Pioneer AVIC-U260 Navigation

[Sandy___Shirley]

Knowing how RV manufacturers work, what is the cheapest thing this week, my Georgetown might be the only RV ever built with a Pioneer GPS system. But, if I am wrong, I want to start a thread for Pioneer AVIC-U260 owners.

The Pioneer AVIC-U260 owner’s manual is 76 pages of small text with a bunch of pictures. Not all that easy to find what you want, ask a passenger to make a quick change, or ask a friend to set up the next destination. I’m trying to create a small 3 to 5 page cheat sheet, totally illustrated, on just how to do the standard things you need for navigation of an RV using the U260.

Plan A is that the final document would cover 10 or 20 common things you normally do with the system. Under each request, like change my vehicle type from car to bus, you would see a series of screen shots with red dots over which button to hit next to get to your final destination. If there is any text, it would-be limited to a sentence or two.
• Define a location and save it to favorites under a nick name.
• Define a location and just go there.
• Go to a saved favorite.
• Review and modify a route.
• How to handle a road closure or blockage.
• Turn off navigation when you get there.
• Find a restaurant of gas station that can handle a motorhome.
• Etc.
Again, no long winded explanations of each screen and why you hit which button and what all the other buttons on that screen do, if you want that take out the manual. This is a simple screen shot by screen shot to do list with red dots on what to push, and maybe a brief explanation at the end!

I’d like to work with others on the forum and I am happy to take suggestions and requests and share the final product, a Word document, and I might also publish it on my website.

Contact me on this forum and we can start a user’s group.

[Sandy___Shirley]

No response yet for starting a “users group”, so let me give you an example of the types of problems I am trying to solve with this thread.

When we first got our U260, we had problems hearing it over the A/C when driving at high speeds. I actually called Pioneer and they said to ask the dealer to install the auxiliary speaker which the dealer did, but with little to no improvement.

We already knew about the page in the settings menu (touch the map, then “More…”, then settings) and you get to a control where you can adjust the 4 different volume levels including the spoken navigation commands. The factory rep did not mention the second volume control which is also not mentioned in the manual. There is an overall master volume control on the “Quick Menu”. There is a “Menu” button on the navigation map screen which, per the manual, takes you to the “Quick Menu” and that menu has a master volume control at the bottom of it. The default setting is about 50% which is not enough for you to hear commands over road and A/C noise.

Bottom line is that the dealer and tech support did not know enough to tell us how to increase the volume. The dealer actually did a free service upgrade installing the auxiliary speaker as if that was the problem and it was not done properly by Forest River. That is why I wanted to start a thread where owners of a specific navigation unit can help newbees with start up questions!

All of the answers are not intuitive and they are also not all in the manual!

[DSDP_Don]

I use to drive 40K a year for work using a GPS on many occasions and 10K a year in the RV. As a personal preference, I NEVER use the traffic mapping features. First, it often takes you all over town, others who live in the area already know the shortcuts, so you rarely save time chasing alternate routes.

If it were me, just turn it off. Nothing says you can sit in your RV in the evening and play with the GPS. Settings will let you pick colors, View will let you pick 2d, 3d birdseye view etc. Just play with all of these. If you mess up all the settings and can't find your way back, go to settings and hit Return to Default.

Once you get the GPS set the way you like it, colors, map view, etc, you won't be messing with those options after that. We actually run two at a time since the in dash can't be changed while underway. I have the in dash on for freeway lane choices and route and my wife is running another near her where she can search for Rest Stops, Campgrounds, fuel stops, etc.

[Sandy___Shirley]

We are NaviNewbees. Figured out how to put in the address of the KOA in Harper’s Ferry WV and it did take us there from the Maryland Delaware line. The problem was that as we got close there were a few traffic tie ups and it automatically took us on alternate routes. We have a 37’ motorhome towing a Ford Focus which makes us over 50 feet long and some of those alternate routes were, well let’s just say fun!

After a while we were able to find the place where you tell the system you are not a car, you are a bus, which we hope will solve the situation. Now we are looking for the way that we can also tell the system not to just tell us to turn on an alternate route around a tie up. Can it just tell us one exists and maybe suggest a new route that we get to say yes or no to?

[DSDP_Don]

If you've ever used a GPS before, they're pretty much all the same. You can search by address, Point of Interest, intersection and on better quality ones, telephone number and GOS coordinates. As Dennis said, just start pushing buttons. These units are all intuitive, if you think it should do something, push the button you think will show you what you want. It's pretty simple.

I would spend the time pushing buttons on the unit, rather than spend timing making a manual you'll never use!

[Executive45]

Why would you need a manual? Guys don't read manuals. We simply continue fiddling with it until it works, then we repeat. IMHO, manuals are referral tools. I use the index to locate particular stuff I need.

And how is the long manual a motor home mfgs fault? They simply installed a product. Pioneer is known as a quality product....

I need coffee...:).Dennis