Motorhome GPS antenna
Does anyone know where fiat or motorhome manufacture locate the GPS antenna on the standard Double Din navigation unit?
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Didn't know there was a GPS antenna fitted as standard.
However standard fit for the radio aerial is inside the nearside door mirror casing if that helps.
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i dont even know where our digital tv aerial is....no sign of it anywhere 'externally', although (on the rare occasion i have used it) it performs really well....
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I believe the gps and radio aerial are in the L/H wing mirror
the Michael thanks, i realised this is the case on coachbuilts, but we dont have the normal mirrors....though they could be in one of these....cheers.
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Thanks - ours came radio ready, but without the radio. So it has the radio antenna in the mirror
I have an andriod radio to fit, but obviously need to plumb in its GPS antenna...i suppose i either need to see if the plug is somewhere in the loom or if its in the mirror. What type of connector does it use?
I wonder if i could fit the radio's gps antenna in the mirror and run the cable back?
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Hi
Ive just pulled the current 1din sony radio out and all i can see is an extra white connector with 3 thin wires to that multi-pin connector. No idea what that is.
I suppose i would expect a single connector for a GPS antenna in there? So its either elswhere in the loom or not fitted.
Any pointers would be greatfully recieved (its also not helped by not being able to get to the passenger side given the way the mh is stored)
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If it's a new MH then the Sat Nav / Radio fitting is a nightmare. The kit from Connect2 is a bit basic and you do have to use your imagination. I fitted the GPS unit at the front right down by the window and ran the cable back and under the slooping front
lid. If you remove the IPad holder with its four screws you will see the surround can be lifted by undoing a couple more screws and giving it a good pull. If you are fitting a Double Din Sat NAv then you will need a Dremil or similar to make the hole in the
dash big enough for a double din cage. It seem easier to fit the cage with the brackets pop riveted to the side.Once the cage is in place and everything lined up it's fairly easy. You certainly won't manage it in a couple of hours if you want to make it look
smart. If it's a Chinese unit then you may find that it's Windows CE with front end software to run a few Android Apps. I fitted a Blaupunkt 945 Capetown with Android ICS 4.10 -
Thanks
The fitting, im not to bothered about actually, nor making it double din (once i fix on which size screen 6.1 or 7), the central plastic bar removal i had noted thanks and is fine, i suppose ive looked at the 3 "cage" options and the associated surround
(which links back to the screen size), did you go for the one that is effectively a large single din?Ive not settled on which cage yet, but i might make that easy and just buy the actual ducato one! same with the surround
All the units ive got lined up are andriod - i looked at the windows, but andriod gives access to a wide range of apps and navigation stuff (which means we can drop kick our tomtom camper finally!) and some of the music and wider apps will be neat when done.I
toyed with Pioneer and Kenwood - but they are a lot more for less features and pioneer needs the speed pulse, which i cant find anywhere - assuming canbus network has something to do with that.Its just this (insert swear word) GPS antenna - i have a route to get a basic square one from the base of the screen to the head unit without the wires visible, couldnt get it quite where i wanted, but ill get it close i think. (Famous last words)
The reason i wanted to use the fiat approach is a) as we have an over-cab and i wanted the antenna to be in direct free sky and the overcab bit does reach the bonent area b) the cabling and fitment would be more standard and hopefully neater.
I do find it amazing how little info is about on the ducato's where they are a very popular van in all derivatives! Transit and Mercs all have the info easily to hand.
Ours is a last of the previous ducto, before they face lifted it
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The earlier one is easy to fit. Just chop out the bit across the middle. The Connect2 kit fits using the screws you take out. Top ones are a bit of a fiddle but al relitively straight forward. If you find a wire for the GPS Antena then you could just try plugging it in. The Blaupunkt I fitted which was a cheaper option than a lot came with antena in the pack. It's good as it reports better than 2m acuracy. Another point to watch is you need a Can Bus adaptor especially if you need the 12v Aux input connection or a Speed Pulse. If you fit a reverse camera you also need the Reverse Input. None of these are available under the dash. You have to hack into the Can Bus. Only two wires. They are down round the fuse box on the right of steering wheel. They don't make it easy. I have just removed a UConnect5 Sat Nav from our new Fiat X290 Ducato. Now that unit is a load of rubbish. Stripped down Tom Tom Sat Nav. Manual Entry POI's. No way to import them. No way to import speed camera data apart from their way at their price.
