digitalfx

Does anyone know how to read the GPS Information screen (hidden menu)?

I've been having problems with the navigation system intermittently loosing it's way . The dealer has been no help, as the problem is intermittent (but happens frequently), and this seems to fall outside their area of expertice....so I'm going to have to try to localize the problem to point them in the right direction. The GPS light is frequently off on the Map screen (no GPS lock). When I look at the GPS information screen, there doesn't appear to be any signal being received (LVL?), or not enough channels to plot a position.

I suspect a bad antenna, or something causing poor signal reception. The problem is more frequent with bad weather (cloudy skys), but it renders the nav system almost useless, as I never know when it's going to loose its way. Where are the antenna's located? I know there's an external one on the rear roof top...but I beleive there's another also. Location of any antenna connectors (that might be loose)? I don't have any routing diagrams.

This is the 3rd vehicle I've had with a nav system (ML430, RX330, and currently an RX400h)... There were no issues with the previous systems.

Any help greatfully appreciated.

David

I have had the same issues...there is definatley a bug somewhere. It is very erratic. Fortunatly It hasnt happened in a few months.

im doing this from memory but it seems to me it takes more than one antenna for the nav to triangulate your position accurately, and it sounds like one of them is not working. there is a nav antenna in the back of the vehicle as well. i bet your dealer can figure it out for you.

I have never seen a GPS use more than one antennea....it uses more than one satellite to triangulate.

I also doubt the antennea is at issue as I am getting a lock, just the wrong one. The antennea either works or doesnt....there is no middle ground. This has to be some sort of software glitch.

I am reluctant to take it to the dealer since I added the DVD update myself.

I have owned over a dozen GPS devices (mostly Garmin hand held units and Street Pilots) in the past 6+ years and have never experienced anything like this....very starange.

2006 RX400h

My GPS has started acting very strange, it started about two weeks ago. The GPS mapping was several miles off the correct location. I went into the menu and was able to adjust my position, and everything worked fine for about a week, then it happened again. This has happened 3 times now, and it appears my position has been off anywhere from several block to 6+ miles, it also loses orientation (direction). This is getting very annoying.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

NOTE: I did upgrade the DVD to ver 5, which is listed as compatable w/ my Nav. The system worked great for 3 weeks after the update and started freaking out 3 weeks after the install.

Shebco,

My objective was/is the same as yours, to go in eyes wide open. I read your post and have a few questions:

* I'm not sure I understand your comment "you really had to work hard to get playlists to play correctly." Could you please explain this further?

* I was able to get an electronic copy of the installation/operations manual. The manual shows the unit can be disconnected from all of the cables. If this is true, why would I have to remove the head unit cables if I need to remove the VAIS unit?

* I was aware of the 2 comm speeds but understood my iPod Mini could connect with the high speed. Is my understanding correct?

Regards,

Mike

I have no problems w/ the Playlists other than what I posted earlier, I would assume his issues are software related.

Yes, you can disconnect the unit from the cables on the latest model, this would simplify updating.

It is set for the latest ipods as default, this can be easily reprogramed.

The display reads as follows:

ALBUM= Playlist name

TRACK= track #

TITLE= Title

You can also scroll the Album Title and Artist info in the Title Space using the "SCAN" button. But it is slow and cumbersome to use.

digitalfx,

I'm interested in this product but have read mixed reviews about its installation on other Lexus models. Now that you've had the SoundLinQ SLI installed for a few weeks, what problems (if any) have you experienced? Were there any surprises or information you learned about its functionality that was not known before installation?

Regards,

Mike

Overall I am very pleased with the unit....but there are several things that could be improved.

First, tech support is weak at best. I called several times and the only response I got was "thats the way it was designed" when I offered suggestions for improvement, it was like they had no idea what I was talking about.

In order to play songs from the Ipod, you must create playlists. The playlist cannot contain more than 99 songs. The VAIS will not play music unless it is a playlist. The problem this presents is that it limits the way you access your music....for example if you want to listen to a specific artist.

The work around I am currently using- I created a playlist for each artist and placed all the songs for that artist inside. This works ok except scrolling thru dozens of artists on the Lexus radio is a royal pain.

The "feature" that I have the biggest problem with is the way they implement the Random mode and Disc Random mode...these do not work well. Specifically Disc Random, this mode only randomly selects albums inside the current playlist. Since I created numerous playlist by artist name I would like to see Disc Random mode pull from all the available playlists. NOTE: a playlist on the ipod is treated like a DISC. You scroll thru the various playlists using the DISC up/down buttons. Therefore it is natural for DISC RANDOM to randomly select songs from the various playlists...this is NOT the case. I have talked w/ tech support about this several times and offered suggestions, but each time I was told:

"Thats the way it was designed"

I noticed today that when I receive a bluetooth phone call the radio display blanks out as the radio is paused. The phone conversation is now over the radio speakers. When I disconnect the phone call and the Ipod starts playing again, the display now says "NO TITLE" . I have to cycle thru all the radio inputs to get the display back.

