Stupid GPS question

[flywaterguide]

Hi,

Against Sarah's recomendation, I bought an Extrex Vista. I also just bought one of their auto mounting brackets. So... here's the stupid question..

Those of you who have an Etrex and mounting bracket, where did you attach the bracket? Or did you decide to not use the breacket? The best place to me appears to be just above the defroster vent and below the rearview mirror on the windshield..... but I'd like to hear what others have done.

Thanks!

Best,

Flywaterguide

[H8PVMT]

I mounted mine on the left side of my stereo. But I did that with some sheet metal and velcro. Seems to do the job.

[sarah]

Congrats on your purchase! Do you plan to screw it on or use the self-adhesive? I found that the self-adhesive worked best mounted on a horozontal surface. I have mine mounted on the dash tray-thing.

Also, if you get the cig lighter, be careful with it and treat it nicely. It's not very "rugged" and will break easily.

[flywaterguide]

Congrats on your purchase! Do you plan to screw it on or use the self-adhesive? I found that the self-adhesive worked best mounted on a horozontal surface. I have mine mounted on the dash tray-thing.

Also, if you get the cig lighter, be careful with it and treat it nicely. It's not very "rugged" and will break easily.

I really didn't want to screw it into anything.... so I was going to use the self-adhesive pads they provided. yeah... I read the directions and they say a horizontal surface. I want it fairly close to me, so I can see it when I'm wheeling alone, but I needs to be mounted somewhere so my co-pilot (daughter) can see it and direct me...

I keep stuff in that tray... but may be able to think of something...

Thanks,

FG

[sarah]

There is still room for stuf in the tray, but only about 1/2 as much. It's a great place though for a passenger to see it too. You can also look into the carrying case, the clip on it fits snugly into the footman loop near the top of the windshield and protects the unit from some of the dust on the trail

[flywaterguide]

Well I'm going to go back out to my jeep and look around a bit more...

on an unrelated note, do you still have the JC Fab bumper?

[jmbrowning]

flywaterguide: I don't use the GPS display while driving. I will usually let the Missus drive or navigate. The Etrex Vista mostly does hard pedestrian duty in new cities where I can use the Metroguide data to locate services and also when walking I have the time to screw my eyes up looking at the tiny display.

For driving I used to a have a Geko 201 which fit perfectly in the space between the dashboard and the windshield. I faced the display forward so that I could attach a cable to the back and used it just as a sensor for the Toughbook laptop navigating system. Now the Geko is retired and I just use a Garmin 18 USB sensor without ANY display for receiving GPS signals.

For what it is worth, however, the Vista has a stamp antenna that is not very good at penetrating through cover and therefore needs a good flat look up at the sky. Try to position the thing as far forward on the dash as possible with the Garmin logo facing up and as horizontally as possible. I mounted the Vista on the windshield by the rearview mirror. This gave it a good look at the sats and also placed it pretty close to my eyes and to a place that I had to look at anyway.

[flywaterguide]

There is still room for stuf in the tray, but only about 1/2 as much. It's a great place though for a passenger to see it too. You can also look into the carrying case, the clip on it fits snugly into the footman loop near the top of the windshield and protects the unit from some of the dust on the trail

It seems the base of mine it is a bit too wide for the tray. and I really don't like the idea of screwing the base into something. So... I'm thinking about getting some adhesive and bonding the base to the windshield.

Thouhts? good/bad idea?

let me know.

Thanks,

FG

[goodtimes]

I mounted mine (e-trex vista) to the left side of the "hump" in the middle of the dash (vertical surface that is facing the drivers door). The mount allows me to position the GPS unit in front of, and to the left of the center vent ducts. I used 3m double sided tape, and it is plenty solid for the application.

[flywaterguide]

Well I decided to affix it to the windshield. If it falls off, since it's not a "horizontal" mounting surface as stated in the instructions, then I'll probably buy some super strong glue, and glue it to the windshield.

If I ever wheel with the windshield down, my co-pilot can hang on to it.

thanks!

fg