The Sat Nav (2005

Delmonte

Member
Messages
878
OK is this really as bad it seems? Is there any way to actually use it at all? Even something large scale like city to city? Where I am with it, and finding it extremely hard to figure out is that it just does not work. Surely it can't be as bad as this...I'd really like to try and use it because I've never had a car that's had it!
it seems to be 'on'all the time (because I've only just figured out how to switch it off) even though I haven't given it a destination to find (so I'm assuming it is looking for the last destination entered?)

But it only spews out a direction about once every 5 junctions, its very 'occasional'...
And as for the map... Just a bunch of spaghetti like lines, no place names at all? With an arrow in it that there is no way of telling if this is my location or my destination? Also this doesn't seem to move...

And 'distance to destination' in the trip screen never has anything in it...

Is there not a way to get a proper 3D sat nav style display that shows me my location and my next turn instructions?

Am I doing a lot wrong here or is this sat nav completely pointless and unfit for purpose??

Has anyone here ever managed to use it at all??! Advice from any sat nav experts appreciated!
 

Wanderer

Member
Messages
5,791
I like the way it just tells u the next turn in the display panel between the clocks, I don't need anything else from it really.
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,557
I like the way it just tells u the next turn in the display panel between the clocks, I don’t need anything else from it really.

On a 4200?

I don't think so.

OP it shouldn't be *that* bad but it is pretty rubbish.

C
 

Andy Marshall

Member
Messages
297
OK is this really as bad it seems? Is there any way to actually use it at all? Even something large scale like city to city? Where I am with it, and finding it extremely hard to figure out is that it just does not work. Surely it can't be as bad as this...I'd really like to try and use it because I've never had a car that's had it!
it seems to be 'on'all the time (because I've only just figured out how to switch it off) even though I haven't given it a destination to find (so I'm assuming it is looking for the last destination entered?)

But it only spews out a direction about once every 5 junctions, its very 'occasional'...
And as for the map... Just a bunch of spaghetti like lines, no place names at all? With an arrow in it that there is no way of telling if this is my location or my destination? Also this doesn't seem to move...

And 'distance to destination' in the trip screen never has anything in it...

Is there not a way to get a proper 3D sat nav style display that shows me my location and my next turn instructions?

Am I doing a lot wrong here or is this sat nav completely pointless and unfit for purpose??

Has anyone here ever managed to use it at all??! Advice from any sat nav experts appreciated!

I think you need to get the handbook out. My 2003 Spyder sat nav is bad, but not super bad - I used it for my trip to southampton and back this week and it was spot on. It does give directions (on screen, not on the instrument panel), distances and times to arrival etc. Perhaps your settings are not all as they should be?
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,749
From your description I think you do not have the correct map disc for your location.

The discs do have major roads for neighbouring areas; but not all the roads. Also if your disc is older than your road it will not have it on the map.
 

montravia

Member
Messages
1,619
From your description I think you do not have the correct map disc for your location.

The discs do have major roads for neighbouring areas; but not all the roads. Also if your disc is older than your road it will not have it on the map.



It does indeed sound as if there is only the default data, which contains no topographical data. You need a Nav data disk
 

Delmonte

Member
Messages
878
I think you need to get the handbook out. My 2003 Spyder sat nav is bad, but not super bad - I used it for my trip to southampton and back this week and it was spot on. It does give directions (on screen, not on the instrument panel), distances and times to arrival etc. Perhaps your settings are not all as they should be?

I've been through the handbook in detail and it does not relate, despite that there is loads of info missing from the handbook, it misses a lot out. Tons of unanswered questions.
There is some sort of 'correct'? CD in there as it seems to find places you enter for UK, this doesn't seem to translate to the map... If you can call it a map?

The only directions I get are verbal (and occasional!)
 

Andy Marshall

Member
Messages
297
I am in my Spyder today, so I will go down at lunchtime and have a little play to see if I can get a clue as to settings. Have you selected "start Nav?" If you don't do that then it will just show a location, not the route
 

Wanderer

Member
Messages
5,791
On a 4200?

I don't think so.

OP it shouldn't be *that* bad but it is pretty rubbish.

C

Didn't know it's a 4200, I'm on Tapatalk!

Mines ok (on QP) but I sometimes wonder if the audio is coming out of a separate speaker it sounds so bad. I do like the simple mimic on the dash tho, can't see the point in 3D terrain maps you have to study rather than glance at while driving.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Delmonte

Member
Messages
878
Thanks guys but still getting nowhere. Ive tried to send pics of the screen but cant get them under 20kb so ill have to try describe.
Firstly, yes its a 4200 (2005). And Start Nav has been used (just gets me occasional verbal directions at junctions, nothing on screen). No turn by turn directions. Stop Nav does seem to stop the random occasional spoken directions. But the map stays on whatever was last inputted.

