>Then there was
>the near collision with the beer truck near the Hofbrau House in Munich.

UUMMMM..... May Turn Out Better Than One Might Anticipate !!!???!!!
 :o)...  ;o)...  ;oO... ;o(... ;o~

JC...

-------------- Original message --------------
From: Frank Grunthaner <FrankGRUN@AOL.COM>

> Well, basically I'm frugal and sneaky when it comes to investments in the
> Westfalia. After all, the family bank account is closely scrutinized by She Who
> Must Be Obeyed.
>
> Nonetheless after several navel introspection's, I have come to convince
> myself that there are at least two critical accessories to maintain the quality
> of
> life as I have come to know it. The first of these is a thumping, brilliant
> and diverse sound system and the second of these is a GPS system.
>
> For years, I have traveled the civilized world in rental cars using the Hertz
> Neverlost nav system. This included the massive first and second generation
> trunk mount Magellan systems and continues to the current 800/900 derived
> portable system. At first, I looked at the early generation systems and was
> stunned
> to find refurbished and hard used systems going for $1200. So I purchased
> (eventually) a DeLorme Earthmate Bluetooth system , used the Bluetooth to
> interface it with my Mac Powerbook (then G3) laptop, purchased the early beta
> version
> of Route 66 GPS software with maps for Europe and North America. Worked fine,
> but for two minor problems. The sun glare on the laptop screen and the detail
> in the Route 66 maps sent me on many an unanticipated tour. Then there was
> the near collision with the beer truck near the Hofbrau House in Munich. And,
> secondly, this era of Mac Nav programs did not include the option for voice
> prompts and direction. With the Vanagon, the problem was exaggerated by the
> tendency of the laptop to launch upon braking and acceleration, not to mention
> turns. I experimented with mounts, but the best put the laptop too far away to
> read
> (bad eyes!).
>
> So I have watched with drool as the prices of GPS systems dropped - at first
> slowly, then more rapidly until many worthy units got to the $400 retail
> level. During this window, our primary family transportation went from a Ford
> Expedition to an Audi A4 CVT (love that transmission) to the current BMW 330i.
> The
> BMW (2005 vintage) is equipped with the Factory Nav system. As the eyes got
> worse (cataracts) and the print of unfamiliar roadsigns went away, the BMW nav
> system became a treasured member of the family - and SWMBO willingly drove to
> more exotic places. So, I determined that it was time to add discursive GPS to
> the Westfalia.
>
> So began the study of available goodies. At first, I examined the single DIN
> combo stereo and GPS units that flipped a screen out of the unit to rest at 90
> degrees to the radio GPS combo face. Alas, they broke easily and were too
> pricey to slip past the family ruling class. I then looked at the portable units
> and proceeded to devour all the reviews both by experts (read in the business
> of selling GPS units or magazines or both) and by amateurs. Too quickly I
> found that the so-called professional reviews closely followed the factory press
> kit and the amateurs offered little factual substance. The user reviews
> generally ranged from "unit X is wunnerful, buy it now" to "biggest POS I ever
> wasted
> my money on, gave it to the dog for teething stress".
>
> Now at the lab three of my colleagues are the very guys who designed and
> built most of the world's satellite GPS transmitters and radios. We had a few
> discussions about receivers, decoders, antennas software and maps and I walked
> away with a few pointers for experiments to separate the men from the mammals
> (to
> turn a phrase). So I embarked on a low dollar anecdotal study of GPs portable
> units to find something adequate for my needs. Of course my needs are not
> your needs etc. etc.
>
> I decided that the performance of the final unit must be at least as good as
> the classic Magellan 800/900 series, but substantially cheaper and better
> looking. Finally, my wanderings settled on the Pioneer AVIC-S1. This unit was
> designed around 2005/6 and was to be retailed at $1200, discounted to $900. The
> unit now is in its next sales generation as the AVIC-S2. The differences are a
