navigation system

[JohnMcIntyre]

GSM/GPRS stealth security

Originally posted by Task125

today I found out the steering wheel controls work without any thing extra,dealer cost is 1215. 00. and the ant. for the unit is under the dash you don't see it. I would like to find out more about PAC cable to view DVDs , mike

Hey Mike, that's excellent news regarding the steering wheel controls functionality, but because it's an optional Dodge/Mopar item, I would have expected nothing less . If you were going with an after market head unit from Pioneer or Alpine, then the PAC cable functionality would come into play. BTW, are you using the standard factory Infinity (or equivalent) amp and speakers? Talk with the guys at Pacific Audio regarding the PAC cable to prevent DVD playback inhibit whilst on the move.



I am personally not familiar with the Mopar unit you're having installed. Does it have a removable front panel or do you get some kind of cosmetic/security cover to conceal what's installed, when the vehicle is unattended? Not being paranoid here, just careful. You might need to check with your insurance company, if the standard Dodge security/alarm system is considered appropriate if you start putting in high $$$ ICE equipment, most times they'll insist you go with a Thatcham Type 1 or equivalent security system, to deter/prevent potential vehicle theft.



Over here in Europe, my insurance company gave me a significant reduction for fitting NavTrack to my truck. Essentially this is a sophisticated "black box", stealth installation, which proactively uses a combination of GSM cellular technology and GPS to pinpoint the exact location of your vehicle at any time down to a 50 yard grid, if the vehicle is moved/disturbed without your authorisaton. Cellular coverage in Europe is pretty extensive - It would be like driving across the lower 48 coast to coast and NEVER losing coverage Last time I was in the states, cellular coverage on my coast to coast trip was flaky in some parts to say the least.



There are some major differences between GSM cellular technology used in more than 200 countries worldwide and the digital cellular technocology that you have in the USA right now, which would prevent some of these stealth security features from working - you can blame Ronald Reagan and the FCC for their (in)decisions back in the 1980s :{



SilverFox - thanks, but don't be intimidated by the truck profile - there are plenty other TDR members who are far more radical





JMc

______________________________



The sex was so good, even the neighbors had a cigarette.



Truck details in profile.

UTE front bumper on order

 

[nkiewel]

JohnMc, One more quick question. Does the unit you have installed support MP3 playback?

 

[SilverFox]

Regarding antennas: Does the Mopar provided antenna that attaches under the dash receive the satellite signal or does some sort of wireless antenna have to be installed to send the signal from the satellite to the under dash antenna? Is this the type of antenna that JMc has mounted on his dash? I thought the satellite had to see the antenna in order to receive the signal.

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

Originally posted by nkiewel

JohnMc, One more quick question. Does the unit you have installed support MP3 playback?

I wish it did support native MP3 playback, but no, at the time I had this installed three years ago, MP3 in-car audio was not even in its infancy. The range of stuff coming out now or very soon will support MP3 completely, including folders. Remember I mentioned earlier in this thread that the manufacturers were gearing up for higher data bus speeds, well now that has been realised in the past 12 months, more and more units with this feature are available. My 12xCD changer does not support MP3 playback but if it did, I could just as easily burn a CD with MP3 files (upto a max of 99 songs) and that would work through my head unit (no folders though)- but I will wait another 9 months before I change out my head unit



JMc

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

You answered your own question!

Originally posted by SilverFox

I thought the satellite had to see the antenna in order to receive the signal.

Basically if you have a GPS unit that sits in the dash, it will need access to an external antenna designed to receive the GPS signal. In some vehicle-specific installations, the antenna may have a hard time seeing the GPS satellites and this is where a re-radiating antenna will effectively act as a signal repeater. The GPS unit being designed for Dodge should work as expected without a re-radiating antenna, in my opinion.



JMc

 

[SilverFox]

Ordered the Nav Radio this afternoon. Dealer first wanted $1458 but told him some of the dealers were selling it for $1350 (Thanks Task125) and he met that price. Should be here in about a week. Truck is in "D" so don't know when it will be built. Ordered 19 Dec. Thanks everybody for all the help and information

 

[SilverFox]

Task125, Let us know about the install, in detail if you have time. I really afraid to try it myself. Guess it really depends on how you come out.

 

[Task125]

I will let you know. I need to find out about PAC cable to view DVDs(thanks john)and CD changer,cost and availability. I want to do it all at once. and I wish it would warm up here. I hate working out in the cold. mike

 

[SilverFox]

I need the PAC cable and CD changer info too. I may call the guys that JohnMcI. mentioned in CA Monday and see what they have to say. If I learn anything significant from them I'll post.

 

[ntenna]

Got the Mopar/Alpine NAV coming in too. I'll post what I think.



BTW, DC will buy back your old radio if you bought off the lot.



A buck and a half.



Not a lot, but hey, it's something.



Anybody want to upgrade to the cassette CD and beat that offer?

 

[Jeremiah]

Originally posted by SilverFox

Would like to know more about the Navigation Radio. Ordered the StreetPilot 111 yesterday. Did I make a mistake? Where can I get more information? Thanks

You did NOT make a mistake buying the Garmin StreetPilot III. It is the top of the line GPS. OTOH, you could have paid too much. It retails for $999 but is available on the 'Net for about $780.



I've had mine for a couple of months, have used it driving cross-country, and wouldn't trade it for anything. They (or some version of the StreetPilot) will be standard in luxury cars a year or two.



But do yourself a favor: buy the carrying case that goes along with it. You'll need it to Xport the unit from place to place.

