05 Swift Double Din DVD/GPS/Bluetooth/Reverse Camera,etc

[Haribolman]

Today I finally installed something that's been on my wish list for quite some time!

It's an in dash double-din touchscreen Polaris DVD/CD player with in built GPS and Bluetooth, along with Reverse Camera and Tyre Pressure monitoring inputs and complete with Steering Wheel control input. There's not a lot this unit doesn't do. I considered everything from the ebay cheapies, through to the Pioneer, Kenwood $3000+ jobs and I'm very happy with this middle ground. Polaris is an Australian company http://www.polarisgps.com.au already well known as Poron Australia for their reverse camera and GPS systems. They seem to have a good reputation.

I've installed the unit and taken some quick photos, but I need to take some much better ones showing the awesome menu system and the DVD movie quality. This unit has 5.1 channel output, but after hearing how amazing the sound was when playing "Pearl Harbour" up load through the standard Swift speaker system, there's absoultely no need to upgrade to 5.1! It was absolutely LOUD and CLEAR!! It also plays MP3, MP4, divX, etc.

It has 2 SD slots (one for the GPS) and comes preloaded with the latest V14 Sensis maps. It also has a USB input and an iPod input. Not to mention that a TV tuner can be added and it has outputs for additional screens and even an external amplifier. There's a reverse camera input, and I'll be wiring one up soon!

And here's the bit I really loved...it wired straight into the Swift steering wheel controls...no problem at all. I'd like to thank Chris Rogers from Audio Express http://www.audioexpress.com.au for helping me work out which 2 wires I needed to make the steering wheel buttons work (that's about the only part of wiring that needed figuring out). I bought a Swift wiring harness that plugged straight into the existing Swift audio plug and this made it so much easier to connect up the Polaris.

The button illumination can be set to any colour (to match the rest of your car's illumination).

Also, the bluetooth works exceptionally well! Very clear audio received at the other end from the inbuilt mic.

Here's a few photos to wet your appetite!! Picture quality is average. I'll take some better one's soon! Also, I'll get some of the menu's and movie playing.

[cmc-122]

that looks awsome

[Audio Express]

good to see you have it fully working

[Haribolman]

Some more screen shots. My apologies for the quality of some of these photos....my camera settings musn't be right...or something!

Music and Lyrics...



Lauren Graham...need I say more?



Learning the steering wheel controls takes only one minute!!



Main Menu (sorry about the photo quality)



Setup Menu (note the tyre pressure section...cool!)



Seperate controls for rear screens



Radio

[Haribolman]

One of the many GPS menu's



GPS status



GPS Route screen



Audio setup for adjusting speaker delay, 5.1, etc.



Bluetooth phone dialling screen (unfortunately, the Polaris doesn't actually store your phone's address book, only the last 5 received, missed and made calls.



Bluetooth can be set up to auto connect within a few seconds of the car starting. Auto answer as well if you want it.



The Polaris supports A2DP bluetooth, which means you can stream your MP3 music direct from your phone through bluetooth to the Polaris. Sound quality is exceptionally good, and is controlled through the Polaris touch screen.

[mlada]

How much did this cost you all up? I've been thinking about doing the same

[Powered_by_Suzuki]

Hot!!! All you need is some wicked power to go with it all and she'll be right.

[fernandk]

How much did this cost you all up? I've been thinking about doing the same

x2 ....

just had a very bad experience from some ebay crap

[Haribolman]

How much did this cost you all up? I've been thinking about doing the same

x2 ....

just had a very bad experience from some ebay crap

Well, I spent weeks looking for a unit that combined good quality with affordable price. I wanted good quality bluetooth, GPS, reverse camera, divX, SD card and USB input, and then the rest that they all come with, namely DVD, CD, radio, etc. TV was not an issue either way.

