Even after a year, I'm amazed how well Google Earth navigation performs - and for free. It completely kicks butt over any nav system out there.
This tutorial shows you how to set up the hottest in-car nav and Web setup that's far better than store-bought standalone GPS units alone. If you already have an old laptop, it's cheaper as well.
The benefits of in-car Internet continually amaze my wife and I. You enjoy yourself so much more because you're never lost, and always have all the information you need. Trip planning happens on the fly. Change reservations. Find gas. Find steak. Get the weather. Stream videos. You can always get all the answers you need to make your trips so much better than before.
In-car Internet is cheap and easy. You need:
1. The cheapest old laptop.
2. Any handheld GPS with either a serial or USB output, or an external GPS antenna made expressly for laptops.
3. A cellular Air Card.
Mounting your laptop
Mounting your laptop can be done a variety of ways. However you must
NEVER set it on the dash. When the airbag goes, you will be looking for your passenger's head for some time. I researched this over a year ago when I did my mount, and I wouldn't even rest a pair of sunglasses on top of the dash. The bag explodes up out of the top of the dash, then straight back.
My setup above is safe because the airbag clears the top of the screen and does not carry the computer with it.
If you want to fabricate your own mount, there is
Frogeye's easy-to-build version. He runs his without a passenger however. So, the only change I would make to it is to lengthen the supports to hold the laptop lower. There is also
my version pictured here, but it requires simple sheet metal fabrication.
Cellular Internet
I'm no cellular expert; there are a few folks here that are, however. This cellular Air Card cost me about $60 at Cingular. Then the monthly charge was about $20. However, this was a year ago, so there's probably a lot of cooler stuff on the market now.
Out in the sticks, the reception sucks like any cell phone. However, there's a fix. Google "Cellular range extender" and there are zillions of little devices that you can stick in your FJ to improve not only the laptop's signal, but your cell phone's as well. I have a 5 watt extender that I hooked to an antenna on the roof and it's really good.
GPS
If you do not have a handheld GPS like a Garmin or Magellan, there are many USB GPS receivers that just plug into your laptop.
Amazon.com: USB GPS Receiver: Electronics
I have a Garmin handheld that I was forced to mount in an unusual way, up between the cage tubes in the ceiling. It's USB-attached to the computer:
Firing it up
Google Earth needs an Internet connection to constantly download the maps. However, in a pinch you can do it without a connection if you take the time to cache the maps in GE before you leave home.
The free version of Google Earth does not include a GPS driver. The Pro version does ($20/year), but it's not too hot. Your GPS driver is a great piece of freeware called
Earth Bridge. Earth Bridge not only hooks up your GPS signal with Google Earth, it lets you tailor it in cool ways, like letting you adjust how you view "yourself", how far away, what angle, etc. Here is a screenshot as it shows you the quality of signal reception you're getting:
Earth Bridge is set-and-forget and you only need to use it once, to turn on the GPS signal for Google Earth.
Here, I've requested directions from Vegas to Ballarat, a Death Valley ghost town. Google draws the route in purple. If you want, you can right-click it and save it for later.
For trails that Google doesn't know, there is a Draw tool so you can make your own. While researching a trip at home, you find the trail from the satellite image, draw a trail on it, then save it. When you are actually driving that trail, you'll be able to follow it.
Then all the cool GE panning and perspective features come in. Zoom in 50 feet above your truck. Swivel around and check out the scenery - even at night.
Ah - a storm is coming in. Believe it or not all this is... free!
... Nice to see someone showing how to use free technology at its best.
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