In the Spring 2017 issue of American Snowmobiler, we showed readers how to install one of these NS1 Gauge Systems on a 2017 Arctic Cat 8000. Since then, Next Stage Gauges has been making improvements to this system to make it even better.
Improved Vehicle Compatibility
The last 5 months have been all about increasing the number of supported vehicles. Arctic Cat sleds with the new 600 and 800 C-TEC2 engines are now compatible, as are both Arctic Cat and Yamaha snowmobiles with the 998 motor, with and without a turbo. In addition, Ski-Doos with the 800 E-TEC motor are now supported, and support for Ski-Doos with the 850 and 1200 motors will likely be available in late fall or early winter of this year.
Support For Buttons On The Handlebar
The ability to use buttons on the handlebar to control the trip odometer, change display screens, and zoom in and out on the map has also been added. Polaris and some Ski-Doo snowmobiles already have these buttons and will be able to make use of this new feature right away. Arctic Cat and Yamaha sleds will have a kit available later this fall that will allow you to add handlebar buttons.
General Improvements
At the end of August the NS1 Gauge System will be back in production and around that time you can expect a new update that contains some general improvements and fixes. One of these improvements is related to Bluetooth connections dropping out between the NS1 display and the vehicle interface. This first set of improvements will also get the downloading of aerial imagery working again after the aerial imagery server at the USGS changed its configuration.
Garmin Map Improvements and VVMapping/Trakmaps Support
The the ability to show text labels, waypoints, and to render the roads, trails, and other features differently will be added. This will allow VVMapping, Trakmaps, and Red Pine Mapping's complete set of products to work. You can expect this improvement to be available at the beginning of October or earlier. This feature was planned for last Spring, but was delayed to add additional vehicle compatibility.
Location Sharing Through GoTenna Support
Another exciting new feature is the ability to exchange and show location information with other riders without a cell signal using GoTenna. GoTenna is a product that allows a device, like the NS1 display, to communicate with other devices up to two miles away (actual range is dependent on terrain, and will be lower much of the time). This support will allow you to see other NS1 gauge system users along with whether they are moving, and what direction they are headed.
Since the NS1 Dashboard Android application runs on any smartphone, even users without an NS1 gauge system will be able to use a GoTenna to exchange location information with your gauge.
You can expect an update before November to include this GoTenna support. Note that although the GoTenna support is a free update, you will need to purchase a GoTenna to make use of it.
Track Recording and Other Improvements
There are a couple of other improvements that you can expect after the GoTenna support update. One of these improvements will be the addition of heading and speed information within your recorded tracks. This information will be available in the exported KML file that you can view in Google Earth. In addition, if your snowmobile is equipped with an electronic fuel level sender, the fuel gauge will be visible as a horizontal bar at the bottom center of the screen. This will free up one of your gauge faces to show something else. The ability to show GPS based vehicle speed will also be added.
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