Stock audio

[Mark805]

Soundgate will do you right... I'll let you know about the b/t adaptor when it comes in.(On backorder)

[f5fstop]

Does the Z1 and the D2 dim when the lights go on? I have read on avic411 that there is a problem with them dimming with auto headlamps.
Possibly the adapters take care of this, but just curious.
I would guess the nav screen or audio screen would be pretty darn bright when driving at night if it does not dim.

[HummerNewbie]

My D1 dims so I would hope the D2 and Z1 both dim as well.

[Mark805]

Mine dims.. In fact... the first picture I posted for you, the one with the map and rear view... the nav map is in the night mode.

Oh.. and my fade works btw... I never answered that question.

[f5fstop]

Thanks guys...
Appreciate all the replys. Now, to wait till the auto demonstration and decide which unit to get.

[Agriv8r]

our z1 dims

[f5fstop]

Ok, another question, not sure if anyone has tried it.

When you place a route with this system, can you manually override the recommended route?

For example:
On my return trip from Moab, my Garmin GPS had me routed via I-70 to St. Louis, then up I-57, to I-80, through Chicago, then onto I-94 to I-69. I was not about go drive through Chicago twice in the same year, so I went into the Garmin map, placed a new VIA point at I-69, just north of Indianapolis, and the route was changed to I-70 to Indianapolis, then up I-69 to East Lansing. This route was only 11 miles farther than the recommended route, but I would guess an hour or two faster.

I have looked at the Pioneer site and can't find any info on overriding the recommended route.

[HummerNewbie]

You can put in things to avoid like toll roads but not sure if you can put in an alternative route, never tried. Now if you left it the way it was and drove straight through past the exit it would start rerouting you. It would probably eventually change to the route you wanted but you would have to listen to it telling you to make a u-turn for a while

[fourfourto]

My Eclipse gives you 3 route choices you can scan usually I use the first one(quick way),but its not always the best route.
My brothers Vw factory GPS does not.
But he has clinometor and altitude functions I wish I had ,but his screen doesnt tilt

[f5fstop]

Originally Posted by HummerNewbie

You can put in things to avoid like toll roads but not sure if you can put in an alternative route, never tried. Now if you left it the way it was and drove straight through past the exit it would start rerouting you. It would probably eventually change to the route you wanted but you would have to listen to it telling you to make a u-turn for a while

My Garmin is stubborn as hell. It will try for miles to get me to make a U-turn, or a bunch of rights/lefts to get back on course, so I just shut the sound down until I need it again, or I see it has changed the route the way I prefer.

[HummerNewbie]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

My Garmin is stubborn as hell. It will try for miles to get me to make a U-turn, or a bunch of rights/lefts to get back on course, so I just shut the sound down until I need it again, or I see it has changed the route the way I prefer.

I am guess that is exactly what the Pioneers would do. I know there are a ton of features that I have not even messed with yet so there might be an option to change the route. I would ask the Pioneer guys today when your are checking out the different systems.

[Mark805]

there's a setting on the z1 that has options like.. quickest, shortest, avoid tolls, avoid traffic (need xm nav) stuff like that... to get more then one option you need to select the amount of routes you want it to make... then when it calulates the route you can scroll thru to the one you want then select ok. I did notice that sometimes it shows multiple routes and there would be a duplicate.

[HummerNewbie]

Originally Posted by Mark805

there's a setting on the z1 that has options like.. quickest, shortest, avoid tolls, avoid traffic (need xm nav) stuff like that... to get more then one option you need to select the amount of routes you want it to make... then when it calulates the route you can scroll thru to the one you want then select ok. I did notice that sometimes it shows multiple routes and there would be a duplicate.

I know the D1 has these options as well but have not tried them.

[thedieter]

The stock radio/CD is fine with us but we are not of the Generation that requires constant music over voice...in fact it drives us crazy.

Best regards, Happy Jack

[f5fstop]

Originally Posted by thedieter

The stock radio/CD is fine with us but we are not of the Generation that requires constant music over voice...in fact it drives us crazy.

Best regards, Happy Jack

Lost me....

[HummerNewbie]

Originally Posted by thedieter

The stock radio/CD is fine with us but we are not of the Generation that requires constant music over voice...in fact it drives us crazy.

Best regards, Happy Jack

But what you don't understand is that with the NAV I get an extra voice that tells me when to turn

[thedieter]

I have to defer to the ones that have navigation screens in the dash. I have never had one.

My feeling is that a nav system would be a distraction if only the driver is available to operate it. Even a navagator in the passenger seet can be a distraction. I am interested in what others have to say about it.

If one can talk back to the system rather than punch buttons & screen it may be OK.

For the price of the nav systems one can get a good laptop and GPS roadmap program that will do 100 times as much and seems like a better option to me.

What I am talking about "voice overs" is the way they have "music" with narrations that make it hard to understand what they are saying.

Is it possible that the younger generation's brains are unable to stay awake without constant musical background? (incoming)

Best regards, Happy Jack

[f5fstop]

It is probably less of a distraction that putting a Garmin on the top of the dash panel, which also tells you where your next turns are, and reduced valuable windshield space.
I have used this same garmin for many years, traveling cross country many times, and I do not consider it a distraction. I have also driven GM vehicles with the in-dash Navs and do not consider them distractions, but I will agree that for some people, they might be distractions.
Nice part of any Nav is the voice command, that makes it possible to know where your turn is without looking at the screen if traffic is too heavy, or like my existing Garmin Nav, it blows up the actual turn so a quick look is all that is required.

I sure hope the Pioneer Nav has no voice overs with music, I agree that would not be good.
Problem with a laptop is it is too large, and there is really no place to put on in the H3. Where would you mount it so that the driver could see/hear the instructions. If traveling alone, you could put it on the passenger seat I guess, but then you would be turning your head to look at something, versus keeping your head straight ahead.

As for younger brains...too old to remember what younger brains required.

[thedieter]

F5f:
Thanks for the hands on description. I have been wondering if it would be worth the high cost of a built in navigation system. It seems like a high price to pay for what they do. For someone that drives a lot in strange locations it would surely be worth it.

I agree that a laptop would be a problem to locate in an H3 but the copilot could hold it on his/her lap during brief intense navigating such as through cities. We have had good luck printing out routes and directions before trips with the laptop.

My rant about voice overs was kind of off topic and applies mainly to the programming on TV these days on my favorite channels such as History, Discovery and Military. They play the background "music" so loud that it is drowning out the narration. Where it applies to cars is that many people play their radios so loud that they drown out sirens, etc. It is well known that high volumes damage hearing.

Best regards, Happy Jack

[HummerNewbie]

Originally Posted by thedieter

We have had good luck printing out routes and directions before trips with the laptop.

That does work great if you know where you are going to be going before hand and can get the route printed out before leaving. I know I have done this many times before getting a navigation system. One problem I had with this method a little while back was when I was heading up to Tellico back in March. I printed the route out, had the turn by turn directions but the problem was the roads were not marked very well. The directions from Map Quest or where ever it was I go them were pretty much dead on but I spent a fair amount of time stopping and second guessing them because of the marking on the roads. With a navigation system you don't have to be watch for signs, how far you have driven since the last turn and so on, you just keep an eye on the road and turn when it says to turn. You also get a warning before you need to turn rather than suddenly noticing you are at the next turn and have to hit the breaks. Of course a navigation system can be more dangerous if the driver is paying more attention to it than they are to the road but that can happen with a map just as easily.