Mounting a GPS

Artoi said:

Anyone have any comment on the mounting of a GPS unit on a bike?

I would like to make better use of Garmin Etrex Vista Cx with my new
bike and have temporarily used two velcro straps to strap the belt clip
against the stem so that it's lying horizontally. It seemed to stay in
place but is not very stable. I am wondering how people find both the
official Garmin and other 3rd party mounting solutions in terms of
durability, convenience and ease of removal.

I find the official Garmin bike support easy to use and very reliable.
I own an old Vista.

I have found from many sources the suggestion of a helmet-mounted setup,
to maximize the reception of the signal. Pity that this way it is no
longer possible to see the screen while riding :-(

Ciao,
--
Roberto Divia` Love at first sight is one of the greatest
Dep:PH Bat:53 Mailbox:C02110 labour-saving devices the world has ever seen
Route de Meyrin 385 ---------------------------------------------
Case Postale Phone: +41-22-767-4994
CH-1211 Geneve 23 CERN Fax: +41-22-767-9585
Switzerland E-Mail: [email hidden]

"Artoi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Anyone have any comment on the mounting of a GPS unit on a bike?

I would like to make better use of Garmin Etrex Vista Cx with my new
bike and have temporarily used two velcro straps to strap the belt clip
against the stem so that it's lying horizontally. It seemed to stay in
place but is not very stable. I am wondering how people find both the
official Garmin and other 3rd party mounting solutions in terms of
durability, convenience and ease of removal.

--

Go to gpscity.com for Ram mounts

Artoi said:

Anyone have any comment on the mounting of a GPS unit on a bike?

I would like to make better use of Garmin Etrex Vista Cx with my new
bike and have temporarily used two velcro straps to strap the belt clip
against the stem so that it's lying horizontally. It seemed to stay in
place but is not very stable. I am wondering how people find both the
official Garmin and other 3rd party mounting solutions in terms of
durability, convenience and ease of removal.

--

The official Garmin mount is rock solid although I only do cross
country, I'm not sure how it would stand up going 40MPH down a rocky slope.

I put the GPS on my handlebar and tape the Garmin GA25 MCX antenna to my
stem, I never get less than 9 satellites but never an EGNOS signal.
Accuracy never goes far from 20ft anyway but it would be nice to get an
EGNOS signal sometime to see if it makes a difference.

The biggest satellite I receive is number 30, does anyone know what
numbers the EGNOS sats are?

In article said:

"Artoi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Anyone have any comment on the mounting of a GPS unit on a bike?

I would like to make better use of Garmin Etrex Vista Cx with my new
bike and have temporarily used two velcro straps to strap the belt clip
against the stem so that it's lying horizontally. It seemed to stay in
place but is not very stable. I am wondering how people find both the
official Garmin and other 3rd party mounting solutions in terms of
durability, convenience and ease of removal.

--

Go to gpscity.com for Ram mounts

Care to elaborate on this often heard brand. Is it heavier? Is it
bigger? How is it better?
--

In article <[email hidden]>,

Roberto Divia said:

I find the official Garmin bike support easy to use and very reliable.
I own an old Vista.

Ok, I'll see if I can find a bargain on the net. 🙂

Quoted message said:

I have found from many sources the suggestion of a helmet-mounted setup,
to maximize the reception of the signal. Pity that this way it is no
longer possible to see the screen while riding :-(

I think you are right, the screen should be seen to be believed... 😉
--

In article <[email hidden]>,

Don Lancaster said:

The official Garmin mount is rock solid although I only do cross
country, I'm not sure how it would stand up going 40MPH down a rocky slope.

I won't be doing any rocky slopes. I think my 700x25 wheel would die
before the Vista would hit the rock. 🙂

Quoted message said:

I put the GPS on my handlebar and tape the Garmin GA25 MCX antenna to my
stem, I never get less than 9 satellites but never an EGNOS signal.
Accuracy never goes far from 20ft anyway but it would be nice to get an
EGNOS signal sometime to see if it makes a difference.

That's an interesting setup. Why would you need an external antenna when
you are likely in the open? Unless you are riding heavily wooded
mountain trails, is that right?
--

Artoi said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Don Lancaster said:

The official Garmin mount is rock solid although I only do cross
country, I'm not sure how it would stand up going 40MPH down a rocky slope.

I won't be doing any rocky slopes. I think my 700x25 wheel would die
before the Vista would hit the rock. 🙂

Quoted message said:

I put the GPS on my handlebar and tape the Garmin GA25 MCX antenna to my
stem, I never get less than 9 satellites but never an EGNOS signal.
Accuracy never goes far from 20ft anyway but it would be nice to get an
EGNOS signal sometime to see if it makes a difference.

That's an interesting setup. Why would you need an external antenna when
you are likely in the open? Unless you are riding heavily wooded
mountain trails, is that right?

I was wondering the same. The last time I was in Sequoia Natl Monument
I only got signals at 2 clearings during an 8 mile hike with my Etrex
Summit.