When I first switch on i get a screen with coloured lines (roads?) on with no place names at all, 'Nav' written in top right corner, and a blue cursor. I believe the blue cursor is my location, but although it spins round as i drive, it never moves on the map. Scale is set to 1km and i can change this.
If I go to other menus, I can get 'Atlas' this gives me another 'map' (just lines) but the cursor changes to a '+' sign. If i then press 'OK' from that screen, i get a screen titled 'Use Point'.
The options in that screen are: 'Destination', 'Address Book' or 'Locate'.
Destination is asking me to input an address by text.
Address Book has nothing in it.
'Locate' takes me back to 'Atlas' screen, (map lines, no place names), but with a green cursor in the middle. Turning the bottom right hand knob makes the cursor rotate... i cant seem to do anything else on this screen. The only other option is 'ok'.
By the way, Start Nav and Stop Nav don't seem to do much, if anything? The 'map' stays on the last chosen destination.

I can pick destinations from the list of previous destinations, and the map then seems to go to that destination (and stays there). NB I can only tell its that destination by the heading telling me name of the one i've picked and the pattern of lines changing!

There doesn't seem to be anything I can do anywhere to get a route, or an illustration of a route.

There is a CD in the NIT, this says NavTech on board, United Kingdom / Ireland 2002. It appears original.

Flummoxed here!
 

Delmonte

Member
Messages
878
Ok i may be getting somewhere here!
(NB It does not help that the screens and options in the manual do not relate to what I am seeing in reality....)

Ive managed to find place names and map orientation in the map options screen, turned everything to 'yes' and that seems to have fixed things a lot, i now get place names on screen etc. :)

It seems you have to orient your location, using the atlas, or else the system doesn't know where you are. Is this right? Is there no way for it to just know where you are?

This location seems to be your start point, and it stays there forever unless changed, even with Nav Off and Nav On, and car switched off / on. Correct?

Then you have to enter your destination using something like address book or text entry, and route gets automatically calculated (though I don't seem able to see a whole route on a map in any way?)

Any comments or tips appreciated!
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,749
Is your antenna attached?

Rear of the NIT unit in a green slot and a square fitment.

Do you have a satellite dish symbol on the screen and how many bars is it showing?
 

spkennyuk

Member
Messages
5,932
Thanks guys but still getting nowhere. Ive tried to send pics of the screen but cant get them under 20kb so ill have to try describe.
Firstly, yes its a 4200 (2005). And Start Nav has been used (just gets me occasional verbal directions at junctions, nothing on screen). No turn by turn directions. Stop Nav does seem to stop the random occasional spoken directions. But the map stays on whatever was last inputted.

When I first switch on i get a screen with coloured lines (roads?) on with no place names at all, 'Nav' written in top right corner, and a blue cursor. I believe the blue cursor is my location, but although it spins round as i drive, it never moves on the map. Scale is set to 1km and i can change this.
If I go to other menus, I can get 'Atlas' this gives me another 'map' (just lines) but the cursor changes to a '+' sign. If i then press 'OK' from that screen, i get a screen titled 'Use Point'.
The options in that screen are: 'Destination', 'Address Book' or 'Locate'.
Destination is asking me to input an address by text.
Address Book has nothing in it.
'Locate' takes me back to 'Atlas' screen, (map lines, no place names), but with a green cursor in the middle. Turning the bottom right hand knob makes the cursor rotate... i cant seem to do anything else on this screen. The only other option is 'ok'.
By the way, Start Nav and Stop Nav don't seem to do much, if anything? The 'map' stays on the last chosen destination.

I can pick destinations from the list of previous destinations, and the map then seems to go to that destination (and stays there). NB I can only tell its that destination by the heading telling me name of the one i've picked and the pattern of lines changing!

There doesn't seem to be anything I can do anywhere to get a route, or an illustration of a route.

There is a CD in the NIT, this says NavTech on board, United Kingdom / Ireland 2002. It appears original.

Flummoxed here!

Sounds like mine was when i first got it. On the main screen not the nav screen the satelite symbol in on the left of the screen should go green if the GPS antena is connected. If it stays shaded grey then its either broken or i suspect you have not got one fitted.

The quick fix is the GPS antenna is around £6 on ebay. Take the vent out on the dash top by removing the four screws. Under it is a bar you can either velcro or cable tie the GPS antenna to and feed the cable down under the dash and tuck undet the side of the centre consol. You then need to plug it in to the back of the NIT which is under the arm rest.