I considered the $400-$600 ebay cheapies and I researched the brand names (JVC, Kenwood, Eclipse, VDO Dayton, Pioneer, Alpine) that cost between $2,500 to $3,500. I also considered bringing in a brand new US-spec Kenwood, JVC or Pioneer for around $1000 and loading Australian GPS maps onto it. A couple of guys have done this, but they are stuck with a US region DVD player and US radio frequencies. And it appears that you can't even load Australian maps onto the US-spec Pioneer Avic's.

There's many horror stories of the ebay Chinese cheapies failing after a very short time and apparantly this is because they use poor quality components. I've been told the brand name units are also built in China, but use better quality components.

Anyway, I narrowed it down to some middle-ground companies. These are companies that have their own websites claiming they are good quality, but they can also be found on ebay selling their units at cheaper prices than on their own websites!

http://www.nesavision.com.au/
http://www.nesavision.com/avn650.html
http://www.dce.net.au/index.html
http://www.toylux.com/html/dvd_players/2_din.html
http://www.brashimports.com.au/

In the middle of my research I noticed a half page ad in the RACQ Road Ahead magazine for Polaris http://www.polarisgps.com.au I found out that they are an Australian company that has been selling GPS units and reverse camera systems for a few years now. I read a few forums where users spoke highly of their experience with their products and I spoke to the company and found out that their units are manufactured to a high standard. They also sell their units through TJM 4WD stores, auto electricians and new car dealers.

So I liked thier credibility and their unit had all the features I wanted (+ more than I hoped for...such as steering wheel controls) and I considered it reasonably priced at $1295. It cost $22 postage to send it overnight from Sydney to the Gold Coast.

Any regrets? Despite the 3 manuals that came with the Polaris, there's no mention of the specification of the screen resolution and it doesn't seem too high when displaying some menus. Perhaps I have yet to adjust the setting correctly, or perhaps I'm too used to the awesome clarity of my home theatre Plasma, or perhaps the menus are low quality images, but I would have liked a sharper image. And I would have liked to be able to copy my phone's address book to the Polaris for ease of dialling out.

Pro's? Great audio quality on the bluetooth. Extremely clear and powerful sound when playing DVD's and quite reasonabel picture quality. Great multitasking ability...play either the radio or CD at the same time as using the GPS. And if a phone call comes in it will overide everything else until the call is finished and then return to the previous task.

These units are a new release for Polaris, so time will tell what the long term quality is like, but so far I'm a fairly happy camper!!

[Haribolman]

The more I use it, the more I like it!

I discovered today that there's a password protected menu that allows you to turn off the handbrake control, so you can still watch DVD's on the move...should you be so silly to do so!

I also discovered the screen was set to NTSC. I changed it to PAL and it's a brighter image! And I adjusted the hue, saturation, sharpness, etc and I'm pretty happy with how it's come up!

I also noticed that the subtitles page was set to Chinese, yet the DVD region was set to US! Go figure! And instead of the DVD regions being displayed as region 1-6, it simply lists several countries, China/France/Hong Kong/Japan/Taiwan/GBr/US. I left it set to US because it played my "genuine" copy of Pearl Harbour without problems.

I'm looking to buy a reverse camera, and it seems the one's with IR are best for night vision, and that CCD is better than CMOS. I like the type that projects what's called a "guard Line" onto the monitor to show the distance from objects, but I notice that some cameras are NTSC, some are PAL and some are both. Does anyone know if it matters what type I get? I know my system will accept both, but I think the display looks better on PAL, so I guess I'd like to keep it on that setting.

Thanks!

[Haribolman]

How's this? I discovered that you can buy this same unit for only $754, instead of the $1295 I spent!!

How? Well, it turns out the Polaris PID1615G is a rebadged Caska CA1615...and I found one site selling them online.
http://www.efrontier.com.au/estore/product_info.php?osCsid=1f693bdb4cbb7e688c89ffe171ebd03e&currency=AUD&cPath=11&products_id=248&osCsid=1f693bdb4cbb7e688c89ffe171ebd03e
All research indicates it's the exact same unit and I think it comes with the GPS maps as well (but I'd email them first to be sure).

