ghanda
18-10-2005, 01:56 PM
A very neat solution if you’re after a fixed all-in-one SAT-NAV system, without going down the PDA/Tom Tom etc. route and looking to upgrade your Car’s head unit.
It’s the Alpine INA-N033R Head Unit.
http://www.mrkiv.nildram.co.uk/Webtemp/ina.jpg
OK, so what is it?
It’s a Head Unit with a built in CD player. But it also reads the supplied Alpine DVD Rom, which has the whole of Europe on it down to street level. Although it will read the Alpine DVD Sat Nav map, it WILL NOT read other DVD’s. It will however read CD’s, CD-R’s and MP3 CD’s.
The route guidance is shown on it’s own 240 x 64 Biolite display which zooms in at junctions to give you a crystal clear image of where you should be going. The route guidance is also excellent: It slightly drops your stereo’s volume and talks over it (mix volume is adjustable) and being a DVD, it gives masses of space for enhanced instructions. For example, instead of “Next left” it will say “Take the next junction and bare slightly left, first exit, towards Reading”.
Apart from the M6 Toll, I’ve not found a road or destination it didn’t know. You can enter by address, postcode, or place of interest, such as Airport, Train Station, Golf course etc. and it will store up to 20 locations in memory.
Another neat feature is that it will almost instantly re-calculate your route if you miss your turn, or if you want to avoid a certain road.
The main display is white with the main buttons being switchable between green and orange – providing very good cosmetic integration with a Galant.
The built in Tuner is also very good with the usual RDS etc. and Radio Text and the amplifier really does kick out a healthy 4 x 45watts. Expansion capabilities are there with front, rear and sub pre-outs if you want to hook up additional amplifiers.
The only down-side I can think of is that it’ won’t do Sat-Nav and play a CD/MP3 disc at the same time. Without hooking up a CD Changer, you’re limited to the Radio and Sat Nav at the same time.
That’s why I’m also throwing in an Alpine 12 disc CD-Changer. Being an ‘AI-NET’ (Alpine Intelligent Network) changer, you can title your CD’s and the Head unit will remember them . The front of the Changer has been finely splattered with paint at some point, but works perfectly. It reads CD's and CDR's, but not MP3's.
If you can easily remove your Head Unit and it’s on standard DIN plugs, this unit can be fitted within 15 minutes – you’d just need to run the GPS pick-up to the corner of your dash and the CD changer cable if you wanted the Changer.
The Face panel is detachable leaving an anonymous looking box. I have just had the Face panel replaced by Alpine (for almost £200 – EEK!) so the unit does look absolutely brand new. The unit cost £1200 and I can provide receipts for the head unit and the panel.
I’m looking for £350 for the Head Unit, or £450 with the Changer.
It’s the Alpine INA-N033R Head Unit.
http://www.mrkiv.nildram.co.uk/Webtemp/ina.jpg
OK, so what is it?
It’s a Head Unit with a built in CD player. But it also reads the supplied Alpine DVD Rom, which has the whole of Europe on it down to street level. Although it will read the Alpine DVD Sat Nav map, it WILL NOT read other DVD’s. It will however read CD’s, CD-R’s and MP3 CD’s.
The route guidance is shown on it’s own 240 x 64 Biolite display which zooms in at junctions to give you a crystal clear image of where you should be going. The route guidance is also excellent: It slightly drops your stereo’s volume and talks over it (mix volume is adjustable) and being a DVD, it gives masses of space for enhanced instructions. For example, instead of “Next left” it will say “Take the next junction and bare slightly left, first exit, towards Reading”.
Apart from the M6 Toll, I’ve not found a road or destination it didn’t know. You can enter by address, postcode, or place of interest, such as Airport, Train Station, Golf course etc. and it will store up to 20 locations in memory.
Another neat feature is that it will almost instantly re-calculate your route if you miss your turn, or if you want to avoid a certain road.
The main display is white with the main buttons being switchable between green and orange – providing very good cosmetic integration with a Galant.
The built in Tuner is also very good with the usual RDS etc. and Radio Text and the amplifier really does kick out a healthy 4 x 45watts. Expansion capabilities are there with front, rear and sub pre-outs if you want to hook up additional amplifiers.
The only down-side I can think of is that it’ won’t do Sat-Nav and play a CD/MP3 disc at the same time. Without hooking up a CD Changer, you’re limited to the Radio and Sat Nav at the same time.
That’s why I’m also throwing in an Alpine 12 disc CD-Changer. Being an ‘AI-NET’ (Alpine Intelligent Network) changer, you can title your CD’s and the Head unit will remember them . The front of the Changer has been finely splattered with paint at some point, but works perfectly. It reads CD's and CDR's, but not MP3's.
If you can easily remove your Head Unit and it’s on standard DIN plugs, this unit can be fitted within 15 minutes – you’d just need to run the GPS pick-up to the corner of your dash and the CD changer cable if you wanted the Changer.
The Face panel is detachable leaving an anonymous looking box. I have just had the Face panel replaced by Alpine (for almost £200 – EEK!) so the unit does look absolutely brand new. The unit cost £1200 and I can provide receipts for the head unit and the panel.
I’m looking for £350 for the Head Unit, or £450 with the Changer.