Have a look at the parrot install thread for 4200 which has a step by stel guide to get to the back of the NIT.

You can possibly do it by just removing the rear vents and the arm rest. Its pretty tight in there but is possible to reach the GPS socket.

If you hands are on the larger side then slacken the front bolts and remove the back bolts on the central consol tunnel and the just lift the back end up with you sat in the back of the car.

You then have plenty of wiggle room to get to the ports on the back of the NIT.

The reason the blue cross moves even if no GPS antenna is connected is that the nav system is being fed speed information from another sensor. It cant tell where you are on the globe without the GPS signal so just spins.

If you change the scale of the map as it is then it will probably show you as being somewhere stupid.

Somebody at somepoint in the cars life has probably got the nav disc thinking it would work when infact the GPS antenna isnt fitted.

Pm me if you get stuck. Its a couple of years ago i did mine but i probably still have some pictures.
 

spkennyuk

Member
Messages
5,932
Have a look at pages 1 to 3 on this thread

http://www.sportsmaserati.co.uk/sho...its-or-What-s-in-the-arm-rest-of-a-4200/page3

If your sat in the back of the car looking through the arm rest top once removed its the green socket on the top left / back of the NIT.

Clear picture of it in situ on page 1 and withe the NIT removed on page 3.

You will probably still have to loosen the center arm rest tunnel so you can feed the connector for the GPS under the side of the consol tunnel.
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,749
If the above is correct and Nav was not fitted at the factory you will also need the software loaded. It not a difficult job to do but you do need the disk.

However you would normaly have the text on the screen saying it is not available.
 

Delmonte

Member
Messages
878
Right, now that I thought I knew how to 'set' the Nav, i gave it a test.... This didnt go well. It 'sort of' works, but is so poor I cant believe it was meant to be like this.
Firstly I set my location (my home address: there are three or four streets near me with the prefix 'Tinshill' and it only finds one of them, 'Garth', cant find Lane or Road which is odd as Garth is the most obscure (all have been there since at least the 1930's too...) I live on Lane, but I used Garth as its near and thought I can live with this. Set a destination about 4 miles away and get..... a route!! Yay! it shows me the full route on an actual map, and even better, when i set off it zooms to a close up of where I am. I set off in general direction of where I am going.
Unfortunately it goes rapidly downhill from there....
300 yards up the road, the zoomed in screen goes, and i get the full route line again on a map, with my cursor (me?) slightly off that. It tells me to turn right (onto an estate road which is a crescent and only spews me back onto the same road I started on). I then carry on, following my instinct towards my destination, and see the full route map. The system then seems to give up and gives me no directions at all for the next 4 or 5 junctions.... Eventually I come to a main road and it tells me to go right (which is the wrong way, but i take it anyway). I am then apparently on its route. After a while, I am in some countryside and it tells me to turn left (which would be through a fence into a field, no road for a long way....) then it gives up again (back to the route line on a map). I drive towards my destination trying to correct it myself, and every now an again get a direction onto a non existent road (with a few zoomed in approaching roundabouts thrown in for good measure: Worth noting these roundabouts do not exist.....)

I also change my destination for my home address, now I am about 4 miles away. This throws it completely, lots of wrong turns, and place names on the screen (zoomed in, apparently where I am now) that are completely wrong, several miles from where I am, and lots of non existent junctions complete with directions where to go from them!

So, its ****. Very ****. But I'm not giving up. Yet!

What I cant believe is that is has no or disconnected GPS, because it is clearly getting 'something'? And i have no messages telling me I dont have GPS or anything like that?

But I dont get much in the bottom left screen box; the one that in the manual says can show headphones/ sat dish/ phone/ signal bars. All i ever get in this is the sat dish, never any signal bars?
Interesting also that this screen is the same whether in radio, music, Nav, or whatever, it doesnt change, Stuart you mentioned it should be different maybe?

And something I really dont get: is there nothing I can do to just start my journey at 'my location'? Such as google maps style? Surely if its using GPS it can do this without me having to 'locate' my start?
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,749
Right I think I may know the issue

1) you are not getting a full GPS signal - are you abke to find the GPS Data screen which should tell you how many satellites you are picking up?

2) Your nav disc is so out of date that your real location is not recognised as a road so it is doing its best to find and guide you.

3) as it uses speed sensors to compensate for the lack of signal it becomes even more confused.

If you are local to me I have the later software and discs which I could try in your NIT. I am loathe to send them out as the last forum software was never returned.