I finally finished my alternate NAV unit for my 2004 G35C. Total cost of final parts used was $581 (each item rounded to nearest dollar). For those of you who didn't have the option of a NAV unit in your G35 (2003/2004 base models), couldn't afford another $2K during the initial purchase, or thought it was priced too high, or whatever it was, this is a great budget DIY upgrade that does not involve doing any soldering or manufacturing.

I used the following:

$350 - Navman PiN (aka Mitac Mio 168 overseas)
$117 - Sandisk Secure Digital 1GB 133X Memory Card
$ 25 - Mio 168 6' Retractable Cable+USB Travel Adapter
$ 16 - Mio 168 Anti-Glare Screen Protector
$ 20 - GoMadic Cradle (slightly modded)
$ 15 - GoMadic XPC 12V Cradle Mount
$ 10 - SimpleTech Secure Digital 2.0 USB reader
$ 10 - Philips Cassette Adapter
$ 9 - Bell 12V Y-Splitter Adapter
$ 9 - 2.5mm to 3.5mm angle stereo adapter

Prices are from Dec 2004 to Feb 2005 and include shipping and/or taxes. It took quite some time to research all the components, many orders plus many returns, and testing several brands of cassette adapters for sound quality. You can save about 75% off the memory card if you go with a 128MB instead of a 1GB if you just want your state map(s) loaded and are not planning on playing music from the PDA. A 128MB card will fit an area the size of California or Texas. If you live in Hawaii, you won't even need an additional card because it'll fit on the included 32MB installation card. My 1GB card holds the Florida state map and just over 16 hours of MP3 music at 128Kbps/44Khz/Stereo. I prefer the NavMan PiN to the Garmin iQue 3600 for many reasons, but both are very good units and wouldn't mind having either one. Both units have their advantages and disadvantages. Sony and Monster were two other brands of cassette adapters that worked great, but cost more while Telstar was a piece of junk. The Monster brand was iPod white which was an eye sore around the black tape deck. I'm still doing research on this part, so far all of them generate some static but it's not noticeable unless the car engine is off and all is quiet. If you have a 2005 G35 Sedan/Coupe, you won't need the cassette adapter, 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter, or a large memory card because the factory player supports MP3 playback.

I'm using PocketMPV freeware software to play MP3/OGG files in the background with keep alive turned off and pre-amped down so I can hear the GPS voice clearly over the music for navigation. I used dBpowerAMP freeware software on the PC to convert all my MP3 files to normalize sound between the songs, reduce file sizes to 128Kbps bit rate, remove id tags and remove begin/end silence. If you set your PDA to cache the entire song before playing there is about a 2-3 second delay between songs but it will not break up when the GPS mapping program is loading new data. I've heard the OGG format may reduce CPU usage, which will extend battery life when it's unmounted, but I haven't experimented with that yet.

The PDA unit automatically turns on when the car is started and turns off after two minutes (time adjustable) when off. PDA boot time is about a half second and the GPS takes about 15-30 seconds to locate on startup and updates the map once every second. If you are indoors (home or parking garage) or you're next to many tall buildings in the area it may take up to two minutes to locate your initial position. The GPS mapping software included is called SmartST 2 (aka Destinator 3), which normally sells for $200 separately and has all of USA and Canada. It can be set 2D or angle adjustable 3D, has auto rerouting by shortest path or time, shows speed/time/angle/dtg/eta/ttg, next turn directions, and many other features. It does not have any of the unique Infiniti features such as fuel monitoring but you can enable special icons such as gas stations, airports, hotels, banks, etc. on the map with a few clicks.

I did not want to use the included windshield mount so it would not entice thieves or become a small blind spot while driving. Unless your +8ft tall, you cannot see the unit standing in front of the car headlights. With a push of a button, you can detach it from your car and carry the PDA unit inside your home/office or hide it in the armrest. The same retractable data/battery cord used in the car is the same one used to hook up to a PC. You can use the PDA for about six hours (much less if your playing a movie or music) without recharging. It has a standby time of about 21 days. I'd highly recommend a $10 USB 2.0 reader to load all your maps and song files instead of transferring it directly to the PDA unit. Loading 1GB of data takes 10 minutes with a reader versus eight hours directly to the PDA.

For those who have cell phones mounts that use the same 12V connector, then you will need to find alternate mounting kit, find a 3-way 12V splitter that'll work, or use the 12V connector in the arm rest (if possible).

 

That is a nice Clean Setup

 

Update-I discovered that our tape players will attempt to play anything you shove in it. So I decided to dump all the useless guts out of the cassette adapter and stuff the wiring inside. The unit now plays without the usual plastic rubbing sound from the adapter (now completely silent) but if you accidently hit rewind, it'll continue forever until you stop it. The bundle of wiring shown in my tape door is no longer present.

 

Whoa, I've never thought of that... nice! Too bad the geniuses at Infiniti decided a cassette player for the 05 was too cool... and they don't even bother to put an audio-in plug... bastards! Question: isn't palm a bit of stress on that ciggy lighter? Just wondering

 

Not bad for the price.

 

For those with 2005's, you can either hard wire into the Sat radio or try your luck with an 12V FM radio transmitter. The problem with the FM modulators is sometimes you have to fight with the local radio stations. I have no experience with them but vr3 makes one that is a 12V adapter, has a 3.5mm audio input and a usb connector. The USB is suppose to read a usb flash drive but it should work as an USB power outlet instead. I know the 05's have Mp3 playback in the deck, but its nice to hear the navigation directions by voice through the car speakers alongside with your music so you never have to take your eyes off the road.

http://www.vr-3.com/vr3_fmmod.html
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=3579125

No, from the pics, the top 12V adapter is just the PDA mount holder and it draws no power. The bottom 12V adapter is a convertor from the car outlet to a usb connector and runs at 5V at 1.0 amp. When the car turns on/off, the PDA turns on/off automatically.

 

Ventral: This is exactly what I was looking for.. Do you suggest getting the Navman or Miko 168?! Is there any different between the two?!

 

There is no difference except for the name and packaging. When you power up the Navman for the first time, it has a Mio boot screen and there's a Mio Battery Manager in the settings. All of the Mio 168 cables/adapters work fine. I paid $350 for mine and I believe they still go for that price at outpost.com. Navman part # AA005600 (or try PIN 100), if the part # is AA005600R, its a refurbish model (but will be cheaper). Make sure you set your battery setting for 'Superior' to enable full power to the GPS antenna, it makes a huge difference in the time to detect your initial location and it updates faster.

 

Thanks man found a Mio 168 with all the bells and whistles I will let you know how everything works out once I get it.

 

Okay now doing a search for a SD card. If not using the unit for mp3's is a 1 gb card worth it or can something smaller be used for all US maps including Canada...

 

If you select all the maps, it'll be larger than the 1GB can handle. I think its over 1.5GB for all the maps, it comes on three cdroms. According to the manuals, a 1GB is the max it'll take, never tried a 2GB card and tech support doesn't even know if it'll work or not. You can switch cards while the PocketPC is running (but you have to close any programs accessing it like the GPS mapping software or it might lockup). As for the card's speed rating, I don't see any difference from my Lexar 256mb '12x' and the Sandisk 1gb '133x' card so I wouldn't spend the extra for the performance since you'll never see it.

 

Lol now you tell me aight already order the sandisk though so I will let you know how it all works out from there..