NAV Functionality Question
 

I am the new owner of a used 2002 e39. It has a Nav system. I am used to a Garmin with touch screen.

I have the Mark III system with software 3-1/41.

There are some quirks with this Nav unit. For example, the unit gives an altitude reading. Cool. However, we can only read the altitude on the main menu screen. Cannot read it while the unit is navigating.

My first question is this: if I uplevel the software, does this quirk get fixed?

Also, our Garmin is quite old, but when we are navigating in a large city the unit does a great job of showing us what the road ahead looks like when we are required to take action, so that we can be in the correct lane (upcoming cloverleafs and things like that). We seem to get some sense of that with the BMW unit, but not as clearly. If I uplevel the software, is there more detailed map information presented?

3-1/63 is the latest, and last, software version ever released for the Mk3. It is always worht updating: it fixes bugs and adds features. I'd suggest you update.

yep latest and greatest...

It is definitely worth the OS upgrade for many reasons, but not the specific questions you ask.

The OS upgrade will not change the behavior of the altitude-- it is only visible when the unit is not navigating.

You may get some better turn information if you upgrade the OS, but I am not sure. (I have been on the new version for so long that I can not remember what the older OS views look like.) The Garmin units will give you a mock view of a road with lane lines, and stuff. The newer BMW MKIII OS version has a split screen view that shows the map and the turn instructions in the same screen. It is not as detailed as the Garmin, but it does a pretty good job.

Thank you for the advice.

O.K. I'll upgrade to 3-1/63, but these kinds of things scare me - sort of like upgrading the BIOS on my PC.

Everybody seems to do this by dowloading the O.S. and burning a CD. I am concerned about burning a CD myself, as my burner sometimes seems quirky.

I would be willing to pay for a CD that I knew was right and would not cause any problems during the upgrade process. Is there any place where I can buy the O.S. upgrade CD?

Ask fo other Arizona members to come and help you and reward them with a beer.

Upgrading the Mk3 is really quite easy. You just need to make sure the CD is Mode2, and that you are using an oriignal unmodified BMW OS image.

Thank you.

I don't know what Mode2 is.

Is the image that I want one of these?

http://www.e38.org/nav/

If so, I don't know which one. Could you tell me which one?

I found the link in this thread: http://tinyurl.com/6ckyq7

There was confusion about level 22 vs level 23.

Do you know of a less confusing thread I might go to in order to get this right?

Then you should either

a) be prepared to learn
or
b ) stop right here and let someone do it for you :-)

You told me to upgrade and that it isn't too tough, so I am going to upgrade, and am willing to do a).

I have investigated Mode 2 and see how I can set up the controls on Nero Burning to make an ISO Mode 2/XA CD.

As to the file I need to burn: Can you look at my note, above, and tell me which one of the files I should use? I would appreciate it.

You cannot.

The original image of the file is a Mode2 image.

You must ensure the image stays Mode2 and doesn't change

So get a copy of the originail image and then burn it with ImgBurn
ImgBurn will show you the image mode before you burn it, so you can be sure it stays Mode2.

Any OS version of V22 or later has 3-1/63 on it.

Just make sure the image is Mode2, as some people have loaded images that have been changed to Mode1.

Ahh another member being antsy about upgrading the OS. I still haven't pulled the trigger and i have the MKIV version. Good luck.

Done. I used ImgBurn. I checked for Mode 2 as it was burning, and it was Mode2. I burned at a speed of 2X. I checked my work, using the verify function in ImgBurn, and the verify was successful. I used Explore to look at the CD, and there are many files on it that have names suggesting the right kind of stuff, including a big one that is 200mb+. So, I am confident that I have a good update CD at this time and hopefully am ready to rock and roll.

The CD-Key: If I read the FAQ correctly, I do not actually need a key. I base this on the level of my current software, 3-1/41, which would have come from a V18.2 distribution disk (or equivalent factory install?). However, I would not want to be caught w/o a key in the middle of the update process if I am wrong. So, I tried to build a key CD. I don't think I have done it right.

I downloaded v18-key.zip from e38.org/nav.

I unzipped it using winrar.

I installed on my PC "Clone CD", which came with the download.

I used Clone CD to copy the key file (700+ bytes) to a CD.

I tried to look at the contents of the CD using Windows Explore. It would not show me anything, so I am not confident that I did this procedure correctly.

Could you advise me on the following: Does the current level of my nav system assure me that I will not need a key CD? If yes, I am ready to proceed and will do so. If no, could you tell me where I went wrong?

Thanks,
BillK

Everything I have seen shows that you are good to go if you have Ver.18 or higher. (3-1/40).

It is good you have checked it is Mode2

But using Verify in ImgBurn tells you absolutely nothing about the quality of the CD.

Use Nero DiscSpeed to do a surface scan and measure the errors on the disc. That is the only way to tell if it is a good disc.

Jochen, I used Nero Disc Speed, per your recommendation. I think I did it right, but I don't understand my results. I got a couple of hundred "C2" errors and no "C1" errors. I cannot find an explanation of what these two types of errors mean. Can you interpret these results for me?

I googled "cd c1 and c2 errors" and the top of the list is Explaining Common CD Errors

(Maybe I should sell training courses "How to Google?")

This website states:
C1 Errors.
C1 Errors refer to the block error rate (BLER), which consists of bit errors at the lowest level. BLER is always expressed in errors per second. All CDs and CDRs contain C1 errors. They are a normal result of the write process. However, the maximum BLER rate for a quality recording is an average of 220 errors per second based on 10 second samples.

C2 Errors.
C2 Errors refer to bytes in a frame (24 bytes per frame, 98 frames per block) and is an indication of a CD player's attempt to use error correction to recover lost data. C2 errors can be serious. A CD player may correct them, then again, it may not.
C2 errors are usually an indication of poor media quality, or a CD writer's failure to produce a quality burn (see conclusion).


My personal experience is that I would accept CDs with around 100 or less C2 errors.
Experiment burning at different speeds, and see what difference it makes to the error rates. Tip: try 1x and report what you find. You may be surprised!

My report:

I repeated the test of the first CD, recorded at 2X. C2 results:

Max.: 418
Ave: 0.88
Total: 1213

(Quite a bit higher than my first run, as I recall, but I was clueless and focused on C1 and thought things were basically OK until you told me C2 is the one to be concerned about. Who in the hell invented this terminology? Don't they know that the human mind focuses on the first number given?)

I then recorded a new CD at 1X. C2 results:

Max.: 119
Ave.: 0.22
Total: 302


If this were your car, would you proceed with the update, using the 1X CD? I have no idea whether I should be focused on the max number or the total number. If total, then proceding is out of the question. If max, then we are close to your criterion.

Try a burn at 12x or 18x or something like that, make sure the blank supports it

Jochen, success at last! I tried a burn at 18X. Zero C2 errors and zero C1 errors.

I walked out to my car, turned on the ignition, took out the map disk, put in the new disk, and watched for about 5-1/2 minutes as the update proceeded. It ended correctly, and my screen now shows level 3-1/63. Mission accomplished!

Thanks a million for all of your patience and help, Jochen. I truly appreciate it.

I will send my upgrade CD free to somebody here if you want to try an upgrade on your MKIII. I will not be responsible for any outcome, but the CD does seem to have worked for me. You can send me a private message if you like.

Exactly my point. Modern CD burners and blank media produce errors when burnt at low speed.

I'm pleased it all worked out :-)