I want 'easier to hide' sat nav equipment. Do you agree?

metroace

In another thread, Striker73 said:

"Oh some thought my sat nav was in the glove compartment and smashed my window just because they seen the mounting kit on the window!.....so warning folks take the mounting kit with you! and wipe the sucker marks off the window...its a complete pain in th arse i know but the complete inconvienience its caused me since it happend on saturday!
Tinted smashed glass...excess of 60 quid! glass everywhere, a mobile phone, my missis scared that they are going to break in the house.

I want to snip there fingers off
Laughing Out Loud

all sorted now though!"

These scum have taken all the fun away from sat nav. Two of them were disturbed breaking into my car a few months ago. Because of this, I no longer use my sat nav for fun and only take it out for longer journeys or for journeys to places I have never been before. Hence my absence from these forums.

Of course, having made me wary of getting the sat nav out, this means that whenever I get stuck in traffic, I cannot just drive away and let my software find me a new route.

I want a Sat Nav manufacturer to come up with a less bulky way for mounting our equmipment. Something with less cables, a less obvious and easier hidden mounting, something that does not lead to these scum smashing our car windows.
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Darren · Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:00 pm Post subject:

They are hardly bulky! Most can be sued on battery so no power cable is required. The mount is an issue I agree, you could use a Brodit Mount which the thieving scumbags are less likely to recognise, coupled with one of their 'Move' quick release clips when removed all that is left is the very unobtrusive ProClip. I have three installed in my car to allow me to quickly mount review kit and they're great.
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Darren Griffin

metroace · Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:48 pm Post subject:

martike · Regular Visitor Joined: Aug 02, 2005 Posts: 194

But you don't have to use the bulky VM provided mount, do you ? I have a PDA with its own built-in GPS receiver, which means I don't need any sort of special mount at all. Alternatively your reciever can be anywhere in the car with a wireless connection to your PDA. Both these solutions give you a very small unit which is easy to remove and either hide or take with you.

metroace · Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2006 5:12 pm Post subject:

My PDA does not have a built in GPS receiver. It also is not Bluetooth cpable. Hmmm.

I look forward to suggestion that I can actually use without having to give up my current PDA which is far from obsolete.
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Darren · Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2006 6:18 pm Post subject:

elan2s · Regular Visitor Joined: Dec 07, 2004 Posts: 143

I have a Sony Clie TJ-35 which is neither bluetooth enabled nor does it have inbuilt GPS. I use a Rikaline 6010 Satelite Receiver the cable for which also powers the PDA and a generic PDA air vent mount, this combination works fine with vM. You can get the receiver and appropriate cable for a large number of different PDAs at www.mrbuybits.co.uk

The downside of this arrangement as discussed in the original post is that there is equipment on "show" in the car. I could remove the GPS receiver but it would be a pain as I have run the cable under the dash and round the edge of the windscreen. I think (hoping!!!) a vent mount is perhaps less obvious to the average villain as they tend to associate sat nav with windscreen mounts.

metroace · Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2006 7:04 pm Post subject:

You started this off, Darren. A solution for not having to use the bulky supplied VM GPS mount and cabling.

I have a HP iPAQ rz1710. It does NOT have a built in GPS receiver and it does NOT have Blutooth capability.
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metroace · Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2006 7:13 pm Post subject:

Hi elan2s

Would this item work in the average PDA and is it the kiind of thing you reckon I should be looking for?

http://www.mrbuybits.co.uk/storefrontprofiles/DeluxeSFItemDetail.aspx?sid=1&sfid=47806&c=529600&i=82702566

If so, do you reckon that this could be a solution for me along with a vent mount?

And if so, would this mean I could also use my PDA as a navigation aid on foot (not off-road obviously)?
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tanda · Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2006 8:47 pm Post subject:

Don't forget you would loose the use of the inbuilt amplifier/speaker in the Kirrio mount, not sure what the volume would be like from the PDA.
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elan2s · Regular Visitor Joined: Dec 07, 2004 Posts: 143

If your PDA has a compact flash slot and you don't need it for a memory card to store the maps on then I guess it would work. Key issues would be battery life but I guess whilst it is in the car you could use a in-car charger for your PDA. Also it should work in any situation including walking.

I would echo Tanda's comments about the sound output. I use the internal PDA speaker but it is of average quality. I do also have a pair of external speakers that I can use, especially if I am on a longer trip. These are not powered, powered ones with their own amp should give even better quality.

metroace · Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 6:03 pm Post subject:

Thanks for that elan2s. In that case, as I store my maps on the card, that is a non-starter and if I had thought that through first I would have realised that myself. Confused

So I tried to find that receiver you mentioned without any joy. Does anyone know if the Kirio kit that comes with VM can be adapted to be a vent mount?
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elan2s · Regular Visitor Joined: Dec 07, 2004 Posts: 143

According to the PocketGPSWorld review (http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/kirrio-palm-gps.php the Kirrio package comes with a choice of mounts including vent, so the answer to your question is yes.

I have now looked at the Mybuybits website and it seems they no longer stock the 6010. In theory you can use any standard GPS receiver which supports the NMEA protocol with vM so you could simply select one of the other receivers on the website that has the right connector for your pda and then buy a vent mount. Only issue then would be quality of the speaker on your pda as previously discussed.

metroace · Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 1:18 pm Post subject:

Hmmmm

I think I'm stuck with what I've got in that case. The Kirrio kit may well NOW come with three mounting options but it didn't when I bought it and I cannot find any workaround to retro fit the old bulky receiver/amplifier unit with a vent fit which of course would be the ideal solution.

Actually, the ideal solution would be to transport all the thieving gits who smash car windows at the merest hint of a sucker mark to a low lying Pacific island and let global warming do the rest!
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EF · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 17, 2006 Posts: 11

Easy

Remove Nav from mount, in it`s place insert a card that says "Nav in my pocket"

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