GPS mounting

MerlinDaHapyPig · 04-02-2004, 12:42 AM

Just wondering where people mount their GPS recievers.

I've just bought the cheapo one off ebay and it refuses to lock on inside the car, outside the car, i get 8 sat's easy.

Im just guessing the antenna's not strong enough to go through the metal roof / front windshield

so, 2 questions.

1. Where is a good place to mount it outside the car. And does anyone know if the "USB GPS Mouse" things from ebay are waterproof or would i have to do that myself.

2. Has anyone pulled one of these things to bits and tried to connect a better antenna to it? would this be possible??

GScherler · 04-02-2004, 01:40 AM

1st question is which one did you buy?
I bought one on Ebay like this unit. I used it from the dash for the first week without any problem. Since then I installed it on the roof of my SUV. With all the rain here in the Northwest, and a little snow too, I have not had any problems with it.
Hope yours starts working, and if not, hope they exchange it with no problems.
Good luck,
Gary

Quote: Originally Posted by MerlinDaHapyPig

Just wondering where people mount their GPS recievers.

I've just bought the cheapo one off ebay and it refuses to lock on inside the car, outside the car, i get 8 sat's easy.

Im just guessing the antenna's not strong enough to go through the metal roof / front windshield

so, 2 questions.

1. Where is a good place to mount it outside the car. And does anyone know if the "USB GPS Mouse" things from ebay are waterproof or would i have to do that myself.

2. Has anyone pulled one of these things to bits and tried to connect a better antenna to it? would this be possible??

fluffy2097 · 04-02-2004, 02:03 AM

you probably have a metal based tint on your glass. This will prevent the GPS from locking in your car. You'll have to mount it somewhere outside the passenger compartment.

As for modding it for a better antenna, most likely it's not going to happen. I've taken apart a couple GPS's (my Garmin GPS 35 and a Sapphire GPS mouse) to see whats inside, and there isn't any standard antenna. the entire unit seems to be sealed in a metal case. No antenna wire or circut traces to act as one.

Magnezium · 04-04-2004, 08:07 AM

Gary, I have the same one. It's a great unit. It's completely water proof. I submergged mine to make sure of it! (Tempting fate, but whatever.) I've never had a problem with it, and it was only 100 bucks. (I bought mine long ago).

Mg.

GScherler · 04-04-2004, 08:10 AM

Some people don't like the idea of Ebay... Been reall happy with mine too!
Gary

Quote: Originally Posted by Magnezium

Gary, I have the same one. It's a great unit. It's completely water proof. I submergged mine to make sure of it! (Tempting fate, but whatever.) I've never had a problem with it, and it was only 100 bucks. (I bought mine long ago).

Mg.

ML430 · 04-05-2004, 02:07 PM

I am too in the market for a new USB GPS unit... Newbie question on GPS's. Do all USB GPS's work fine with all the different GPS software out there today? or do certain models only run certain brands of software?

Quote: Originally Posted by GScherler

1st question is which one did you buy?
I bought one on Ebay like this unit. I used it from the dash for the first week without any problem. Since then I installed it on the roof of my SUV. With all the rain here in the Northwest, and a little snow too, I have not had any problems with it.
Hope yours starts working, and if not, hope they exchange it with no problems.
Good luck,
Gary

fondoo · 04-24-2004, 08:01 AM

are all usb gps equal?

GScherler · 04-24-2004, 05:26 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by ML430

I am too in the market for a new USB GPS unit... Newbie question on GPS's. Do all USB GPS's work fine with all the different GPS software out there today? or do certain models only run certain brands of software?

Quote: Originally Posted by fondoo

are all usb gps equal?

To over-simplify, gps speak languages. The software interprets the languages. You will have to make sure the hardware and software speak the same language or languages. Some gps's are proprietary and will only work with specific software. NMEA-0183 is the most common language.

"A NMEA standard defines an electrical interface and data protocol for specifications between instrumentation." Here is a link for more info on the standard.
Good luck,
Gary