That means you can save nearly $550 for the same unit and get all the awesome features, and your steering wheel controls will still work as well! This is one of the few units I've come across that connects so easily to the steering wheel controls.

Here's the manufacturer's page detailing the original Caska (before it gets rebadged as a Polaris) http://www.coagent.cn/view_pro.php?id=14

And here's the manufacturer's home page http://www.coagent.cn/index1.php

I highly recommend this unit. People who have seen it, love it and it does most things really well. About the only annoying niggles are the amount of time it takes to turn on and load a CD, and for some silly reason it doesn't retain the "repeat" settings on the CD, so each time I get in the car I have to reset it to repeat! Damn!

[Haribolman]

Reverse camera now installed!

[Mr. Focus]

you never cease to amaze me bro! love your work

i see the Tein sticker...im guessing you ended up getting the coilovers?

[Haribolman]

you never cease to amaze me bro! love your work

i see the Tein sticker...im guessing you ended up getting the coilovers?

Yup, I've had them for a couple of months and they're a definite improvement over the no-name brand! Heck, the car's almost comfortable now! And of course, I couldn't resist adding their badge to the library on the car's rear!!

[M15A]

you never cease to amaze me bro! love your work

i see the Tein sticker...im guessing you ended up getting the coilovers?

Yup, I've had them for a couple of months and they're a definite improvement over the no-name brand! Heck, the car's almost comfortable now! And of course, I couldn't resist adding their badge to the library on the car's rear!!

I hope your have all these things covered by insurance, you're car will soon be a house on wheels I assume

Going good though, whats the next new mod for the Murari?

[Haribolman]

Going good though, whats the next new mod for the Murari?

Well, I've said it before...and I'll say it again....

Hmmm, what was it I said before?

Oh yeah, I've got other projects that I've been neglecting, so apart from some small changes (recently added an electroluminiscent handbrake cover!), I don't have any major projects lined up (unless I decide to add tyre pressure monitoring).

[phoenx]

you said -> "I bought a Swift wiring harness that plugged straight into the existing one"

how much did this cost? and do you have a part number for it ???? or any other info because ive been searching every where and i cant seem to find one???

thanks.

[Haribolman]

you said -> "I bought a Swift wiring harness that plugged straight into the existing one"

how much did this cost? and do you have a part number for it ???? or any other info because ive been searching every where and i cant seem to find one???

thanks.

http://www.ryda.com.au/Aerpro-Suzuki-Wiring-Harness-p/ap1130.htm

[Haribolman]

Not to be outdone, and just in case anyone thought I was slipping a bit and running out of things to add to my car, I installed a TV module into my Polaris a few weeks ago. I'm surprised just how well it works! I live in a poor reception area, but it still works fairly well, and when I drive into a good area it rocks! Great sound and picture! Gets a bit choppy when you're driving (I've got it set so that only the sound is on when moving), but is very watchable when stopped.

What's next, a coffee machine?

[nomad71]

Hi Haribolman,

Great post from you. You seem to really have done your homework. Now a month on, I'm wondering how things are travelling with your unit. Still happy?

Any other feedback would be greatly appreciated.

There were a couple of things with this unit that I was wondering.
1. Does it have text to speech for the GPS?
2. Is there a night mode for the maps (where the maps are displayed with a dark background)?

Appreciate your help.
Cheers.

[Haribolman]

Hi Haribolman,

Great post from you. You seem to really have done your homework. Now a month on, I'm wondering how things are travelling with your unit. Still happy?

Any other feedback would be greatly appreciated.

There were a couple of things with this unit that I was wondering.
1. Does it have text to speech for the GPS?
2. Is there a night mode for the maps (where the maps are displayed with a dark background)?

Appreciate your help.
Cheers.

Has it only been a month? Three, actually!

Yes, I'm still happy with the Polaris. It works very well. I only have a few minor niggles, that I think I've previously mentioned.

There seems to be no way to get "repeat" to stay on. Each time you start the car, the system boots up and defaults back to "repeat" off. So you get to the end of your CD, DVD or SD card and the music stops and you're wondering why...and then you remember that it won't automatically repeat unless you've turned it back on again! Arrgghh!