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Where did you locate your antenna - the ones im looking at come with the antenna, so ill need to locate that one if there isnt one in the mirror (or i cant find the wire) - i assume it is an SmB type connector not a multi-plug connector for the gps?
It is pre-wired for the reversing camera, although the cowboy dealers didnt use the wiring when they installed the one fitted - dont start me)...so ill be relocating that wiring into the unit...plus im not entirely sure where the reverse camera connector
in the dash is - you would think its just "there" and maybe thats the white connector...but who knows.Part of the reason for not going for a pioneer or similar is their need for speed pulse, which i understand is difficult on the move to canbus - im told you can get it through a special harness (about £60) and also tap in somewhere around the cruise control
- but i dont want the hassle of identifying the wire (i also dont like to hack at the OEM wiring on any car if i can help it, to avoid inducing faults). do you know the colour of the speed pulse wires?I might hook up a reverse trigger - i wont hook up a brake trigger either.
I too had heard the new fiat van satnav system is about as bad as it comes...im looking at igo motorhome for the mapping, which has some good reviews
Thanks again by the way
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You can pick the CanBus wires off the OBD2 Socket down where the fuses are. Remove the two screws holding the black flap in place. Then if you look a little higher up the panel you will see two more screws that hold the larger panel in place. One is easy to see the other is buried to the right side. Remove these and you can give the large panel that goes down and under the steering wheel a pull and you can then get to all the wiring without having to try through the small hole where the fuses are. You could just fit an an OBD2 plug and a couple of wires to pick up the CanBus. This is twisted pair wiring so the two wires must be twisted together to work over a longish run. Easy enough to achieve. This with the Connect2 or Canm8 will give you the speed pulse. Reversing signal. Handbrake signal, Acc Signals that you need for correct installation of Aftermarket head unit. The speed pulse is not available unless you use the CanBus. The Blaupunkt 945 Capetown does not use a speed pulse. Runs Android 4.1 Has IGO Primo. Mine cost me £595 new. Will work with reverse camera as well. Also has AV output so can drive other units. I have a separate 7" screen for the reversing camera and this has an AV input. So I have the Sat Nav showing on both screens. Works really well.
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, After years & years of being threatened with a 'satnav' and declining, for a present etc the " Concord" came with a 'Garmin'.I have now got
used to it and SO far it's been VERY accurate.Took me from home in East Kent to " Rookesbury Park " yesterday 'spot on' to reception.Even advised of a different route when the M25 jammed up . "
CONVERTED " that's me !!!!0 -
Thanks
Do you know the colours of the speed pulse cable at the odb port? That would help...im used to vehicle wiring, done a fair bit, mainly aviation and my own cars. Triggers for all the others are dead simple, certainly park brake from a quick look, it's just
the speed pulse, so that info is useful, thanks.Although, like you, the units without the need for this are preferable, which fits in my desire not to butcher the vehicle loom if possible! Our unit is andriod 5 so you get screen casting and andirod car, I think coupled with igo camper will be a good setup
if I can't get the mirror gps antenna, I'll be mounting it at the base of the windscreen below the Sensor, I've got a cable route -it's just a shame it won't be in free sky as the over cabins still over that location And it's not flat (which antenna people
say is better)One of the reasons to ditch the separate satnav, is to not have something else stuck on the windscreen and then to remove it to close the blinds or fit the thermal blinds in winter, also the performance of all the Tom Tom units we have had is poor. The android
head unit also brings some cool functions like front and rear camera input and recording, wifi, 3G full data, all apps etcwhen you cost it, it's cheaper than the garmin motorhome unit and a new stereo for 5 times the features, so as long as it works as planed, it will be a power setup. Just need to get the antenna local right.
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Slightly O/T
I found on my Rapido Sat (Dash cam, Tomtom) signals were a little weak on some occasions so I used a repeater plugged into the power socket
Rgds
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It does boost the signal as far as I can tell on my older Tomtom which showed satelites' signal strengths. ( Newer TT do not seem to have this feature any more)
Also the TT seems to hold the signal better when going through "canyons" of trees, buildings and other similar places. Its quicker to pick up when coming out of a tunnel.
I just put the receiver with magnetic base on the bonnet, wire out of the drvers door. For security, I un- magnet )if thats a word) and put it in the car.
My unit is quite old, it was an AA offer when the AA were sellind PDAs with TomTom software. So I assume newer versions pick up later generations of satelites.
Rgds
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