 

[SilverFox]

Jeremiah, I know the StreetPilot is good and will do everything I need but decided to go with the RB-1 mainly for the factory look and other capabilities. My StreetPilot 111 Deluxe came Friday and I'm sending it back Monday. Price including shipping was $754. 90.





ntenna, Good to hear you're getting one too. Please post your impression and also your experience with the installation. I'd like to install mine myself but am unsure if I can do it. I really don't have any experience with anything like that.

 

[ntenna]

It should be plug and play, wheel controls and all, with the placement of the sat antenna just under the dash being the only part unclear from the Jeep site in the earlier posts in this thread (check out the installation instructions there).



But for those that want to add Sirius satellite radio, that may be a different issue. What is unclear is if a separate out-board receiver module will be needed for that, like the ones required by the Pioneers, etc. Will report when it gets here!

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

Serious about ICE....





As requested earlier in this thread, these pictures posted here to illustrate my own ICE and GPS SatNav installation.



This shows the Alpine Headunit in the closed position. The original factory Infinity CD/Radio combo is about 1. 5 times taller, so any aftermarket head unit will mount in the same position with an appropriate adapter mount to center-locate it in the dash. When unattended, a bland security panel clips into place over the head unit.



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This shows the Alpine Headunit in the open/extended position. Essentially the screen exits the the head unit at 90 degrees to the dash and then when fully extended, pivots up and back before locking in position. Then the multimedia screen display initialises and the source-selector kicks in... . start to finish 20 secs.

When a GPS route is "locked and loaded", the SatNav works quietly in the background and will pause the current sound source whilst providing an audio/visual response on the display/speakers when appropriate, before returning to background mode and resuming where it left off.



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The housing for the Dolby Digital 5. 1 sound processor was fabricated to sit on top of and to the rear of the tunnel, to provide a quick and easy visual reference. Once set up, it is a no-maintenance item. When the vehicle is unattended, another bland security panel covers the processor and it looks just like part of the tunnel. The cellphone is a tri-band GSM900/1800/1900 Nokia 6310i with GSM/GPRS and provides voice activated dialling, accessed and controlled through the head unit, which suspends the sound source, when receiving/making cellphone calls. (FYI - the dual register pressure gauge and twin toggle switch independently controls the compressed air inflation/deflation to both LHS & RHS Firestone-Airbags on the rear axle, from inside the cab).



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Tweeters are sited both sides on the A-pillars - driver's side only shown below with the SPA Mk. 1 twin-function digital gauges. Their positioning in conjunction with both the front door mounted speakers provides excellent stereo/Dolby Surround/DD5. 1 imaging in conjunction with the speakers in the rear doors.



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Not shown in photographs here are the Alpine 12xCD changer under the front passenger seat, the DVD player in the glovebox, Twin JBL Audio sub-woofers plus amps, caps and crossovers under and behind the rear seats, base and mid-range speakers in the front & rear doors, the GPS+ smart SatNav unit underneath the mid-section of the front seat and the PS1 console & Cobra CB unit under the driver's seat.



From the driver's seat, a quick glance when on the move will verify the activation lights displayed on the front of the DTT SmartController, when the exhaust brake kicks in, because of the naturally lower ambient light levels in the footwell. It is mounted vertically on the RHS of the front pasenger footwell and covered with the same dark gray floor carpeting to blend in and keep that "stock" factory look.



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With the front passenger door open, an alternate/better view... .



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This picture shows the low-profile GPS+ re-radiating antenna (1 inch square and not quite 1/2 inch tall) adjacent to the center section of the windshield. Next to it, is the DD5. 1 center channel speaker (2 inch sound cube), which is practically unoticeable from the driver's seat. Originally I tried a stealth mount behind the center airvent, but I was not pleased with the sound quality, so this was the best compromise for looks and sound quality overall.



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Finally, the last picture shows one of the rear (slave) screens in the back of the driver's seat headrest, with the master screen in the dashboard. Another screen is fitted in the same way in the front passenger seat headrest.



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The PS1 console feeds this screen with separate sound on headphones, which keeps my 11 year old son fully occupied on long road journies , snowboarding in Austria and the France Alps.



A couple of TDR members in BC Canada, the Pacific NorthWest and the Bay area in California have seen/heard the install and their concensus has been unanimous. The Dynamat eXtreme (everywhere except the roof lining) effectively prevents excessive engine drone, although if I really try :-laf , I can hear the Scotty II sucking "big air" over and above the ambient music volume and my 4" exhaust.

 

[ntenna]

This is going to seem mighty insignificant after that last post, John M!



But here it is anyway:



Mopar (Alpine) 6-disc CD player is part no. 1087003, and the hardware kit "C" is 1087007.

 

[nkiewel]

One word... SWEET! :--)

 

[Task125]

Well it's in . installed my mopar nav. system last night. very easy to do. no pics though I can not figure out how to make the right size file.

 

[JWerkheiser]

I like the systems like Alpine and Pioneer, etc. that have the fold out screens. However, I don't know if they will clear the upper part of the dash that sticks out. The radio position is much closer to the top of the dash than it was in my '01. I'd appreciate any experience anyone has had installing a fold out screen radio in the new machines.



James

 

[ntenna]

Originally posted by Task125

Well it's in . installed my mopar nav. system last night. very easy to do. no pics though I can not figure out how to make the right size file.

Please advise how you like it. Radio still perform OK, etc.



Mine came in today, but I won't get to it until the weekend.



Negative: smaller screen.



Plus: No foldout hitting the dash or bloking the AC vents (sorry, John M. , no offense, that is one nice rig you have there even if the screen gets in front of the vents!

 

[Task125]

yes, the screen is smaller but it works fine,the radio is easy to fine tune it all comes up on the screen. hardest part of install was putting the gps ant. under dash,you need small fingers. took about 1/2 hour. I bet i could do another in 15 to 20 min its that easy. mike