Navi
Printed From: Bavarian-Board.co.uk - BMW Owners Discussion Forum
Category: Technical & Model Specific Forums
Forum Name: BMW 8 Series
Forum Discription: This forum will deal with any issues on the E31 BMW 8 Series
URL: http://www.bavarian-board.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=3007
Printed Date: 02-May-2024 at 23:10
Topic: Navi
Posted By: Sniff
Subject: Navi
Date Posted: 13-August-2003 at 16:59
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Anyone got the Becker Traffic Pro radio/cd/navi unit in their 8? There have been a few posts from guys in the USA over on Roadfly about this model (Harmon/Kardon in the US) and it looks good, but I wanted to know what it's like for Europe. Are the map coverages decent? Detail? You can get a red display...is that close in colour to the dials on the dash? Can it control the standard 6-CD changer from the 8 (rebadged Pioneer?) or will I lose that?
My local dealer here in Germany is offering it (tho badged as a BMW model) for 1500 Euros installed, which seems like a good deal. |
Replies:
Posted By: Sniff
Date Posted: 14-August-2003 at 14:51
No-one got a Navi system?
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Posted By: aussie840
Date Posted: 14-August-2003 at 21:18
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Hi Sniff, I have been looking at Sat Nav and considering a portable Magellan unit. But I do like the Becker 7825. Its the about the closest looking OEM unit to suit the 8. Some aftermarket units wreck the appearance of the middle console. I also was wondering about CD unit being compat. and was going to call my local dealer and ask the techies: http://www.soundlabsgroup.com.au/automotive/bmw.htm http://www.soundlabsgroup.com.au/becker/becker_oem.htm Is this model you were looking at: http://caraudiosecurity.com/catalog/product_info.php+manufacturers_id+14+products_id+1262 Although I really want a Road Angel GPS unit as well! Ian ------------- http://home.iprimus.com.au/charlew/e31/840-1.jpg"> 
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Posted By: Sniff
Date Posted: 15-August-2003 at 10:59
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From what I have read there are a few different versions. You can get a Becker one from any auto av shop which will be a generic one. However I understand that you can get OEM badged ones that have a bus specific to the wiring of the manufacturer involved. Thus a BMW badged one should (I haven't yet checked with my dealer...bank holiday here today!) be able to control my CD changer in the boot.
There are a few versions it seems. 4720/4725/4733/4751 vary only in colour of the display. The 7820/7823/7825 seems to have a higher performance processor for quicker route calculations (also possibly more info from CD..Michelin Guide?). Again the differing model numbers denote different colour displays. The 7851 is the same as the 782x models but can be mounted at 30-60 degrees. I'm going to check with my dealer next week about suitability for the8, and I'll post what I find out. I don't think the Road Angel works here. But then we don't have as many speed traps I dont think! |
Posted By: PhilC
Date Posted: 16-August-2003 at 10:20
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Interesting reading guys.. Wouldn't it be great if these things could have the GPS fixed camera updatable database built in.
Phil |
Posted By: Nigel
Date Posted: 16-August-2003 at 10:55
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Interesting thought phil, but on my travels, these things only seem to be legal in the uk, true of europe at least, I have the dashboard mounted roadangel, with plug in laser detector.
It seems its the death penalty in europe and even southern ireland for having one of these !! ------------- Best Wishes Nigel |
Posted By: aussie840
Date Posted: 16-August-2003 at 11:34
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Sniff...interesting about the OEM wiring bus option. I'll definitely investigate that here as well.
