Yeah, this applies to my 2016 MH as well as many others as we have seen from the multitude of "Replace Radio" threads in this Forum.
My Garmin GPS, which I have never liked due to it's weird routing algorithms, has had a hard time lately even synching with the satellites. So after my Thanksgiving trip south last weekend where it consistently showed a 5 MPH error from Google Maps and my speedometer, I was on the hunt for a replacement GPS with a Black Friday deal.
I had tried one of the Chinese sub-$100 "RV" GPS units on the jungle site a few months ago - they are just small proprietary Android tablets running a custom GPS APP - with a really crappy user interface. Returned it.
The cheapest RV Garmin GPS was $450 (on "sale") - way more than a comparable car or truck GPS, just because it said RV (and had RV routing and RV waypoints, which was severely lacking in my last Garmin RV GPS). I was not willing to bet that much that Garmin had made it any better, so I was looking for an alternative.
I came across a category of devices I did not even know existed: An Android Auto/Apple Car Play stand-alone "Head Unit". Basically a 7" to 11" tablet with the capability of connecting to your phone via Android Auto or Carplay that has multiple mounting capabilities like a stand-alone GPS. They have built-in speakers, or you can BT to your dash radio, or run an audio cable to the "Audio In" jack, or even use the old FM tuner option.
Those that are familiar with AA and CP know that not all APPS are compatible with this technology. Sygic GPS is with the Add-On license, Copilot GPS is not, I don't know about the RV Life APP. So these head units have the capability of mirroring your phone's screen - and it is much better that what you get with screen mirroring to the Axerra/Jensen radios. So now you can have Copilot or Sygic on the display.
The unit I picked up was also a 4K dash cam with included 2K rear view camera. With DVR, with an included 64 Gb SDcard. The front dash cam lens is movable so even if your mount does not have the unit parallel with the dash you can just point the lens in the right direction. The extension cable is only 26' so the rear camera may work for a small Class C or Class B. You may be able to add a 4-connector mini-phono extension cord to extend it farther.
I get nothing from this recommendation and this is not an affiliate link.
I picked up the 9" model for $84 with the $20 coupon. I haven't mounted it yet, but since it has a USB C power input I have been playing with it in my living room and I'm pretty impressed. I don't know yet which GPS APP I'll run to it, but I have the flexibility to try all of them. This is the one I got, there are other similar units available, but I can't attest to their capabilities or suitability to the task.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CS3G13LV
This may be a solution for others wanting these capabilities.
My Garmin GPS, which I have never liked due to it's weird routing algorithms, has had a hard time lately even synching with the satellites. So after my Thanksgiving trip south last weekend where it consistently showed a 5 MPH error from Google Maps and my speedometer, I was on the hunt for a replacement GPS with a Black Friday deal.
I had tried one of the Chinese sub-$100 "RV" GPS units on the jungle site a few months ago - they are just small proprietary Android tablets running a custom GPS APP - with a really crappy user interface. Returned it.
The cheapest RV Garmin GPS was $450 (on "sale") - way more than a comparable car or truck GPS, just because it said RV (and had RV routing and RV waypoints, which was severely lacking in my last Garmin RV GPS). I was not willing to bet that much that Garmin had made it any better, so I was looking for an alternative.
I came across a category of devices I did not even know existed: An Android Auto/Apple Car Play stand-alone "Head Unit". Basically a 7" to 11" tablet with the capability of connecting to your phone via Android Auto or Carplay that has multiple mounting capabilities like a stand-alone GPS. They have built-in speakers, or you can BT to your dash radio, or run an audio cable to the "Audio In" jack, or even use the old FM tuner option.
Those that are familiar with AA and CP know that not all APPS are compatible with this technology. Sygic GPS is with the Add-On license, Copilot GPS is not, I don't know about the RV Life APP. So these head units have the capability of mirroring your phone's screen - and it is much better that what you get with screen mirroring to the Axerra/Jensen radios. So now you can have Copilot or Sygic on the display.
The unit I picked up was also a 4K dash cam with included 2K rear view camera. With DVR, with an included 64 Gb SDcard. The front dash cam lens is movable so even if your mount does not have the unit parallel with the dash you can just point the lens in the right direction. The extension cable is only 26' so the rear camera may work for a small Class C or Class B. You may be able to add a 4-connector mini-phono extension cord to extend it farther.
I get nothing from this recommendation and this is not an affiliate link.
I picked up the 9" model for $84 with the $20 coupon. I haven't mounted it yet, but since it has a USB C power input I have been playing with it in my living room and I'm pretty impressed. I don't know yet which GPS APP I'll run to it, but I have the flexibility to try all of them. This is the one I got, there are other similar units available, but I can't attest to their capabilities or suitability to the task.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CS3G13LV
This may be a solution for others wanting these capabilities.
