Dallara
02-26-2006, 07:13 PM
Okay, folks...
It all started when I got to reading and researching a new vehicle specific GPS unit more capable than my little Magellan Meridian Color...
http://www.mediacollege.com/equipment/magellan/meridian/images/color.jpg
Now don't get me wrong, the Magellan Meridian Color has been a fine, completely trouble-free, and capable device, but it has some limitations for dedicated vehicle use... And besides, I had an interesting idea...
How could you sort of *totally integrate* music and a state-of-the-art GPS unit onto a dedicated long-distance sport touring mount like my upcoming 2006 Yamaha FJR-1300-A???
I plan to use the Yamaha FJR for some very *mission specific* duties, and some of those are truly far ranging solo jaunts at points all across the country... Laguna Seca, Daytona, Barber Motosports Park & Museum, Deals Gap, Elkhart Lake, etc. My BMW R-1150-R has been terrific motorcycle, and I want to keep it for closer to home work, but it really isn't my mount of choice for putting in a thousand mile day. One thing I like to have along on a really long solo trip is music... Lots of it, and as conveniently as possible. I have experimented with my XM Radio Roady, and have enjoyed many a mile with my Apple iPod Mini... both used with Etymotic ER-6 ear buds... But having both along is somewhat problematic, especially the having the friggin' ear phone cord strung to the XM Roady and often forgetting to unplug is as I dismount. Thankfully I haven't destroyed the cord on the Etymotic's yet, but it has not been for lack of inadvertently trying.
Then one day, in my quest for finding a better solution I run across a write up on the new Garmin StreetPilot 2730...
http://www.gpslodge.com/images/garminsp2730lg.jpg
http://www.garmin.com/products/sp2730/
Now this was interesting... The latest in Garmin technology and mapping software. XM Radio and XM Weather capability built in, internal FM transmitter, storage space for MP3's and the ability to play them via the FM transmitter, Audible audio books capability, able to withstand being totally immersed in water (albeit briefly, but that should cover any rainstorm drenching...), infrared remote control, text-to-speech, etc. and lots of available motorcycle mounts, accessories, etc. since it has the same case and dimensions as the other Garmin 26xx and 27xx series.
Here's some specs and info...
Preloaded maps—ready to use out of the box
Built-in patch antenna; MCX-type connector for optional external GPS antenna connection
Turn-by-turn directions
The included GXM 30 smart antenna provides XM Satellite Radio, XM NavTraffic and XM WX Satellite Weather
XM NavTraffic provides the following traffic data: *
Unscheduled traffic incident data, such as accidents and disabled vehicles
Scheduled traffic incident data, such as road construction and road closures
Traffic flow information (the actual speed data from road sensors)
Enjoy XM Satellite Radio, featuring over 150 digital channels of commercial-free music, over 30 channels of news, sports, talk and entertainment, over 20 dedicated channels of XM Instant Traffic & Weather, and the deepest playlist in the industry with access to over 2 million titles.*
XM WX Satellite Weather features county warnings, current conditions, and city forecasts*
Loading MP3’s is drag-and-drop easy—no special software is required
Send audio to the car stereo through the integrated FM wireless transmitter or 3.5 mm stereo headphone/line-out plug
Announces street and POI names and addresses to help you keep your eyes on the road
Arrange destinations to minimize trip distance—a real timesaver for realtors, sales forces, and errand-runners
Import custom POI such as restaurants and safety cameras from industry-standard CSV files
Proximity Alert feature warns of upcoming Custom POIs, such as safety cameras and school zones
Touch screen and alphanumeric remote control
View the map in either a three-dimensional perspective or top-down track-up or north-up view
3.8” diagonal WQVGA color, automotive-grade, sunlight-readable TFT display; 3.3” W x 1.7” H; 454 x 240 pixels
Unit dimensions: 5.6” W x 3.2” H x 2.0” D
Weight: .93 pounds
Built-in photo sensor adjusts for light conditions automatically
Integrated dash mounting system provides easy adjustment and quick release* Requires a XM subscription
So I took the plunge and ordered one... And it got here earlier in the week, but I didn't have any time to fool with it until Friday night. That was pretty convenient, though, as I had a short trip (in the cage) I had to take on Saturday up the country and back and it would be a good time to test it out. Got on the XM Radio website and updated my account to include the new Garmin (I didn't get the NAV Weather, etc. because they currently don't handle but two cities in Texas, but that's coming) and made sure that worked, then converted a bunch of my Apple iTunes AAC-encoded music to MP3 and tired to load them up... Hit a small glitch here but a quick trip to a couple of Garmin forums (at midnight...) got that sorted out and then the songs loaded without a hitch.
Mounted everything up in the Suburban for the test flight and learned some neat things there... One, the provided Garmin temporary dash mount is really quite trick. A funny little four-pointed star thiga-ma-jiggy that has sewn-in weights at the *points* of the star and a non-skid kind-of moldable bottom that really works. No amount of quick acceleration or sudden stops made it move from its spot on the dash, which really amazed me. Also, the XM Radio antenna *puck* has the same kind of non-skid material on its base (it is also magnetic in case you want to mount it external of the cabin) and it doesn't slide around, either, and it gets even better XM reception than my Delphi XM-brand Roady!
