Great way to mount large GPS

Submitted: Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 09:21
ThreadID: 18591 Views:2518 Replies:5 FollowUps:3
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Hi all ,
I bought the biggest GPS that would take maps because being an old fart , my eyesight is hopeless .
Of course I gave the mounting of such a big unit no thought when I purchased it !That would be like a guy reading an instruction manual .
Finally I worked out a great method that looks good ,does not damage the dash , is stable and very easy to view and work on .
I have a "fitted" carpet like cover on my 100 TD dashboard . I stole my wifes thin white nylon cutting board , located this under the cover , then bolted the large GPS cradle through the carpet to the cutting board . To stop it moving around , I glued to the bottom of the carpeted cover , that mesh non skid rubber sheet you buy from Clark Rubber . I used contact adhesive for this . It seems immoveable now , but the big test will be when I get on the corrugations . If it moves , then I will have to use that sticky velcro tape to tie it down .( I'd rather not though)
You can't see the cutting board which goes all the way to the windscreen to give it stability . I imagine the GPS would be seen as cutting down my vision a tiny bit where it is in the middle of the dashboard , so to keep the law happy I will only put it on when I go bush .
The GPS is a Magellan FX324 colour map and I have loaded maps of all of Aust into a number of storeage cards which can be easilly interchanged . I did not want to rely on a hard disc computer as they crash to easilly . The maps may be better on a laptop but I went for durability .
Willie .
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Reply By: RickB - Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 09:38

Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 09:38
Willie,
Any chance of a photo. My windscreen mounting bracket just snapped so I am looking at alternatives.

Cheers,

Rick
AnswerID: 88831

Follow Up By: Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. - Sunday, Dec 19, 2004 at 14:03

Sunday, Dec 19, 2004 at 14:03
Rick ,
Just click on my rig photo and one of the six photos below is the magellan on the dashboard .
You will notice I also mounted a nice map light on the cutting board as well .
All the best ,
Willie
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FollowupID: 348331

Reply By: Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. - Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 09:43

Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 09:43
Rick ,
Yes I will take a photo today but I might need some instrctional help to post it on the forum .
I am a computer cretin .
Willie .
AnswerID: 88835

Reply By: charlie - Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 10:12

Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 10:12
Sounds great Willie, luckily our GPS isn't that big so can be mounted with one of those window suckers. Where did you get your maps of Aust. and how much were they. I have been looking for a while and have not found what I am after yet.
Good luck with the corrugations.
Cheers,

Charlie.
AnswerID: 88844

Follow Up By: Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. - Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 10:18

Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 10:18
Charlie ,
I loaded the Magellan "Australia's Great Desert Tracks" onto it .
I think they would only work on a Magellan GPS , but I am not sure .
I think Magellan are doing some more maps in the future to make their equipment more appealing .
Willie .
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FollowupID: 347708

Follow Up By: Vince NSW - Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 11:58

Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 11:58
Charlie, check out the shop on this site. There are NATMAPs avaliable for all of OZ in 1:250,000, not sure if you can upload to your GPS
Vince
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FollowupID: 347721

Reply By: Willem - Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 19:24

Wednesday, Dec 15, 2004 at 19:24
Yeah my Magellans bracket broke as well. So I cut out three pieces of 16mm MDF which surround the GPS but leave space for the buttons to be accessed. Glued the pieces together and velcroed the bracket to the dash mat. Seems to work OK. I have it at an angle away to my left.

Hope your wife won't miss her cutting bard or you will be in the proverbial lol
AnswerID: 88933

Reply By: kumanara - Saturday, Dec 18, 2004 at 12:22

Saturday, Dec 18, 2004 at 12:22
If you want to mount anything to your vehicle such as a GPS try using silicone sealant.

If you want to remove it later you cut the sealant with a sharp knife. After this rub the sealant and it comes off the vehicle. Once the sealant is removed you would not know anything had been mounted there.
Life's great and it just keeps getting better

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