Visual, Audio and Navigation Systems

[onall4]

I've been in touch with VMS directly about the poor radio reception and the bluetooth issues.

Due to the number of phone calls VMS have received regarding this issue the rest of this post has been deleted. Stay tuned (pardon the pun)

[onall4]

Removed, can't have anyone getting into trouble.

[Senirb]

i promise i won't say anything

[Curian]

Well done !!!! So is that a software or hardware upgrade??

[Macca]

You guys are amazing.
After our recent trip, we are seriously thinking about a all in one system.
The info here is helping to steer us toward a VMS unit.
Great to get a heads up from the supplier, will wait and see.
Just hope the contact doesn't get in strife for helping us.
He may even increase sales :eek: :eek: :eek:
Macca

[rodw]

If any of you guys are interested in the roll your own version of this stuff, this thread has turned out to be an interesting one, Barty has been very helpful. My shopping list to date is on page 2. Don't ask me the final cost...
http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/general ... uters.html

Rod

[babs]

Guys,

Here is my experience with the VMS System, it is absolute CRAP, SHYT would not and have not gotten another.

Like others have said it freezes up, MP3 is crap, Bluetooth is ridiculously SHYT SHYT, and after sales service (well they answered the phone) but that's it, they made me go through 3 phones for the bluetooth as they said there was nothing wrong with it and for me to change phones, I went through 3 and they even specified the Nokia N95 which DID NOT work properly. The bluetooth never answered properly and it became a pain in the ass every time it connected automatically, because when you get a phone call it would not answer and it would cut off the call

When you listen to the radio and using Sat Nav at the same time you would have to put the volume up for the Sat Nav so you could here it, and when the Nav finishes talking the radio would BLAST you, so you would have to continually have to adjust the volume up & down, I complained to VMS they said they had an update that would be up and running in two days time, that was back in February this year, and they said the same thing every two weeks after that every time I called, I eventually got sick of calling and listening to Bullshyt.

The OZIEPLORER program running the Topo is SHYT SHYT SHYT everything it does the normal street nav can do so I found it useless and impossible to use. DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE TOPO MAPPING WITH THE VMS, THE STREET NAV IS MORE DETAILED, IT SHOULD BE THE OTHER WAY AROUND. IT IS USELESS, BE WARNED!!!

The street Nav is Route 66 which is a BIG JOKE for street Navigation, a $200 TOM TOM does a better job! Yes i am Pissed with this but I tell you facts, some owners wear this, at the price I wont wear it I EXPECT a street Nav to the calibre of at least a TOM TOM (which mind you is probably one of the cheap nasty jobs)

The pricing is an absolute rip off for the quality of the unit, I know for a fact that it can be sold for $1,600 and still have a profit made, it is marked up because there is no competition for it ATM but I found it no better than a Polaris which is priced accordingly at $1,295

As you can see I am PISSED OFF with the VMS unit, If it was priced to its capabilities around the $1,200 mark then it would not be so bad, because you get what you pay for. Not in this case, you pay top money for an inferior product.

Ok I will admit the DVD player was the only thing that worked good, but for a couple of hundred dollars you can buy a portable DVD 7" screen and take it anywhere, you can even watch it in the Tent.

I just bought a Garmin Nuvi 760 street Nav far superior, I got the optional Topo mapping which actually works and is more detailed and actually works as a GPS, plus more, it can even street by street guide you to your destination - that's to the closest roads to your remote area, then you can select your point from there. So now I have two GPS in one. I can use my laptop for DVDS or when I get the kids the portable DVDs then I can use one of them.

The only thing I am missing is reversing camera now, but at 3K for a VMS with camera as opposed to paying $800 for the portable setup I can justify not having reversing camera.

If double din is the way you want to go then look at well known brands, Pioneer have one available which is a lot better quality slightly higher price but in a league of its own.

[rodw]

Thanks for the comment babs, makes me happier with my decision to go the way I am going.

I have already decided not to build in a bluetooth phone kit because I found out that there are a huge number of technical issues with Windows that essentially make it impossible to implement bluetooth. Not sure which OS VMS uses, but maybe that explains why your phone never worked.

So anyway, I have gone to a lot of trouble to source the best components for my system, but am treating it as a hobby. Almost everything is to hand, and I have almost sorted out the software side of things. Tonight's achievement was to implement sound attenuation when street nav turn by turn announcements are made. Not tested in a vehicle, but it should also bring the Street Nav app to the foreground until the announcement is complete. So far very happy with the Street Nav application I have selected, but not tested much in a vehicle.

I have a small bit of coding to do before the OziExplorer embedding is complete, and then I am just left with the OS optimisation to complete before I am ready to install. I will be pulling the Touch screen out of it's case and installing in the Dual DIN kit, just have to work out how to locate all of the buttons...

[babs]

Good luck with it and keep us posted with Pics.

[rodw]

Guys, I did an update to my Rod's New Rig thread here viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1406&start=100 which shows my installation progress to date. I have got a lot of hardware in and the laptop is pretty well working, but stil got heaps to add yet...