FM transmitter to send the signal to the car's stereo is hiss-free and works wonderfully, easily having the power to override any distant signal on FM 88.1 that I used... Again, far better than my XM Roady. It also transmits far, far better than the Belkin FM transmitter I use with my iPod.
Which brings up the MP3 player... Neat little screen layout, with all the functionality you have with an iPod or other MP3 player. It's a little short on storage capacity in this regard, only having about 800 MB's free for tunes, but that's enough for me for a trip, and you always have XM Radio to fall back on if you get tired of your stored music collection. Loading songs couldn't be easier, as it is strictly drag-and-drop.
As for the GPS part... WOW! Much easier and more intuitive to configure and operate than my Magellan. With the little Magellan youhave to go through lots of buttons, screens, and menus to get certain info... With the Garmin nothing is more than maybe one button and a couple of touch-screen pushes away, and it provides tons more information. The screen is also FAR, FAR better than the Magellan, despite them being similar in size (just oriented differently, with the Garmin being a horizontal, "widescreen" format, while the Magellan is a vertically oriented, "tall" screen layout). Even the mapping style and appearance is much better on the Garmin.
The turn-by-turn routing and voice prompts are the TITZ! I switched the voice from the default American English lass ("Jill") to a much saucier sounding Australian sheila ("Karen") and I simply couldn't wait for her to give me another instruction just so I could hear her voice... I kept taking different routes just to listen to her recalculate my travels! BTW, the recalculation is fast, fast, fast and accurate, too. The text-to-speech is phenomenal... reading out correctly even bizarrely named streets perfectly (like Gollihar), and the mapping is certainly current, as my city (Corpus Christi, TX) is a not a very large one, yet the unit had new streets that were completed just months ago! The buddy that rode along with me was even amazed as the unit had the *address* of his ranch road correct (which he says isn't listed anywhere...) and it even showed some of the dirt roads on his ranch and his brother's property right up the road from his!
Sure, the Garmin 2730 was pretty pricey, though if you shop around you can get pretty good deals on 'em... If you can find one in stock. They are pretty scarce on the ground right now, but I still got mine nearly $500 under MSRP.
Now, you may be asking yourself - How is he going to listen to this rig in stereo without plugging his ear phones into it or without using Bluetooth technology (which the Garmin doesn't support, anyway...)???
Well, before I answer that I will see if any of you have the same lightbulb go off in you head like I did... And yes, Virginia, it works... And works wonderfully!
Hope this little *review* helps!
Cheers!
Allan (Dallara - NACD)
It all started when I got to reading and researching a new vehicle specific GPS unit more capable than my little Magellan Meridian Color...
http://www.mediacollege.com/equipment/magellan/meridian/images/color.jpg
Now don't get me wrong, the Magellan Meridian Color has been a fine, completely trouble-free, and capable device, but it has some limitations for dedicated vehicle use... And besides, I had an interesting idea...
How could you sort of *totally integrate* music and a state-of-the-art GPS unit onto a dedicated long-distance sport touring mount like my upcoming 2006 Yamaha FJR-1300-A???
I plan to use the Yamaha FJR for some very *mission specific* duties, and some of those are truly far ranging solo jaunts at points all across the country... Laguna Seca, Daytona, Barber Motosports Park & Museum, Deals Gap, Elkhart Lake, etc. My BMW R-1150-R has been terrific motorcycle, and I want to keep it for closer to home work, but it really isn't my mount of choice for putting in a thousand mile day. One thing I like to have along on a really long solo trip is music... Lots of it, and as conveniently as possible. I have experimented with my XM Radio Roady, and have enjoyed many a mile with my Apple iPod Mini... both used with Etymotic ER-6 ear buds... But having both along is somewhat problematic, especially the having the friggin' ear phone cord strung to the XM Roady and often forgetting to unplug is as I dismount. Thankfully I haven't destroyed the cord on the Etymotic's yet, but it has not been for lack of inadvertently trying.
Then one day, in my quest for finding a better solution I run across a write up on the new Garmin StreetPilot 2730...
http://www.gpslodge.com/images/garminsp2730lg.jpg
http://www.garmin.com/products/sp2730/
Now this was interesting... The latest in Garmin technology and mapping software. XM Radio and XM Weather capability built in, internal FM transmitter, storage space for MP3's and the ability to play them via the FM transmitter, Audible audio books capability, able to withstand being totally immersed in water (albeit briefly, but that should cover any rainstorm drenching...), infrared remote control, text-to-speech, etc. and lots of available motorcycle mounts, accessories, etc. since it has the same case and dimensions as the other Garmin 26xx and 27xx series.
Here's some specs and info...
