Since I can't go to best buy and bunch of random car audio stores and start touching buttons and get a feel for these things I'm ready to buy and install a decent radio for the suburban.
"Requirements":
- Double din with remote GPS antenna
- Preferably no CD player
- bluetooth
- I have an android phone
- multiple camera input. 2 is okay but 3 is better.
- backup cam (to help with trailer)
- trailer cam (to help with backing up, lane changes)
- dash cam? may be nice to keep that option open
- HD screen
- I have no plans to ever upgrade the audio system in the truck, stock is plenty fine.
I want to have a standalone GPS for if I ever really do any overlanding but mostly for rally service we are usually in the middle of nowhere and cell/GPS signal may be pretty bad.
What am I even searching for? I Know with the connector kits and to retain the steering wheel controls this can be a 4 digit project quickly (even before acquiring cameras) Because of this "investment" I want to pick the brain of the hive on what experiences or knowledge can help me here. What brands are good these days and who should I shy away from, any helpful audio pages these days?
In the grand GRM tradition of giving someone something other than what they asked for, I present this. (I did some research on this product a few months ago, so it's top of mind for me.)
Garmin Overlander.
The mount is a pretty stout window mount or RAM ball mount. The "tablet" connects to the mount with a magnet and pogo pins, so you don't have wires to connect every time you remove the tablet. Has built-in road and overland maps, along with route planning software, and can connect to as many as four of Garmin's BC-35 wireless cameras. Can provide bluetooth calling through a paired phone, and can pair to Garmin's Inreach text messaging satelite communicators to give you a friendlier interface for typing out your messages. Also connects to a Garmin trip planning website.
That said, some overlander's reviews seem lukewarm, since it's a $700 MSRP (Garmin has it on sale for $600) for a closed tablet with what would, for a general purpose tablet, be middling specs. It also has a price premium over the similar Dezl commercial truck offerings. When $700 will get you a 4G iPad, (GPS/GNSS isn't on the wi-fi only iPad) rugged case, and a tablet mount, the Garmin is has been reviewed by some as too specialized and limited. Also, it uses micro-USB in 2020, and while covered in a ruggedized shell, is not water resistant.
that is cool but that doesn't solve my no bluetooth bad OEM radio problem.
