June 16, 2003
Get up and Go!
Product Review of Harman Kardon's TrafficPro In-dash Navigation System
by Matt Freeman
page 2 of 5
Installation
Simply put, the TrafficPro installs exactly like an in-dash receiver (it is
an in-dash receiver, after all), with a couple of extra connections. If
you're comfortable installing an in-dash receiver, you should have no
problem putting this one in.
The extra connections are vital to the system's operation. The
first requires you to tap into your vehicle's VSS wire. The VSS sends
speed information to your car's speedometer.
The location of the VSS wire depends entirely on the car you drive. In
my case, I had to run a wire from the back of the TrafficPro, through
the car's firewall, to a module under the hood. With the assistance of
Ben Sams, one of our expert techs, I was able to locate it quickly
using a Ford wiring guide. Once I found it, I made the proper
connection.
The second necessary connection is to the wire for the reverse
lights. The TrafficPro uses this to verify whether you're going forward
or backward. Again, the location of the wire depends on the vehicle you
drive. In the interest of ease, I ran the lead back to the trunk, and
tapped into the reverse light wire there, rather than trying to find
the wire in the kick-panel wiring harness.
And that was it. In just a couple of hours, the TrafficPro was installed and ready to go.
Calibration
Before you can navigate, the system first runs through a quick,
one-time calibration process. This involves driving about half a mile
and making a few turns. This helps the internal gyroscope orient
itself, and allows the system to coordinate its movement with the GPS
satellite information it receives. It's possible, if you know certain
very detailed specifications, to calibrate the system manually. But
automatic calibration takes very little time, and ensures the utmost
accuracy.
Next
page é
Page 1: System
Overview
Page 2: Installing and calibrating the TrafficPro
Page 3: Using
the TrafficPro navigation system
Page 4: The
first TrafficPro test: New York City
Page 5: The
second TrafficPro test: Arlington, VA
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