Preloaded maps—ready to use out of the box
Built-in patch antenna; MCX-type connector for optional external GPS antenna connection
Turn-by-turn directions
The included GXM 30 smart antenna provides XM Satellite Radio, XM NavTraffic and XM WX Satellite Weather
XM NavTraffic provides the following traffic data: *
Unscheduled traffic incident data, such as accidents and disabled vehicles
Scheduled traffic incident data, such as road construction and road closures
Traffic flow information (the actual speed data from road sensors)
Enjoy XM Satellite Radio, featuring over 150 digital channels of commercial-free music, over 30 channels of news, sports, talk and entertainment, over 20 dedicated channels of XM Instant Traffic & Weather, and the deepest playlist in the industry with access to over 2 million titles.*
XM WX Satellite Weather features county warnings, current conditions, and city forecasts*
Loading MP3’s is drag-and-drop easy—no special software is required
Send audio to the car stereo through the integrated FM wireless transmitter or 3.5 mm stereo headphone/line-out plug
Announces street and POI names and addresses to help you keep your eyes on the road
Arrange destinations to minimize trip distance—a real timesaver for realtors, sales forces, and errand-runners
Import custom POI such as restaurants and safety cameras from industry-standard CSV files
Proximity Alert feature warns of upcoming Custom POIs, such as safety cameras and school zones
Touch screen and alphanumeric remote control
View the map in either a three-dimensional perspective or top-down track-up or north-up view
3.8” diagonal WQVGA color, automotive-grade, sunlight-readable TFT display; 3.3” W x 1.7” H; 454 x 240 pixels
Unit dimensions: 5.6” W x 3.2” H x 2.0” D
Weight: .93 pounds
Built-in photo sensor adjusts for light conditions automatically
Integrated dash mounting system provides easy adjustment and quick release* Requires a XM subscription
So I took the plunge and ordered one... And it got here earlier in the week, but I didn't have any time to fool with it until Friday night. That was pretty convenient, though, as I had a short trip (in the cage) I had to take on Saturday up the country and back and it would be a good time to test it out. Got on the XM Radio website and updated my account to include the new Garmin (I didn't get the NAV Weather, etc. because they currently don't handle but two cities in Texas, but that's coming) and made sure that worked, then converted a bunch of my Apple iTunes AAC-encoded music to MP3 and tired to load them up... Hit a small glitch here but a quick trip to a couple of Garmin forums (at midnight...) got that sorted out and then the songs loaded without a hitch.
Mounted everything up in the Suburban for the test flight and learned some neat things there... One, the provided Garmin temporary dash mount is really quite trick. A funny little four-pointed star thiga-ma-jiggy that has sewn-in weights at the *points* of the star and a non-skid kind-of moldable bottom that really works. No amount of quick acceleration or sudden stops made it move from its spot on the dash, which really amazed me. Also, the XM Radio antenna *puck* has the same kind of non-skid material on its base (it is also magnetic in case you want to mount it external of the cabin) and it doesn't slide around, either, and it gets even better XM reception than my Delphi XM-brand Roady!
FM transmitter to send the signal to the car's stereo is hiss-free and works wonderfully, easily having the power to override any distant signal on FM 88.1 that I used... Again, far better than my XM Roady. It also transmits far, far better than the Belkin FM transmitter I use with my iPod.
Which brings up the MP3 player... Neat little screen layout, with all the functionality you have with an iPod or other MP3 player. It's a little short on storage capacity in this regard, only having about 800 MB's free for tunes, but that's enough for me for a trip, and you always have XM Radio to fall back on if you get tired of your stored music collection. Loading songs couldn't be easier, as it is strictly drag-and-drop.
As for the GPS part... WOW! Much easier and more intuitive to configure and operate than my Magellan. With the little Magellan youhave to go through lots of buttons, screens, and menus to get certain info... With the Garmin nothing is more than maybe one button and a couple of touch-screen pushes away, and it provides tons more information. The screen is also FAR, FAR better than the Magellan, despite them being similar in size (just oriented differently, with the Garmin being a horizontal, "widescreen" format, while the Magellan is a vertically oriented, "tall" screen layout). Even the mapping style and appearance is much better on the Garmin.
The turn-by-turn routing and voice prompts are the TITZ! I switched the voice from the default American English lass ("Jill") to a much saucier sounding Australian sheila ("Karen") and I simply couldn't wait for her to give me another instruction just so I could hear her voice... I kept taking different routes just to listen to her recalculate my travels! BTW, the recalculation is fast, fast, fast and accurate, too. The text-to-speech is phenomenal... reading out correctly even bizarrely named streets perfectly (like Gollihar), and the mapping is certainly current, as my city (Corpus Christi, TX) is a not a very large one, yet the unit had new streets that were completed just months ago! The buddy that rode along with me was even amazed as the unit had the *address* of his ranch road correct (which he says isn't listed anywhere...) and it even showed some of the dirt roads on his ranch and his brother's property right up the road from his!
Sure, the Garmin 2730 was pretty pricey, though if you shop around you can get pretty good deals on 'em... If you can find one in stock. They are pretty scarce on the ground right now, but I still got mine nearly $500 under MSRP.
Now, you may be asking yourself - How is he going to listen to this rig in stereo without plugging his ear phones into it or without using Bluetooth technology (which the Garmin doesn't support, anyway...)???
Well, before I answer that I will see if any of you have the same lightbulb go off in you head like I did... And yes, Virginia, it works... And works wonderfully!
Hope this little *review* helps!
Cheers!
Allan (Dallara - NACD)