ILKER

Please help... When I first got my SL 500 the Navigation system (map option) used to show my cars heading always to the top, moving the map around it while driving. Now it does this only while on route guidance and it does not do it without route guidance while on the map view. I would really appreciate if someone knows how to adjust this. I called Mercedes and they told me that it is not possible, but I drove the car like that for 5 months and all of a sudden the adjustmens have changed and I can not find anywhere how to set it again like that...

I want to drive my car on the map view (without any route guidance or navigtation set) with the arrow heading up. It becomes very confusing when this arrow shows North on the map view... Please help...

ravens1488

You can change it in the NAV -->Options Menu. You can choose North up,...

Chris

scorchie

Is this new in the R230 SL COMAND? Because I have a number of COMAND 2.0 systems (all updated) and none of them have this option... I know the R230 software is a bit nicer though.

-s-

bostonbob

I'm just learning to use the euro Comand installed in my E320 by Steve. I have same issue. The only work-around I can come up with so far is to set my map guidance feature for a memory 'Home' destination and then turn off the sound. Now, my screen is always oriented to front windshield of car. (Hard to believe I have to resort to this just to get map orientation to reflect what I see out the front window.)

Anyone have a better solution?

scorchie

Nope, you can't do it. I didn't even know you could do it on the R230 SL. But you can do it on the ML's MCS nav system.

-s-

ILKER

Hi BostonBob, That was the solution I came up with too my friend but it is very inconvenient. The think that amazes me that I drove my car with the correct setting (arrow showing to the front) for at least 5 months...There should be a way to set it back again like that and I will find it somehow. I am very determined...As soon as I find it I'll let you know...

bostonbob

Are you sure you were not simply driving N all of the time ???

It seems unbelievable that MB would fail to include such a necessary feature. Could somebody explain the logic to me? Who wants to watch the vehicle progress upside down? Or sideways?

I'm also pretty disappointed in the maps... the content. Streets & Trips or DeLorme have amazing databases. NavTech doesn't measure up at all in terms of these maps. The Canada CD is the biggest loser of the lot. "Eastern Canada" seems to be restricted to Montreal - anyone ever hear of the Maritime provinces??

London Lad

It is normal to hold a map 'North up'.

It used to be a standing joke that women had to turn the map as as you drove.

North up gives a much better overall perspective on your overall possition.

Graham

bostonbob

Wrong! I'm a veteran USAF Navigator with over 150 combat missions and 3,000 hours. NEVER would you orient to N up while map reading. You orient to identifiable landmarks ahead, astern and to port and starboard. You orient in the direction of travel and turn your map accordingly. The proper way for this system to work is as I have described. It is totally unnatural for the system to work "North up" - unless you happen to be moving N at the time. Our mind does not think nor see in "North up" terms at street level.

London Lad

Well I will bow to you experience and qualifications!!!

However in my minds eye view, when driving on a long journey without navigation, I see an atlas style map of the UK with North up. It just seems natural to me.

With navigation its the same, If I know I'm going to a place about 100 miles east of my home I want the map view to confirm that I'm going in the correct general direction i.e. to the left!!


I do switch to direction of travel up for the last mile or so once I am in the local roads near the destination though.

Graham.

scorchie

See, two different points of view. That is why the viewpoint should be selectable!

On the MCS for the M-klasse, it is just that: selectable.

On the COMAND 2.0 for the W210/W163/W208 and W203/W209, as far as I can tell the only option is "North up" while driving; and it is selectable while navigating. Although it is nice to be selectable while navigating, the system assumes I am not navigating when I have not set a destination... this is a poor assumption.

-s-

Ted Baldwin

............I have a Euro Comand in my CLK32K. When I input an address, the navigation is always pointing upwards.........the way the car is going, regardless of whether it is north or south. IOt does this automatically. Then it points me directly left or right when turns need to be made then it readjusts and points upeard a gain. I like it. Is this what you are talking about. If for some reason you do not like this feature, you can go into info and select mapview and it will give you a north-south, east-west view and your car will be pointing down when you are going straight etc and makes it difficult to navigate.

Ted

Lynn

Having worked with the Royal Engineers on several survey and mapping projects, I am fairly certain than British maps are just like American maps. East is to the right when north is at the top of the map.

amiras

lol ... :p

London Lad

OK OK !!!

bostonbob

Thank you for deferring to my experience....