And the screen can wash out in strong sunlight. This is a limitation of many LCD screens...I much prefer Plasma!

If I were doing it again I'd buy the same unit, but I'd buy the Caska version and save $500! Someone else on this forum has installed the Caska (with a bit of help from me of course!) and is very happy with it. Same unit, different name, much cheaper!

To answer your other questions:
1. The GPS has spoken commands, available in different languages, which usually tell you how far to the next street. Street names are not usually given, rather it is the road designation, such as "M1". The Polaris can run the GPS screen displayed with your CD,DVD or TV sound running in the background and any GPS commands will simply interupt the music being played! It can also be set to run in the background, with the screen only displayed when commands are given.

And if you have your phone bluetoothed through the Polaris, it will overide everything when it rings and you can then talk very effectively with the caller's voice coming through your speakers. This multi-tasking works very well.

2. Yes, there is day mode, night mode and auto. For some reason auto tends to leave my unit in night mode until late morning...must be sleepy! Or perhaps my tinted windows effect it!

[nomad71]

Excellent! Thanks for getting back to me so soon and so thoroughly. I've got a cheapie China job that seems to have lost its GPS functionality. Everything else works fine but the GPS just gets a blue screen. Searched around a lot for an answer and also consulted some installers but without success. I think the best thing to do might be to cut my losses and replace the unit with a Caska. Thanks again.

[k3vink3vin]

2. Yes, there is day mode, night mode and auto. For some reason auto tends to leave my unit in night mode until late morning...

I think in auto mode it adjusts itself according to the time of the day.

[Haribolman]

2. Yes, there is day mode, night mode and auto. For some reason auto tends to leave my unit in night mode until late morning...

I think in auto mode it adjusts itself according to the time of the day.

Yes, but when I'm in auto mode, it doesn't switch back from night mode to day mode until close to lunchtime! So if I'm driving the car in the morning I switch it manually to day mode.

[eicarsto]

Hi Haribolman,

I can vouch for the Caska, as I am the one that Hari helped! I would have been stuffed without him Did you get the tv tuner installed?

I think the unit is great...makes me wonder why similar units are so much more expensive?? I purchased it for $750 ish including delivery. The only problem I had initially was the map software that came with the Caska. It worked fine and done what was expected, but wasnt the easiest to use and wasnt too pretty. And the voice guidance was a Kiwi female voice!! It had to go.

I contacted Polaris and purchased the whereis mapping software and am really pleased with it...very intuitive, great colours and a lovely voice.

I dont have the problem with the repeat as I use my wonderful IPOD with almost 20 GB of music rangeing from Frank Sinatra to Rave/Techno.

I replaced the front speakers with Cadence Components and the sound difference is incredable. I disconnected the rear speakers altogether. I also sound deadened the front doors with Dynamat. The improvement in sound is excellent, and I also like the heavier "clunk" when I close the doors as it makes the car feel more solid and less tinny.

Scheduled to arrive in a couple of weeks is a Rockford Fosgate 4 channel punch amp and a slimline 10 inch woofer for the boot. Looking forward to getting that installed, and I might even sound deaden the boot and rear doors too.

Other than that, the car is completely stock. I wouldnt mind some 17 inch alloys but cand find any that I really like. I have seen the Fox alloys on this forum but dont know where to get them from...anyone?

Cheers

Eicarsto

[Haribolman]

Hi Haribolman,

Did you get the tv tuner installed?

You must have missed my post about installing the tuner...it's about 6 before this one.

I want to thank you for the tuner, it really works well. I bought a windscreen antenna from ebay for $27 and I really didn't expect it to work so well! Had a mate sitting in the car the other night and I showed him the TV and he was blown away! He said "You've got everything here, you could live in this car."!

Hey, did the Caska dealer happen to mention whether he can get the tyre pressure monitor module? Thanks.

