2012 IVECO 50C17 Winnebago Esperance, SatNav help. please

DebNSteve LR · Newbie

2012 IVECO 50C17 Winnebago Esperance, SatNav help. please

Chris61 · Senior Member

Bite the bullet and upgrade to a new head unit. I installed one three years ago and am very happy with it.
Check out my blog link for a little outdated review of my setup

chrisanddiannesultimaadventure.wordpress.com/my-rig/2014-iveco-50c21/in-dash-entertainment-system/

Fruitfly52 · Newbie

Long shot here, but some of these units with Sat Nav were wired to only work with the handbrake on... worth a try.

DebNSteve LR · Newbie

Thanks for the assistance, in the past few days I have had a learning experience.
Found that when you read the DVD instructions ( have a girl look, as I was told) that come with the MH, it actually states that you need a SD card inserted in the Lower corner of the unit to get it to work.
Derrrr.
Appears that previous owner has misplaced the card that has been inserted in there............. $550 + gst+ freight and handling + any other COVID tax they can think of.

Looking at option of new head .

dorian · Guru

It's quite possible that the SD card (with maps) was an option that the previous owner didn't buy. Just get an external, stand alone GPS unit. I expect that's what the previous would have done.

-- Edited by dorian on Sunday 16th of May 2021 04:56:58 AM

Mike Harding · Guru

DebNSteve Esperance wrote:
Appears that previous owner has misplaced the card that has been inserted in there............. $550

See if you can find a friendly owner of an identical vehicle and copy his card - the copy may, or may not, work in your vehicle.

Failing that an Android 8" tablet and OSMAND mapping software for about $15 will most likely do a better job.

dorian · Guru

Mike Harding wrote:

Failing that an Android 8" tablet and OSMAND mapping software for about $15 will most likely do a better job.

Can you actually download the complete set of Australian maps into your tablet, or does this setup require a continuous Internet connection?

BTW, I went to openstreetmap.org but was unable to download any maps.

DebNSteve LR · Newbie

The Sd card has folders on it that Navi refers to , so it can start up the program.

Mike Harding · Guru

dorian wrote:
Mike Harding wrote:
Failing that an Android 8" tablet and OSMAND mapping software for about $15 will most likely do a better job.

Can you actually download the complete set of Australian maps into your tablet, or does this setup require a continuous Internet connection?
BTW, I went to openstreetmap.org but was unable to download any maps.

Yeah, the OSM website is quite confusing.

Go here:

Android Play Store

And download this free version of OSMAND. Then from within the programme you can download any of the Open Street Maps world wide. Ensure you are on a broadband connection because the full Australian download is around 1GB iirc. You can download smaller sections if necessary.

OSMs are very good and provide a wealth of local information in addition to the actual maps, they are also, in Vic anyway, very accurate.

OSMAND has many features and takes a time to learn but getting up and running is not difficult. There are two paid options in addition to this free version; one is a one-off purchase for about $15 and the other is an annual subscription model but, in reality, for most the free version will suffice. I bought it outright in order to support development.

Edit:

Once the maps have been downloaded no further internet connection is required, this is my normal mode of use for the programme.

-- Edited by Mike Harding on Sunday 16th of May 2021 12:13:09 PM

dorian · Guru

That sounds ideal.

I see that 10", GPS equipped, Android tablets are available for as low as $75 on eBay, but I don't know whether I can trust them. Samsung tablets are relatively pricey, and I don't even want to think about an iThing.

Mike Harding · Guru

An 8" tablet is generally best for mounting in a vehicle but a 10" tablet is much better for general use. Consider Officeworks, they have a 28 day refund policy if you are not satisfied with the goods - it works, I used on a $400 Chromebook. This tablet looks OK for basic use:

Officeworks

Edit:

Check the above has a GPS, the specs don't mention one but they often don't nowadays.

-- Edited by Mike Harding on Monday 17th of May 2021 07:01:11 AM

dorian · Guru

Mike Harding wrote:
An 8" tablet is generally best for mounting in a vehicle but a 10" tablet is much better for general use. Consider Officeworks, they have a 28 day refund policy if you are not satisfied with the goods - it works, I used on a $400 Chromebook. This tablet looks OK for basic use:
Officeworks
Edit:
Check the above has a GPS, the specs don't mention one but they often don't nowadays.

No mention of GPS, and the reviews were very bad.

This is scary (cheap Chinese tablet from Aliexpress):

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/creative-chinese-tablet-specs-a-warning/

Just about every spec was faked.

I found this claim interesting:

"I am requesting a refund. The seller has offered $15, but unless I get $60 back, I am just going to put in an official dispute and claim 100% refund as it is fake. You do not have to return fake items."

Mike Harding · Guru

You'll find a lot of tablets on eBay with wonderful specs and very low prices; the specs are simply lies often reinforced by hacked copies of Android which report false hardware. The old "if it looks too good to be true it probably is".

Don't rely too much on the on-line reviews, I have often found them to be posted by people who expected a $100 Laser tablet to perform like a $600 Samsung. You could always try one and if it's no good do a factory reset and take it back to officeworks.

Otherwise it's a brand name job, there is a decent 10" Lenovo for about $190.

DebNSteve LR · Newbie

Hi All, I have been in contact with previous owner, and they have located said SD card. Its in snail mail across to me now. Hopefully this puts this current issue to bed. For latest maps, I believe a tablet or complete new head will resolve that part.

dorian · Guru

DebNSteve Esperance wrote:
For latest maps, I believe a tablet or complete new head ...

... or a hack.

dorian · Guru

Mike Harding wrote:
You'll find a lot of tablets on eBay with wonderful specs and very low prices; the specs are simply lies often reinforced by hacked copies of Android which report false hardware. The old "if it looks too good to be true it probably is".
Don't rely too much on the on-line reviews, I have often found them to be posted by people who expected a $100 Laser tablet to perform like a $600 Samsung. You could always try one and if it's no good do a factory reset and take it back to officeworks.
Otherwise it's a brand name job, there is a decent 10" Lenovo for about $190.

I think I'll eventually bite the bullet and buy a brand name. I suspect that the cheapies, even the "genuine" ones, probably use second rate NAND flash.

Mike Harding · Guru

DebNSteve Esperance wrote:
Hi All, I have been in contact with previous owner, and they have located said SD card. Its in snail mail across to me now.

I suggest you do an "image" copy of it before putting it into the GPS unit.

Mike Harding · Guru

dorian wrote:
I think I'll eventually bite the bullet and buy a brand name.

I've only recently bought an Android 10" tablet (had smaller ones for years) because I became conscious of how much I was using the smaller ones. I am pleased I made that decision and use the 10" device extensively. I am considering buying a Bluetooth keyboard for it (ebay - $30) in order to use it more for e-mail and forum use, the "swipe" soft keyboard is OK but a real one would be better. Whilst it will not replace my notebook PC it is a very convenient and useful device.