Journey/Meridian pilots, show me your cockpit

[Cloudrnnr]

Picture time We're just starting to set up our "new to us" 2004 Journey and would like to see how people have set up their driver and navigator stations. GPS, tire monitors, engine monitoring, etc.

[SCVJeff]

Not much to show. There is a mount plate for a GPS

[Selah]

Not a Journey but I don't add anything the the drivers side. There is enough to do for the driver without adding distractions.
My DW is the navigator, she handles all the nav duties. The GPS and iPad are on here side and faces her. I do t even bother to look at it. Same with TPMS.
This is my opinion (and you know what they say about opinions); I don't need to be trying to change routes, entering coordinates of a CG, looking for alternate routes, or anything like that while powering a 38K pound 42 foot MH with a toad down a highway at 65 MPH. My attention need to be what is going on around me and my current gauges, oil pressure, boost pressure, engine temp, tranny temp, etc..
Again, just my opinion.

[skigramp]

At the start of each day we go over the route ... my job is to drive (stay in my lane, watch out for idiots that cut in front of me, make sure the toad is still connected behind us ...) and her job is to navigate and keep us on our planned route and to be in charge of the music (Sirius and CDs).

I am decent at my job ... and she is excellent at hers ... works for us ...

[charles tuit]

I hope this is clear as I don't do pics well.

[charles tuit]

One other of passenger side.

[FIRE UP]

To the OP here,
Ours is across the line-up and, up one from yours. It's an '04 Itasca Horizon (1 up from the Meridian in that year) 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT. In the picture you see, I have the TPMS in the left corner, suction cupped to the left front corner window. It's totally out of the way of the windshield that way but, plenty viewable at a glance.

The GPS unit, is just above the dash, above the monitor screen that's in the dash. It's a 7" unit that also presents no hinder to frontal viewing. The top, front edge of the dash on ours has a flat recess for that unit to be installed there. To the left of the back up monitor is, the Medallion Information Center LCD screen. It displays any and all info about that engine, speed, mpg, and much, much more.

Just below the radio, to the right a bit, you'll see the touch pad for the "Trip-Tek" information system. For those of you that are not sure what that is, it's an information system that's tied into the engine ECM. It also displays, on an "Overlay" on the back up monitor, any and all pertinent information about speed, mileage, engine temp, trans temp, oil pressure, trip distance log, todays log, leg log, service intervals, and time and date, and much more.

So, as you can see, I've got more to look at than I care to. And, I've got a full viewing angle of the windshield too.
Scott

[Cloudrnnr]

Thanks all. I do appreciate the comments about having the driver focused on the road and letting the passenger handle navigation and information duties. We will definitely plan on that when traveling together. For the times with either of us are solo, however, we're looking for the optimum set up. I do like the jotto desk option, but a ram mount in the same area might make the GPS accessible without blocking any road view. I haven't put our GPS in the same position as Fireup yet--but was imagining the 7" screen would take out too much view. I may have to rethink that.

[Sammie]

Hey Scott, I can see from your picture that the Sophie Dog rides on the dash. Is that so when your DW falls asleep, you still have an alert navigator?

Hope your enjoying your new home.

Sammie

[Mr Miyagi]

Great thread! we usually team up on the navigation as DW is a very good map reader and I rely more on the techno gizmos. Our 04 Journey's pilot seat is pretty much stock at the moment.

I do like the driver's side 12 volt socket in Scott's seat and everyone's driver's side CB mounting...

More new projects!!

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by Cloudrnnr

Thanks all. I do appreciate the comments about having the driver focused on the road and letting the passenger handle navigation and information duties. We will definitely plan on that when traveling together. For the times with either of us are solo, however, we're looking for the optimum set up. I do like the jotto desk option, but a ram mount in the same area might make the GPS accessible without blocking any road view. I haven't put our GPS in the same position as Fireup yet--but was imagining the 7" screen would take out too much view. I may have to rethink that.

Cloudrnnr,
My wife also does most of the navigating. But, she's got a few resources to handle that job. You see, that 7" GPS comes out of it's mount in less than one second and, she's using it. That way, when the route is planned out, she re-installs it and, I can glance at it for a turn by turn operation. And, like stated, it's so low on the dash horizon, it does not impede my view of any portion that windshield.

Originally Posted by Sammie

Hey Scott, I can see from your picture that the Sophie Dog rides on the dash. Is that so when your DW falls asleep, you still have an alert navigator?

Hope your enjoying your new home.

Sammie

Sammie,
Yep, the Sophie kid does hang out on the dash, and her lap, and the floor, and my lap (but not all that often). When she was little, she'd snooze for quite a while on the dash while we were under way. But, as she's gotten older, she prefers the wifes lap. And, as usual, she gets her way. And, most of the time when she's in the wifes lap, they're BOTH ASLEEP!

Originally Posted by Mr Miyagi

Great thread! we usually team up on the navigation as DW is a very good map reader and I rely more on the techno gizmos. Our 04 Journey's pilot seat is pretty much stock at the moment.

I do like the driver's side 12 volt socket in Scott's seat and everyone's driver's side CB mounting...

More new projects!!

Hey Ron,
That 12V power plug comes in handy when I have to charge the main unit for the Tire Pressure monitor.
Scott