[eicarsto]

I asked about the tyre pressure monitor and he said that the car had to have it installed already. It then basically piggy backs from the existing sensors. Caska are now making the audio units for Audi A6l and cost approx $7 - $8000 to have installed!!!!!!!!

http://www.coagent.cn/view_pro.php?id=25

The days of cheap n nasty chinese junk are starting to dissappear which is excellent for normal enthusiasts like ourselves.

eicarsto

[Haribolman]

I asked about the tyre pressure monitor and he said that the car had to have it installed already. It then basically piggy backs from the existing sensors.

So do you think that means if I install an aftermarket sensor kit (like the very nice one I saw at Jaycar for around $400) that the Caska/Polaris will wire in with it and then display on it's screen?

[nomad71]

Hi Guys, Sorry to but into your conversation. But further to my questions earlier, do you know if text to speech (ie. reading street names) is a function of the GPS Hardware or a function of the Mapping Software? Thanks.

[eicarsto]

Hi Guys, Sorry to but into your conversation. But further to my questions earlier, do you know if text to speech (ie. reading street names) is a function of the GPS Hardware or a function of the Mapping Software? Thanks.

I would reckon it was part of the software...GPS hardware is very basic in what it does...the clever bits are the software.

[Haribolman]

Hi Guys, Sorry to but into your conversation. But further to my questions earlier, do you know if text to speech (ie. reading street names) is a function of the GPS Hardware or a function of the Mapping Software? Thanks.

For an in-depth discusion on modifiying the Polaris GPS software, read this thread..especially from about page 8. http://www.pradopoint.com/viewtopic.php?t=2538&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

[nomad71]

Hi Hari,

I rang Efrontier today and they reckon they are not supplying the Caska unit in Australia as they are having trouble with the mapping software. The reason given was that NZ being a smaller country has smaller map data, but the Aus map data is too big for the unit????

Obviously, you're not having any trouble with the Aus maps on the Polaris unit. What maps are you running? If the two units are identical, I can't see any reason why the Caska unit wouldn't work in Australia.

I told him I'd contact you and get back to him. He's happy to supply it to me without maps if I want.

Thanks.

[Haribolman]

Hi Hari,

I rang Efrontier today and they reckon they are not supplying the Caska unit in Australia as they are having trouble with the mapping software. The reason given was that NZ being a smaller country has smaller map data, but the Aus map data is too big for the unit????

Obviously, you're not having any trouble with the Aus maps on the Polaris unit. What maps are you running? If the two units are identical, I can't see any reason why the Caska unit wouldn't work in Australia.

I told him I'd contact you and get back to him. He's happy to supply it to me without maps if I want.

Thanks.

The Polaris is running the latest "whereis" map V14, pre-installed on an SD card. This is the same map that eicarsto installed on his Caska, as mentioned by him a few posts ago.

[nomad71]

Hi Guys,

Well my Caska unit arrived and I had it installed at Dennings Car Audio. I've read the manual from start to finish and now I'm looking for some help on how to fine tune the unit.

1. I've switched the video system between NTSC/PAl and Multi but I don't think I can get it any better.

2. The day and night colour modes - are they only for the GPS? I found the night and black screen modes but the colours of the radio and menu, etc I don't think are adjustable.

3. eicarsto, the whereis V14 maps for the GPS, where did you get them?

4. Hari, where did you get the TV add on from? I'd like to add one to my system.

5. Also Hari, where did you find the menu for turning off the handbrake switch?


Thanks guys.

[Haribolman]

Let me be the first to reply...

Hi Guys,

Well my Caska unit arrived and I had it installed at Dennings Car Audio. I've read the manual from start to finish and now I'm looking for some help on how to fine tune the unit.

1. I've switched the video system between NTSC/PAl and Multi but I don't think I can get it any better.

Are you saying you're not happy with the screen quality? I'll admit it's not the sharpest (I'm used to high quality Plasma with strong definition and contrast....I can't imagine LCD's will ever catch on!!! ) but I am surprised how well it displays a TV signal, and it's a pretty good display when using GPS.