Phil...yes would be perfect if the Becker unit had the fixed and average mobile camera database too. Nigel...are you saying Raod Angels are illegal in some areas of Europe? Radar & Lasar detectors here are illegal but GPS units like Road Angel are not. Our cops use a Queensland made device called a Stalcar RDD which detects radar detectors so that market here died overnight once they started using them. Interesting too see in the UK gatso are being torched by the locals! http://www.speedcam.co.uk/index2.htm And I thought aussies has no respect for the law! Makes me proud to be in the commonwealth. Ian |
Posted By: aussie840
Date Posted: 16-August-2003 at 11:35
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...this was the link I meant
http://www.speedcam.co.uk/gatso2.htm |
Posted By: Sniff
Date Posted: 16-August-2003 at 11:58
| Great idea about combining the GPS navi with something like a Road Angel database. It would be easy too, as the navi systems already do Point of Interest (stuff like petrol stations, hotels, restaurants etc) and the traffic cams would just be another POI. I would think it's just a question of licensing...maybe someone should write to whoever makes Road Angel and suggest it?! |
Posted By: Nigel
Date Posted: 16-August-2003 at 12:01
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Ian
I've had it explained to me, both by friendly french and irish plods, that it is illegal to have ANY device that detects the position of "law enforcement" devices, or police cash points as they are known over here. The irish were typically laid back, and were just letting me know, being a little embarrassed at having stopped my car to check the road fund licence, not having noticed it had british plates !! The frogs on the other hand were going to confiscate it and fine me, I only escaped because one of them spotted my ham radio gear, and was himself a radio anorack, so in the end we exchanged callsigns, shook hands, and he let me "hide" it in the boot and drive away. ------------- Best Wishes Nigel |
Posted By: Nigel
Date Posted: 16-August-2003 at 20:11
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Sniff
Just a thought about having the database in your in car system......how are you going to update it ? You'd either need a jolly long lead, a detachable memory cassette of some kind, or to be able to update via cd. ------------- Best Wishes Nigel |
Posted By: aussie840
Date Posted: 17-August-2003 at 00:25
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I think Road Angel will probably find itself under competition soon, but they have a few things going for them
- cheap receiver without the expense of full blown sat nav display etc - best database - easy to update But once multi channel GPS receivers are cheaper to make to offset cost of in-dash units & start to put maybe a bluetooth or mini usb socket in you could update them from your laptop or G3 phone. You could just download the update on a USB stick and dump it into the indash unit. Ian P.S. Nigel, thats the first I've ever heard of a frog being nice to a pom! I'm a bit worried now that our local pollies will change to law to same as irish one. That will make the rozzers happy. |
Posted By: Nigel
Date Posted: 17-August-2003 at 01:30
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Aussie
I have to admit that the frogs are generaly nice, I spend quite a lot of time over there. Its work not social, but the people are great. As always its the press and governments. The food isnt bad either.......once you can actually get them to cook it lol I promise you, some of the steaks they serve up a good vet would get going again ------------- Best Wishes Nigel |
Posted By: PhilC
Date Posted: 17-August-2003 at 08:18
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Sniff, sorry to steal your thread. I was shocked to find out that Road Angel is not 'legal' in France.
Nigel I've just finished working in a West African country wholly owned and serviced by the frogs. I usually consider myself a pretty open minded person but they were a nightmare. Their work ethic was crap (in the main); things like tardiness, communication and even social conscience were non-existent. Total closed shop for only french companies and just the sort of attitude that makes me shudder at being called a 'European'. Still couldn't get my head round eating things that leave a trail. Any Frenchmen who read this please feel free to respond in kind and remind us of all the wonderful things that make us typically British!!! |
Posted By: Sniff
Date Posted: 17-August-2003 at 10:00
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No worries...all intersting stuff!
Nigel, you could just update the Angel database by getting a new CD-ROM, just like you do now with the navi systems. You don't update the receiver, just buy a more up-to-date mapping CD. Funny to read what you guys think about French and French food. Here in Bavaria it's just the opposite...all you can get is pork and potatoes! The Bavarian idea of a vegetarian dish is a ham omelette! 
Mind you, they also 'force' you to drink beer with every meal too, so it's not all bad! We also work closely with the French (part of the company is based in Nice) and I have to say that they put the British 'old-school tie' system to shame. If you haven't been to the right school in France, you're nobody. In my company we currently have 37 different nationalities. As you can imagine that makes for a very interesting few weeks when the footy World Cup is on! |
Posted By: aussie840
Date Posted: 17-August-2003 at 11:23
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Good point. I guess just whacking in a new CD/DVD would be easier.
Re French...Well at you guys didn't have to put up with them letting off nukes in the Pacific Ocean. Its still not too late to invade you know. If the infantry is short on APCs they could use E31s. Ian Moderator: Sorry for getting off topic, but bagging the French is just...well irresistable. Hey Sniff do you know the Torbreau near Marienplatz...use to stay there during crash testing days. |
Posted By: PhilC
Date Posted: 17-August-2003 at 11:29
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LOL, I can always be forced to drink beer..
I watched the last World Cup in the jungle and had plenty of froggy baiting material after their first game against Senegal. The Gabonese Africans were celebrating in the villages. A very memorable p***-up. |
Posted By: Sniff
Date Posted: 17-August-2003 at 15:47
Ian, I don't know the Torbreau. How long ago was this? Must admit I don't go into central Munich that often...I can never seem to pass the 100+ beer gardens it would take me to get there!!! 
