Navigator 111 - will garmin batt pack work?

[Gaz_57]

Hi,

I have more or less decided to put up with the extra cost of buying the BMW Navigator 111 and associated "BMW" leads and mounts .... However - i am wondering if the Garmin (2720?) battery pack and car kit will fit it? - obviously if i have to buy them from BMW as well, i will end up paying twice what i would pay to say Touratech.

 

[John Armstrong]

Probably will fit. I'd try another GPS supplier for the bits that BM don't supply though eg www.globalpositioningsystems.co.uk as they'll be cheaper than TT

 

[Gaz_57]

Cheers John, will have a look

 

[PanEuropean]

i am wondering if the Garmin (2720?) battery pack and car kit will fit it?

Hi Gaz:

What is this battery pack for a 2720 you refer to? I have never heard of it, but it sure sounds interesting.

If it uses the plug on the back of the 2720 / 2820 / Nav III to connect to it, it will work, because the DC power pins (positive and negative) are in the same place on all of the 2xxx series GPSRs that share the same form factor.

Michael

PS: Don't forget to tell me what this battery pack thing is - it sounds like something I would like to get.

 

[John Armstrong]

PS: Don't forget to tell me what this battery pack thing is - it sounds like something I would like to get.

I know Bm do one PN (in the USA) 72 60 7 679 224 and they quote 4 hours of operation. IIRC it costs about £100.

 

[PanEuropean]

Hi John:

Thanks for that info. I take it that the battery pack is a BMW part, not a Garmin part, is that correct?

Michael

 

[John Armstrong]

I think so as I saw it in an on-line USA BM catalogue. Probably made by Garmin though The Touratech item almost looks good value, even though you have to buy the batteries.

 

[Gaz_57]

The BMW dealer says he can provide one here in Ireland for "approximately" €200 (US$160 or so) - it is provided so that you can take the GPS to your car/boat/plane without having to hard wire it in - I don't know yet if it is the rechargeable type

In any event, i am getting sick of BMW already - (only 3 weeks a customer - where is the marketing dept now?) and i think i will get my wife to buy the 2820 with the european map set in the USA when she is there in June .... do you know if it is available in the shops there yet and am i likely to run into any USA/Europe compatibility problems? The seem to advertise it over there with the mapset option

Gaz

 

[John Armstrong]

and i think i will get my wife to buy the 2820 with the european map set in the USA when she is there in June .... do you know if it is available in the shops there yet and am i likely to run into any USA/Europe compatibility problems? The seem to advertise it over there with the mapset option

Search on "base map" or "world map" for plenty of information.

 

[PanEuropean]

...think i will get my wife to buy the 2820 with the european map set in the USA when she is there in June...

Gaz, I don't think that the European GPSRs are sold in North America. I am pretty sure that if there was an easy way to get a cheap GPSR, folks here would have figured it out already.

The product you want is a European ("Atlantic") model GPSR. If you buy a North American ("Americas") version GPSR in North America, it won't work for you in Europe, and you will have no end of headaches.

Michael

 

[Gaz_57]

shit - are you serious ? ..... why do they offer them with "North America or European" maps .... maybe the ones where all the roads are on the flash memory will work ... please say yes !!!

 

[PanEuropean]

Gaz, the answer to your question can be found by doing a search of this forum, because the question has come up for discussion many, many times before.

The (very) short answer is this: It costs more for Garmin to purchase the cartography for Europe from their cartography supplier (Navteq) than it costs for Garmin to purchase the cartography for North America. The European cartography needs to be purchased from about 15 different governments, whereas the USA and Canada cartography comes from far fewer sources - some of which are public domain, which don't have to be paid for.

You may have noticed that petrol in North America is only half the price (or less) than petrol in the UK. This isn't because it costs the producing countries more to ship the stuff to the UK - it's because of add-on fees that governments are collecting on the product. Same thing for the cartography. If you go to the Garmin website, you will see that a complete set of North American maps for a GPSR that ships with no maps included costs about $200, but for Europe, the same set costs about $550.

Michael

 

[Gaz_57]

Roger that Michael .... but when you look at their spec for the new 2820 - it comes with either North America OR Europe as the installed maps .... i therefore assumed if you buy the one with Europe, you should be good .... http://www.garmin.com/pressroom/mobile/050106.html What do you reckon ?

Gaz

PS still trying to decide whether 2820's MP3 player and audiobook reader is a better option that four extra buttons on the left of the Navigator 3

 

[Gaz_57]

A quote from the blurb ....

"The StreetPilot 2820 is expected to be available in June for estimated retail price of $1,099. The unit ships standard with pre-loaded maps of either Europe or North America, a 12-volt power cable with external speaker, alphanumeric remote control, PC/USB interface cable, AC power adapter, beanbag mount, dash mount, external microphone, City Navigator DVD, owner’s manual, and quick reference setup guide."

 

[PanEuropean]

...i therefore assumed if you buy the one with Europe, you should be good ....

Yes, this is correct. If you buy a Garmin GPSR that is configured for Europe (an 'Atlantic' model), you will have exactly what you need, and all will be well.

The point you miss, though, is that you can't buy the Atlantic model GPSRs in North America, because they are not offered for sale there. It's like this: Volkswagen manufacturers both RHD and LHD vehicles to suit the different needs of the world market. But - just try buying a RHD car in North America. You won't find one - they ain't offered to the market there.

Michael