2. The day and night colour modes - are they only for the GPS? I found the night and black screen modes but the colours of the radio and menu, etc I don't think are adjustable.

The lower left button toggles the display between full light, dim and off screen. There's also an auto dim setting in the settings menu. You can also adjust the side buttons to display any colour on the colour palette. In addition, the GPS has day, night and auto modes for the display.

3. eicarsto, the whereis V14 maps for the GPS, where did you get them?

The latest Sensis Whereis map is V15. I've just sent my SD card to Polaris to upgrade. Coast is $165. Eicarsto will have to answer as to whether it's easy to get a map from the Polaris people to work on the Caska, although I think that's what he did. The reason I'm not sure is because I believe the map has a code that allows it to not be copied and to only work on your particular unit.

4. Hari, where did you get the TV add on from? I'd like to add one to my system.

TV came from Caska distributor, via Eicarsto. He didn't want it and I got it instead! Polaris do not sell them, I asked them this week.

5. Also Hari, where did you find the menu for turning off the handbrake switch?

Go into AV, press top right of screen to display number menu. Enter 7253 then OK. Change the handbrake setting to "off". Then exit!

Thanks guys.

[nomad71]

Hi Hari,

Thanks so much for getting back to me so soon and so thoroughly. The screen quality is OK, just a bit dark. I turned the brightness and contrast up to full but it didn't seem to make much of a difference. As you confirmed, the day, night and auto modes are for the GPS specifically.

I hope to sort out something with the maps very shortly (especially since I bought it mostly for the GPS). I've got an SD card for my crappy Chinese unit with Route 66 maps on it, but it doesn't seem to read them.

I'll have to get back on to the Caska distributor for a TV unit. I assume it plugs into the back of the unit or something like that behind the dash?

Thanks for the tip on the handbrake. It's a handy thing when you have the wife in the car on long trips. She can be watching a DVD while I drive (not for me to watch, that would be suicide).

Thanks again for all your help. Couldn't do it without you.

Cheers

[Haribolman]

Hi Hari,

Thanks so much for getting back to me so soon and so thoroughly. The screen quality is OK, just a bit dark.

That's the problem with LCD's, they don't have enough contrast to separate light from dark, hence why I prefer Plasma!

I've got an SD card for my crappy Chinese unit with Route 66 maps on it, but it doesn't seem to read them.

Yes, it's my understanding that you have to have a special file on the card for the Caska/Polaris to read.

I'll have to get back on to the Caska distributor for a TV unit. I assume it plugs into the back of the unit or something like that behind the dash?

Yes. the TV tuner plugs straight into the appropriate socket at the rear. It then has to be wired to turn on at the same time as your Caska (in other words, wired through the accessories). Finally, it needs an aerial to be connected and mounted either inside the windscreen or on the roof, depending on the type you buy.


Tell me, how much did it cost to get it professionally installed and did they wire up the steering wheel buttons? Also, any chance of seeing how it looks in your dash?

Thanks.

[nomad71]

Hi Hari,
Thanks for all that. It was $108 to install. Well worth it in my mind. A nightmare for me to try and do it. I can get you some pics but I need to fix the mounting of the unit. They didn't do a very good job of getting it in the right place. I don't have any steering wheel controls, so that didn't happen.

Cheers

[Haribolman]

Hi Hari,
Thanks for all that. It was $108 to install. Well worth it in my mind. A nightmare for me to try and do it. I can get you some pics but I need to fix the mounting of the unit. They didn't do a very good job of getting it in the right place. I don't have any steering wheel controls, so that didn't happen.

Cheers

$108 seems a good price.

How come you don't have steering wheel controls? Is it not a Swift?

[nomad71]

Hi Hari,

Sorry it's taken me a while to get back to you. A hundred things happening at the moment. To answer your question, no it's not a Swift. I hope that doesn't offend anyone on this forum as I stumbled across your post while doing some research into Double Din GPS units.

After having the unit installed for a while I find it functions better than my cheap Chinese rubbish that I used to have, however, there are still a number of things I'm having issues with.