Greg
--
"All my time I spent in heaven
Revelries of dance and wine
Waking to the sound of laughter
Up I'd rise and kiss the sky" - The Mekons

Artoi said:

That's an interesting setup. Why would you need an external antenna when
you are likely in the open? Unless you are riding heavily wooded
mountain trails, is that right?

I used to use an external antenna on my frame pack. Even thought the
gps had a good view of the sky, the added gain from a good external
antenna allowed it to keep lock under heavy cover. Unplugging the
external antenna under trees was a good way to get the signal bars to
drop to almost nothing. Even when it did keep lock, the tracklog was
pretty erratic and fairly worthless for making maps from.

-wolfgang
--
Wolfgang S. Rupprecht http://www.wsrcc.com/wolfgang/

Artoi said:

Anyone have any comment on the mounting of a GPS unit on a bike?

I would like to make better use of Garmin Etrex Vista Cx with my new
bike and have temporarily used two velcro straps to strap the belt
clip against the stem so that it's lying horizontally. It seemed to
stay in place but is not very stable. I am wondering how people find
both the official Garmin and other 3rd party mounting solutions in
terms of durability, convenience and ease of removal.

Garmin own mount, but onto the frame of my bar bag.

This serves two purposes;
1) vibration isolation. Two friends suffered from vibration transmitted to
handlebars which caused batteries to disconnect (for a fraction of a second)
on Vista models (the older B&W types). This turns the GPS off ! With my
setup the problem does not happen (Visa-C in my case); my friends now use a
similar arrangement.
2) GPS comes off bike with bar bag. Bar bag contains wallet, passport,
tickets, camera, and other valuables. So all the expensive stuff in one
place.

If you don't have a bit of delrin (acetal) to make the bush, 1 inch of
wooden broom handle will do the same job; drill it to the bar-bag rail
diameter, then saw in half through the hole.

http://www.nigelcliffe.photobook.org.uk/c844879.html

- Nigel

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

"Nigel Cliffe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Artoi said:

Anyone have any comment on the mounting of a GPS unit on a bike?

I would like to make better use of Garmin Etrex Vista Cx with my new
bike and have temporarily used two velcro straps to strap the belt
clip against the stem so that it's lying horizontally. It seemed to
stay in place but is not very stable. I am wondering how people find
both the official Garmin and other 3rd party mounting solutions in
terms of durability, convenience and ease of removal.

Garmin own mount, but onto the frame of my bar bag.

This serves two purposes;
1) vibration isolation. Two friends suffered from vibration transmitted to
handlebars which caused batteries to disconnect (for a fraction of a
second) on Vista models (the older B&W types). This turns the GPS off !
With my setup the problem does not happen (Visa-C in my case); my friends
now use a similar arrangement.

I've got 2 tiny strips of inner-tube behind the battery clips to sort that
problem (old blue eTrex Legend)

Quoted message said:

2) GPS comes off bike with bar bag. Bar bag contains wallet, passport,
tickets, camera, and other valuables. So all the expensive stuff in one
place.

If you don't have a bit of delrin (acetal) to make the bush, 1 inch of
wooden broom handle will do the same job; drill it to the bar-bag rail
diameter, then saw in half through the hole.

http://www.nigelcliffe.photobook.org.uk/c844879.html

- Nigel

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

"Artoi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article said:

"Artoi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Anyone have any comment on the mounting of a GPS unit on a bike?

I would like to make better use of Garmin Etrex Vista Cx with my new
bike and have temporarily used two velcro straps to strap the belt clip
against the stem so that it's lying horizontally. It seemed to stay in
place but is not very stable. I am wondering how people find both the
official Garmin and other 3rd party mounting solutions in terms of
durability, convenience and ease of removal.

--

Go to gpscity.com for Ram mounts

Care to elaborate on this often heard brand. Is it heavier? Is it
bigger? How is it better?
--

The Ram mount is made to fit each model precisely,not one size fits all,not
to mention they ARE bullet proof. You won't be disappointed !

In article <[email hidden]>,

G.T. said:

I was wondering the same. The last time I was in Sequoia Natl Monument
I only got signals at 2 clearings during an 8 mile hike with my Etrex
Summit.

I had the same experience in the Muirwood NP. It's a shame that those
eTrex units have poorer reception through their patch antennae as they
are just the right size for the bike. The GPS60Csx units look too bulky
despite their higher sensitivity antennae.
--

In article said:

The Ram mount is made to fit each model precisely,not one size fits all,not
to mention they ARE bullet proof. You won't be disappointed !

Gosh, they looked heavy duty. Thanks for the suggestion.
--

Artoi said:

Anyone have any comment on the mounting of a GPS unit on a bike?

I would like to make better use of Garmin Etrex Vista Cx with my new
bike and have temporarily used two velcro straps to strap the belt clip
against the stem so that it's lying horizontally. It seemed to stay in
place but is not very stable. I am wondering how people find both the
official Garmin and other 3rd party mounting solutions in terms of
durability, convenience and ease of removal.

