although maps need to be broken up into 2gb folders (I have 8gb of raster maps).
I just had a look at the units in the cars and cannot find a brand on either they were both bought on ebay from seperate suppliers from china. I blew the first one up when I connected up incorrectly and the seller fixed for me for $40 incl postage, cost me $70.00 to send back to china, go figure.
The HD unit is installed in a 150 Prado where the reverse camera screen goes, I have kept the original radio and BT in place and it all works well. Any one with a new toyota needs to be careful with radios as generic radios do not work well at all in them.

Hope this helps although I am sorry I cannot tell you what the actual brands are.

Sorry if I have crapped on a bit.

Cheers

FollowupID: 751599

Reply By: Member - John Baas (WA) - Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 21:32

Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 21:32

Hi Vern.

Give Brian a call at Autotainment. He sold me a VMS clone, but with better mapping capacity, at about $800 less than VMS price. The unit is great, and for lower speed 4WD driving, the safety issues are zilch. Even at highway speed, using on-road mapping, you don't need to look at the screen because you're listening to the voice prompts.

Cheers.

Autotainment

AnswerID: 476417

Follow Up By: vk1dx - Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 22:13

Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 22:13

John

Are you saying that your unit will give voice turn left and turn right commands for tracks like those in the Vic High Country and the Canning Stock Route? Or are they only in your street navigation mode.

Oziexplorer and other 4WD map display programs do not normally give voice prompts etc without you actually generating them during planning.

It may be worthwhile to explain Vern that there are basically two types of navigation/GPS units. One is the common old TomTom type street and city navigation. The one Mum uses to take the kids for a drive to the Zoo. The other is basically a miniPC running WindowsCE with a map display program displaying your position on a map and changes the maps as you go. The latter lets you decide when to run and does not have inbuilt voice commands. In other words you could scan in picture of a centerfold and do figure eights all day if you wish and the program will show your track around the twin peaks.

Which type of unit (navigation/map display) are you after?

Phil

FollowupID: 751490

Follow Up By: Member - John Baas (WA) - Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 23:22

Monday, Jan 30, 2012 at 23:22

Hi Phil.

No, only voice for 'street nav' purposes. The street nav is fine, but it wasn't what i purchased it for.

With the LC200, any in-cabin laptop mount will be lethal in an airbag situation (I spent an hour scoping the airbag space envelopes with my friendly Toyota mechanics - there is NOWHERE safe!!), and similarly, I had never been comfortable with my wife navigating with the laptop on her lap.

What I was trying to convey was that when you're on the tracks you're generally going so slow that looking at the in-dash screen isn't a safety issue.

I was saying only recently that, out of the approx $30,000 of aftermarket gear that's adorning the beast, this little baby is in my top 5 accessories, alongside the 180l diesel aux tank, spare wheel carriers, HF radio etc.

It's a big screen too, so you don't have to squint; even with my 63 yr old eyes.

Cheers.

FollowupID: 751501

Follow Up By: vk1dx - Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012 at 08:57

Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012 at 08:57

John

A man like me. I have said for ages that the ram mounts and the like cannot be safe.

I agree with you about reading while driving. It can be a bit dangerous. Especially opening up a big paper map on the steering wheel. So we, try to mitigate the danger by putting the map on a screen in the dash and plan ahead minimising the way we look at the screen. I also believe that a small screen showing just a few kilometres ahead is better than a large laptop screen with heaps of detail. Now where the hell are we? Bang! Here we are in this tree!.

Too true about the speed.

$30K is about right you know. Sure we could have done it cheaper but I want to be 100% happy with reliability and safety when tripping around the remote parts of this country. Especially as we prefer to travel alone.

We just put a long ranger in ours but we got the dual one with a pump to take the water up to the tailgate of the 100 series. We also have a low level outlet should the pump fail or should I need to empty the tank completely. No HF. Went for a satellite prepaid phone instead. I found through a different hobby that you can between midnight and dawn lose all HF comms to Australian stations unless you can get down to 80 or 160 meters. The 4WD service does not cover those areas. I need 24/7 reliable access. I would like lockers for the high country but cannot afford them so we improvise or don't go there.

The darn model trains with some engines costing $1K was a cheaper hobby. But no regrets.

Phil