GPS Tracklog

The amazing flying 60CSx

Why do I have a picture of my wife's foot at the start of this post? What you see to the left is the re-enactment of a GPS accident this afternoon. We had come to a locked gate, lifted our bikes over, and then we proceeded to climb over ourselves. Except my dear wife's foot grazed the antennae, which sort of acted like a lever. Yes, the 60CSx flipped out of the mount, went tumbling through the air, and plop -- on the pavement.

Oh, see the railing behind her foot? A couple more feet and it would have gone into the river (see photo at right below). Now I'm just having bad luck with my 60CSx. My old unit, a 60CS, never took a tumble out of my mount, yet this is the second such impact for this unit.

Another broken RAM mount

Last month I wrote about trying to find a RAM mount that would fit 31.8 mm diameter bicycle handlebars.  It turns out that my new bike doesn't have 31.8 mm bars, but my wife's does. So I was able to go with a RAM mount while her bike got the Garmin mount. That's okay I thought, since I'm the one with the expensive new Garmin 60CSx, while she is stuck with the last generation 60CS. RAM mounts have a reputation for being tougher than the Garmin mounts, so I felt secure having my new GPS in a RAM mount -- until a few days ago anyway.

To make a long story short, we've been on a mountain biking vacation for the past week and, while riding the Hole in the Ground trail near Lake Tahoe, I had a rather spectacular crash. Fortunately, I was okay and my bike was okay, but my 60CSx was nowhere to be found! Yes, the mount had taken a hit and the 60CSx went sailing. A 5 or 10 minute search located it, but it definitely picked up a few nasty screen scratches. Do any readers know if Garmin will fix that under their warranty? I've only had the unit for a month or so. The Garmin warranty policy FAQ states:

"This warranty does not cover failures due to abuse, misuse, accident, or unauthorized alterations or repairs."

But Garmin has been known to go the extra mile when it comes to warranties and support.

Back to the RAM mount, a close inspection of the photo will reveal a break near the bottom of the narrow portion of the mount. I still think RAM mounts are the best ones going, and as soon as we return home, I'll take them up on their lifetime warranty replacement. But this is the second RAM mount we've broken (the other was for a Magellan). Now we do tend to be rough on mounts and our GPS receivers, all in the name of reporting back to you of course! Still, I had my 60CS in a RAM handlebar mount for two years without incident, but my 60CSx takes a hit almost immediately. Kinda sucks.

Use your Forerunner 305 indoors!

Want to use your Forerunner 305 at the gym? Now you can, with the new Foot Pod announced by Garmin today:

"Named the Forerunner 305 Foot Pod, the shoe-mounted device wirelessly communicates with the wrist-worn Forerunner 305 to provide accurate distance and speed while training on treadmills or indoor tracks...

...Once the accessory is turned on, the Forerunner 305 recognizes its wireless signal and asks if the user wishes to train using the Foot Pod instead of with the Forerunner’s built-in GPS.  Once confirmed, the Forerunner 305 deactivates the GPS and the Foot Pod begins measuring the workout."

The Foot Pod will be available in October 2006 at a suggested retail price of $99.95.

Bike mounts for Garmin 60 series

I'm happy to say that my wife and I are both getting a new mountain bikes. Decommissioning of the old ones is nearly a decade overdue! The problem is, these days, most nice bikes come with 31.8 mm diameter handlebars, and I'm having a hard time finding a mount for my Garmin 60CSx that will fit.

In the past, I've used RAM mounts, and have been very happy with them, but that's not a good option unless I switch out handlebars. So I emailed RAM, and they suggested this monster mount. Um, thanks guys, but I don't really like the plumbing clamps.

It turns out that Garmin has a large diameter rail mount adapter (seen at left) for their mount. Unfortunately, Garmin mounts (for the 60 series) have a reputation for disengaging in rough terrain, sending that very expensive GPS flying. I don't like that idea either.

The best solution I've seen was posted in this thread about Garmin 60CS bike mounts on Groundspeak:

"What I finally did, which doesn't obscure the screen, is to take a wire tie, like the ones used for vegetables and string it through the lanyard strap hole on the 60CS and then to the space on the 60CS holder where the holder clips onto the mount on the bicycle handlebar. Tighten up the wire and twist it around itself to hold it in place. Tuck the ends under the 60CS and then click on the 60CS to the bike."

I'm not sure that would hold it in place if the mount broke, but that may be the solution I go with. I'll try and remember to update this post once I've made a final decision and tested it out.

Technorati tags: GPS

Glare reducing visors for your car's GPS

Have those times when you just can't see your GPS?

GlareStomper has the answer - a glare reducing visor for your car's GPS. They offer solutions for Garmin, TomTom, Magellan, Navman, Mio and Sony products.

Via Gear Live

Technorati tags: GPS

Breaking a RAM mount

Last fall, my wife actually managed to crack the RAM handlebar mount which held her Magellan Meridian Platinum. The damage is shown in the photo to the left. Thishappened during our vacation at Anza Borrego. It broke while she was pounding (or getting pounded by) the downhill shown below on the right. See the people in the photo? Those are park rangers moving boulders so they can take their 4WD up the "road!"

RAM mounts have a reputation for being very tough, and they come with a lifetime warranty, so when we returned, I sent them an email explaining the problem. I got no response, so after a few days, I called them. It was after hours (I'm on the west coast) and I got their voice mail. I left a message, but still received no response. Now I was getting frustrated. I finally managed to call during business hours and they gave me an email address and said send a digital photo if possible. I did and, while I got no reply, five days later a new handlebar mounting bracket showed up in the mail. All's well that ends well.

RAM mounts are great and I have no complaints. I'm not sure I've ever even heard of one breaking before. But sometimes a RAM mount is overkill. They can be fairly bulky. I have one for my Garmin 60CS on my bike, but the mount in my car is a Garmin windshield suction cup mount. RAM mounts are great for where you need something fairly rugged, like on a mountain bike, ATV or 4WD. Still, Garmin's eTrex bicycle mount worked great for my old eTrex Venture. I suggest finding a discussion board for your make of GPS and asking there before making a purchase.

If you do decide to buy a RAM mount, you may find their catalog confusing. These are component mounts, and you'll likely be selecting a couple of different items. I've found it easier to identify the proper components at GPSCity, so you may want to check there.

Rechargeable batteries for your GPS

For some time now, I've been wanting to research and blog about choosing recharegable batteries for your GPS receiver. This is one of the few topics I regret not covering in my book, GPS Mapping: Make Your Own Maps. I didn't have to look far to research the subject. I turned to one of my favorite GPS/mapping software discussion boards and found this thread. The idea of being able to recharge batteries in only 15 minutes was quite enticing, so I went out and bought the suggested unit, a 15-minute charger from Energizer (Amazon link), which comes with 4 AA batteries. I got mine at Target, but as you can see from the link, Target is also selling them through Amazon.

I did a quick test with my GPS, a Garmin GPSMap 60CS (Amazon). Granted, it wasn't the most scientific test, but I was pleased to get 20 hours out of two batteries, which is exactly what the unit is rated. I'm quite excited, since all four of my GPS receivers use AA batteries, as does my digital camera.