> more updated Map set and a library of about 5x more points of interest.
>
> The unit is available as a refurbed unit out of ebay and several internet
> retailers for $199 with free shipping and no tax if you don't live in NY. (Why
> would someone want to live in NY when NJ is so close?). OK, so many of the
> reviews (users) were bad with specifics. But the tech specs were excellent.
> Liked
> the look. Comes with dash and windshield mounts, AC and 12 vdc power supplies,
> USB cable, DVD software disk, carrying case, internal antenna, internal
> battery with a few hour lifetime, AND bluetooth. Now the Bluetooth goodie lets
> one
> use the AVIC-S1 as a hands free telephone if your cell supports Bluetooth. Mine
> does, I like it. Holds its one phone directory, etc, etc. Good.
>
> So I got one. Looks good. Uses NavTeq map database in the US. Has a 2005
> version MAP. Pioneer says 2007 Map upgrade by end of summer. They probably lie.
> But it so happens that the BMX was delivered with the identical 2005 map
> database. By nefarious means, I also have Navteq DVD's of their 2006 and 2007
> updates
> and am currently running 2007.2 in the BMW. Now, it turns out that I can
> report that in my travels with the BMW across the lands west of the Rockies, I
> have found no difference in the Maps (2005 vs. 2007). I tend not to examine the
> Points of Interest feature because I never found anything I needed save a gas
> station anyway. My primary test case is the campus of UC Santa Cruz. Isn't
> there!
>
> So I proceeded to test, twixt Death Valley and San Diego, Malibu to Palm
> Springs, the attributes of the AVIC-S1. Including the specific negatives raised
> by previous reviewers. Bogus. Turns out that they were just ignorant or tried
> to use it in the tried and true Mac Fashion (Manual, who needs it!). It fact
> the thing performed superbly. According to my GPS friends, resolution is a
> biggie. Lots of access roads parallel to freeways in this part of the world.
> Factory BM W messed up a few. The Pioneer got em dead on. The second issue is a
> combo of software algorithms and microprocessor power. Namely, if you miss a
> turn,
> how quickly can the Nav system give you a calculated detour to get you back
> on track. Here the BMW is worth a few blocks at LA street speeds along with a
> few softly uttered expletives. The Pioneer, over the same course, was like a
> damn machine gun. Spits out a new route for every street passed. Impressive!
> Finally, does it get lost in concrete canyons of high rise buildings. Answer in
> downtown LA --- BMW lost lock several times, but the dash mounted Pioneer
> never skipped a beat.
>
> OK, the point of this ramble is that I think the Pioneer AVIC-S1
> (refurbished) is a steal at $199 shipped. I bought the 3 year warranty (only
> comes with 90
> days) for $20 additional.
>
> Now for those not yet sleeping, a paragraph on sound. As described in the
> archives, I have a substantial sound system in the Westfalia including BA
> speakers(8) headphone jacks aplenty, power amplifiers for all speakers and a
> powerful
> subwoofer system mounted under the driver's derriere. It includes cassette
> (!) capability, a CD changer and auxiliary inputs. But times have changed. In
> the BMW I listen to CDs (rarely) Sirius radio and my iPod all through the BMW
> sound system. Well, out with the current head unit, and out with the CD changer.
> I have now added a JVC KD-HDR1 head unit that include the traditional AM and
> FM tuners along with a CD player. BUT it also includes a full HD radio tuner
> for AMHD and FMHD. It also has an optional Ipod interface that is controlled by
> the head unit or the remote control, displays selections on the head unit
> while charging the ipod. The JVC head also has an optional Sirius radio tuner
> that is controlled through the head unit. The line-outs are controlled through a
> built-in graphic equalizer. The refurbed KD-HDR1 head is $115 plus shipping.
> The ipod adapter KS-PD100 is $25 plus and the Sirius tuner SIR-JVC1 kit is $70.
> So for $210 plus shipping one gets the current collage of broadcast,
> satellite and custom music sources. So I blew $460 and change for a complete
> modernization of the electronic care package!
>
> Hope somebody gets something out of this missive,
>
> Frank Grunthaner
>
>
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