[Malaki86]

Well, after trying this program out for the last couple of weeks, I bit the bullet and bought the full version of it ($250).

It includes navigation for North America, will play media (audio/video), Bluetooth handsfree phone, Satelite radio with either XM or Sirius (I also ordered an XMPCR XM tuner for the PC).

It seems like a great program. Say you're driving down the road, listening to the satelite and you have a turn coming up. The program will pause the radio, speak the turn directions, then resume the radio. It will also do the same if you get a phone call.

I don't have an array mic to use the bluetooth part yet. Maybe sometime down the road. I've already got a bluetooth headset, so that's not a big deal.

Tomorrow I'll give it it's first navigation test on my trip from Fairmont, WV to York, PA.

[Rev.Vassago]

I'll be in York on Monday some time. I expect that you're gonna wait there for me.

[Malaki86]

Originally Posted by Rev.Vassago

I'll be in York on Monday some time. I expect that you're gonna wait there for me.

Heh - cool

Actually, I deliver in Columbia, PA, which is just outside of York on US30.

What's the best way to go around Gettysburg with the truck? I'll be coming out of Hagerstown.

[Rev.Vassago]

Originally Posted by Malaki86

Heh - cool

Actually, I deliver in Columbia, PA, which is just outside of York on US30.

What's the best way to go around Gettysburg with the truck? I'll be coming out of Hagerstown.

I've never gone that way. I'm always coming in on I-76. Sorry.

[Malaki86]

I guess I'll let it slip this time around. Just don't let it happen again.

:wink:

[mike3fan]

Originally Posted by Malaki86

Well, after trying this program out for the last couple of weeks, I bit the bullet and bought the full version of it ($250).

It includes navigation for North America, will play media (audio/video), Bluetooth handsfree phone, Satelite radio with either XM or Sirius (I also ordered an XMPCR XM tuner for the PC).

It seems like a great program. Say you're driving down the road, listening to the satelite and you have a turn coming up. The program will pause the radio, speak the turn directions, then resume the radio. It will also do the same if you get a phone call.

I don't have an array mic to use the bluetooth part yet. Maybe sometime down the road. I've already got a bluetooth headset, so that's not a big deal.

Tomorrow I'll give it it's first navigation test on my trip from Fairmont, WV to York, PA.

does it have truck specific navigation?

link?

[Malaki86]

No truck specific routing, but it's doing it correctly on this drive to Columbia, PA.

I expected it to route me up I81 to US30e, but it didn't. It's sending me north on 81 to 581e, 83s, then pick up us30.

I was also able to import a lot of POIs into the program. So far I've got all of my saved locations from CoPilot, T/A, Pilot, Cat Scales and weigh stations. You can set the program to "show" them to you as you're driving, so you can literally see where they're located as you're going up the road. It's also really easy to save a new location (such as a new shipper).

They're working on a new version right now and I'm running a release candidate, which is about 99.5% rock solid. I haven't had any problems out of it. When they finalize it, the map data will be updated as well and the upgrade is free.

From what I see, I like it - A LOT.

Here's the link:

www.fluxmedia.net

You can also check out their forums at http://forums.fluxmedia.net

I got the XMPCR from www.myradiostore.com for $68.98 total (shipping included). It'll use the same XM antenna I already have, plus it doesn't require another 120v connection. Just hook up the antenna, the usb cable to the hub, and the line-out on the tuner to the line-in on the laptop.

Oh - and you can "embed" external programs to run in Centrafuse as well. I added Drivers Daily Log to it. So, now when I start up Centrafuse, there's a LARGE icon to open DDL inside of Centrafuse.

[Malaki86]

On my 2nd day with Centrafuse and I'm pretty happy with it so far. It hasn't tried anything "stupid" with the routing, except that it wants to always avoid toll roads. No big deal there. (*Cancel that - I just found the setting for using toll roads *)

The one BIG issue I do have is that it uses map "sets". Each set covers a few states. You have to load a set to select a new destination (if it's not in the same set that you're already in). Then, it'll auto-change the sets as you drive.

However, you can't see your entire route if it spans multiple sets. Also, you can't select a saved "Favorite" if it's on a different mapset.

[Malaki86]

Day 3 and still my only complaint with Centrafuse is the multiple map crap.

Today I had a load going from Fairmont, WV to Canton, NC which is on the western end of NC off of I-40. I've been there before but because it's in a different mapset, I can't select the exact location. No big deal, I select the town itself.

It calculates at about 410 miles which is dead on. So, off I go. By the time I circled our building, it recalculates the route - this time showing 655 miles. Hmm - I haven't even drove 100 yards yet. Ok - reselect the town, recalculate correctly and off I go - again.

It has me routed: I-79, US-19, I-77, I-81. From there, I assume it's routing me to I-26, I-240, I-40 to Canton. I can't see it, so I'm not sure.

Anyway, I come to US-460 in Princeton, WV on I-77 and decide to take it to avoid the construction, the tunnels and ESPECIALLY the coops :wink:

It takes a few miles for CF (Centrafuse) to accept that I'm taking US-460/US-19 and finally recalculates without turning me around. Now it's showing 450+ miles. Hmmm - I started at 410 or so, drove about 200, now it shows 450+.

I get down onto I-81 in Abingdon and stop to have this thing recalculate correctly (again). Now it's showing about 150 miles. Dead on the money - until I go into Tennessee and it changes the maps.

I went from 140 miles to go in Bristol. VA to 190 miles to go in Bristol, TN. Mind you, I've driven 1 mile. Oh well - I'll keep driving.

When I crossed the TN/NC line at Mars Hill on I-26, the routed miles went from 140 miles down to the correct mileage of 60 miles.

So, as you can see, this is a HUGE problem. I'm complaining like hell on the companies web forums and will be calling them tomorrow. Not only for the simple fact that you can't figure out how many miles you've actually got (or the time left), but you can't even see the trip on the map.

[Malaki86]

Today was similar to yesterday with the goofy map setup in CF.

I left out of Canton, NC heading to Duncan, SC. No problem there since it was on the same mapset. The street address I put in matched up to within about 100 feet when I arrived.

Now the fun starts:
I'm taking this load back to Fairmont, WV. So, the first thing I do is to hit the "Home" button for my destination. I saved my company's address as the Home location to make it quick. Ya, right.

If you're not in the current mapset that the Home address is, well, basically the program ignores you and does nothing. The same goes for selecting a saved Favorite poi. If it's not in the same mapset, it won't load it.

Ok - I'll try something that Fluxmedia (the company that owns CF) told me to do: I load a mapset called USARoads when I add the address. That mapset basically covers the entire country, but only with major roads. Anyway, I load it, put in Fairmont, and hit Go. Hmmm - this isn't right - it's showing 1,354 miles to go and that I'm sitting in Manhatten (NYC). Not quite - I'm in Duncan, SC ya stupid computer.

I think that it'll update my current location and recalculate as soon as I start moving. Well, 5 miles later it still shows me in NYC. So, I stop, re-add my destination with the correct mapset for Fairmont and it's showing 450 miles. Ok - good to go.

When I approached the NC/TN border on I-26, it was showing 368 miles remaining. As soon as I cross into TN and it loads the next mapset, it now shows 653 miles. LOL - alrighty then...

I left it alone and kept driving. When I approached the TN/VA line on I-81, it was showing 589 miles. Cross into VA, boom, now it shows 294 miles (which was correct).

So, as you can see, the multi-mapset definitely does *NOT* work worth a damn. I didn't have a chance to call them today, but will try to tomorrow to see what's up.