I will, however, partially agree that if you prefer a 50,000 ft view of your travel - N up is OK - maybe even best.

I'm always interested in what's going on directly in front or within the next mile or so. Maybe too much low-level flying. For this reason, N up is distracting. Guess the Teutonic twits don't agree with me or they would have permitted me to have this option. Always happy (not) when somebody else knows what's best for me.

In spite of the ranting - this is still the best vehicle i've ever owned. My MB dealer told me today he has never seen an E320 with Comand. They even had the MB service rep look the car over to try to figure out how I could have Comand plus the Nokia phone installed. They say it can't be done. The phone really puzzled 'em. Thanks again, Steve.

jhillman

On my COMAND unit, you can change the map view orientation from 'direction travelling' always on top to 'North' on top. While in the map view, press the right control knob. You'll see a small menu to the left of your screen. Scroll down to the arrow icon and press it. This will toggle your orientation.

scorchie

You mean only while navigating right? Because if you don't have a destination, you don't have those choices... can you verify?

-s-

bostonbob

apparently some of us just don't bother to read the thread. We are discussing using the system when NOT in map guidance. We do understand how it works when we ARE in map guidance (destination selected) but that's not the issue under discussion here.

Ted Baldwin

apparently some of us just don't bother to read the thread. We are discussing using the system when NOT in map guidance. We do understand how it works when we ARE in map guidance (destination selected) but that's not the issue under discussion here.


...........Thank you for the clarrification, but the clarification further mystifies me. When you are not in route guidance, you are simply looking at a map of where you are so the sytem displays a map for you with proper coordinates. The same way as if you were looking at a Rand McNally atlas. I would think it mopre confusing if the map were displayed any other way. But thats just me.

Ted

bostonbob

Ted - when I'm "not in map guidance" I'm still trying to use the system to navigate. I simply do not have a destination plugged in. Why wouldn't I want the screen orientatation to reflect exactly what I see out the front window?

You've already stated that that's how you use your Comand when you are in map guidance mode.... so why would you want to track your position in non-guidance mode in some other way?

Again - I do understand that there are some among us who prefer N up all the time - especially if it is a view with 10 or more miles on the screen. But I want the screen to reflect direction of vehicle travel which is much more normal for me and more intuitive, I would think.

As Scorchie has already said - there are different points of view (pun intended) - and that's exactly what you'd expect MB to understand. It's a big disappointment to me that they did not.

ILKER

Thanks BostonBob, you have exactly the same feelings as I do regarding this map view. You mentioned earlier that you turn off the sound when you are navigating just to have this arrow pointing up. My question is do you turn off the sound completely, or can you still continue to listen to the music. Is there a way to just turn the navigations guidance sound of? If there is this would also solve my problem for now because I think there is no solution for this. I spent copule of hours this week with some high level tchnicians from Mercedes and they finally said that this is impossible...I still do not understand how I drove like that for 5 months. =Definitely there is a glitch in their system...I am a computer guy too and beleive me I now what I am talking about.

Thanks again for your comments...

bostonbob

Don't know about turning sound off. Maybe somebody else has that info.

Ted Baldwin

............As far as the sound is concerned, you can adjust the volume by going to system, then press sound and adjust the volume of the navigation lady relative to the volume of the other audio comp[onents. You can also change the language that is used for the audible comands from english to french, german spanish etc if you so choose.

.........Peripheral but somewhat related, when you are in guidance mode, you can switch from the normal coordinates where North is always pointing up to the one where your car is always pointing up and back and forth. So I know that the comand is capable of performing this task. I think this must have been actively disabled when not in giudance mode perhrps because of the assumption that using the foxed coordinates will be less confusing. You can imagine how many calls and complaints Mb would be getting if the map were turned upside down etc.


Ted

Ted

scorchie

Changing the volume of the navigation voice in the manner you outline is possible only on certain versions of the COMAND. There are many different versions of COMAND and many different software versions, and they all have their own feature sets.

As mentioned earlier in this thread, the M-klasse MCS navigation DOES allow choosing the map orientation for either mode. I bet Mercedes really doesn't get that many calls on it. Apparently this is possible with the COMAND fitted to the R230 SL series, as well. If you've looked at this COMAND, you'll notice the software is quite different on it... somewhat similar to the 16:9 COMAND for the W215/W220.

-s-