1. The colour scheme is almost impossible to see in the daylight. It's quite OK at night, but during the day I can't make out what the radio stations are that I've programmed in or read the digits on the phone dialer. This is not the screen's fault as it look pretty good with a DVD playing, but it's the colour scheme used in the interface (eg. Red on Black or grey on black).

2. I can't get my Ipod to work with the unit. Don't know if this has something to do with being one of the first models of Ipod. Plugs in OK and brings up the Ipod interface, but can't control the Ipod from the unit.

3. Would like to order the TV option for it but the installer told me it was 'blanked out' on the back of the unit. Not sure if he's telling me something accurate here.

4. I'd like to stop it from doing a startup check each time the car is started. Seems unnecessary to do this each time and means it takes a while to get going. Maybe there is something in one of those hidden menus. I don't know how you found this menu but I take my hat off to you.

Anyway, it's still a better unit than what I had and hopefully I can sort a few things out as it goes along. It would just be really good to change the colour scheme to something I could see in the daylight.

Thanks for all your help so far. Cheers.

[Haribolman]

1. The colour scheme is almost impossible to see in the daylight. It's quite OK at night, but during the day I can't make out what the radio stations are that I've programmed in or read the digits on the phone dialer. This is not the screen's fault as it look pretty good with a DVD playing, but it's the colour scheme used in the interface (eg. Red on Black or grey on black).

Two things that will help are tinted windows and possibly a "shade" sticking out from the dash just above the unit. I'm about to expirement with a shade because although I have tinted windows, sometimes the sun comes through the top of my windscreen and makes the screen hard to see. Also the screen image is not only good when playing a DVD, but also for TV and GPS!

2. I can't get my Ipod to work with the unit. Don't know if this has something to do with being one of the first models of Ipod. Plugs in OK and brings up the Ipod interface, but can't control the Ipod from the unit.

I'm extremely anti-icrap, I mean Ipod, so I'd recommend burning your Ipod and buying a REAL MP3 player and plug it into the USB port. Or put your MP3's on an SD card and put it in your unit.

3. Would like to order the TV option for it but the installer told me it was 'blanked out' on the back of the unit. Not sure if he's telling me something accurate here.

He's half right! The blanked plug he refers to is because the unit does not have an in-built tuner, so they blank off the aerial plug. The external tuner I use plugs into the AV socket number 1 (top left of the bank of plug connectors on the rear of the unit)

4. I'd like to stop it from doing a startup check each time the car is started. Seems unnecessary to do this each time and means it takes a while to get going. Maybe there is something in one of those hidden menus. I don't know how you found this menu but I take my hat off to you.

I'd like to take credit for finding the menu myself, but it's actually in the manual, just a little hard to find! (I always thoroughly read manuals!) I believe the startup is essential and basically the same as any computer performs. I also believe someone with computer experience can hack into the software and redesign or possibly even upload a different GUI, but this is way beyond me. I've seen forums where guys go to a lot of trouble to do this sort of thing.

[nomad71]

Hey Hari. You're a wealth of knowledge. Thanks heaps with all your help. I'll keep playing and see how it goes. I think the GUI is really the only thing that lets it down. It's a fair bit nicer than the one I had but the design is over fancy with fades and colours that you just can't see easily. I'll keep you posted on my exploits. Cheers

[mc_konazz]

So can I make sure that the Casaka unit here
http://www.efrontier.com.au/estore/product_info.php?products_id=248
will work in Australia.

Where did you guys get your AUS maps for, and for how much? I know Hariboloman got his straight from Polaris, as thats where he got his from, but I'm wondering how did you guys, who got the Casaka, go about getting the updated maps.

Cheers

MK

[nomad71]

Hey mc_konazz. The unit works fine in Australia. I rang Polaris and they sold me the maps for $180 including postage. I just got them today and have got the unit working but I'm still tweaking the settings. I'll have more feedback in a few days.

[mc_konazz]

Good to hear...

Very very tempting...

$662 for the unit
$36 for shipping
$180 for the Aus maps.

