Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 19:23:21 -0800
Reply-To: Todd Last <rubatoguy@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Todd Last <rubatoguy@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject: Re: GPS in a Westy?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I'm currently using a Garmin 76S with a dash mount and the roads and recreation software. Previously I had a Garmin Vista but upgraded because I found that using a handheld with no provision for an external antenna did not work that well. (The Vehicle tends to block signals so just having an internal antenna yields minimal performance.)
The 76S has a B&W display - I've found it more than acceptible for use, but have wondered if there is a way to hook up my old, old color laptop to be an external display.
I've found that using the dash mount and placing the unit near the rear-view mirror (mounted from the ceiling) is a pretty good location. It's shielded from the sunlight here, and within your normal driving field of vision. I've also mounted it right on top of the instrument pod - but strong sunlight makes it hard to read here, and you have the tendency to loose focus on the traffic from looking down at the GPS.
That's my 2 cents worth.
Todd
'88 Westy
-------Original Message-------
From: Doug Alcock <doug.alcock@HEWITT.COM>
Sent: 04/04/03 09:40 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: GPS in a Westy?
>
> Hi gang,
I've been saving this for Friday since it doesn't directly involve
leaky heads or tires or conversions. I'm looking for a GPS solution for my
Westy. I'm leaning toward a GPS receiver hooked into a laptop because it's
cheaper (already have the laptop) and you get that nice big display. So
I'd like to hear from anyone using this sort of thing ---- with comments
about hardware and mapping software etc. I'd also like to hear from people
who are using handheld units, in terms of how useful they find the
displays etc and how easy it is to navigate on the highways and at street
level. I'm particularly interested in comments from people who have used
GPS in Canada with regards to mapping software --- because the options are
fewer and less sophisticated here in the Great White North.
Speaking of Great White North, Toronto is in the midst of a
three-day freezing rain/ice pellet storm. This would be bad enough under
usual circumstances, but all the snow plowing contracts with the city
expired March 31 --- so they're having a hard time getting plows and crews
on the road. What a mess........
Cheers,
Doug
'84 Westy Bluebelle (with I4 conversion)
"Still waiting for spring"
>