Has any one heard of , or tried...........

Jerry O: Your post intrigued me and got me to doing a little research. I would feel more comfortable knowing how far the rear of my '98 Ody is from objects behind it. I e-mailed C.K. Yun and he gave a very thorough reply (sorry, I don't have it handy as I contacted him through my office e-mail system). For my 1st generation Ody, he suggested a model 1 step above the cheapest one, which has the sonar eyes, the alien-looking controller thing, and a black box that goes somewhere in the back perhaps near where I have my jack and tools. He would retail it to me (I live in Calif.) for $89 plus. I have a small budget and decided that since I always twist my body half way around to look out the back when I back up (I guess I never trust that I am seeing everything in the mirrors) the Sondar's visual read-out won't be helpful. It will compete for my visual attention. Plus the controller might look like an ugly add-on in my beautiful Ody's interior. Conclusion: I will purchase a similar but simpler product from jcwhitney.com, Autopark 2000, that mounts to your licence plate, contains two little sensors that scan an area of 120 degrees. The information is conveyed through sound from a single, unobtrusive speaker that you can place anywhere (I'll put mine down below the dashboard somewhere). When you switch the Ody into reverse, two little beeps announce that it is operational, then there is silence as long as you are within the first of three pre-set distances. When the infrared sensors detect any objects behind you within the second or third distance ranges, you'll hear an audible warning. Constant beeping means caution, you're getting close. Rapid beeping means stop. You can set your own distances for both caution and stop zones. Installation takes 15-20 minutes for non-professionals they say (which means it will take me 1 hour!). The SKU number at JCwhitney.com for the autopark 2000 devices is 81ZX708B, $59.95. If you're curious, I will let you know how I like it once it's installed. Steve



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stevenj
'98 Odyssey LX-7

Stevenj,
Yes, please do keep us posted. I thought about getting this a few months ago but was "ify" since it looked too simple. Then again this may be a good option over the more expensive systems.
Thanks

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-ROB-
'01 GG LX "Lagreat"(with lotsa stuff.S-T-U-F-F)

http://community.webshots.com/album/18601743AkjQIJiKqK

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



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stevenj
'98 Odyssey LX-7

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by stevenj:
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


</font>

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Steve,
Sounds like you were here during those real exciting times! That was actually before my time but my younger brother is a CAL boy right now and he's seen his share of protesters.
Thanks for the update but judging by the review of lotus, it looks like it's not the right product for a '99-on Ody.
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-ROB-
'01 GG LX "Lagreat"(with lotsa stuff.S-T-U-F-F)

http://community.webshots.com/album/18601743AkjQIJiKqK


[This message has been edited by hachiroku (edited 01-17-2002).]