Navagation systems

[57buick]

yea the lag and the way the factory NAV worked drove me nuts, I removed it the first month and installed a Kenwood 994s head unit with Garmin NAV built in. 100 times better and it automatically uses the cell signal from my phone to give me real time traffic and alternate routes when Im in the city. And you can load offroad maps to it for when your in the mountains etc...

Also It integrates with the vehicle ECU so I can change all those factory settings that people pay the dealer to change like door lock operationa and windows up and down with remote and 50 other settings. View engine data like transmission temp and the like

Also with the Kenwood dashcam that integrates into it I can view all my dashcam videos instantly on the large screen instead of fumbling with tiny buttons on the dashcam.

It is far superior to factory radio in every way possible

 

[Thermal]

yea the lag and the way the factory NAV worked drove me nuts, I removed it the first month and installed a Kenwood 994s head unit with Garmin NAV built in. 100 times better and it automatically uses the cell signal from my phone to give me real time traffic and alternate routes when Im in the city. And you can load offroad maps to it for when your in the mountains etc...

Also It integrates with the vehicle ECU so I can change all those factory settings that people pay the dealer to change like door lock operationa and windows up and down with remote and 50 other settings. View engine data like transmission temp and the like

Also with the Kenwood dashcam that integrates into it I can view all my dashcam videos instantly on the large screen instead of fumbling with tiny buttons on the dashcam.

It is far superior to factory radio in every way possible

Does the steering wheel controls still work? Definitely looks like a big upgrade from the factory unit.

 

[Lawman]

I can only dream of being able to use that to the full extent of it's capabilities..

 

[Charlievee]

yea the lag and the way the factory NAV worked drove me nuts, I removed it the first month and installed a Kenwood 994s head unit with Garmin NAV built in. 100 times better and it automatically uses the cell signal from my phone to give me real time traffic and alternate routes when Im in the city. And you can load offroad maps to it for when your in the mountains etc...

Also It integrates with the vehicle ECU so I can change all those factory settings that people pay the dealer to change like door lock operationa and windows up and down with remote and 50 other settings. View engine data like transmission temp and the like

Also with the Kenwood dashcam that integrates into it I can view all my dashcam videos instantly on the large screen instead of fumbling with tiny buttons on the dashcam.

It is far superior to factory radio in every way possible

Ok I'll bite, does it use data for all its functions? Is it an am unit or does one need to run the ap? Does it work with the stock backup can and steering controls?

 

[57buick]

Ok I'll bite, does it use data for all its functions? Is it an am unit or does one need to run the ap? Does it work with the stock backup can and steering controls?

It only uses my phone data for the realtime traffic automatically otherwise it is fully functional on its own. The kenwood app is free and you only sign into it once and give it permission or not to access traffic when you first install it. otherwise I have never looked at the app since. The built in Garmin GPS functions the same as any normal Garmin GPS .

I have full steering wheel controls still by way of the maestro module wired into back of radio and as a matter of fact I can custom program buttons on the steering wheel too.

The 4 way button on my steering wheel I custom programmed it so even though the left and right arrows still perform their normal functions if I hold the right arrow button down for example for 3 seconds it shows my vehicle gauges and data on the screen.

So not only do you retain steering wheel controls you can actually add functions to them in the software.

And yes with the adapter cable the factory camera is fully functional too

 

[57buick]

and you dont need the most expensive Kenwood like i have to do all this stuff, you can do all this even with a lot of or most of their lower end models too

 

[Lawman]

Very cool..

 

[redneckj]

57Buick, how much is that Kenwood radio?

 

[57buick]

57Buick, how much is that Kenwood radio?

Mine is a Kenwood 994S and cost around $1000 but you could do all that with a much cheaper head unit that is around $500 with Garmin GPS but to do some of the other cool stuff you have to figure another $200 or so for the maestro module etc

 

[zcruiser]

I installed the Kenwood 695S and the Maestro patch box. Great unit! A few goofy things (the CD eject is under a menu button), but a huge improvement. It has two rear USB ports and can switch between 2 phones for control.

You do need the kinds of patch cables and help that Crutchfield provides to reduce the pain of installation. I added Sirius XM radio to mine.

 

[4Rums]

Mine is a Kenwood 994S and cost around $1000 but you could do all that with a much cheaper head unit that is around $500 with Garmin GPS but to do some of the other cool stuff you have to figure another $200 or so for the maestro module etc

The Kenwood head unit models that start with DNX or DNR have built-in offline navigation (hence the "N" in the model number). For example, the ones that start with DDX do not have built in navigation, but can use Google Maps or Waze via Android Auto or Apple Car Play. The entry level models have resistive screens and prices increase going up to capacitative screens.

 

[MikeMike5280]

So, does anyone use maps? Gps is great and all, but I like maps.

I use Apple Maps or Wave for navigation in "civilized" areas, but for anything out in the mountains and/or off-pavement +100 for paper maps.

 

[4Rums]

I use Apple Maps or Wave for navigation in "civilized" areas, but for anything out in the mountains and/or off-pavement +100 for paper maps.

Sometimes people don't realize that in the Rockies you can be without coverage as soon as you leave the city and the mountains block the signal. Here in Denver, within 20 minutes you can lose your signal as soon as your start driving up (non highway) mountains. I-80 through Wyoming has almost no coverage.

 

[mscot]

Yeah but you can preselect the area you're going to be in and make the map available offline - sure that requires two minutes of thinking ahead.

 

[57buick]

The Kenwood head unit models that start with DNX or DNR have built-in offline navigation (hence the "N" in the model number). For example, the ones that start with DDX do not have built in navigation, but can use Google Maps or Waze via Android Auto or Apple Car Play. The entry level models have resistive screens and prices increase going up to capacitative screens.

Good Info for all, thanks for that. I never put two and two together on that lol

 

[57buick]

Sometimes people don't realize that in the Rockies you can be without coverage as soon as you leave the city and the mountains block the signal. Here in Denver, within 20 minutes you can lose your signal as soon as your start driving up (non highway) mountains. I-80 through Wyoming has almost no coverage.

Same for me in Oregon when I head into the mountains. Offroad guys download maps for the area they are gonna explore in their GPS or whatever device they use(IPAD etc) from various places like Alltrails or GAIA and those maps show much more detail than any normal GPS garmin or not including forest roads and trails that are not on normal maps.

You just have to learn to use the resources

 

[lopatoj]

Yeah but you can preselect the area you're going to be in and make the map available offline - sure that requires two minutes of thinking ahead.

Do the offline maps give Google Maps the ability to calculate directions and update on the trip to your destination when the phone has no signal the entire time? I'm assuming I can select a point on the map and tell Google Maps to start processing the route with the maps it has.

I'll have to try this next trip.