Will a small GPS work inside RT glove box?

[RTme2]

My main purpose for wanting to carry one is for the "breadcrumb" feature. Want to track and save favorite routes.

 

Any suggestions on a small, mapping GPS unit? I favor non-color displays, AA batteries, USB, and SD card capability.

 

Dave

[Stan Walker]

Will a small GPS work inside RT glove box?

 

Well my 276C GPS works inside my topcase, I often put it there if I making lots of stops, like inside a national park. But that's a more exposed location than the glove box. The glove box is next to the gas tank and that might block some signal. It's also made from a different plastic plus painted too.

 

If I really wanted to use that location I would go for one of the new Garmins with the increased sensitivity, for example, the 60CSx. A friend has one and it even works inside his house, my 60CS won't do that!!!

 

Stan

[Mike]

I haven't tried it, but I'm going to speculate that your reception will be iffy. While a somewhat different scenario, I move my Garmin 2610 from my ST to our cars on occasion. One of the cars has an electrically heated windshield with tiny wires running vertically through the glass. In that car, I frequently lose satellite reception, particularly on cloudy days.

[smiller]

I would say that it depends on your intended use. If you place the GPS in an optimal position (antenna up) within the glovebox then it should work passably well although you should also anticipate numerous dropouts. If your intention is simply to keep a general catalog of what roads you traveled then it would probably work for that since you would likley be able to reconstruct your route pretty accurately in spite of occasional dropouts. If you need a record of what lane you were in though then you'll need an external antenna.

[TonyT607]

Dave I'm not familiar with the RT's cockpit but what about attaching an external antenna to the Unit ? I know my Garmin (Quest I) has a plug for this purpose.

[Laffo IBA#34115]

Try the Gilsson external amplified GPS antenna. I use one with my quest so I don't have the units' delicate antenna sticking up in the wind to get damaged. I have the Gilsson velcroed to the clutch resevoir cover and run the 3, 9, or 16 foot cable anywhere (mine is a three foot cable). I bought mine on amazon.com for $20. Gillson sells them on their site for $50.

 

Hope this helps.