--

I use the Garmin bike holder for my GPSMap60CSx. It works well with the hybrid
bike, but does not hold the GPSr well enough on the road bike - road vibration
makes it come unclipped.

I do like Nigel's Delrin modification, Delrin is a very easy material to work
with - but I need the GPSr on the handlebars of the road bike so I can easily
see it at a glance.

And the RAM mount the GPS shop showed me was strong, robust, and HUGE - it was
going to cause me serious leg damage if I went over the handlebars in an accident.

So my solution is to put a fat elastic band round the GPS & the bike clip, & if
it comes unclipped, it can't go anywhere, and furthermore is less likely to come
unclipped. I also make sure the GPSr lanyard is looped round the bars so it
can't fall to the road.

--
Karen

And thanks to Tam at aus.bicycle for the cool new nick 🙂

"Sometimes I think I have a Guardian Idiot - a little invisible spirit just
behind my shoulder, looking out for me ... only he's an imbecile" - Jake Stonebender

In article
<[email hidden]>,

Duracell Bunny said:

I use the Garmin bike holder for my GPSMap60CSx. It works well with the
hybrid
bike, but does not hold the GPSr well enough on the road bike - road
vibration
makes it come unclipped.

Sounds like my present solution using velcro straps and Garmin's belt
clip pouch is not that bad as it's on a road bike. I was concerned about
the effect of vibration on the unit too. At present, the pouch helps
dampen the vibration somewhat.
--

"Artoi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Anyone have any comment on the mounting of a GPS unit on a bike?

I would like to make better use of Garmin Etrex Vista Cx with my new
bike and have temporarily used two velcro straps to strap the belt clip
against the stem so that it's lying horizontally. It seemed to stay in
place but is not very stable. I am wondering how people find both the
official Garmin and other 3rd party mounting solutions in terms of
durability, convenience and ease of removal.

--

I've been using the Garmin handlebar mount, part #010-10267-00, with a Vista
C on my motorcycle for several thousand miles now and have had no problems.
It even holds up at ludicrous speeds:

http://webpages.charter.net/kc8cfp/DSC00139.JPG

It also works fine on my Bianchi Eros. You shouldn't have any problems on
your road bike.

Don Lancaster said:

I put the GPS on my handlebar and tape the Garmin GA25 MCX antenna to my
stem, I never get less than 9 satellites but never an EGNOS signal.
Accuracy never goes far from 20ft anyway but it would be nice to get an
EGNOS signal sometime to see if it makes a difference.

The biggest satellite I receive is number 30, does anyone know what
numbers the EGNOS sats are?

AFAIK 33 and 39. I get them OK with my Vista.

Ciao,
--
Roberto Divia` Love at first sight is one of the greatest
Dep:PH Bat:53 Mailbox:C02110 labour-saving devices the world has ever seen
Route de Meyrin 385 ---------------------------------------------
Case Postale Phone: +41-22-767-4994
CH-1211 Geneve 23 CERN Fax: +41-22-767-9585
Switzerland E-Mail: [email hidden]

Martin Walker said:

"Artoi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

-snip-

Quoted message said:

I've been using the Garmin handlebar mount, part #010-10267-00, with a Vista
C on my motorcycle for several thousand miles now and have had no problems.
It even holds up at ludicrous speeds:

http://webpages.charter.net/kc8cfp/DSC00139.JPG

-snip-

Is that 173mph I'm reading for max speed? Or kph?

John

john said:

Martin Walker said:

"Artoi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

-snip-

Quoted message said:

I've been using the Garmin handlebar mount, part #010-10267-00, with a Vista
C on my motorcycle for several thousand miles now and have had no problems.
It even holds up at ludicrous speeds:

http://webpages.charter.net/kc8cfp/DSC00139.JPG

-snip-

Is that 173mph I'm reading for max speed? Or kph?

John

Dear John,

Of course not!

It's a mere 163 mph.

If you look at the picture full size, you'll see "mi" at the odometer
and trip odometer readings, and "mh" at the max speed of 163.

A 163 mph speed is perfectly plausible for elderly motorcycles sold in
the previous century:

Lake Shore motorcycle clocked at 160 mph
Chicago Sun-Times, May 17, 2001

"Dougherty said a police technician checked the radar equipment after
Burks clocked Rogan at 160 mph and it was fine. He also called a Honda
dealership, which confirmed the bike could reach such speeds."

"'It's basically a race bike with turn signals,' said Bob Beamish,
sales manager of Otto Brothers Honda/Suzuki in Lyons. '"The bike has
state-of-the-art handling capabilities.'"

"The motorcycle would have sold for about $7,900 in 1999 and is
capable of reaching speeds above 155 mph, depending on road conditions
and whether modifications have been made to the bike, Beamish said."

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20010517/ai_n13910939

Cheers,

Carl Fogel