Hachiroku and Maugham: The Autopark 2000 that I ordered is shipped from San Franciso, so it will be on my doorstep today (1-17). In the meantime, I measured the distance between the ground and the bottom of the license plate on both the 1st and 2nd generation Odysseys. On my '98, the distance is 30"; on later models, it is 36". That is pretty high off the ground to be mounting a distance-sensing device! I called the tech guy at ATN Corp in S.F, 800-910-2863 -- that's the company that makes it-- and asked if those distances are too high for it to work correctly. He said that while the horizontal sweep is 120 degrees, the vertical is only 12 degrees, and thus it may be necessary to angle it slightly downwards in order for it to "see" bumpers of normal height. As it is, the license plate on both generations of Odys angles back from the vertical a bit, making the situation even worse. I am not inclined to want to drill holes in the plastic bumper shroud below the rear hatch simply to mount it in a better location for picking up bumpers of normal height. Instead, I will see how feasible it is to make an angled shim (bend a piece of 1/16" right-angle aluminum or whatever) so as to make it aim correctly. I am aware, from a continuation of my search online, that there are many products out there that purport to do the same task, but Autopark 2000 is still the least expensive that I can find that appears to do the job. Several sites advertise it for $37.80. ATN itself sells it for $79! This is my interim report. Once I have it I'll know better if this device is useful or a waste of time. The big issue, aside from backing up into the bumpers of other cars, is avoiding hitting the theoretical child on a tricycle. In my lifestyle, that is likely never to occur, but I think it's best if the product can accomplish that, or nearly that. By the way Hachiroku, I grew up in Berkeley in the 40s and early 50s, attended Paly High in Palo Alto, and went to UC Berkeley in the early 60s. Later, my wife and I lived across from "People's Park" in 1968-71 when it was taken over by noisy but earnest protesters. Exciting times! Later, Steve
------------------
stevenj
'98 Odyssey LX-7