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Posted By: Nigel
Date Posted: 17-August-2003 at 16:29
We are all going to be in trouble when Duncan gets back from Gaydon lol 
There has never been so much posting in the 8 series techical forum, but not much of it is technical lol. Good to see a "skippy" joining in the frog bashing though ! On the point of updating the road angel, I do it every week, just plug it into the net, the info changes so much as cameras come and go in roadworks, and people update thier own units whilst driving and coming across even more of these dam cameras. As you need to update so often I think it would have to be net based, anything else would get messy and inconvenient. Aussie, are your lot getting as carried away as ours? The (S)camera partnership in Worcester installed a gatso camera on a road with no accident record. (My wife can remember one fatality, on the opposite side of the road when she was 16, the old dear is in her 40's now, and has lived here all her life) They operated it for 2 days a week for a month, and raised £48,000 (they assure us its not about money though), the speed limit is 30, and according to the local paper not one offence was above 40 !!! ------------- Best Wishes Nigel |
Posted By: PhilC
Date Posted: 17-August-2003 at 17:15
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Nigel
Lancashire police are doing people for 35mph these days my wife included. |
Posted By: Nigel
Date Posted: 17-August-2003 at 17:27
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Phil
Its 10% plus 2, so 35 is good !! I have an sp30, nov 2001, south wales scamera partnership 35 in a 30 ! And its only going to get worse ! There was an article in a classic car paper that may/maynot interest you. That anticar cretin, Ken Livingston, (he is the mayor of london for the benefit of skippy) is now proposing to make "clean air" zones, which he hopes to extend to the whole of london. If your car is pre-cat, which my beamer is, you WONT be allowed to drive in these. In the words of Homer, it just gets worse and worse. ------------- Best Wishes Nigel |
Posted By: Nigel
Date Posted: 17-August-2003 at 17:38
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Phil
I've put a poll in the general members area, so hopefully we can all transfer over there, I'm sure skippy, sniff , and anyone else who is interested will follow us, preferably before Duncan gets back and slaps our legs lol  ------------- Best Wishes Nigel |
Posted By: aussie840
Date Posted: 17-August-2003 at 23:55
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Oh yeah our lot are as dodgy as your let, except our state govt doesn't pretend to hide the fact is revenue raising as much (we are descended from convicts remembers and our currency was rum...)
Its a bit daft though cos in Northern Territory, there are no speed limits, but different states have different limits. One big problem is some state will book you now for doing 3kmh over limit (use to be 10% +3) - but the Aust. Design Rule says speedos can have 10% error. Go figure. Seeya Skippy |
Posted By: Nigel
Date Posted: 17-August-2003 at 23:58
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3 km over the limit,good grief that is much worse than here, what do they think you are..some kind of robot ? ------------- Best Wishes Nigel |
Posted By: PhilC
Date Posted: 18-August-2003 at 08:48
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Hellfire... just converting O2 in the CO2 whilst driving makes a 3km variance in my car..
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Posted By: aussie840
Date Posted: 19-August-2003 at 04:10
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...why do you think I need the Road Angel! The opposition govt's election mandate is to repeal the 3kmh limit legislation. Most think they'll take govt just on this.
Skippy The Land of Oz (literally) |
Posted By: PhilC
Date Posted: 19-August-2003 at 09:56
| Since most families in the UK have two workers and two cars that sort of political mandate would raise a parties popularity in the UK as well. |
Posted By: Nigel
Date Posted: 19-August-2003 at 20:53
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One of our partys is already part way there phil, promising to remove bus lanes and some of the needless speed limits, whether they actually would in government is a different matter.
The transport 2000 cretins just seem to be getting thier way more and more, just look at all the needless 50 limits that are appearing now. ------------- Best Wishes Nigel |
Posted By: Sniff
Date Posted: 20-August-2003 at 07:25
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I used to live in Swindon, where roundabouts are a way of life...wherever two roads meet, thou shalt have a roundabout, whether you want one or not. I am sure you have heard of the Magic Roundabout?
http://www.swindonweb.com/life/lifemagi0.htm The woman in charge of the traffic department in Swindon Council can't even drive. When a new Sainsbury's was built in West Swindon they had two lanes to it...great. Then they blocked one off to provide a bus lane (lots of those in Swindon too). Then they cancelled the proposed bus service, but they didn't remove the bus lane. Driving in the UK becomes less and less of a pleasure every time I go back. |
Posted By: Nigel
Date Posted: 20-August-2003 at 21:24
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Sniff
I have been from Worcester to Reading today, to do a service call at a factory. I past 4 scamera partnership vans !!! It is less than 100 miles I have taken to extending my middle finger whenever I see one, I'll let you know when its staffed by the fuzz  lol
------------- Best Wishes Nigel |
Posted By: PhilC
Date Posted: 21-August-2003 at 15:25
| I reckon they are manned by Ant and Dec lookalikes - Watch Bo'selecta... |