All up $878...

If you combine what it does:
- Navman ~$300
- Blue Tooth Car Kit ~$150
- CeNET interface for factory HU ~$180
well thats $630 right there.

So for an extra $150, I can get it all in one, with a screen, and DVD, other stuff (waiting for the Espresso machine add-on).

I'm curious to know if this unit would work with an iPhone... i've heard its a bit sketchy... haven't tried my iPhone on my motorola kit yet.

[Haribolman]

Good to hear...

Very very tempting...

$662 for the unit
$36 for shipping
$180 for the Aus maps.

All up $878...

If you combine what it does:
- Navman ~$300
- Blue Tooth Car Kit ~$150
- CeNET interface for factory HU ~$180
well thats $630 right there.

So for an extra $150, I can get it all in one, with a screen, and DVD, other stuff (waiting for the Espresso machine add-on).

I'm curious to know if this unit would work with an iPhone... i've heard its a bit sketchy... haven't tried my iPhone on my motorola kit yet.

Curious as to how you arrived at the purchase price of $662?

As for your iPhone...set fire to it, because it's bluetooth is close to completely useless (the iPhone doesn't even have A2DP, so you can't stream your MP3's from your iPhone to the Caska and take advantage of using your car speakers). Buy a Sony Ericcson (a REAL phone) and use it's A2DP Bluetooth to enjoy wireless MP3 streaming direct through the Caska...the audio quality is excellent!

P.S. SonyEricsson's new model is due for release soon packing an 8.1MP CyberShot camera with Xenon flash and auto focus. The iPhone is scraping by with a 2MP camera with no flash or autofocus. My current SonyEricsson runs a 3.2MP CyberShot camera and the photo quality is extremely good!

[mc_konazz]

Good to hear...

Very very tempting...

$662 for the unit
$36 for shipping
$180 for the Aus maps.

Curious as to how you arrived at the purchase price of $662?

Easy... just went to this website http://www.efrontier.com.au/estore/product_info.php?osCsid=7571d11f245e74d6ea7831b5921373de&currency=AUD&products_id=248&osCsid=7571d11f245e74d6ea7831b5921373de

changed currency to AUS Dollars and got the screen shot below:


Thats it


* oh and yes the iPhone has some short comings, but I'm happy with it. My last 2 nokias were POS. My iPhone actually costs me less then my old N80 per month, but I get an extra $50 credit AND 500mb of data. Yeah, its got some bugs... but I love how it all integrates.

The camera is rubbish, but I usually have either of my digital cameras in the car. It would have been nice to have a better camera, but oh well... its why I bought a Nikon D70 + 3 lenses and a Olympus 1030SW for outdoor stuff.

[Haribolman]

Easy... just went to this website http://www.efrontier.com.au/estore/product_info.php?osCsid=7571d11f245e74d6ea7831b5921373de&currency=AUD&products_id=248&osCsid=7571d11f245e74d6ea7831b5921373de

changed currency to AUS Dollars and got the screen shot below:


Thats it


* oh and yes the iPhone has some short comings, but I'm happy with it. My last 2 nokias were POS. My iPhone actually costs me less then my old N80 per month, but I get an extra $50 credit AND 500mb of data. Yeah, its got some bugs... but I love how it all integrates.

The camera is rubbish, but I usually have either of my digital cameras in the car. It would have been nice to have a better camera, but oh well... its why I bought a Nikon D70 + 3 lenses and a Olympus 1030SW for outdoor stuff.

I can only assume the exchange rate is working in our favour because the last time I looked, it was about $750 Aus.

And yeah, Nokia's are rubbish...they actually make the iPhone look good!

[nomad71]

Hi Guys. The price changed because I rang them and asked them how much to purchase the unit without maps. So I think you'll find there are now two price options on the website. One is for the unit pre-loaded with Kiwi maps and one is for the unit without maps (so you can add Aus maps later).

[mc_konazz]

Yeah... thats the price with no maps. If you add the NZ maps, then yeah it'll be around $750...

Good observation mate!