[PetrolDave]

The Euro software 0330 and newer is now using a signature on the DVD which doesn't allow alterations anymore. Even if someone figures out how to add POIs, the updated DVD may not be readable anymore.

Unless we can also work out how the signature is calculated.

It's silly that I have to have a GPS speed camera warning device (Cyclops) in my Audi, in addition to the (more accurate) RNS-E.

In the UK there are many speed camera database available for both PDA based sat nav systems and stand-alone sat nav systems from e.g. Tom Tom and Navman.

It's a poor show that Audi didn't think ahead and include something like using one of the SD card slots for custom POIs.

 

[PetrolDave]

On a somewhat releated topic, has anyone explored the data written by the RNS-E to the SD cards?

???????????

AFAIK the RNS-E can only read from the SD cards.

 

[PetrolDave]

It leads me to think that it could also be possible to read the SD cards for POI data as well.

Music to my ears!!!

Then I could throw out the Cyclops (GPS camera warning system) that's sitting on Velcro on my dash and occupying the cigarette lighter socket!

 

[PetrolDave]

Anyone managed to get anything at all?

If they had they would have posted it here ...

 

[PetrolDave]

In an earlier discussion we came to the same conclusion! A POI of a camera is no use without early warning, and that's a feature the RNS-E doesn't support - so it would be 2 SW mods - custom POI plus POI early warning.

An interesting idea, but I don't think (I may be wrong) that the TMC tuner will "find" the TMC signal from the adapter since AFAIK it only looks on frequencies that are listed on the broadcast channels, and the adapter won't be in that list.

 

[PetrolDave]

today you can introduce the speedcams in your mobil phone/smartphone (a lot of them use GPS) and it will warn you while you're driving, really don't need any other hardware in the car...

Hmmm, I don't agree.

I have a smartphone with GPS but I don't use it for this purpose - I have a separate detector (a Pogo Alert).

Why?

1) I would have to have a mount for the phone on the dash, which I don't want. I have the Audi Bluetooth kit so my phone stays in my pocket, where it's not visible to thieves.

2) it takes so long for it to get a GPS fix - several minutes at times (much slower than either the RNS-E or my Pogo Alert) - that I would be "at riak" when in a strange area.

 

[PetrolDave]

Also there is a "thirth" way that works ok but needs some extra hardware, we can get the GPS position asking RNS-E (through CAN or K-Line) with a simple PIC, compare it with a database stored in a flash and send a command to the cluster for beep and warn in the dish, when I was working in a CarPC project for my A4 I tested it and works fine, but this needs a small pcb (similar to CanGate).

Now I really like the sound of that... a hidden "black box" that uses data from the RNS-E to lookup a database and then drive the DIS - that would look "OE".

I think that's a project someone should be working on...

 

[PetrolDave]

Pogo Alert isn't a sat nav ... so there's no programming of destination.

Let's think about how GPS based camera alert devices work...

Because they don't know your destination (and hence which roads you are likely to be driving on) they have to make assumptions. The main assumption they make is that you will continue in the direction you are currently heading.

In your first example you will get warned about 1 of the 4 cameras IF it's straight over the roundabout, and you won't get warned about the other 3 cameras unless you turn onto one of those roads and then only when the device realises what your new heading is. In theory a camera very close to a roundabout could catch you unawares... which is why these devices are NOT infallible and why you still need to be watching and looking.

And in your second example, yes you will get warned about the camera on the exit you don't take. This happens to me every day - I approach a roundabout intending to turn left, but I get warned about the camera that is 200 yards further along the exit that is straight on. That's a false positive I can live with.

All the above is why adding camera alerts to the RNS-E is a great idea, provided you have an active route it knows which road you will probably be driving on and can warn you about cameras on turns and not warn you about cameras on exits which you probably won't be taking.

This is the current "plus point" of a mobile phone with GPS and running something like TomTom Navigator - it has route information AND camera location information (because applications like TomTom Navigator support the special POI type for cameras, and free databases are available to download).

 

[PetrolDave]

Check Out NavPOInt if you have an RNS-E, it'll allow you to install as many POI as you like.

The big downside of NavPOInt, as they admit themselves on their website, is that because of the limitations of the RNS-E software it CANNOT provide warning messages as you approach a speed camera (that you have added).

IMHO that means that the best solution is still a separate GPS speed camera warning device - because you can continue to use a genuine RNS-E map DVD (which is much better for longer laser life) and you then get warning of the camera (and the better ones also calculate and display your average speed through a SPECS zone).