One other issue which was reported earlier in this Forum- You have to cycle thru the inputs twice to get to the CD1 (Ipod) input. For me this is not a big issue as I use the Ipod 99 percent of the time....although it should be addressed in an update.

Again, overall I am pleased. Install was simply, sound quality is good and it interfaces well with the Lexus radio.

This is the model I just installed, read post above....took 30 minutes to install.

How did you know how to remove the panel and where the harness was located?

Thanks

I found some other posts in this forum with details....but it is very simple:

1. Remove bezel around shifter start at the bottom 4 clips- pull up on the outer trim around the shifter (not the inside trim ring- the outer ring) This will remove the entire panel around the shifter

2. Remove heated seat panel/cig lighter, 2 clips pull it toward you-straight out

3. you will see 2 gold 10mm bolts, remove two bolts under this panel that hold the radio in

4. You need to grab the bottom of the radio and give it a little tug there is a couple of clips holding it in. slide the radio out.

5. remove the inside panel at the feet of the passenger (left foot) furthest forward. This is the smallest panel and has exposed clips. You will place the VAIS unit down here and run the Ipod cable to the glove box or whereever you prefer and the other end of the cable to the back of the radio.

6. close it up and enjoy!

NOTE: When you pull the radio out it will rest on the leather part of the lower dash...be sure to put a soft cloth under this, as I left indents in the leather where the metal braket of the radio rested on the leather. The leather is very soft and dents very easily.

I contacted Vais Technology at info@vaistech.com. They said the "SoundLinQ (Model SLI) will work in my RX400h. Their cost is $299.99, but unfortunately they do not have any installers in the Seattle area.

This is the model I just installed, read post above....took 30 minutes to install.

Nice going! Where does the interface unit sit? Where is the iPod kept? how are the two physically connected?

I placed the VAIS unit inside the side panel at the passengers left foot (the smaller panel furthest forward) and ran the cable into the glove box. The cable is just long enough for the passanger to manually operate the Ipod from the front passenger seat if prefered otherwise it sits safely in the glove box.

The VAIS takes full control of the Ipod and is controlled from the radio or steering wheel controls.

There is also an option to switch to "safe mode" which allows control from the Ipod interface directly, but you lose all display info on the Lexus Radio. You can still use trigger the next or previous song from the steering wheel, but no other functions work.

As I mentioned the sound quality is excellent, far superior to any FM transmitter. There are a few oddities to the controls though;

1. It only allows playing from Playlists on the Ipod.

2. The display works as follows-

ARTIST = Playlist Name

TITLE= Title

3. "Shuffle" mode does not work properly

You've got a lot of good suggestions here, but so far no one has mentioned a significant difference: some of these (fm transmitters and cassette adapters, notably) allow a very simple connection for the sound to play through the Lexus audio system. Others (notably VAIS) have interface equipment that will allow you to control the external device (especially if it happens to be an iPod) through the Lexus audio head unit. These solutions are more expensive but also more elegant (and probably safer in a car that's in motion).

I received the VAIS SLI this morning, installed it in less than an hour w/ limited experience. Works great, the quality of sound is significantly better than the Monster FM adapter I was using...literally night and day difference. It now sounds as good as the CD output. I have the Mark Levinson system.

The integration with the stereo display and steering wheel controls works very well.

Please share with us any improvements you see. I have found a few issues with the 4.x version, but I'm not ready to drop $295 yet.

so far I dont see anything new...but I haven't traveled very far since the update.

You can preorder the Nav DVD update from Lexus-Parts.com

Their site also has do-it-yourself instructions.

You mean you can't just purchase the updated NAV CD and pop it into the CD player and have it upgrade the NAV to current conditions? You must pay the dealership $300?--- for what? To perform what tasks, exactly?

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The Updated Nav DVD is now shipping. I received mine today, took 5 minutes to install. You have to remove the rear compartment door and covers to access the NAV DVD drive.

Previous version was 4.05.01

NEW version is 5.03.05

too early to tell what improvements it added to the POI and maps. Cost $295 w/ s/h from Lexus-parts.com

I agree with your advice and not to put too fine a point on it, and yes my bluetooth is always enabled and paired with the car, but the nature of bluetooth is that it turns on and off with each call.

well, not exactly. Yes, the connection between the car and phone "turn off", but the bluetooth function remains on and is constantly seeking another connection unless you physically turn it off on the phone.

