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 Post subject: Handheld GPS Mount
PostPosted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:07 am 
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Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2009 9:03 pm
Posts: 174
Location: Winnemucca, NV
For about 2.5 years now, I've been using my Garmin eTrex in my Tacoma on the cheap - a 79 cent suction cup with a hook holding the unit upright on top of the dash. It's worked adaquately, but some recent changes in my Tacoma necessitated a new mount.

First, I moved my Delphi NAV200 navigator unit to the left side of the CB radio, the place where I previously used the suction cup to hold my eTrex in place. This makes reading the maps of the Delphi much easier. On the right side of the CB radio, I put in a basket to hold small items, like my cell phone.

I use my eTrex for point to point navigation while in the field. The Delphi NAV200, while showing many off road trails, isn't any good for off road navigation. Finding a Burger King in Reno, it's fine. But finding a turn on a maze of trails out in rural northern Nevada, it's woefully inadaquate. But it's OK for seeing where you are in real time.

My Garmin was forced to ride in the basket lately, which is no good for navigation, or even just checking your current elevation. There were no other places where the suction cup held the GPS securely - it often just hung crazily and spun around like a victim of vigilante justice; because the dashboard was shorter fore/aft in any other location thus the GPS could not set on it when hooked to the suction cup. Other negatives I've put up with these past two years has been the fact that using the suction cup and hook required that the eTrex be kept in its Garmin brand holster, the screen on which has no anti-glare properties; making reading while underway often difficult; and it wasn't really that easy to get the GPS, suction cup and hook in place without fumbling around for a bit. The window was also smaller than the screen of the eTrex, blocking some data at the top of the screen.

My plan was to purchase Garmin's own suction cup holder for the eTrex, but there's nowhere around here that sells them. So today, I was browsing the electronics section at WalMart and found what appears to be a good solution - the Sosche Grip-It mobile electronics mount. It cost $24.99, or about $5 more than what Garmin was offering their eTrex mount the last time I checked.

The Grip-It consists of a suction cup, gooseneck and head unit that rotates and clamps down on any device in it. The jaws are covered in thick rubber, a good thing, as the eTrex is covered in thick rubber on its sides. All eTrex controls are still useable while in the Grip-It. To keep the eTrex from sliding downward, two tabs swing out and allow the eTrex to set upon them.

I now mounted the eTrex over to the left side of my windshield near the A-pillar. The gooseneck is quite long with a pronounced curvature that was created for packaging; handy for helping to take up some of the leverage and weight of the GPS as this curve sits down on the dash top.

I haven't road tested or trail tested the unit as yet. In the driveway, I notice that the weight and leverage and length of the gooseneck do allow for quite a bit of up and down movement. If this will be enough to overcome the suction of the windshield mount will remain to be seen. I'll keep you abreast of this.

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D.A. Wright
~When You Live in Nevada, "just down the road" is anywhere in the line of sight within the curvature of the earth.


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 Post subject: Re: Handheld GPS Mount
PostPosted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:02 pm 
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Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2009 9:03 pm
Posts: 174
Location: Winnemucca, NV
I was playing around with the head unit during my lunch break today and found that the clamps on the sides easily separate and spread vertically or can be moved together up or down.

I tried holding the head unit with the GPS in it and shaking it with the GPS facing down, it wouldn't budge. Held perfectly.

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D.A. Wright
~When You Live in Nevada, "just down the road" is anywhere in the line of sight within the curvature of the earth.


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 Post subject: Re: Handheld GPS Mount
PostPosted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 1:51 am 
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Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2005 9:05 pm
Posts: 1054
Location: McDonald, Ohio
Pretty cool there David. I have used the Garmin mount. It held onto the windshield pretty good, but occasionally the suction would let go and it would fall off the windshield. Also, it was too light of duty to withstand the bumps of off roading. I actually put a piece of velcro on the dash and the GPS unit attaching them together to take the vibes out so I can read the display. Now I use a RAM mount and it works really great. Didn't cost me a dime either...it was a present from a good friend... :mrgreen:

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2002 Jeep Wrangler X, ARB's, 4.5" RE lift, 35" KM2's, built to crawl on rocks


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 Post subject: Re: Handheld GPS Mount
PostPosted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 9:19 am 
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Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2009 9:03 pm
Posts: 174
Location: Winnemucca, NV
Still haven't trail tested the unit yet. Up and down play is my main concern on the trail. The gooseneck is laying on the dash, but in the middle; the GPS and head unit is still in outter space. Leverage might pry the suction cup off.

A tip with suction cup mounts. They're just plain weird. My Delphi can be simply popped on the windshield, the bale handle not yet pulled back to tighten and you can yank and yank and it won't budge. Let go and the unit falls off the windshield. Weird. On cold days, nothing seems to make the thing stick. It simply falls to the floor. Tip? Wet your finger with your saliva and rub onto the rubber cup and then affix. Or use rubbing alcohol to do the same thing. Stays put very well.

I've seen RAM mounts and they do appear to be well thought out and well built. I'd love to have the unit for the eTrex that has a fold down magnifier. But I can't justify the price - last time I looked $79. No places around here in Winnemucca to buy such stuff. I don't do online shopping.

Over time and with use, I'll figure out ways to eliminate any problems that pop up with this unit and share them here.

_________________
D.A. Wright
~When You Live in Nevada, "just down the road" is anywhere in the line of sight within the curvature of the earth.


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 Post subject: Re: Handheld GPS Mount
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 7:57 pm 
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Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2009 9:03 pm
Posts: 174
Location: Winnemucca, NV
Today I tinkered around with the new Grip-It. I hadn't yet trail tested it, but it's distance out from the suction cup, lack of support, and movement of the gooseneck had me concerned about integrity holding a GPS unit over a rough trail.

Basically what I did was to turn the unit sideways so that the gooseneck lay horizontally across the top of the dashboard. The head and GPS is setting against the dash.

A few photos of the new configuration.

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Side view.

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Driver's eye view.

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Looking through the windshield.

I later took a trail test of the unit and found it satisfactory in this configuration. Little movement and supremely readable compared to my former set up using a suction cup and the GPS against the windshield in its holster with the reflective window.

_________________
D.A. Wright
~When You Live in Nevada, "just down the road" is anywhere in the line of sight within the curvature of the earth.


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