Thanks for the info. Yes, I believe I made a successful pairing. In fact whenever I turn on the car I get a "bluetooth connection successful" message, and I even have full functionality (make & receive calls, send contacts to car's phonebook, etc.) but only for 10-20 seconds. If I make a call within that initial 10 to 20 seconds, the call connects and uses the car's hands free system. I can stay on that call as long as necessary. After I hang up, that's it, the car and phone will not work together until I either 1) select the phone from the car's bluetooth settings screen, or 2) turn off and re-start the car. I only have the initial 10-20 second window for functionality after getting the "bluetooth connection successful" message. After 10-20 seconds expire, the phone and car will not work together - a call placed on the phone will not transfer to the car's hands free system, and if I attempt to place a call from the car's keypad I get the "please check mobile phone" message.

It seems strange to me that within that initial 10-20 second window I have full functionality. After that time passes, nothing will work. Seems like something is timing out and blocking further bluetooth connection between the T650 the car. I do have a HS850 bluetooth headset that seems to work fine. Of course, that headset has a button to push to re-establish connection with the phone any time I need it.

I have installed the latest software from Verizon on the phone. I've tried adjusting the settings for power saving options on the phone (butler, key guard, screen, etc.) with no effect.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advise.

What other apps do you have on the Treo? Maybe somthing else on the Treo is causing a conflict. Do you have Blue Fang or BT Toggle on the phone?

Personally if i had to bet money i would say it was a Verizon issue, they are famous for disabling certain features of phones. Call them and find the business department or someone who actually knows the functions of a treo 650, many service techs at cellular companies have no clue about treos, and ask them specifically if Verizon has disabled this feature. If it works bluetooth with a headset there is no reason it should not work with the 400h. If they have not disabled this feature then i would call Palm and tell them you want it to work or you want a new phone. It would also be useful if you know anyone in your company or acquaintances that has this phone and cell provider to see if it will work correctly. And now that i think about it it would be useful to have a friend pair thier bluetooth phone with your 400h, preferrably a different phone and carrier to see what happens.

I dont have this issue w/ Cingular, once I get in the car the systems pair and she works. I leave my Bluetooth on the entire time I am in the car and dont notice significant battery drain. This way when I receive an incoming call it instantly connects and I answer the call from the steering wheel. I never had an issue with the pairing dropping after a period of time, even with the older firmware.

Do a search at this site:

http://discussion.treocentral.com/index.php?styleid=1

I believe there are plenty of Verizon users there with successfull bt connections. My guess is you never actualyy made the INITIAL connection successfully and it is still attempting to connect each time you get in the car. Did you follow the directions I posted earlier very carefully? If you miss one step, you are not actually pairing the units. I hade a similar issue when I first bought the car, but once I followed the directions closely I have had great success.

I would suggest deleting the phone from the Lexus and starting over.

Yes, I have transfered the quicklist succesfully. Just follow the directions in the link I posted earlier. The quicklist must only contain one number, no other info and no other characters including dashes.

Also regarding the call waiting bug....yes, the latest Coingular firmware (1.17) fixes this issue.

After you succesfully get the Treo to see the Lexus, do the following:

1. go to "Trusted Devices" on the Treo

2. select the Lexus

3. go to the phone application and dial any phone number

4. wait

eventually the phone call will switch over to the Lexus...now your phone and Lexus are both paired. If you skip these steps it wont work.

check here for better description:

http://discussion.treocentral.com/showthre...highlight=Lexus

The great mystery to me is why tens of thousands of people used the interstate highways to get out of town?? Why didn't they just drive north and west from Houston on the numerous uncrowded back country roads? Some reporters tried the back country roads and found it was easy to get away from Houston and Galveston. 

Another mystery to me is why didn't the tens of thousands of people follow the course of the hurricane on TV before deciding to leave Houston?  If they had done that they would have seen the hurricane was NOT directly headed for Houston and there was no urgent need to evacuate. They would have also seen the hurricane was weakening to a category 3 which is too weak to flatten houses and threaten alot of lives. 

Now it looks like some lives will be needlessly lost from flooding - again because people aren't monitoring the storm and realizing that the storm is going to stall out and dump 10-20 inches of rain over the area just east of Houston.

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Yea, I guess you have alot of experience in this area out in Sacramento. Give me a break!!

This has apparently helped spawn a few new businesses who now produce a system to neutralize this feature.

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Where do we find this hack???

Yes, this is totally absurd...$50,000 car and we have to pull off the road to add a new address to the GPS or call someone. It seems this is more hazardous than using the GPS. I have been using an external Garmin for years and being able to change destination while traveling is not an option but a necessity!